Shark FlexBreeze Portable Fan two-minute review

I've been through my fair share of fans over the years, ranging from small desktop ones (shout out to my original Woolworths desk fan) to larger air circulators. And as excellent as some of those have been, few can match the versatility of the Shark FlexBreeze Portable Fan. If you want something that adapts to pretty much any situation, this could well be the best fan for you.

For this review I tested the UK version, but the SharkBreeze is also available in the US (there may be very minor differences, but it's essentially the same product). For avoidance of doubt, these are the names and product codes for the US and UK:

• US: Shark FlexBreeze Fan With InstaCool Mist Attachment FA222
• UK: Shark FlexBreeze Portable Fan FA220UK

Shark has built a name for itself as the brand behind some of the best vacuum cleaners on the market, and its sister company Ninja is well respected in the kitchen appliance space, particularly when it comes to the best air fryers. Shark isn't particularly known for its fans, though. The Shark FlexBreeze, nonetheless, is a classic SharkNinja product – that is, one that's especially clever and capable replacing a couple of different products in a top-class, well-engineered package.

This is largely because the FlexBreeze is a fan that can be used in as many different ways as you can think of, whether it's as a conventional pedestal fan or as a desktop fan with its fold-out legs. It also has a mister attachment for use outdoors with cooling water directly from an outdoor tap and can be corded or cordless and run for up to 24 hours away from the mains. This makes it an ideal fan for use virtually anywhere in your home, and it's a fan that's so good, that I've purchased two of them.

There are five fan speeds on offer, and even at full blast the FlexBreeze is a quiet performer, while also being able to push air so you can feel it from up to 70 feet away. It is virtually silent on its lowest setting too, and worked a treat in a bedroom when I was trying to sleep. It's also UV and rain-resistant and has no trouble working outside, while the InstaCool mister attachment fires out two reasonably powerful jets of water that create a cooling mist.

The FlexBreeze is by no means a perfect fan, though. It lacks advanced features such as app control and more granular control for fan speeds, offering only five levels. Unlike other fans and air circulators, it also lacks any form of automatic vertical oscillation, although offers up to 55 degrees of manual tilt and 180 degrees of automatic oscillation horizontally. However, where the FlexBreeze really wins is on its quietness, versatility and ease of use – all of which will be expanded on below.

Shark FlexBreeze Portable Fan review: price & availability

• List price: $199.99 / £199.99
• Launch date: April 2024
• Availability: UK/US

The Shark FlexBreeze is a premium fan, carrying an appropriately weighty £199.99 / $199.99 price tag, and comes in a single configuration – that's as a fan with cover, magnetic remote control and mister attachment, suitable for use as a pedestal fan and, with its integrated legs, as a tabletop fan. Interestingly, the fan carries different names in the UK and US, as is typical with SharkNinja products. In the UK, it's the Shark FlexBreeze Portable Fan, while in the US, it's the Shark FlexBreeze Fan with InstaCool Attachment.

With that higher price tag, it's pitted against top-class floor-based options such as the Meaco MeacoFan 1056P and the Dreo PolyFan 704S, although Shark's option is unique among its contemporaries. That's because it can operate both as a pedestal fan and as a table fan with integrated legs, without the need for a cable, and it can also be used outdoors, with its mister attachment if required. No other fan offers as much versatility as the FlexBreeze, making it an excellent-value purchase if you want a do-it-all fan that can work virtually anywhere.

Compared to more conventional table fans, it is quite chunky and heavy with a larger plastic fan head than others, making it a little unwieldy to place on smaller tables or surfaces. That said, the FlexBreeze's entirely plastic construction remains sturdy in all configurations, which, alongside its accessories and versatility, goes a long way towards justifying the price tag.

• Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Shark FlexBreeze Portable Fan review: design

• Entirely plastic construction
• Works either as a pedestal fan or as a table fan
• Comes with a mister attachment for use outdoors

The Shark FlexBreeze in its default configuration is akin to a typical pedestal fan, with a large fan head atop a skinnier stand with base at the bottom. Available only in black, it sets itself apart from the sea of white and silver fans out there, including the Meaco MeacoFan 1056P and Dreo Polyfan 704S, and sits well both in my front room and out in the garden. That being said, the entirely plastic construction would have benefitted from some metal accents and differing materials to help justify its premium price tag.

There is a small handle on the top of the fan head for easy maneuverability, while its 12.2lbs / 5.6kg weight makes it lighter than the competition, and simple to pick up and place wherever you need it to be. The 13.77 x 13.77" / 35 x 35cm base is quite large, although the FlexBreeze is still compact enough to fit in the corner of a small bedroom if needs be, while being able to move a substantial amount of air with its larger head.

