Meaco Sefte 10” Air Circulator review: the fast and the furious

T3 was among the very first to review the original MeacoFan 1056 Air Circulator on its launch in 2021 and we were extremely impressed by both its colossal wind power and almost indiscernible low-frequency hum that made it possible to have it on a higher setting without the usual din sound associated with the majority of fans.

Well here comes its new sibling, the Sefte, and if ever a fan deserved a high ranking in our guide to the best fans, this is it. The Sefte costs more than the 1056 model but still way below the asking price of a Dyson. Crucially, it’s just as quiet as its stablemate while sporting the same level of power along with features like multiple fan speeds, omnidirectional oscillation and remote control. Let’s take a look at the Sefte in more detail.

MeacoFan Sefte 10” Air Circulator review: price and availability

The MeacoFan Sefte 10" Pedestal fan retails at around £179.99 and is available in the UK direct from Meaco, John Lewis & Partners and Amazon. Looking for a bargain? Try Appliances Direct where it’s shifting for a knockdown £162.99.

Meaco Sefte 10” Air Circulator review: design

In the saturated arena of cooling fans, the Sefte is a rather attractive contender with its white bulbous 30cm girth, black details and large bright LED display. No, it isn’t as stylish or inconspicuous as a Dyson Pure but it’s not too incongruous either. And like a Dyson, it comes with a magnetic remote control that sits in the centre of the fan head.

The original MeacoFan 1056 is still on sale and available in two variants, a stumpy desktop version and a tall-standing pedestal option. By contrast, the new Sefte is essentially three fans in one because it can be assembled as a full-height pedestal, a medium-height pedestal and a desktop or floor-stander. At full stretch, the Sefte measures a lofty 110cm, at medium height it’s 86cm and in desktop mode it comes it at around 60cm.

The height changing method is not only quite ingenious but also very easy carry out. In the box you get two plastic columns and each one is fitted with a gold and silver connector. In desktop mode you simply leave these columns out of the equation but if you fancy a bit more height, you can easily attach one or both of the columns between the fan head and the sturdy base. The way these columns screw together is quite brilliant since there is very little evidence of the column being in three separate parts – to the naked eye it looks like one solid piece.

The manual says there’s a hidden carrying handle behind the fan head and there is a recess that fits three fingers. However, I’ve found a better handle directly under the LED display. When lifted here, the package is perfectly balanced for carrying from room to room.

MeacoFan Sefte 10” Air Circulator review: features

The new fully-featured Sefte pedestal air circulator comes with 12 fan speeds that can be assigned via either the onboard interface or the provided magnetic remote. It also features three angles of independent horizontal and vertical oscillation (20˚, 30˚ and 65˚) that can be combined so the fan head moves in a circular motion, bouncing the breeze it produces off the walls and ceiling to provide more even room cooling. You can naturally stop the oscillation anytime using the remote and have the breeze face you directly.

The Sefte is also equipped with ECO and Night modes. In ECO mode the fan speed automatically changes depending on room temperature on the LED display while Night mode simply turns the display off. And if you want to set a timer, you can do that too – simply tap the timer button on the remote and select up to 12 hours in one-hour increments.

Fear not if you’re worried about running costs because the Sefte’s brushless DC motor draws an insignificant 7 to 26 watts of power at any given time – and that means you could leave this fan on all day for very little expense.

MeacoFan Sefte 10” Air Circulator review: performance

The Sefte’s three deeply curved fan blades measure about 25cm which equates to 10 inches as advertised. The housing, too, is deep like the 1056 model and one suspects it’s this depth that helps give this fan such amazing clout. Like a jet aircraft, the Sefte’s ‘air beam’ is funneled, focusing it into a tight column that you can really feel on your face from a good distance away. And when you whack it to 12, the wind is strong enough to create the effect of driving in a convertible with the roof down. It’s that powerful.

And yet, it’s incredibly quiet, especially when running at half to three-quarter speed. Nevertheless, even at full blast the Sefte is much quieter than any Dyson I’ve tested and much of this is to do with the lower sound frequency the blades produce. It means you can watch TV without the audio being too badly affected by high-frequency white noise. 

MeacoFan Sefte 10” Air Circulator review: verdict

Meaco has pulled off yet another doozy with this latest addition to its already ample roster of cooling fans. The Sefte produces gale-like wind force without sounding hideously loud while its three-level omnidirectional oscillation provides pleasant cooling for all and sundry. Highly recommended.