Holmes Bionaire BWF0522M Compact Window Fan with Manual Controls, 3 Baldes, Black

This review is about the manual control version. I like it better than the Holmes Dual Blade Twin Window Fan.I didn't realize this from the pictures, but if you look closely, the Bionaire's three fans are enclosed (so each of the fans is in the middle of its own cylinder). This works better for venting. The Holmes is basically empty space inside - just a plastic box around two fans, the vents are larger than the fans, and there's no separation between them.Pros compared to the Holmes:- much quieter- build quality feels solid. It's heavier, if that matters. Looks nicer in person.- works particularly great to exhaust smoke from an ashtray on the window sill- has rubbery pieces on the left and right ends, which is a little nicer and safer if you're concerned about window frame side damage, I suppose? The Holmes is all-plastic.- extends further width-wise, out to 34.5"Cons:- shorter in height- top and bottom plastic lips are very shallow- airflow doesn't actually feel tremendously strong, but anyhow, it works betterI had the Holmes Dual Blade Twin Window Fan and used it for 3 years, until it unceremoniously quit working (both fans at the same time). It was a cheap, basic window fan, so can't complain too much about that.I would be happy if the Bionaire lasts as long. One more point in favor of this design: because the three fans are "sealed" in their own cylinder (like a horizontal can with open top and bottom), all of the air flows through there. With the Holmes, dust and smoke and pet fuzz eventually accumulate all across the front and back openings - so it gets grimy on the outside and inside (which is still plainly visible), and is difficult to clean.Manually scrubbing dozens or hundreds of little grilles on a simple fan like that is a fool's errand (which I attempted once); and then you'd have to disassemble the Holmes fan and repeat cleaning on the inside. The Bionaire design is better in that regard too.

My review is from the perspective of my specific needs and how it worked for me so here it is:- NOT VERY BIG AND BULKY - this is EXACTLY what I was looking for. Shopping for a fan for a small one panel bathroom window mainly, with option to use in any other window. I needed something that is relatively small, not super big and I did not need a hurricane like power of the fan either. The fan is about 7 or so inches high tops 8 but I am guessing.. In any case.. it does not overpower the window or room, it is nice and rather forgiving as far as the visual impact and what is important to me, it is light and small so I dob't have to struggle to put it in or take out as needed.- EASY TO PUT IN THE WINDOW AND REMOVE - that is really non-process. You just open the window, pull our the accordion like extension to cover the entire width of the window frame and it is really super easy to do. Then you just position it in the open window frame and close the window down all the way till it touches the top of the fan. Done. The whole process takes maybe a minute or under once you get a hang of it. It is light and perfect so I can carry it easily in one hand. To take it out of the window.. you just open the window sliding up the panel.. then take it out and you can either push back the accordion extension or set it wherever you want with the extension left as is.- I USE IT IN MY BATHROOM WINDOW - to take the moisture out super fast. I don't like when the steam hangs in the air and the vent alone just does not do job good enough. I am not going to bother now in the midst of epidemic and worry about the vent so this is perfect solution. Once set in the window and turned on it sucks all the moisture in no time. I don't keep it in the window as I don't need it beyond this situation.- THE AIR POWER - This fan is naturally bit less powerful then the double fan big window fans that I also have one of. However, note to the wise - when you use TOO strong fan to push your indoor air, you must be very careful to follow recommendations. Just like with the kitchen exhaust that pulls x amount of the air from the house along with the smells you have to follow the rules of physics and recomendations.If the air vent is too strong then you push a lot of indoor air with it and the trade off is that you also maypull some gasses from the furnace and what not.. so you need to be careful as this can somehow endanger you and your family by creating some adverse air condition. To avoid this you have to check the fan power and capacity of air removal per minute or so.. You can call google this Or ask the seller for recommendation. To avoid any hazard I never run the big fans on full speed for a long time but rather on lower speeds for longer. This particular fan is gentle and it does help perfectly with air exchange as not only you can push out the air but also reverse or have some fans going one way and some another.Best rule of thumb is to have two fans in the house and while one is exhausting the air the other would pull out the air in that way you avoid the potentially unsafe situation of low pressure build up in the house.Possibly opening some other window might help but I don't know if this is sufficient recommendation. I would research this thoroughly. I usually do run other fan somewhere so I don't really run into any extremes.It is great fan to push your air out of the house, it is also great to pull fresh air in fast. This is important because oftentimes you want to get air in fast and it is often impossible if the outdoor pressure is lowerthen inside the house or even in both places, there is no inward draft then and so the outdoor airdoes not get inside much without the wind pushing it from outside. This fan does the trick. It just sucks your air super fast and you can enjoy it in no time.The portability of this fan is super important to me, I can easily take it form room to room.. from window to window as needed. and if I want to I can also use it as a stand alone fan without putting it in the window at all. I don't need this much but occasionally I had situation when I wanted a painted surface to dry here or there and so I could set it up as I wanted and had a lot of air blowing at it fast.It can help your indoor air to circulate on one of the lower speeds if you wish, you can place it in an area of the house really.. window or no window. Just prop it against something so it stands solid and out of the traffic area so nobody bumps it or no pets can knock it down.I was happy to see that it did not have any smells upon arrival. Smell is a big thing to me. I don't like any new chemical smells so It is crucial that an item is free of them upon arrival. It was just perfect, no smells whatsoever.Last thing to note is that when I am not using it and not in the window, I can set it gently on the floor below the window or I can put it vertically on a shorter end and lean against the wall under the window curtain so it is perfectly concealed.I HIGHLY recommend it. It gets a lot of mileage in my house. We use it often and we find many uses for it.I was debating between the light color and black color and I personally like the lighter one because it does not bring attention to it. I find this just a utility device and not necessarily an element of decor so I seek things that blend in as such. However if you for some reason like the fan to be black to blend in with your particular decor or you find it more modern or like it to be more visible then go for it obviously. I am just adding in case you would be debating the color and would get stuck on lack of perspective on the issue. Perhaps this can help you to decide.IN any case, If you need a light reliable and prefect window fan for frequent use then you should try it.Also.. a closing tip.. like all or most fans this does not come with a timer. In case you would like it to run for prescribed amount of time I would suggest to buy either analog or digital outlet timer that cost few dollars and is easy to find on amazon and just plug it into the outlet and then plug this fan into it and thenyou will be free to set the time to any duration you wish so it will turn itself off as needed.FIFVE STARS AND VERY HAPPY WITH IT!!!!- YOU CAN REVERSE THE FLOW -but that is not with the flip switch, you need to physically flip the device which also is not a problem , easy peasy.- FLUID REGULATION OF SPEED is pretty neat as you can adjust the speed as you like. That is much better option then having only two three or four speeds.- PICK HOW MANY FANS YOU WANT ON OR OFF - you can have just one, two or all three on or off situation respectively. Just look at the product pictures and you will see the options.