Dyson Cool AM06 review

Dyson’s fan range is now in its second generation, building on the original Air Multiplier range with a redesigned internal motor which promises to use less power but provide significantly greater airflow than the outgoing model. As with the original, the AM06 uses Dyson’s iconic bladeless design to help prevent air buffeting and eliminate visible fan blades. The high price also remains, however, so it will need to impress in order to justify the cost.

In terms of looks, nothing appears to have changed form the original Air Multiplier range. The AM06 has the same chunky base which contains all the electronics and motor, and large 12in hoop as the first generation model for displacing air. The black matt plastic base is offset by the silver metallic finish on the hoop, giving the AM06 a sleek appearance that sets it apart from the myriad of white plastic desk fans also on the market. It’s also available in other colours, in case you aren’t a fan of black and silver.

The base can rotate back and forth at the push of a button, covering a wider radius with cool air, and it can also pivot to angle the direction of air downwards or upwards, meaning you won’t have to raise or lower the fan itself to target an area with cool air. A white LCD display on the base shows what intensity the fan is set to, as well as how long is left on the countdown timer. There’s no way to dim or turn off the light, which is surprisingly bright, so light sleepers could struggle if the fan is placed on a nightstand or bedside table.

The compact remote, which controls power, airflow intensity and unit rotation, as well as set the timer to automatically switch off after a specific length of time, stows away on the top of the fan. It is held firmly in place by a magnet. Unfortunately you can’t control pivot angle with the remote – you’ll have to reach over and move the base unit yourself.

The design makes the AM06 much easier to clean than a traditional fan, as you only have to wipe down the base to get rid of accumulated dust, rather than take the whole assembly apart as you would with a traditional desk fan. At roughly 1.8kg it’s very light, making it easy to pick up and move to other points around the house or office, and the 1.8m cable means you shouldn’t struggle to find a convenient power socket.

It’s inside the AM06 where the most changes have been made from the AM01. Like its predecessor, the fan works by sucking in air through a grille in the base of the unit, pushing it through the hoop using a brushless motor and escaping through a slit midway through the hoop to blow out onto the user.Dyson says this design also brings the surrounding air from behind the hoop and pushes it through as well, hence the “Air Multiplier” technology. The redesigned motor can push a total of 370 litres of air per second through the hoop, but because it isn’t using fan blades in the traditional way there’s no sense of air buffeting when walking in front of the air flow – only a constant stream of cool air. On low settings it’s like sitting next to an open window, rather than a regular desk fan that can make an irritating noise when the air hits your ears.

According to Dyson, the AM06 is up to 75 per cent quieter than the original Air Multiplier. We haven’t tested the first generation model, but there’s no question the AM06 is impressively quiet. At a desk in a busy office, the AM06 was practically silent until we pushed the fan intensity beyond 5. At home where there was less background noise, we could hear it when turned down as low as 2 or 3 but only when less than a few feet away. For cooling a larger room with a few people sat around a TV, it’s for all intents and purposes silent until you crank it beyond half way.

The AM06 shouldn’t make a major dent in your electricity bill, either. Run at its maximum level our review unit drew around 24 watts from the wall, but this figure dropped to less than 5w when set to the lowest intensity.

Without question Dyson’s fans are quieter than the competition, making them the ideal fan for anyone struggling to sleep on a hot British summer night. The unique design means we would be happy to leave the AM06 on display full time, even when we weren’t needing its cooling abilities, and the low power consumption is a very welcome alternative to expensive air conditioning. Unfortunately price will be a stumbling block for many; at £250, you could buy ten regular desk fans for the cost of one AM06. If cost isn’t your primary concern then the AM06 is one of the best looking and best functioning desk fans aound, but if you’re on a budget and don’t mind a bit of white noise a standard desk fan will do a very similar job.