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3 Best Luxury Personal Fans to Shop for Coachella and Beyond
The misting stations set up strategically around the Coachella grounds weren’t enough. This past weekend, during my inaugural trip to the iconic music festival, I felt like I needed more in the way of cooling for the entirety of the 80-plus-degree days. Glorious relief came in the form of Dyson’s portable fan debut, joining beloved beauty innovations from the brand like the Supersonic Nural. I was sent an early product sample of the HushJet Mini Cool fan, promptly packing the under-$100 arrival into my carry-on alongside ensembles from Hollister, Free People, and Nuuly. Little did I know how handy it would become in the dry desert environs (or how quickly the warm-weather godsend would sell out after releasing on April 9).
As it stands, all three colorways of the HushJet Mini Cool — Dyson’s chicest (and most travel-friendly) launch to date — are out of stock on the official site and not yet made available anywhere else. Based on this overwhelming and well-deserved demand, I predict the fan will come back to online shelves soon… but probably not soon enough for Coachella Weekend Two, when the final round of Justin Bieber‘s much-talked-about comeback is guaranteed to leave you both starstruck and sweating.
This is precisely why WWD Shop made sure to round up the three best portable fans to shop while you wait for the Dyson restock. More on that below; for now, a detailed review of Dyson’s first portable fan and what sets it apart from budget-friendly counterparts that, to their credit, are being spotted in the hands of stars like Hudson Williams with increasing frequency.
Dyson HushJet Mini Cool Portable Fan Review
Trying out Dyson’s latest tech: the HushJet Mini Cool fan, in which a 55-mph motor meets stylish portability.
Courtesy WWD/Stacia Datskovska
When I visited Coachella on behalf of Loop Earplugs this weekend, I didn’t expect the HushJet Mini Cool to be as much of a daily staple as my cowboy boots, water bottle, and clear backpack. Unlike a fan with rotating blades, this baby uses a mighty internal motor to generate airflow of up to 55 miles per hour (that’s right, more than double the driving speed limit in a school zone).
On Coachella’s steamiest days — especially when I arrived on the scene close to noon to catch some smaller acts or visit brand activations — this translated to an icy kind of coolness that I could activate with the mere touch of a button. I loved that I could manually adjust the air speeds across five levels, resorting to the lowest setting for moments like the one pictured above (in which I found myself indoors, riding the venue’s famous ferris wheel while still trying to keep the sweat away) and trusting the extra Boost mode to blow me away, in the best possible way, during peak heat times. With the HushJet Mini Cool, Dyson has proved that cutting-edge advancements in the household space are even more unmissable in a palm-sized package.
The fan wasn’t light as a feather by any means but also didn’t contribute unneccesary weight to my walk when I transported it in my see-through bag, clocking in at only 7.5 ounces. It was also easy to wrap my hand around the object and hold it for an extended period of time, whether I was sitting on the lawn listening to The Strokes or avoiding the chaotic mosh pit at Young Thug’s set.
Foster the People + Dyson’s newest HushJet personal fan = festival season done right.
Courtesy WWD/Stacia Datskovska
“Since 2009, we’ve been obsessed with airflow — mastering air projection, reducing turbulence, and refining thermal technology,” Jake Dyson, the brand’s chief engineer, says of the release. “The HushJet Mini Cool fan is the culmination of that journey, engineered for life on the move by bringing elite cooling technology from every home to your hand.”
This (healthy) obsession was evident whenever I turned on my fan, and it involves not only a complete mastery of airflow but also of acoustics — very relevant in light of my surroundings. The HushJet has been manufactured with your ears’ comfort in mind: swapping high frequencies for something that runs much quieter than a hair dryer, due in no small part to the fan’s anti-vibration rubber mount. What this meant in my case? No mean looks from strangers as I took advantage of the fan when watching everyone from Sombr to Central Cee perform, never once drowning out their unique sounds with annoying whirring. In other words, Dyson’s HushJet fully lives up to its name, being as silent and unobtrusive as a fan with this much power can be. That’s no surprise, seeing as how it captures three decades of home and beauty innovation in a seven-ounce package.
The tool’s compact face — which Dyson compares to that of a watch — also ensured I could get nitty-gritty when it came to cooling down my face, circling the fan around my cheeks and hairline while managing to keep my makeup in tip-top shape.
