Need ceiling fan help!

[UNCjigga]

Aiight as many of you know, ceiling fans are pretty much mandatory here in the South (I don't care how low you set the A/C...you still need 'em!) Somehow my bedroom didn't have one (the only room without one) so last summer I bought one at Wal-Mart for like $40 or so. All I wanted was a fan with a remote so I could turn on/off the lights and set the fan speed from anywhere in the room. This fan was the only one that included a remote at that price range.

FF to today, and I'm now greeted by a maddening annoying buzz whenever I turn the fan on :|. Think of the buzz you hear when you stand under those big powerlines in midday summer heat, or the buzz you hear when 100 cicadas are going at it. Underneath the buzz it sounds like something is rattling. Well, I took apart the assembly, redid it with some better washers all to no avail. I'm now convinced its the motor. I check the warranty and low and behold, its expired!! :| No lifetime warranty like Hunter. I guess you get what you pay for...

Anyways, I was wondering if y'all could give me some advice on picking out a ceiling fan. My budget is $50-$80, but other than Hunter (which costs $100-$150 usually) I have no idea what the good brands are.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

We have a Hampton Bay in our game room - been running strong for 2+ years. Think it ran <$100 brand new, purchased iirc at Lowes

 

[DrPizza]

Buy a new one from Walmart and return the buzzing one. If that doesn't solve the problem, then get a more expensive one. I purchased really good ceiling fans for living room, dining room, kitchen, but got the cheapies for 3 of the bedrooms... kinda regret it because they're louder, harder to get the blades balanced, etc. Next house, I *WON'T* buy cheap ceiling fans... Live and learn.

 

[AgentBehemoth]

The Dr is right, buy the most expensive one you can get and that will solve the buzz problem. If need be save for 2-3 weeks and get the best. Good luck.

 

[rival]

hampton bay makes pretty good fans

 

[astroz]

My brother has Hampton Bay ceiling fans, also purchased at Lowes.
He's been satisfied with them.

 

[Sluggo]

Hunter are about the best "affordable" models around.

Hampton Bay and most other brands @ Lowes & Home Depot are a crap shoot, might last for years with no issues, might throw itself apart the day after warranty.

When we buitl our house 2 years ago, we got Hunter for the Family Room and Kitchen. Got a Casablanca fan for the bedroom, my wife cant stand to have any noise while she is sleeping, and we got Hampton Bay (or whatever was about $60 at Home Depot) for the secondary bedrooms and computer room.

The Casablanca fan is awesome, it moves a buttload of air even on low. THe Hunters do OK at moving air not as good as the casablanca, but move lots more air than the cheaper ones.

 

[Armitage]

Boy this is Ceiling Fan day on ATOT ... look for Arkitech's fiasco posted earlier.

The Hampton Bay in our bedroom has been going strong for about two years ... very quiet. Another hampton bay in my sons room has been in for about a year, a little noisier, but not bad at all.

On the other hand, the one over my dining room table literally fell off the ceiling today!! I noticed it was hanging a little crooked when I got home today, so I turned it off and got up on the table to take a look. Tried twisting it staight, and the damn thing fell! I caught it about halfway down. Would have really pissed me off if it had put a divot in my oak table! In any case, the crappy plastic ring that held it up there broke. Couldn't find a nameplate on it, it's been there since before we got the house ... at least 5 years. Was ugly as hell and to noisy anyway, would have never tolerated it in a bedroom.