PROS
- Multifunctional, compact, and easy to carry around.
- Assembly was a breeze (pun intended) and there were no water connection leaks (I wouldn’t chance using mist inside a home unless it’s a properly built greenhouse).
- The four-legged table top pod is handy, permanently attached to the fan and accessed by pulling the whole unit off the ground base.
CONS:
- Priced higher than other brands.
The Shark Flexbreeze Fan with InstaCool Attachment is an upright fan with a sturdy base and a remote control. It’s unique in that it can work both corded and cordless, indoors and out. You can also attach your garden hose to add a cool mist to the experience. I was excited to try it out in my home over the record-breaking Alberta high’s this month.
Not only did the combination fan and fine mister keep us cool and dry from close and afar, it was also adept at keeping out deck plants, patio munchies, and more cool under searing 32 °C heat.
This compact $200 fan is portable, runs up to 20 hours on one charge, and positions on the ground or you can use a built-in table stand. It can also be plugged in an outlet, which charges the built-in battery while you are using it so it’s ready for the next time you want to unplug.
It’s powerful for its size with outstanding whisper-quiet air breezing unnoticed across any deck. The five-speed plus turbo fan and 180° wide to narrow oscillating range can be controlled by the included remote. Its charcoal grey colour with gold accents fits in any environment, whether you’re working out on your deck or gently drying a painting in your art studio.
Using the Atomized Water Attachment
This fan gets way cooler when you slide on the InstaCool attachment that gently produces a cooling mist of atomized water droplets ranging from 10 to 100 micrometers in diameter. This results in faster evaporation creating a cooler environment (down another about 6°C).
Your garden water hose hooks up to the fan’s water tube built with an adjustable, on or off connection for water pressure. Get an endless supply of water for a mist that can reach past 10 metres, depending on the fan speed you select.
Remote Control and Garden Water Hose Connection
The magnetically attached multi-functional remote chooses the five fan speeds including the top boost speed, three pan angles, direction of pan and on/off. The Flexbreeze hooks up with a standard garden water hose and a volume control to fine tune how far the fan blows the mist.
How Would You Use The Fan Outdoors?
The fan can come in handy for cooling of humans, but also animals and even food for your outdoor event. You can adjust settings accordingly. Here are just a few ways you can use it.
Cooling and Misting Humans
Mist yourself or others near you from any angle or distance up to 10 metres away. The fan with or without water mist oscillates on its tall stand or tabletop stand. Choose incrementally up to a 180 degree sweep for a large gathering on your deck.
Cooling Pets
Cool off pets from any distance using the fan only. Pets might appreciate a wider-angle oscillating fan setting for varying an otherwise narrow and constant airflow. For misting pets in tight places, use the one-metre rule for water to evaporate before reaching your pet or place the fan and mister further way and adjust the fan speed to maximize coolness and dryness.
Preserve Food & Drinks Longer
Have a wonderful spread set out for guests with fruit, deli meats, cheese, salad, and more? Maybe some cold drinks? The cool air and mist, with the right fan speed and distance, can keep it cooler for longer (though always practice proper food handling and safety with things like meat and dairy).
Mist Plants & Your Garden
Yes, you can use the fan as a makeshift mister for your plants, too. Save heat sensitive plants, even drying grass, by balancing settings with a soft mist.
Extra Cooling Under an Awning
an awning helps to block the sun and naturally cools down an area. Add the fan under the awning for additional cooling on especially hot days. You can use it in tabletop mode. The overhead awning provides an excellent buffer trapping the cooling mist below.
How Much Water Does it Use?
One would think that on a hot long day the mister would draw a lot of water. Surprisingly, the two tiny spray nozzles draw 200 times less water than a grass sprinkler. For example, after my 100 meter 3/4 water hose is turned off from the home, it holds enough water to run the mister for more than ten minutes compared to running out in seconds when hooked up to a sprinkler.
How Noisy is it and How Far Does it Reach?
I barely noticed the sound at the lower two speeds from two metres away inside my ambient 26 dB home, it starts at 27 dB progressively reaching to the Turbo Boost speed at 45 dB. Outside with more things going on on the patio, higher speeds were barely noticeable, too. The mister is whisper quiet. Shark claims the fan can be noticed from up to 23 metres away. My quick in-home testing involved hanging a one metre thread from 14 metres away at various fan speeds, and with decibel readings. The mister can run with fan turned off, spreading mist nearby, but progressively increasing fan speeds will drive the mist past 10 metres.
Use It Inside After Summer
Keep in mind that while the Flexbreeze fan has tons of features that make it useful outdoors, you can use it indoors as well for supplemental cooling to air conditioning, or in place of it in rooms that get particularly humid during the summer months.
Should You Buy The Shark Flexbreeze Fan With InstaCool Attachment?
The Shark Flexbreeze fan with InstaCool attachment is a neat fan with a twist that has useful features for using it both indoors and out. The misting function is a nice addition to the mix that will make you feel like you’re at a fancy spa in your own backyard. At just $200, it’s not expensive either. I’d recommend this if you spend a lot of time lounging or entertaining in your backyard during the summer months. The ability to use it indoors is a nice bonus.