It's not even May, and already the New York area is facing temperatures upwards of 85 degrees, thanks to an early heat wave that's bound to break records. When I work from home, it's from my attic, which is insulated, but still gets super-hot and stuffy. Normally, I'd crank my window A/C, but I have yet to pull it out of storage.
Instead, I'm trying out Dreo's new TurboCool Misting Fan 765S, which goes on sale today for $199 at Amazon, and it's already providing me some relief. Here's my first impressions, as well as a look at some of the other products the company announced today.
It's not small
The Dreo TurboCool Misting Fan towers about three feet tall, and has a quasi-futuristic vibe. Towards the top is a circular display that shows fan speed and the status of other settings. You can change these by tapping the buttons on the top of the fan, or with the included remote.
At the bottom is a removable water reservoir; I like that it has a handle, which made it easy to carry after it had been filled with water.
Dreo says that, unlike other misting fans, the water droplets emitted by this fan are much smaller in size — 17μm — so you won't have an issue with water condensing on furniture or electronics. When I held my hand up to the mister, I certainly didn't feel any droplets.
It made me feel a little cooler — even if the room's temperature didn't drop
Dreo claims the fan can reduce temperatures by as much as 10º F; When I turned on the fan to its highest setting, the temperature in my attic was hovering around 84 degrees, as measured by a SwitchBot hub, an Apple HomePod 2, and the IKEA ALPSTUGA air quality monitor.
I immediately felt cooler thanks to the flowing air, but after 20 minutes, the temperature readings of all three devices hadn't budged. In fact, over the course of the afternoon, the temperature crept up by a few degrees. There's only so much a fan can do.
At its top speed, the fan noise was louder than my Midea U air conditioner, but quiet enough as to not be distracting.
I'm going to keep testing out the fan throughout the summer to see how it fares as the temperatures climb even higher.
Dreo's other new cooling products
Dreo TurboPoly Fan 765S
This will be Dreo's first Matter-supported product. It will oscillate 150° horizontally and 100° vertically, and provide up to 1,500 CFM of airflow and a reach of 120 feet. The company says that will operate at around 20dB, though we imagine that's at its lowest setting. This pedestal fan can be adjusted from 39 to 44 inches tall, or sit on a squatter base if you're using it on a tabletop. The fan will cost $159, and is expected to ship in the second quarter of this year.
Dreo Portable Air Conditioner 740S
This portable air conditioner will be the first from Dreo to use both inverter technology — far more efficient than older methods of cooling — as well as a dual-hose design that will help cool your home more efficiently. It has a 10,000 BTU capacity, which the company says is good for spaces of up to 400 square feet. It also has a CEER rating of 12, also very good compared to the best smart air conditioners we've tested. You'll also be able control it via app, Alexa, or Google Assistant — unfortunately, it does not support Matter. The air conditioner will go on sale in May; pricing has yet to be announced.