The 37" / 94cm height thanks to the pedestal raises it up to a suitable level for use while sitting at a desk, on a sofa or for use in bed, while the fan head can also be angled up or down manually for more targeted airflow. There are up to 55 degrees of tilt here, and 180 degrees of oscillation. That being said, the FlexBreeze lacks the automatic vertical oscillation of other fans, although it can oscillate horizontally via the remote control.

The clever thing about the FlexBreeze is that the fan head can be detached from the pedestal with a small button on the back side of its shaft, revealing some small fold-out legs so that it can be used as a tabletop option. The plastic legs are sturdy enough, and do a good job of keeping the FlexBreeze stable. Combined with its handle, the small fold-out legs make this an especially portable fan for use all around the home.

The fan element contains three large blades in grey, offsetting the black colorway well, with a plastic grille that has a small Shark logo in its middle. It continues the black look found across the fan, and springs little surprises. The back of the fan head is home to a small magnetic panel with an indent for the FlexBreeze's simple remote control.

If the remote control isn't your preferred control method, there is a small selection of dedicated controls on the fan head's top side for power, oscillation and speed. The fan speed is in five levels, indicated by a small bar on the top edge of the grille with five LED lights. Next to those lights is a battery indicator for the FlexBreeze when used cordlessly – depending on the level, it is either green, orange or red. When plugged in, it pulses white.

The FlexBreeze comes with no app control or smart features, although comes with a small cover for stowing away, and a mister attachment. This is known as InstaCool, and attaches magnetically on one end to the logo plate in the middle of the fan head, while the other attaches to a hose outlet. When turned on, it provides a cool mist of water directly from an outdoor tap, which is handy for the hot summer months when air on its own just won't do.

For the most part, the Shark FlexBreeze offers a well-considered and versatile design, with a sturdy plastic finish and convenient accessories. Some additional style accents wouldn't have gone amiss, but on the whole its solid finish helps to justify its price.

• Design score: 4 out of 5

Shark FlexBreeze Portable Fan review: performance

The FlexBreeze performs excellently on its five different fan speeds, with even the lowest setting providing ample push to reach me across the other side of my living room, or indeed the patio outside. Its airflow is cold, and helped to cool me and the room down by a fair margin in a matter of moments.

Of course, the faster the fan goes, the more airflow there is, and at full tilt the FlexBreeze doesn't half cool down a room quickly. Shark claims that the FlexBreeze can make a room feel up to 10 degrees cooler, which is welcome for particularly stuffy days.

While the fan isn't silent on its most powerful setting, it remains whisper-quiet and isn't so overpowering that the noise will disturb any conversations or sound from a television. From the base level to its middle option, however, the FlexBreeze is virtually silent, and if you're a light sleeper this isn't a fan that's going to disturb your slumber. I had the fan on its pedestal level with my mattress, and its airflow wafted over me on the lowest setting, helping to cool both me and the room around me impeccably.

If you have a particularly large room or outdoor area, then the BreezeBlast mode (enabled when the fan is on its most powerful setting), which can drive its airflow up to 70 feet away, is going to be king, and worked a treat when placed at one end of my garden, with me sitting at the other. It may not be the biggest area and nowhere near 70 feet in length, but it works nonetheless.

Speaking of outdoor use, it's also good to know that the FlexBreeze is both UV and rain-resistant, meaning you can use it come rain or shine, and being cordless also makes it an ideal companion on a warm day without a cable trailing from indoors. The InstaCool mister attachment worked a treat too, attaching to the fan head via magnets, and hooking up to my outdoor tap in a matter of moments. It pushes out two quite powerful jets of misted water, which did an excellent job of cooling me down on a particularly warm day.

It can be used either corded, with a small power brick and long cable, or cordless, which is handy for portability and putting the fan exactly where you want it. Battery life is solid too, with the FlexBreeze offering up to 24 hours of runtime away from the mains, giving you a literal day's worth of runtime. My testing matched up with Shark's figures, with it requiring a charge every two or three days when used on the base fan level without the need for oscillation. It can also be used while charging, too, so you aren't missing out on valuable time being cool.

The FlexBreeze isn't perfect, however, lacking the MeacoFan 1056P's sheer number of speed modes for instance, or customization of those fan speeds, such as a sleep mode and eco mode. These would have been pleasant to see on the FlexBreeze, although Shark's option wins in other ways.

• Performance score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Shark FlexBreeze Portable Fan?

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How I tested the Shark FlexBreeze Portable Fan

I used the Shark FlexBreeze for three weeks around my house, positioning it in various rooms including the master bedroom, office, living room and outdoors in the garden and patio.

I used it every day on all of its speeds and on particularly warm nights. When it was a pleasant day outside, I also used it outside with the InstaCool mister attachment for a blast of cool water. I also measured its battery life and used it both on its pedestal and as a desktop fan.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed June 2024.