Rowenta Turbo Silence VU5650F0 Review: Pedestal Fan

The Rowenta Turbo Silence VU5650F0 sticks to a very familiar recipe: 12 speeds, a night mode, 120-degree oscillation and a supplied remote control. The question is whether a conventional bladed pedestal fan still blows as convincingly as the specification sheet suggests. The recorded measurements say that it largely does, provided you are happy to leave it standing in one room.

The Turbo Silence VU5650F0 belongs to a range that Rowenta offers in several formats, but this version takes the very classic silhouette of a floor-standing living-room fan. There is a large five-blade propeller protected by two grilles, a telescopic pole and a base heavy enough to keep the whole assembly steady.

This is a mains-powered model. It offers 12 speeds, horizontal oscillation across 120 degrees, a timer running up to 12 hours and three automatic modes: Natural Breeze, Night and Intelligent. The last of those modulates fan power according to the ambient temperature. The fan is not a connected product, so there is no app; instead it is driven either from the control panel on the mast or from the bundled remote handset.

At 5.83 kg on the scales, the Turbo Silence is not a light appliance. Its weighted base does give it excellent stability, even with ventilation and oscillation both running flat out. That mass becomes far more of a nuisance when you want to move the fan somewhere else, and Rowenta has not fitted any carrying handle at all. It is therefore a fan you install semi-permanently in a room rather than one you carry from space to space through the day.

The telescopic pole makes height adjustment straightforward. Horizontal oscillation is motorised, but vertical tilt of the head is set purely by hand. There is consequently no way to sweep the room automatically from top to bottom, which some rival models do offer.

All the functions are gathered on the panel fitted to the mast: speed adjustment, oscillation, modes and the timer. A digital display shows the selected configuration clearly. The controls work perfectly well, but their low position means bending down every time you want to change something.

The remote is much more comfortable to use. It responds quickly and rapidly becomes the preferred way of controlling the fan. A useful touch is that the fan remembers the last speed used and reapplies it as soon as it is switched back on.

One consequence of the traditional bladed layout is maintenance. Dust inevitably builds up on the propeller and on the protective grilles. The grilles can be removed to make cleaning easier, but the job will always take more patience and effort than wiping down a bladeless design.

The Rowenta Turbo Silence lives up to the first half of its name. At a distance of 1 m, the recorded air speed is 1.5 m/s at intermediate power and 2.6 m/s at the maximum setting. That is energetic enough to bring a quick sense of freshness to a bedroom or a living space.

At 2 m the fan still manages 0.9 m/s and 1.8 m/s respectively at those same settings. The airflow therefore remains clearly noticeable without having to park the fan at the foot of the sofa. Useful reach, defined as the distance at which the air flow still measures 0.3 m/s, works out at 4.25 m. That test protocol differs from Rowenta's own, since the manufacturer quotes a reach of 7.2 m, but the measured figure still confirms that this is not a fan restricted to close-range use.

The airflow is also reasonably wide. At full power the measurements show 1.2 m/s to the left of the central axis and 1 m/s to the right. Vertical distribution is less even: 2.2 m/s above the axis against only 0.5 m/s below it. Horizontal oscillation fortunately helps spread the air effectively between several people sitting in the same room.

At intermediate speed the Rowenta produces 39 dB at 1 m. At that setting it stays discreet and can run in an office or a bedroom without drowning out a conversation or becoming tiring over a long session. The 12 available levels make it possible to find a fairly precise setting somewhere between a gentle breeze and a more sustained draught.

At full power the noise level climbs to 53 dB. The airflow becomes clearly audible and the "Silence" part of the name deserves to be taken with a pinch of salt. That top setting is really for moments when cooling matters more than quiet. For overnight running, the dedicated Night mode drops the fan speed so that you are not left with an overly powerful flow blowing until morning.

The Rowenta Turbo Silence draws very little at low speed. Consumption measured after an hour of running was only 1.5 Wh. At full power, the same hour takes 27 Wh.

Projected across a simulation based on eight hours of use a day for four months, that works out at roughly 1.44 kWh at minimum and 25.92 kWh at maximum. Even in daily summer use, the Rowenta remains far less energy-hungry than an air conditioner.

If you want a pedestal-format fan that is easier to carry thanks to a handle, the Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart covers that need and adds vertical oscillation as well. For something still more portable, though without a pedestal, the SwitchBot Battery Circulator Fan also has arguments in its favour.

The Rowenta Turbo Silence VU5650F0 does not try to reinvent the pedestal fan, but it handles the formula very competently. Its powerful, fairly wide airflow, adjustable across 12 levels, suits a bedroom as readily as a living room. The remote works well, the automatic modes prove useful and consumption stays contained. The weighted base delivers excellent stability, at the cost of significant weight and bulk. The absence of a handle does not encourage frequent moves, and vertical aiming remains a manual job. A conventional fan, then, but a capable one that is pleasant to live with day to day.