[Ally Smith]

I'm wondering if anyone has experience of cordless "jobsite" fans and could provide some recommendations for good buys or ones to avoid?

Annoyingly, the cordless drill I own (DeWalt) don't import their offering to the UK, so I'll probably end up needing a new battery/charger, so there is also a consideration for total cost rather than the fan unit alone.

[tomtom]

Wondering the same. makita ones seem what people have but fan battery and chargers looks like north of £200 😱

[r-man]

I got a Makita. Haven't used it enough yet to justify the money, mainly due to injury niggles. But it will hopefully last for years, ie. a lot longer than a pair of brand new climbing shoes, which is roughly what it costs.

If you shop around, you can get fan + charger + battery for a touch under £150.

For me, the choice seemed to be between the Makita (plastic but fairly solid, very portable) and the Metabo (metal, more powerful but heavier and bulkier, and a bit more expensive). I hate carrying heavy things to the crag, so went for lightweight.

Makita - https://www.powertoolworld.co.uk/makita-dcf201zw-18v-lxt-cordless-fan-white-body-only?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_MDWodfF4gIV5pXtCh2R_QZ-EAQYASABEgL63fD_BwE
Metabo - https://www.metabo.com/uk/en/tools/cordless-tools/cordless-fans/av-18-606176850-cordless-fan.html
I've heard rave reviews about both of these.

Chatted to a friend the other day who uses his Makita regularly on limestone. He said "It keeps a wet hold damp after 10min."  This is a big improvement apparently. He reckons it's also great for keeping midges away.

[Ally Smith]

Thanks R-man. Midge control an important consideration for summer lime!

[tomtom]

Nice one Rman. What battery do you have - and does it charge in the fan if the fans plugged in or do you need the additional charger etc... 👍👍

[r-man]

Battery is the BL1850

I was told you need the charger, so I haven't tried without. Charger is the DC18RC.

[tomtom]

Shopping around today I found the fan body (think it’s same) for £54

https://www.lawson-his.co.uk/makita-bcf201zw-18v-144v-240v-lxt-portab-p145997?gclid=CjwKCAjw36DpBRAYEiwAmVVDMIZyOeENjmzcjTG_k05tqoiCaRIeeT-P0UFVtHlTgwJe7wUPTttA9RoCihEQAvD_BwE

And on amazon you can get copy 5ah batteries for £25-28 and a clone charger for sim money.

I might go this way - charger isn’t much less than makita one so get that but I doubt I’ll use thre battery enough for a potentially better quality genuine one to make a difference. Brings it down to closer to £100...

[sdm]

And on amazon you can get copy 5ah batteries for £25-28 and a clone charger for sim money.

In case you weren't aware, using 3rd party batteries voids Makita's warranty.

[Doylo]

Ryobi R18F-0 18V ONE+ Cordless Fan, 18 V, Hyper Green https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01DNU4MD4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_oLxlDbQX149K1

I just bought this one. Probably not as powerful as the others but a lighter option for people who carry 3 pads about. I picked up the charger and a battery from another site for about £50. Seems decent enough.

[turnipturned]

https://www.lawson-his.co.uk/makita-bcf201zw-18v-144v-240v-lxt-portab-p145997?gclid=CjwKCAjw36DpBRAYEiwAmVVDMIZyOeENjmzcjTG_k05tqoiCaRIeeT-P0UFVtHlTgwJe7wUPTttA9RoCihEQAvD_BwE

Is this another Lawson business venture? I look forward to another instagram account 

The small Makita fans are light and a good design for carrying and tilting, however, they aren't that powerful. Good to keep your skin cool before try's but they don't really produce a lot of air movement (maybe in a dingy limestone cave).

I think these look the best, however can't find them in the UK!

https://www.amazon.com/Geek-Aire-Rechargeable-Performance-Recharging/dp/B078PBRD68

Next year as BD's April Fools joke, I think they should make a fan with an ice bucket behind it so it blows ice cold air onto you.

[abarro81]

How long til people start using full industrial fans (like at the Foundry) run from sacks of leisure batteries in their van and a 100m extension cable?

