The Fantail arrived well packaged and very quickly. The fan unit and base stand was easily assembled, and even though our bed has a full wooden frame, the Fantail unit was able to be installed between the frame and the mattress with only a bit of minor fettling.
The build quality was excellent and the whole unit including the telescoping stand felt robust and professional. I setup the Fantail so the air flow would be between the top and bottom sheet, tucking the end of the top sheet into the elastomer band so it wouldn’t get sucked up into the fan. The power/control wire slotted unobtrusively under the mattress with the small controller unit easily able to reach and sit on the bedside table near my head, with the power plugged in nearby. I was eager to try the Fantail straight away, so I got into bed in my shorts and turned the control knob on. I could immediately feel the flow of air at my feet, but I was quite surprised to notice that I could feel a gentle airflow right up my legs and body and even out a gap in the sheets at my neck.
As I varied the fan speed, I was really surprised at how quiet the fan seemed – even at maximum. Later in the evening at bedtime, I set the controller at some intermediate fan speed that gave just the right airflow (for me). The first thing I noted was that I no longer felt the need to drape a leg outside the covers as the airflow was nicely cooling, and that the Fantail was so much quieter that the pedestal fan that we traditionally used for bedtime cooling. I had a great sleep and it was very easy to find the control unit in the dark thanks to the built-in low light and turn off the Fantail at 4am when I was cool enough. I had been selfish and set up the Fantail on my side of the bed, but tonight I’ll be trying it in the middle so both of us (and maybe the dogs) can get the benefit.
I was actually so pleased with the experience using the Fantail, that I mentioned it to one of my work colleagues, and he immediately said he need to get one as his wife insisted on using a pedestal fan and he hates the noise of it, so a Fantail would be ideal alternative.