Big Ass Fans — anyone use one?

Enjoying my Lasko blower but looking to see if anyone has experience with huge barrel fan setups like the Big Ass Fan Sidekick (Sidekick - Durable Barrel Fan - Big Ass Fans®)? This thing moves 15000cfm!!! I plan to use it in the basement so can’t be too loud.

One concern is that the fan is so big I would not be able to mount a TV above it (without breaking my neck while training lol)… So either I’d have to block some airflow by mounting a TV directly in front of it with a TV stand (I am lucky to have found a spare 42” plasma which I use for training) or downgrade to a smaller viewing experience.

In my wildest dreams I would have 2 of these types of fans and build a wind tunnel to suck/blow air through a narrow closet built specifically for training…. “ Yes dear, oh that? That’s just a closet for clothes, I’ll temporarily be putting my bike stuff in there…”

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I want one! This would help for indoor riding down in Florida!

I’m definitely a Big Ass Fan……

Oh, wait. Sorry…wrong forum.

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

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You can buy an awful lot of Lasko fans for $2K.

If you want one, get one that’s more focused like the sweat bee.

And you can’t lie…

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Small world I suppose… Jim is a customer of mine in the Ferrari world. :slight_smile:

![|400x225](upload://eMwu3mZyzrttuLiLe5gtMYMw4GM.jpeg)

Sweat Bee | Big Ass Fans

I had a very large fan, which moved a massive amount of air. But it was loud and the motor generated a fair bit of heat.
I recently had an Air con installed directly in front of my trainer which blows icy cold air with a decent velocity. I have found it to be much much better than any fan combo I have tried.

You can get a 2-3’ diameter barrel fan at Home Depot for a lot less than 2k. I have one in my garage setup and its more than enough for my Kickr setup.

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Wondering if you have a comparison vs. a Lasko type blower ?

I dont have a direct comparison but Ive been around a few fans of similar design and the large home depot barrel fan is comparable. I get super sweaty and hot on the trainer and run hot in general and it works for me. For the price, esp if you can get it on sale, its worth a shot.

Bigass Fans work great in very large spaces like warehouses. I noticed they installed them in some airports too, like O’hare. High volume, low velocity.

But for bike trainers, treadmills, etc, the Laskos are the way to go. No comparison. If you’re itching to spend money, get the Wahoo fan. Those are sweet. Or go all out and install a mini split and make your basement ice cold.

We have a Big Ass Fan in one of my warehouses/hangers at work. I’m not really impressed and I’d rather have my Laskos for my trainer. The Lasko is more direct and the BAF just moves a lot of air in a large general area.

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We have a bunch of them from that brand at the factory where I work…but they are a little bit larger. As in probably a 30’ wingspan.

I have a small Portacool at work that I put in front of the dumb trainer I snuck in. All set up in a mechanical room that is probably warmer than most people would ever be willing to tolerate (I am used to hot environments).

I would NEVER spend that kind of money for a fan though.

This is the fan I currently use in my garage, works pretty darn well for living in Florida. Also, it’s not $2k.

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That’s exactly what I use. Its perfect for me in the heat of California.

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CFM is just one measurement. That’s a high volume, low pressure fan - basically the same as a box fan. You’re paying 5x the cost of a regular 42’ fan for the fancy quiet blades and motor as well as the 48" size is too big to fit on a normal pallet.

One thing to keep in mind, a little bit of convection goes a LONG way. You just need a critical amount of fresh air to move across your body, anything more than that is just annoying noise. What you want is full coverage of your body with enough force so that the airstream circulates around you (getting your back too), That’s CFM because its covering a wide area, but also pressure because the fan is 5ft away from you.

High volume, low pressure = box fan; generally noisier because the larger fan blades vibrate more, you need to be closer to it to feel the breeze. These usually have an outrageous CFM number, but will feel less ‘powerful’ than the low volume fan with 1/5th the cfm rating. These are also rated at full power output, in reality you’d only run this on low because they make so much noise at full power. The diameter of that fan is advantageous for full body coverage.
Medium volume/pressure = Vornado
Low volume/pressure = Lasko fan / Wahoo fan; quieter targeted breeze. You need to have this pointed right at your head or torso. The fan doesn’t make much noise, but you hear the wind noise. You also need to hold still for this.
(to take this further) Extreme low volume/high pressure = air compressor blower attachment would be about 5cfm-ish and 90psi (some number I saw) and would be awfully focused and annoying feeling

I’ve found the box fan works well in the room as a “base” fan, while the Vornado is best for ‘stage 2’ . The ducted air fans generally are too specific (though the Wahoo works as sort of two Laskos in one). Mount the box fan off center so you get front and back coverage. The Vornado (ducted fan) is then your main face and body fan.

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I have a 24in industrial drum fan and love it. 7200cfm on high and that is 75db. No complaints from neighbors in multiple apartments as its whitenoise and don’t penetrate walls or doors that well. $2k for a 48in seems a bit overkill to me, mine was $150.

The big fans need a place for the air to go, so if you’re in a small room or have the trainer backed up against a wall and the fan will be blowing directly into the wall it might not work the best.

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For 2k get a portable ac unit and multiple Lasko fans for you and 4 other pain caves

Never though about it that way, and I’ll take your word for it on volume/pressure differences.

I like my Vornado better than my Lasko. Bought a second, smaller Vornado for my backside.