verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ What we love most about this model is its elegant design, which will look good in the home and in your hand while out and about. On the downside, it’s noisier than you might expect for a bladeless fan, while some people might find it isn’t powerful enough to keep them cool, even with its three speed settings. From a safety point of view, however, it’s hard to beat.

Units which generate more than 60dB will be hard to sleep next to. The quieter units generally tend to generate less than 55dB even on the highest speed setting. Power settings – At the cheaper end of the price spectrum, a handheld fan will probably offer only one speed setting. If that’s unlikely to be powerful enough for you, consider paying extra for a fan with two or three speed settings. A fan needs to generate enough of a breeze to keep you cool. Child safe – If you’re looking for a fan for your child, opt for a model that states it’s kid-friendly. Those with soft foam blades or bladeless models will be most suitable. However, with power comes noise – and this is certainly true of this model. In addition, there’s only one speed setting, with a single on and off switch for control. Nevertheless, for a compact model that you can simply throw into your handbag, it’s hard to beat. The soft foam blades make it a safe option for children, too. There's a lot to consider when buying one of the best portable air conditioners, and the Homebuilding & Renovating team is getting hands-on experience with the products in this buying guide to help you feel confident in choosing the right product for you.

The filter is resistant to mould and mildew and can be put in the dishwasher to clean and sterilise it for years of use. The best handheld fans you can buy in 2023 1. Halfords Simply Motorised Handheld Fan: Best petite fan Key details – Height: 10cm; Colours: Blue, clear, green, purple; Speed settings: 1; Features: Foam blades; Power: 2 x AA batteries

Look out for the BTU (this stands for British Thermal Units) of an air con system, as it will tell you how much cool air it will emit. It is a useful way of working out whether or not a particular air conditioner is the right size for your room. The JML fan offers three speed settings; we felt the fastest might be a little too powerful for close quarters, but is useful with the fan in its standing position. It’s quite a powerful fan, so we would recommend leaving some distance between the blades and your face for the most effective jet of air. Built-in blue LED lights with two brightness settings allow you to read at night with the fan still on – and although we’re not sure how much use we would get from them, they certainly give the fan quite a futuristic look when lit. You'll need to set the unit up with the exhaust hose in the correct position, and ideally the exhaust hose should be vented, either through window (the easiest option) or through a hole in the wall or ceiling. Chillmax Air Pure Chill gives you the best features of both a fan and an air conditioning unit in one compact unit. Unlike fans that just move warm air around your room, or air conditioning units that cost the earth, make a lot of noise and use ozone-destroying chemical coolants to cool the air but leave it dry, the Chillmax Air sprays a fine mist that is then sent through the special filter and so only uses evaporation and water to operate.

It's easy to use too, enhanced by an intuitive frontal LED display which gives clear and consistent updates on room temperature. It's great for living spaces and other similar room sizes up to 23sqm. The Snowpea fan has a powerful battery that will last up to 15 hours, if you’re using the fan on its lowest setting. Despite reducing to four hours on its fastest setting, if you’re on a full day out with no access to charging facilities, then you can at least choose to use it on the slower setting to see you through the day. The secret is Hydro-Chill Technology, which uses an advanced evaporative air-cooling filter and an enhanced cool-mist chamber, to pull in warm, dry air and instantly transform it into cool refreshing air.

USB/rechargeable batteries – The majority of fans now are likely to power up using either a USB connection or rechargeable batteries. Both are great options, but it does require you to be on the ball to ensure your fan is fully charged before leaving the house. The EcoAir Apollo is great for cooling a home office or conservatory, and it comes with dehumidify and sleep modes, three fan speeds and a sleep function. But what sets it apart from the others on this list is that it can also be used as a heater in the winter, making it a very worthwhile investment.

The best air coolers for 2023 are:

Portable AC units can be noisy, although not as noisy as built-in machines, but if you want your air con unit to cool your bedroom at night, for example, then you'll want your machine to be quiet. Like the majority of fans on this list, the Snowpea isn’t the quietest model on the market, and at 13.6cm, it’s considerably bigger than some options. In its favour, though, it comes with soft silicone rubber padding around the base so that you can use it as a freestanding fan, plus it’s lightweight enough to carry around without any issues. If a regular fan is too slow to fade the flush, then a cooling mist working alongside a jet of air will see you return to normal temperatures in a flash. This model from HandFan features a 55ml water tank, spritzing while it blows out air, to keep you cool. The Fishyu offers an eight-hour operating time and is chargeable via USB port. You can also use it as a desk fan – simply place it in the circular holder that’s included. It's incredibly energy efficient, with an A++ energy rating (the highest on this list) that won't add significantly to your energy costs. This is because the PAC EX100 Silent uses a natural high efficiency gas, propane R290, which releases no greenhouse emissions.