Each time my boyfriend and I came back to our hotel, I could place the gizmo on its special charging stand, which leaves space for a compatible USB-C cord to connect. Recharging the battery took less than three hours, and I found that one charge lasted for a full Coachella day without any problems: running out of steam only on hour six, give or take.
The HushJet comes with bells and whistles like a charger, carrying case, stand, and strap.
Courtesy WWD/Stacia Datskovska
The Dyson HushJet Mini Cool‘s pièce de résistance ended up being its accompanying lanyard, which allowed me to haul it hands-free (allocating resources towards holding plastic cups filled with overpriced craft beer instead). This lanyard is adjustable and doesn’t dig into skin, no matter how minimal your outfits’ coverage is for the festival in question. You can store the fan in the included, velvet-soft travel pouch when not actively using it — keeping your investment dust- and scratch-free for longer. Note that its honeycomb-patterned mesh nozzle also works with the former goal in mind.
As soon as this summertime lifesaver is replenished at Dyson, you better believe I’ll start stocking up on it to utilize as a gift for music lovers, chronic outdoor concert attendees, and anyone in my life who happens to be hot: in every sense of that word. You’d also be wise to treat the HushJet Mini Cool as a vacation non-negotiable that not only fits the proportions of a shoulder bag but also elevates personal style with its range of sophisticated, on-trend hues.
If you’re checking things off your pre-Coachella shopping list in preparation for the influencer-magnet happening’s last bout this year, or else gearing up for Stagecoach and Lollapalooza, you might not have the privilege of waiting around for Dyson to update its inventory. That being said, here are three portable fan alternatives that can be sorted into the “luxury” bucket of this accessory type — getting to your door in a flash.
They’ll spare you from sweating through your boho-chic glam and contribute major style points to your ‘fits du jour: Bieberchella-themed or otherwise.
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Shark ChillPill Personal Fan, Skylrk-Exclusive
Shark knows how to mine a pop culture fixation effectively. This time around, it has partnered up with Justin Bieber’s brand Skylrk on a red-hot edition of the released-this-March ChillPill personal fan. It mists and it cools in two distinct ways: emitting impressive airflow of up to 25 feet per second and being equipped with an InstaChill Cooling Plate that you can place on your bod to drop internal temperature by as much as 16 degrees upon contact. Inspired by cryotherapy, this on-the-go gadget is a worthy opponent of even the most arid climates. (Hint: It wins every time.)
Price upon publish date of this article: $150
Jisulife Ultra2 Portable Handheld Fan
A celebrity favorite, Jisulife is behind Amazon’s #1 bestseller in the “portable fans” category, with millions of shoppers turning to its bear-faced mini fan made for chilling off (and out) in any location. This Ultra2 model, though, is pricier and much more advanced — effortlessly going from a speed of one to 100 and granting the option of Storm Mode (comparable to Dyson’s Boost). Maximum working time on a single charge here is, miraculously, 25 hours, and the fan’s digital screen won’t leave you guessing how much juice it has left. The best part: Jisulife’s Ultra2 can easily become a part of your emergency kit, moonlighting as a flashlight, air pump, and power bank all at once.
Price upon publish date of this article: $79.04
Torras Coolify 2S Neck Air Conditioner
Taking the term “hands-free” to a whole new level, this top neck fan at Amazon comes with a lifetime of technical support should something go south — similarly supporting your tropical getaways and festival weekends with its 360-degree cooling prowess. You can control the wearable air conditioner’s flow via Bluetooth, and it also doles out heat from four directions (should it get unbearably cold once the sun goes down). Per a happy, and thermoregulated, reviewer: “Very effective at keeping me cool in the subway, in the office, or at home. Works best when it isn’t 90-percent humidity outside because of evaporative cooling. Definitely makes a huge difference in cooling down after spending any amount of time outdoors and charges relatively quickly as well!”
Price upon publish date of this article: $169
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Meet the Author
Stacia Datskovska is a Senior Commerce Writer at WWD. Previously, she worked at ELLE DECOR as an assistant digital editor, covering all things luxury, culture, and lifestyle through a design lens. Her bylines over the past five years have appeared in USA Today, Baltimore Sun, Teen Vogue, Boston Globe, Food & Wine, and more. Prior to joining ELLE DECOR, Datskovska learned the ins and outs of e-commerce at Mashable, where she tested products, covered tentpole sales events, and curated gift guide roundups. She graduated from NYU with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and international relations. Datskovska regularly reports on summer-ready accessories worth your time and how to acquire them online.
