I tested the Shark TurboBlade Cooling Fan — and this dual design is worth every penny

Some couples have mixed sleeping preferences, with one shivering all through the night while the other casts off the covers because they're overheating. My partner and I are definitely not one of those couples.

We're both hot sleepers who need a cooling fan firmly planted at the end of the bed all through the summer months. But the main problem with this approach? Our fan oscilates between us, only cooling one of us directly at a time. Enter Shark's new TurboBlade fan.

The concept behind this new gadget is both genius and obvious. By adding fully adjustable pivoting side arms, Shark allows you to shoot two jets of cool air directly out of your FlexBlade simultaneously, cooling you and your companion at the same time.

I've spent a warm week testing the Shark TurboBlade at home, and here are my thoughts.

Shark TurboBlade: Specs

Shark TurboBlade: First impressions

Setting up the Shark TurboBlade could not have been easier. There are three parts that need to be slotted together, labelled A, B, and C, and total assembly time took me about one minute total.

I really like that you can take this fan apart for storage, too. As someone who only uses a cooling fan for, at most, half of the year, it's nice to know that I'm not sacrificing too much storage space for the other 6 months.

The base of the Shark TurboBlade is quite chunky, but the fan isn't too heavy to be moved easily between rooms, which is what I did when testing.

Shark TurboBlade: Design

One of the best features of the Shark TurboBlade is that its two arms can be adjusted independently to blow air in different directions. This is easy to do, but you do need to do it manually. There's no option to change the height or direction of airflow from an app or the remote control.

If you're trying to get the perfect setup, this could mean a bit of up-and-down adjusting while you try and get the airflow to hit just right. But I'm the sort of person who hates unnecessary apps or products that don't offer on-board controls, so I don't mind that.

Perhaps a more significant gripe is that you need to press the top right button, which looks like a star, to toggle between Shark's three bespoke settings: Sleep, Breeze and Boost. But there's nothing onboard to let you know which one you're using.

It's easy to know when Boost is running because the noise level is noticeably higher, but I've got Sleep and Breeze mixed up a couple of times in the last week.

The arms don't have to be entirely upright or sideways. Shark told me that some people adjust them so they follow the sloping lines of an Eames chair, so whatever your user case might be, the Shark TurboBlade probably has you covered.

As for oscillating, this fan offers 180° rotation and you can choose how wide-reaching you want your airflow to be using a button on the remote control. If you want the fan to sit higher or lower though, you'll need to lift it or lower it manually.

The Shark TurboBlade has also got a Dust Defense feature, which (while not a substitute for one of the best air purifiers) captures particles in the air to prevent the fan from blasting dust and allergens around your home. The filter is easy to wipe clean, so you shouldn't need to replace it over time.

Shark TurboBlade: Performance

This bladeless fan isn't noiseless, but it creates a low, consistent level of noise that's not disruptive to sleep or even watching TV. You might have to turn the volume up, but the TurboBlade won't prove to be a distraction.

I measured the noise produced at a number of levels using the SoundMeter app on my phone. They read:

But when measuring noise level, I also think the picture is incomplete without a comment on the noise quality, which is ultimately can make fans annoying, distracting, or impossible to sleep through.

At top speed (level 10), you'd have to raise your voice if you were having a conversation near the fan. It's the same with Boost mode. The level is similar to my Shark hair dryer.

I can still listen to a podcast on my phone if I turn it up while using it, but you could definitely hear it from the next room. The noise level is a mid-pitched whirring that's definitely noticeable, but ultimately so powerful that you will rarely, if ever, need it in close proximity.

When using top speed or Boost mode, I could feel the fan's cooling air at around 15ft away. And I couldn't test any further, because my living room isn't big enough!

In the middle, there's level 5, which is about right as a background noise level at 56dB. I'd compare it to the sound made by most blade-style fans, which I'm used to sleeping through. I've been opting for Breeze mode throughout the day, which is designed to replicate a more natural-feeling breeze. It's very fresh and fades into background noise with ease, but hits 54dB when you're up close.

At its quietest, you could definitely forget this fan is running, so it's lucky that it comes with a timer setting.

I'd formerly been using my Dyson Purifier Hot+Cool Formaldehyde as a fan-slash-air purifier during the night, and the Shark TurboBlade can hit a similar level of discrete whirring at 46-50dB.

And as I mentioned earlier, it's lovely to not have an oscillating fan on a hot night, where I anticipate each blast of air as the fan twists to cool both me and my partner. With the dual arms, cooling is consistent, and therefore feels a lot more effective when running at a lower level.

It's worth adding that the level of cooling you get with Sleep mode really is adequate for hot nights. Although I've yet to test it during one of London's stifling heatwaves., where temperatures can hit 104°F, I'm confident it would do the job. Although I'm not hoping for any extreme weather, I'll keep this review updated if we do get any!

Should you buy the Shark TurboBlade?

I've been sleeping a lot cooler since I started testing the Shark TurboBlade, and I'm not quite so nervous about any upcoming heatwaves knowing I've got a quiet, powerful, and wide-reaching fan that will keep both me and my partner from overheating.

I've also made good use of the Shark TurboBlade in my living room. It's a big space, and the fan did an excellent job of creating a comfortable breeze without too much disruption when I've had friends over on hot days.

At $299 / £249, this isn't the sort of purchase you should make without some evaluation. After all, there are many cheaper options on the market, and cooling fans do ultimately have just one job.

But if you're wondering how well the TurboBlade gets the job done, the answer is: Very.

More from Tom's Guide

• Shark's new HydroGo fan can be used in the office, on vacation, and even outdoors
• Beat the heat without AC — 7 pro tips for cooling with fans
• 9 essential tips to stay cool during a heatwave