Shark FlexBreeze Hybrid Indoor & Outdoor Fan review

“Very likely.”

It’s Britain’s hottest day in 2024, and that’s all I’ve been hearing since I got to my (air-conditioned) office this morning. When I have mocked in every sentence – because forgive me, but have we been waiting all year for this hot scene? – the thought of going to sleep when it’s still 30 ° C fills me with (not so) cold sweat.

Fans to take the edge of the heat is a clear answer, but in the space-squeezed bed, finding the right one that will not dominate the room is a search in itself. Then there is the question of working at home: do I get a new fan for my table in the living room, and another in the kitchen?

For island countries that experience a few weeks of hot weather, if we are lucky, every summer, it seems unnecessary to invest in many fans, not to mention find somewhere to store them for 10 months when they are not being used. .

Enter Shark FlexBreeze. From the tech and home appliance experts comes this 12-in-1 fan that transforms from a floor fan to a tabletop unit. It can be plugged into the mains, or used without a cable so as not to create an unnecessary trip hazard from a stray cable.

And maybe – get this – used outside with a mister when the natural breezes are gone and you have to generate your own or risk melting into a puddle on the patio.

Shark’s FlexBreeze sounds like a major fan, at home in any corner of the house. But have you got any puff, or claims that open from hot air? I try to understand.

Shark is neat with the delivery of all products, from vacuum cleaners to hair dryers. It stays in the script here, presenting all the pieces in a thigh-high box that, while compact, is a little awkward to move around because the fan weighs 55kg.

Inside printing cardboard inserts and fabric bags protect fan parts and accessories and plastic is used sparingly. All in all, very enjoyable.

A fan has three parts: a wide base, which is the heaviest, a shaft (two tubes connected by a length of elastic like a tent pole), and a head. Each slot goes to another with a satisfying click with a marker to show where they slide in.

Once built, the fan sits at chair height but the rotating head means it will easily blow cold air around the upper room, where excess tends to collect.

It’s not the most exciting fan design I’ve ever clapped eyes on, but Shark is not planning to enter FlexBreeze into any beauty contest (at the time of print, anyway). Its true beauty lies in its function.

The fan battery is built in, which means that if you have put together the first order of business to get it juiced up. The good news is that you can turn it on while charging.

Easy operation – all three buttons are located on the top (fan speed, on/off, oscillation), or you can use the magnetic remote. The remote is also the only way to start the timer if you want to run the fan when you go to bed but don’t want it running all night.

There are five wind speeds, all operating at an almost inaudible level – this thing won’t keep you awake at night, interrupt your movie marathon or wake up your sleeping baby. Simply press the fan speed button on the top of the unit and the small white light in front of the fan head will light up to show you the speed.

Taking it from a floor to table fan is simple. Press the release button on the back of the head to lift it from the top of the unit. The base will open up into four legs – tripod style – allowing you to set it up on a table and there is a secondary charging point on the base for charging this way. The back of the fan head is magnetic, giving you somewhere to put the remote so it doesn’t get lost (like all remotes always do).

Living in a city center flat with no outside space means I haven’t had a chance to test the misting function yet. It needs to be connected to a garden hose to allow the water to mist along with the wind, creating a refreshing level of cooling. If the London air is getting drier, I might give this a shot to get more moisture into the room.