# New Dyson "air multiplier"-- fans without blades **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 14, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800 "2009-10-14T16:22:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/1 "2009-10-14T16:22:48Z")
This is pretty interesting. People swear by Dyson’s sucking products, now they have a new one that blows: [http://www.dyson.com/fans/](http://www.dyson.com/fans/) ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/2 "2009-10-14T16:29:08Z")
Looks interesting, but a $300 fan will not be on my short list of must-have purchases anytime soon. It appears to solve a problem that I’m not sure exists—has “choppy air” from normal fans really been an issue with which mankind has struggled? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/3 "2009-10-14T16:30:00Z")
I wonder how it works. Maybe an intake on the base, with the air channeled up through the frame of the toroidal thingy? It has to have an impeller. I wonder if it’s like an industrial fan in the base, with a cylindrical turbine instead of conventional blades. I also wonder why “smooth air flow” is somehow better, with a strong tendency toward :dubious:. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/4 "2009-10-14T16:32:05Z")
If you look at the video on the website, there’s reactions of people who see/feel the fan for the first time. However, I notice that the airflow doesn’t seem to be… torrential. Even though the people bend down very near the fan, it doesn’t look as though anyone’s hair or clothing moves due to the airflow. I still think it must be neat as hell, but I’m curious how much air it actually pushes. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/5 "2009-10-14T16:46:57Z")
[QUOTE=Ogre;] I wonder how it works. Maybe an intake on the base, with the air channeled up through the frame of the toroidal thingy? It has to have an impeller. I wonder if it’s like an industrial fan in the base, with a cylindrical turbine instead of conventional blades. [/QUOTE] From their website: > [@](#): > > Up to 5.28 gallons of air per second is drawn in by an energy-efficient, brushless motor. A combination of the technologies used in turbochargers and jet engines generates powerful airflow. So yes, there’s a blower of some sort in the base. At the top end, the basic principle is a venturi. The compressed air comes out of a ring-shaped nozzle, and the air flow “picks up” the air from behind the fan and sends it forward. It’s the same sort of physical principle that makes spray paint cans and carburetors work. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/6 "2009-10-14T16:54:08Z")
Engadget opened it up and discovered a vacuum cleaner blower in the base, so it looks like **Ogre** was spot on. > **[Dyson's Air Multiplier is the overpriced bladeless fan you never asked for](https://www.engadget.com/2009-10-12-dysons-air-multiplier-is-the-overpriced-bladeless-fan-you-never.html)** > > We can't fault Dyson for chutzpah. After putting the company's spin on vacuum cleaners and then hand dryers, we probably should've guessed that a revolution in table fan engineering was next up. When we first saw an image of the Dyson Air Multiplier... They also say it’s less effective than a regular fan, and about as loud as a vacuum cleaner, so I’m not sure how it’s worth $300. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/7 "2009-10-14T17:00:23Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Looks interesting, but a $300 fan will not be on my short list of must-have purchases anytime soon. > > It appears to solve a problem that I’m not sure exists—has “choppy air” from normal fans really been an issue with which mankind has struggled? Yes, if you dont want it to mess up the sound waves from your speakers. Every audiophile needs one ! ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/8 "2009-10-14T18:06:36Z")
A $300 novelty fan? Wow, that Dyson guy sure has a lot of time on his hands. If he can find a few suckers to buy them well then good for him, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/9 "2009-10-14T19:53:29Z")
It’s cool looking, but $300 is a lot for a fan. Grammatical hijack: That website contains the sentence, “The Dyson Air Multiplier™ fan works very differently to conventional fans.” Is that correct or should it be “differently **from** conventional fans”? ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/10 "2009-10-14T19:58:51Z")
My inner science fiction geek wants to see this technology used for helicopters. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/11 "2009-10-14T20:17:33Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > They also say it’s less effective than a regular fan, and about as loud as a vacuum cleaner, so I’m not sure how it’s worth $300. [cnet.com](http://cnet.com) states it’s about as loud as the fan in an Xbox 360. Loudish - but no louder than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/12 "2009-10-14T20:20:57Z")
That is a fantastic looking fan! I want to try it out… ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/13 "2009-10-14T21:11:11Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > Engadget opened it up and discovered a vacuum cleaner blower in the base, so it looks like **Ogre** was spot on. > > [Dyson's Air Multiplier is the overpriced bladeless fan you never asked for](http://www.engadget.com/2009/10/12/dysons-air-multiplier-is-the-overpriced-bladeless-fan-you-never/) > > They also say it’s less effective than a regular fan, and about as loud as a vacuum cleaner, so I’m not sure how it’s worth $300. I’m teh winnar! I hereby award myself 0.025 interwebz. But seriously, no. It looks like something from a 1986 Sharper Image catalog. Not my aesthetic at all. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/14 "2009-10-14T21:27:16Z")
It’s pretty lame to call this a “bladeless” fan. It’s clearly got blades in the turbine that’s inside the base. ---
**Author:** ![Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d9b06d/32.png) [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ichini_Sanshigo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/15 "2009-10-14T21:42:24Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > My inner science fiction geek wants to see this technology used for helicopters. But then wouldn’t they be hovercrafts instead of helicopters? ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/16 "2009-10-14T21:49:36Z")
> [@Ichini\_Sanshigo](#): > > But then wouldn’t they be hovercrafts instead of helicopters? Nah, I mean use this ring instead of a rotor. It probably wouldn’t be able to generate enough thrust, but damn, it’d look cool to see helicopters with rings instead of blades. Probably quieter, too. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/17 "2009-10-14T23:01:37Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > It’s cool looking, but $300 is a lot for a fan. > > Grammatical hijack: That website contains the sentence, “The Dyson Air Multiplier™ fan works very differently to conventional fans.” Is that correct or should it be “differently **from** conventional fans”? I think the UK practice is to say ‘to’. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/18 "2009-10-14T23:29:59Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > From their website: > > > [@](#): > > > > Up to 5.28 gallons of air per second is drawn in by an energy-efficient, brushless motor. A combination of the technologies used in turbochargers and jet engines generates powerful airflow. > > So yes, there’s a blower of some sort in the base. At the top end, the basic principle is a venturi. The compressed air comes out of a ring-shaped nozzle, and the air flow “picks up” the air from behind the fan and sends it forward. It’s the same sort of physical principle that makes spray paint cans and carburetors work. 5.28 gallons of air per second works out to about 42.3 cfm (cubic feet per minute, the more standard units for rating air moving equipment). What would be a good place to learn how this would compare to, say, a 1932 General Electric 9" fan with anodized steel finger guard? ---
**Author:** ![pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pretend_my_name_is_witty)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/19 "2009-10-14T23:54:15Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Nah, I mean use this ring instead of a rotor. It probably wouldn’t be able to generate enough thrust, but damn, it’d look cool to see helicopters with rings instead of blades. Probably quieter, too. Essentially, a [NOTAR](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NOTAR) helicopter does the same thing that this fan does. i.e.: it _does_ have a rotor, but they’re hidden within ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800/20 "2009-10-15T08:51:32Z")
Small, high speed impellers/blowers are loud. Venturis are loud as well. This this will not quietly drone in the background. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-dyson-air-multiplier-fans-without-blades/513800.md?page=2)