The Vortex Action Fan – Your Based Circulator Summer Through Winter 

As Summer ends and the cool of Fall moves people outdoors, fans begin to feel neglect. For the most part, they land back in their boxes and dismissed to storage. As such, a fan is a rather heated and short romance. Its immediacy often lures people away from a far better proposition – the air circulator [ エアー サーキュレーター ]. Otherwise known as a vortex action fan, these powerful and compact numbers are fans for all seasons. 

Click to go directly to the review:

1. Iris Oyama PCF-SM12 – 8 Tatami
2. Yamazen YAR-DW15 -14 Tatami
3. Epeios HM702A – 24 Tatami
4. Boneco F120 – 20 Tatami
5. Balmuda C2 A02A-WK – 20 Tatami
6. Yamazen YAR-VK15 – 8 Tatami
7. Vornado Vintage CR1-0061-17

How a Vortex Action Fan Works 

Vortex fans or air circulators are usually placed on the ground or a low table. Sometimes they can oscillate, often they just adjust manually. A circulator produces a vortex like wind stream that creates a sustained air current within and even between rooms. 

Windy Fan vs Vortex Air Circulator – Which is Cooler? 

A fan really just creates a cooling breeze within a limited range. It moves the air rather than sustaining an airflow current through a room or house. Fans are more effective in smaller rooms or for the feeling of wind directly on the skin. 

A fan can offer more immediate relief from heat. The wind chill factor hastens evaporation of sweat from the body which helps you feel cooler.

On the other hand, a circulator fan is more effective at lowering the overall temperature of a room by removing hot air pockets, or distributing cold ones. Vortex fans are often cheaper to run than a regular fan. You can use them can save on air conditioning, or to circulate conditioned air more evenly and rapidly around a room.

Additionally, a vortex fan is a much healthier option all round. It eliminates pockets of stale air (if a window or door is open) in your house. For this reason, vortex circulators have gained popularity during pandemic periods. It’s also better to sleep with a vortex circulator rather than having a fan blow wind over you. 

Using a Vortex Air Circulator Fan in Winter

Hot air rises, so especially in the winter valuable (and expensive) heat gathers towards the upper ceiling area. Depending on insulation, heat can be lost very quickly. 

A vortex fan used in winter can spread heat evenly through a larger room or between rooms. In this way, heating is more effective and the house more comfortable overall. The principle is the same as using a vortex fan with an air conditioner in summer.

Buying a Circulator Fan in Japan

A  vortex action fan is a kind of specialized home appliance. These low profile fans are conveniently sold according to the size of the room they suit. This size is typically measured in tatami sizes. So, you may need to know how many tatami jyou [ 畳 ] your room is to know which is the best sized vortex circulator to buy. 

Most vortex action fans don’t cost much more than a regular standing fan, sometimes even less. The bulbous head is usually adjustable, sometimes even 360°. This way you can easily send the vortex stream up to the ceiling. Most have a limited oscillation range, while others are fixed to one position.

Vortex action fans are also ideal for drying laundry inside. They are particularly helpful in cold winters, wet days, and of course the rainy season. 

Best Vortex Air Circulator Fan Reviews in Japan

See our reviews of three top Japanese brands for vortex air circulators. Also included are two unique standing vortex fans and a novelty vintage fan from Vornado.

Iris Ohyama PCF-SM12 – 8 tatami – アイリスオーヤマ サーキュレーター アイ 8畳 PCF-SM12

People love these circulators for their compact size, mobility, and how quiet they are. They’re effective enough in small rooms and up to 8 tatami. These fans stand about as tall as a 500 ml bottle. This model is the most basic and cost effective. It does not come with a timer or a remote.

Exactly the same design, although in different colors and more powerful, is available with a remote control. The most popular model is the one that comes with additional voice commands and Alex integration. Both these are for rooms up to 20 tatami.

