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- Surprisingly powerful with effective oscillation
- Mist spray adds extra sweet relief
- Mostly quiet, especially at its lower settings
- Touch controls aren’t brilliant
- Turbo mode is too loud
While it’s taller than your average desk or table fan, the Dreo TurboCool Misting Fan 516S gives you a whole lot more. Its biggest feature – a built-in mist spray – should be obvious from the name, but it’s unexpectedly beefy for its size, yet also reasonably quiet.
Throw in customisable oscillation and it’s one of the most versatile, small(ish) fans we’ve tested, but is it good enough to compete with established favourites? In an unusually good bit of timing, I tested it over a ludicrously hot week in May to find out.
Dreo TurboCool Misting Fan 516S: What do you get for the money?
The 516S is an unusually tall desk or floor fan – measuring 18cm wide at the base, just under 21cm wide across the grille and standing 40cm high. More than half of its height is taken up by the stand, which doesn’t just support the fan and house the controls, but also incorporates the 1.3L water tank. This can power the mist function for up to 12 hours, after which you’ll need to slide it out of the body of the fan and fill it from the tap. The mist is driven out from a horizontal vent in the centre of the fan.
There’s no vertical oscillation, but you can tilt the fan head downwards by 10 degrees and upwards by 20 degrees. The horizontal oscillation, meanwhile, extends to a wide 150 degree arc, with options to step that down to 30, 60, 90 or 120 degrees.
You can control the fan through the onboard touch controls or with the bundled remote. However, it also works with Dreo’s smartphone app. Here you can control the fan remotely, switching speeds and modes, toggle the lights and displays and set schedules for the fan to turn on or off, with different settings for individual days, weekdays or the weekend.
What features and settings does it have?
You’ve got a choice of six fan speeds (with or without added mist), three mist levels and a Turbo mode, which switches both the fan and mister up to maximum. Beyond this you also have an Auto Humidity setting, where the mister will keep spraying until the local humidity reaches the current target.
This you can set from 30% to 90%, and it’s tracked on the fan’s digital display, a humidity indicator light below it and through the Dreo app. The glowing humidity indicator turns from orange through green to blue as the humidity level rises.
How I tested the Dreo TurboCool Misting Fan 516S
I carry out the same tests across all of the fans I review, measuring air flow, noise levels and power consumption.
I use an anemometer to record air speeds (in m/s): positioned a metre away from the fan, I take readings for its lowest, medium and highest settings. I then use a smartphone meter app to record sound levels (in A-weighted decibels, dBA) at the fan’s lowest and highest settings, also from one metre away. Finally, I use a plug-in energy meter to measure power consumption.
These standardised tests allow me to better compare fan performance across different brands and models. However, I also make sure I test the fan anecdotally through day-to-day usage, taking note of how well it keeps me cool on hotter days, how easy it is to use and – where relevant – how useful its smart features are.
How well does it perform?
It’s not quite as fearsome with its airflow as the Meaco Sefte Pro 10-inch Table Fan, but this is still one of the most powerful compact fans I’ve tested. Even at setting one it puts out a 1.5m/sec breeze that you can feel from a metre away. Turn it up to setting three, and you’re looking at 2.1m/sec. By the time you reach setting six, the airflow reaches 3.2m/sec, which is more than you’ll get from the Shark FlexBreeze HydroGo or even some larger pedestal fans. However, the TurboCool Misting Fan 516S can go even further. Turn on Turbo mode and it can reach 4m/sec, leaving most desk or table fans looking weedy. However, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Turbo mode, though I’ll explain why later.
It’s hard to say whether the mist function’s effects are more physical or psychological, but either way you can get a really effective cooling breeze going that takes the sting out of the summer heat without making you, the floor or surrounding objects damp. The oscillation really spreads the relief around as well, and being able to widen or narrow the angle means you can tune it for your room and who’s in it.
Noise levels are very good at the lower speed settings. I measured 27.2dBA on the minimum speed and 34.1dBA at the fan’s medium setting, which is quiet enough to schmooze or snooze through, or watch TV without losing half the dialogue. It’s more rambunctious on its higher settings, hitting 45.1dBA on setting six, but that’s still okay by the standards of other desk or table fans.
Power consumption is also on the low side, with the 516S using just 3.14W on its lowest speed setting and 11.82W on setting six. It’s also well worth using Dreo’s app: it’s well-designed and fairly intuitive to use, while covering all the major functions, handling scheduling and keeping you informed of the current temperature and humidity level in the room.
Is there anything we didn’t like?
My main grumbles with this one come down to the touch controls. While there’s an optional beep to let you know when you’ve pressed them, I still found triggering them hit and miss. It’s also annoying that their layout requires you to toggle through the speed, mist and target humidity settings, rather than presenting you with more intuitive up or down controls. Also, trying to tap the touch controls while the fan is oscillating is a challenge, though doing so once seems to pause oscillation while you’re making your adjustments.
I also wouldn’t recommend making much use of the Turbo mode. Sure, you get a boost in power, but it makes the fan really noisy, with levels reaching 58.7dBA. Think air-cooled gaming PC running at full tilt or washing machine in the next room. I can’t imagine a situation where the extra airflow would be worth the added racket.
Should you buy the Dreo TurboCool Misting Fan 516S?
I’d certainly consider it. It’s not quite as powerful as our current favourite, the Meaco Sefte Pro 10in Table Fan, but it’s as quiet at most speed settings, while the mist jet is a real bonus when you’re trying to recover from the summer heat.
The touch controls can be a pain, but the remote control and companion app allow you to avoid using them. Go for the Sefte Pro if you want the take-anywhere convenience of a cordless fan, but if you’re happy being hooked up to the mains, the TurboCool Misting Fan 516S is a great alternative.
