Meaco Sefte Pedestal Air Circulator review: our thoughts on Meaco's ultra-quiet new fan

Price on writing: £180 | Buy now from Amazon

How we tested

Mumsnet editor Poppy put the Meaco Sefte 10" Pedestal Air Circulator Fan to the test in her three-bedroom home in Sussex. Taking detailed notes on ease of use, quality and how effectively the fan cooled her and the room, she tested the fan over the course of two months in various rooms, cross-comparing it with more of the best pedestal fans on the market right now, from Dyson, Duux and Levoit.

Our verdict

Whether it's their dehumidifiers or their range of some of the best quiet fans money can buy, Mumsnetters love and highly recommend Meaco products for their quality, affordable prices and great customer service. Having reviewed many Meaco products at this point, it's the brand's attention to detail and the way they integrate customer feedback into their designs that most impresses me. The new Sefte 10" Pedestal Air Circulator Fan is no different - it's quieter than its predecessor, the 1056P Pedestal Air Circulator, both in its operation and in the fact that you can silence all beeps at the touch of a button.

The fan is very, very quiet - just 25dB at its lowest setting (for context, a whisper is around 30dB). Using a clever deep-headed design and smooth two-way oscillation, it effectively distributes a cool breeze around the whole room, even at its lowest settings.

The fan can be used at 3 heights, with its lowest perfect to use as a tabletop or desk fan. While I liked this versatility, the height can only be adjusted by removing one or two metal columns from the fan's stand, and storing them elsewhere until needed. If you're looking for a desk fan specifically, the Meaco Sefte Table Air Circulator is a good bet, and has a smaller footprint than the Pedestal. I would have preferred a telescopic stand for smoother adjustment, but the columns are easy to lock and unlock in place, and no tools are required to assemble or adjust the fan.

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How easy is the Meaco Sefte Pedestal Air Circulator to set up and start using?

I didn't need any tools to build the Meaco Sefte Pedestal Fan, and it has a clever twist and lock mechanism to fit the fan head to the base. There are 3 heights to choose from, the tallest being perfect to stand in the corner of my living room, the middle height works well next to my WFH desk and the shortest setting suits sitting on a bedside table, desk or another tabletop.

The remote control has clear, easy to understand symbols for turning the fan on and off, as well as adjusting the speed, oscillation, light display, sound, setting a timer and toggling between normal, eco and night modes. What's more, it glows in the dark - perfect for making adjustments on a balmy summer night.

The fan came with an instruction booklet that explains exactly how to operate each of the controls. On the fan itself, there are just two buttons - on/off and fan speed. There's no app to connect to, so you aren't able to set schedules like you can with other premium fans like the Duux Whisper Flex Smart. However, with the unpredictable British weather, I didn't miss this function.

The fan is mains powered, and with a 1.6m long cable it's easy to plug in and position it wherever's most convenient in your home.

Read next: The best handheld fans for labour, commuting and hot flushes

How does the Meaco Sefte Pedestal Air Circulator compare to the Meaco 1056P fan?

Mumsnetters have highly recommended Meaco's 1056P Pedestal Fan in our forums for years now, many of them swearing by the fan, especially at night. So how does this new model compare to the existing one?

You'll see from the above picture that the two fans differ in height - the new Sefte can be both taller and shorter than the 1056P, and although I prefer the button-operated slide adjustment of the 1056P, the versatility of the Sefte is superior.

They also look quite different to each other. The 1056P has a more retro look, with a fan head reminiscent of an old-fashioned hair dryer hood and with a useful PU handle on top. The Sefte is sleeker and more minimalist.

However, the thing Mumsnet users most value and seek out in a fan is low noise levels. While there's only 4dB in it, the Sefte is noticeably quieter when I compare the two fans, at 25dB to the 1056P's 29dB.

Performance-wise, they're both very impressive at cooling you and your room. The Sefte technically has a slightly higher air volume of 1150 m/hour to the 1056P's 1056 m/hour. When pitted against each other in my house, I couldn't fault either of them. Lastly, there's the price difference. The 1056P currently retails for £150, and the Sefte for £180.

What's the Meaco Sefte Pedestal Air Circulator like to use day-to-day?

With its simple controls, once I'd set up the fan it was straightforward to turn it on whenever I felt the need for cooling. On Eco mode, the fan adjusts to room temperature, keeping the air moving and fending off stuffiness at just the right level throughout the day or night.

I like that you can set the fan to turn off and on in advance, meaning you can cool down the room in advance before you start work or go to bed. In Night mode, the fan speed gradually reduces until it gets to the lowest setting, which is a brilliant feature, helping create and maintain a cool, comfortable and peaceful atmosphere at night without having to adjust the settings at all. The glow in the dark remote control is a nice touch, so if you do want to change the settings after lights out, you don't have to fumble to find it - plus you won't hear any beeps in Night mode either.

While I like the fact that the fan can be three different heights, I didn't find myself adjusting it for different rooms, as it just felt that bit too much hassle. I kept it at its tallest and, thanks to how lightweight it is, it was easy to move from room to room like this.

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Does the Meaco Sefte Air Circulator offer good value for money?

At £180, the Sefte is £30 more expensive than its predecessor the 1056P. However, the extra expense buys you a quieter, sleeker and more versatile fan. Compared, as Meaco fans often are, to Dyson fans, which retail for £300-£700, it can certainly hold its own against premium competitors.

If you're looking for a fan quiet enough to use in your bedroom and powerful enough to make a real difference to your home, this is an excellent investment.

About the author

Poppy O'Neill is a Content Editor at Mumsnet and a mother of two. She's been researching and reviewing home and parenting products for 2 years, with a particular focus on laundry and cooling. From washing machines to baby monitors and dehumidifiers to cooling pillows, she loves to deep-dive into research and find the best products out there.

Poppy is also an award-winning, best-selling children's and parenting author of books such as Don't Worry, Be Happy, The Extraordinary Book That Makes You Feel Happy and Mother Power. She specialises in children's mental health and her books are used by therapists, teachers and SENCOs across the UK. She won a The Week Junior Book Award in 2023, her books have been translated into several languages and she's been featured in The Guardian, The Sunday Times and The Sun.

After earning a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Leeds and a PGCert in Fashion and Lifestyle Journalism from University of the Arts London, she worked in fashion for most of her 20s. When her children were young, she undertook an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Chichester and re-trained as an author and freelance writer.

About Mumsnet reviews

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