WIFM

Cheaper, healthier and greener than air cons

When Robert Heldt put the Dyson Air Multiplier on his cluttered desk at Custom Media, we wondered where the essential bits were. “It’s bladeless!” he explained. Staff hovered over the minimalist design, prodding the buttons on the base and admiring the blue finish. After hitting start, the AM01 focused an even flow of air on my face, accelerating smoothly from dead slow to an almost industrial blast with a gentle turn of the air speed button.

It was a weird sensation to put my hand through the “loop amplifier” where the nasty blades of a conventional fan would have left my writing career and fingers in a bloody mess. Easily and elegantly, the device manually tilts to and fro on its solid base and swings left and right on touching the switch.

When Dyson invents a silent model, then that will be big news; meanwhile the AM01 makes the same slight whirring sound as any fan — but it’s much more fun to have around.

We all agreed this fan feels safe (no external moving parts or buffeting), attractive (eye-catching conversation-piece), practical (doesn’t block window light and no blades to clean), and very clever. With an increasing number of homes and offices reducing use of air conditioners due to health, cost, efficiency and environmental concerns, Dyson has released two new floor-standing Air Multipliers for offices or living rooms: the AM02 Tower and AM03 Pedestal. Both are substantially more powerful than the AM01 desk fan and the new models feature a magnetic remote control that attaches to the fan. Inventor James Dyson said: “Air conditioning is inefficient and gives little or no ventilation that circulates the air. These new machines are engineered to circulate smooth un-buffeted air in larger rooms. They amplify more air than our AM01 desk fan.”

How it works Essentially, the fans draw in air through grills underneath with a brushless motor enclosed in the base. Using turbocharger and airplane engine principles, the air then flows up through the loop amplifier and is tightly squeezed through a slit on the edge of the loop, which accelerates the flow to draw in surrounding air and create the increased smooth blast.

Colors
AM01: (25cm) white/silver and iron/blue, (30cm) white/silver
AM02: iron/blue and white/silver
AM03: white/silver

Cleaning
Quick wipe with a cloth—no blades!

Weight
AM01: (25cm) 1.72kg, (30cm) 1.78kg
AM02: 3.36kg and AM03: 4.30kg

Height
AM01: (25cm) 49.7cm, (30cm) 54.7cm
AM02: One meter; AM03 extends from 1.2 to 1.4m

Noise
Comparable to similar products

Guarantee
2-year company insurance