Amacool Bladeless Neck Fan Review: we put this comfy wearable fan through its paces

Price on writing: £17 | Buy now from Amazon

When the summer months hit, the hotter days can leave you feeling uncomfortably hot and sticky at your desk or on the school run. A neck fan can keep you cool on the go just like a portable air conditioner or desk fan does at home. Unlike handheld fans, a neck fan is a headphone-style band that sits round your neck, with a fan either end to blow air onto your neck and face to help you stay cooler. 

Mumsnet users recommend a neck fan for keeping sweat at bay when you’re out walking, running errands and even exercising. They can be bought in bladed or bladeless designs and are generally lightweight and comfortable so you can go about your day easily while wearing one. To find out which ones are worth buying, we tested a range of neck fans, including the Amacool Bladeless neck fan. Our tester Sam used it across the course of a week, rating the neck fan on its effectiveness against hot flushes, how long the batteries lasted, ease of use, and overall value for money.

Our verdict

While the Amacool Bladeless Neck Fan didn’t score as highly as other products we tested, it still has some decent features. A bladeless fan, it sits comfortably around your neck providing an even flow of air around the sides of your face and neck. Although not as powerful as other fans around, this can help provide some light relief when suffering in the summer heat or in the middle of a hot flush. 

While the battery life is one of the shortest we tested, it is enough for a day and does have a handy light which lets you know how much charge there is left. However, the Amacool Bladeless Fan isn’t designed quite as well as some of the other fans on the market - it’s not as lightweight and the buttons could be easier to use, but it is a decent price.

Read next: The best quiet fans for bedrooms

What is the Amacool Bladeless neck fan?

A bladeless design, the Amacool neck fan uses two turbo motors and over 60 air outlets to blow air around your neck and face. The curved band has been designed to fit different sizes of neck with a soft silicone cover and, during testing, we found it comfortable to wear, despite it being heavier than other designs. The bladeless design makes the Amacool neck fan safe for people with long hair to wear too.

It is available in white and black to suit your preference and has three different speeds. The battery life is up to nine hours, depending on how you use it, and can be quickly and easily charged up.

Related: The best air coolers for summer

How easy is the Amacool Bladeless neck fan to use?

While you may expect a neck fan to be ready to go from the box, the Amacool Bladeless neck fan needed charging up. It only takes a few hours though so you can get using it fairly quickly. It’s the heaviest fan we tested but was still comfortable to wear, with a soft silicone sleeve, although due to the material we feel this could attract fluff and crumbs if left inside a handbag or rucksack.

We really like that there is a light to show the battery charge so you know if it needs charging before a day out - very handy on a hot summer's day! Our tester Sam felt the controls could be more sensitive to make it easier to use.

How effective is the Amacool Bladeless neck fan?

While the fan provide an even flow of air round both sides of the neck, it’s not one of the most powerful fans around. However, it is still lightweight and comfortable enough to wear on a hot day and our tester Sam used the fan during a migraine and it provided some relief.

While this neck fan is a good choice for driving, walking or commuting, we're not 100% convinced it's the best option for every eventuality. Here are some alternatives Mumsnetters recommend:

Read next: The best cooling boxes for summer picnics

What’s the battery life like?

Not as long as some of the other fans we tested, but with a battery life of up to nine hours depending on the speed you use, it is still pretty good. With three blue lights to indicate how much battery there is, you don’t have to worry about getting cut short on a hot day as you can easily check it and recharge it using the included USB wire. 

Price: is the Amacool Bladeless neck fan worth it?

While it doesn’t quite compare to the likes of the Amacool bladed design for power or versatility, we think it can still hold its own for just under £20. It could do with some small improvements, but the battery life is good enough for a day with a handy charge indicator for easily checking how much battery it has. The Amacool Bladeless neck fan can offer some light relief from sweat, providing a flow of air around the neck and face during a hot day or a hot flush but if power is what you want, then this may not be the one for you.

How we tested

Sam used the Amacool Bladeless neck fan across the course of a week. During testing, she carefully rated the fan on its effectiveness against hot flushes, how long the batteries lasted, the ease of use, and overall value for money:

• Tested across a week

• Used to combat hot flushes and hot temperatures

• Cross-compared with other similar products 

All of the neck fans were tested under the same criteria and were compared together to help us determine which are the top products on the market right now.

About the author

Gemma Wilcock is a freelance writer and copywriter. At Mumsnet, she creates content providing useful parenting advice, information and top products to make life easier – as a mother of two children herself, Gemma knows how important it is to get the right advice. Gemma loves writing about subjects that will be helpful to the reader – and herself! - such as recommending top products on Mumsnet that help parents in their day-to-day life, including compiling a round-up of the top neck fans on the market. She knows how important online reviews are when it comes to making a purchase so she always makes sure to thoroughly research every product so we are recommending the very best.