View All Iris Oyama Vortex Circulators

Yamazen YAR-DW15 – 14 Tatami – 山善 サーキュレーター YAR-DW15 

For a medium-sized room or a little extra wind power, these Yamazens are a good fit. It comes with a handy remote and a timer of two, four, or six hours. The oscillation angle is as good as any, and the cord is a nice length too. For it’s compact size, quietness, and wind strength, people are well-satisfied.

View All Yamazen Vortex Circulators

Epeios Ion Circulator – 24 Tatami – Epeios サーキュレーター HM702A

Epeios is an up and coming kitchen and lifestyle brand. It’s part of Patozon corporation out of China – famous for Mpow ear and headphone sets. Their Epeios fan is a fan with many fans. It takes fanning to the next level functioning as a fan, a vortex air circulator, a negative ion generator, and an aroma diffuser.

Overall, this is a quality product for the price. It comes with a 1 year warranty and customer service is responsive. The only real flaw is that the remote control is not so good, especially at an angle. Some users also report a slight squeaking sounds when using horizontal and vertical rotation together.

Visit the Epeios Store

Boneco F120 Air Shower Fan – 20 tatami – BONECO サーキュレーター 20畳 F120

This vortex circulator offers advantages to both larger rooms and smaller rooms where floor space is more cluttered. It is quite powerful and has an adjustable height above floor level.

It’s not a rotating or oscillating circulator, but the fan is fixed to an adjustable shaft. The design is really smart and clean with the controls on the top of the holding mast. English information is available online.

If you like the design of these fans and they suit your needs, the cost may be worth it. They are not as quiet as Japanese manufacturers’. Also, for the price, a remote could have been included or even a timer. The larger F220 (price link) is more suited for a house or on a patio.

Balmuda GreenFan C2 – 20 tatami – バルミューダ サーキュレーター グリー C2 A02A-WK

Balmuda is a Tokyo based company that focuses on efficient design and high quality manufacturing. There are a couple of unique features on this fan.

One is the detachable air filter at the back, where the draft is sucked in. It’s made of activated charcoal and removes up to 94.7% of odors. One filter lasts 6 months and replacements are easily got on their store page, or you can visit the Balmuda homepage. This air circulator also has a special extra strong jet mode which operates for 15 min by selecting the airplane icon.

An optional feature is a battery dock and charger cable (price link). The battery pack is sold separately and it’s also fairly pricey. It gives up to 22 hours on low fan mode or 3.5 hours on high circulation mode.

As with most Balmuda products, people love the design. It’s a much higher quality than other top competing fans. Most impressive is how quiet it is and the wind strength on higher modes is particularly effective.

View more Balmuda Air Solutions

Yamazen Wall Mounted Circulator – 8 tatami – 山善 サーキュレーター 壁掛式 YAR-VK15

There aren’t a lot of wall mounted circulator to choose from, but Yamazen is still a decent choice. Compared to previous models, this ‘upgrade’ has a few flaws. The wind and rotation speeds tends not to be so steady. Also, on high speed the noise is more than it should be. Although it’s still better than other wall mounts, it not the most ideal fan for sleeping in a bedroom.

Vornado Vintage Vortex Fan – ボルネード CR1-0061-17 サーキュレーター

Vornada is the popular and acclaimed US brand for vortex fans. In Japan, they are often misnamed as ‘Bornado’. Although more expensive than many Japanese brand circulators, they tend to be quite powerful. They also have quite a number of original designs.

Although most models are adapted for the Japanese market, these vintage models are parallel imports. The configuration is 120 V/60 Hz, but such small appliances will work in all regions. These small vortex circulators are not bad if you’re looking for something unique and different, as well as a breath of fresh air.

Visit the Vornado Store

See popular ranking for Vortex Action Fans

Other Choices for a Fan in Japan

If you’re looking for other cool choices, see our reviews for :

• Table top USB fans – 卓上扇風機
• Best handy fans in Japan – 携帯扇風機 
• Neck cooler fans – ネッククーラー / ネックファン