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.

The Bionaire Thin Triple Window Fan is one of our favorite purchases. We have always had similar stye window fans. They typically are taller and thicker than this unit, have bigger blades (only 2) and a mechanical switch. Unfortunately, the standard fans will not fit in many windows. They are too larger for some basement casements, standard mobile homes, RV's and other uniquely shaped windows. This fan solved our problem.This fan will fit in the smaller older style mobile home windows. They are a mere 24 1/2 inches across and open only 11 inches. The fan seats securely and has ample cord length. Fan speed changes by running 1, 2, or all 3 fans. The fan is quieter than many 2 blade window fans we have had. The thermostat works well. The push button controls are adequate, but slightly inconvenient. The one button cycles through the fan speeds and then the thermostat settings. This fan gives us much better airflow than anticipated through all 4 rooms of the house. From previous reviews we considered getting two, but based on our experience so far, only one is necessary.Update May 2015 - This fan is still our favorite. It still works as well as the day we got it. No need for expensive temperature controlled units. This fans temperature control functions work great! We started using i more for night so we wouldn't get too cold when sleeping. It turns off when it reaches the set temp. Still one of our best buys ever.

This unusually short/thin fan moves a surprising amount of air, but I found it was a poor fit for my 36" Andersen windows.I love my bigger Bionaire BW2300 Fan and whole-heartedly recommend it. After 5+ years of regular 2-season use, it still runs perfectly. But when it came time to replace an ancient, failed fan in a second bedroom, I was hoping for something a little cheaper while retaining Bionaire quality, which is where this fan comes in. I also thought the manual controls on this model would be longer-lived than an electronic thermostat.This fan runs great. Reasonably quiet even with all three fans spinning, and the small fans move a lot of air. The controls work well, although the thermostat is vague (hard to tell where it's set other than by spinning the dial until the fan starts/stops). On the negative, the fans don't turn up/down for the three speed settings. Instead one, two, or three fans are engaged to match the setting.Build quality is solid, but there's no handle. The fan will try to fall out when you try to open the window (it doesn't balance), and without a handle, it's kind of awkward to swap it around to reverse airflow or whatever else. But the main problem is the fit (for my windows) is terrible, and the fan is going back as a result.My initial hope was a vertical fit so I could have the window fully open and enjoy the view with the fan occupying just one side. Unfortunately, the fan is about 2" too long to install that way.Horizontal installation was even worse. Unlike the the bigger Bionaire and other fans I've had, the top of the fan is smooth. There are no indentations or brackets to hold the fan into the window, and thus it wants to fall backwards against the screen (or out the window if you don't have screens)-- the Andersen window simply wouldn't hold down the fan in horizontal mode. I found I *had to* to use the extender screens and brace them against the plastic sides of the windows to keep it in place. And even then, the extenders were pressing against non-structural parts of the window frame (bad in the long run). I had to angle them awkwardly to keep the fan in place and not press on the more delicate plastic. A terrible fit.The fan is also very short, so it installs at the very bottom of the window in horizontal mode. For me that means it's blowing directly onto a cat bed that was previously slightly below the airflow. If you have anything level with the bottom of your window, you'll have the same problem.Recommended if you have tall/narrow windows, otherwise this fan is very frustrating to get situated in windows like mine. Get the Bionaire BW2300 instead.