[Murd]

Might be shite.....?
https://www.aldi.co.uk/18v-li-ion-cordless-fan/p/014031276173400

[tomtom]

Might be shite.....?
https://www.aldi.co.uk/18v-li-ion-cordless-fan/p/014031276173400

Good spot. Comes with two batteries but I suspect no charger....

For anyone with a Ryobi one plus battery - Homebase have the ryobi fan at £22... less than half price.

[tomtom]

Ok. I’ve taken the plunge and got myself a fan battery combo for (drumroll....) £45.98.

Some intense googling led to... an ozito (??) fan from Homebase £21 looks similar to the makita folding one. 5 year warranty apparently....

https://www.homebase.co.uk/ozito-power-x-change-18v-cordless-fan-skin_p389390

And a power X 3ah battery and fast charger combo (compatible) from toolstation for £24.98

https://www.toolstation.com/einhell-power-x-change-18v-li-ion-battery-charger/p13525?store=GR&utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&gclid=CjwKCAjw67XpBRBqEiwA5RCocfQ-z8-3UlRwSrwA5gxLU-qk5UewNo_jvvip479bkbNCAD0lQpwpUxoCdt4QAvD_BwE

Been and picked them up and it all works fine.

Positives. Fan folds flat - see second pic - and it’s well light. Easy slip inside a boulder mat. All seems to work ok and it’s bloody cheap.

Negatives - well there’s no mains power lead for the fan alone - it’s just battery. But that’s no real problem for me. Also - I am now tempted to buy some power tools to go with the battery 😂

No Idea how well it performs compared to Makita ones - but it’s dishing out a decent amount of air now.

I also got a gadget from Homebase to turn the battery into a USB power supply for £6 (makita ones were 15...).

Edit - speed specs are 3.3 and 5 m/s air speed (on the fan not the web)


https://imgur.com/gallery/j9swUuX


https://imgur.com/gallery/4gLRvp0

[tomtom]

Sorry - replied instead of modified... ignore

[r-man]

Nice. Third of the price of a Makita, worth a go. Makita says 120m/min on the website. So 2m/s? Slower than yours according to the numbers.

Next time we meet up, we can compare. If we put them both on skateboards, we can race them...

[tomtom]

Next time we meet up, we can compare. If we put them both on skateboards, we can race them...

:D I'll oil my trucks in preparation...

Just doing a run time test now....

[tomtom]

Ok so with the 3ah battery, on full power the ozito fan lasted 1hour 55min.

I’d have liked a wee bit longer but seeing as most of my lime sessions rarely last more than 90 min that should be ample (would you really want it on all the time you were there??). I’d imagine running on the slow setting would more than double that.

Other points about it.

Fan plus 3ah battery weigh 2.4kg.

If you get a larger battery it may well stick out the bottom and make it sit a bit awkwardly. Not tried that but suspect that’s the case. The makita has the battery above the base - this one as in the pics is part of the bottom.

Anyway. In general very happy.

[spidermonkey09]

I love how this thread is living up to its dual interpretation name. Its simultaneously a place to discuss the best battery powered devices that blow air, and a place for aficionados of cordless devices to gather 

[tomtom]

Is there a band called cordless ?

[mr chaz]

That's all very well TT but I need some real numbers, how many letter grades can I expect to go up with yours vs the Makita? Which is best for blowing smoke up my own arse, or getting that Windzwept^tm look?

[nai]

I love how this thread is living up to its dual interpretation name. Its simultaneously a place to discuss the best battery powered devices that blow air, and a place for aficionados of cordless devices to gather 

I was expecting appreciation of the direct finish to Cosmopolitan.

[tomtom]

Which is best for blowing smoke up my own arse, or getting that Windzwept^tm look?

Cordless leaf blower's what you want for that.

[Bradders]

I reckon you might be onto something with a leaf blower...surely for directional air flow (e.g. onto a particular hold) there's nothing better?!

[tomtom]

I reckon you might be onto something with a leaf blower...surely for directional air flow (e.g. onto a particular hold) there's nothing better?!

Good for keeping the mats clean too 😃