We tested this fan through a heatwave - could it be a hot flush hero?

There's no better time to test a cooling fan than during a heatwave, which is exactly what we did with the Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart Fan. Whilst everyone else was sweating in bed, Lindsey was running the Duux, trying to combat the heat outside as well as hot flushes and night sweats.

If, like Lindsey, you struggle with the temperatures at night, you'll be on the hunt for one of the best cooling fans. She stipulated that she wanted a fan that could run silently, so she could stay cool without keeping her partner awake. It sounds like a big ask, but Duux promises to deliver.

So, is the Duux set to be your new best friend for staying cool at night? Can a fan really solve night sweats? You'll have to find out.

Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart Fan review

The Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart Fan has a lot to offer. By way of introduction, I'll tell you a little more about it before we get into the testing details. This is a versatile, ultra-quiet pedestal and desk fan that delivers powerful, customisable airflow with 30 speed settings, dual-axis oscillation, and a Natural Breeze mode.

Certified by Quiet Mark, it operates at just 13 dB on its lowest setting, making it ideal for bedrooms, home offices, or shared spaces. It includes a touchscreen, remote, app control, and support for Google Assistant and Alexa, so you can be as techy as you like with the Duux. It's quiet, efficient, and brilliantly cooling. Here's why.

How we tested this fan

We plan our fan tests carefully, but I cannot control the weather. However, over the month that Lindsey tested this, the Duux was put to the ultimate test. We had weeks of shockingly hot weather, only made more intense by Lindsey's night sweats and her naturally hot new build home. Here's a little more about our tester:

Lindsey Kemp

Lindsey struggles severely with hot flushes and night sweats - so much so, her friends call her the "hottest woman in the world." She shares a bed with a sensitive sleeper who doesn't like the noise of fans, so we put the specificity, speed, and silent functions on the fan to the extreme test with her.

Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart Fan Specifications

Who would the Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart Fan suit?

The Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart Fan really shines as a quiet fan. It has formal accreditation as a model which can boast the 'Quiet Mark' and, in our tests, both Lindsey and her noise-sensitive husband could "barely notice" the whisper-quiet function of the fan. Lindsey added that she could "crank this up to the max and it's still barely a whisper."

The quiet, yet powerful, cooling power of the fan only enhanced how helpful this fan is for night sweats and hot flushes. You can keep it running all night, at full speed, with really easily adjustable positions and oscillations. This can sit on your bedside table as a desk fan or at the foot of your bed with horizontal or vertical oscillation running the length of your body. Lindsey found this was also "a game-changer when getting ready and putting make-up on. This fan was able to cool me to acceptable levels on even the hottest days without blasting me with too much breeze."

There's also a handy portable element to the fan, where you can remove the mains plug and have the Duux running off its 11-hour battery pack. I can see it in a lounge or office and Lindsey even confessed, "I did once use it outside on my terrace at a particularly warm evening dinner and blasted myself with cool air whilst cooking." It's certainly not one to shy away from larger spaces.

Unboxing the Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart Fan

You can tell a lot about a product from its packaging and the Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart Fan makes a brilliant first impression. Lindsey found that the fan arrived "nicely packaged, with each section securely fastened in sleeves of cardboard." She noticed a few recycled plastic bags around some of the parts that might be easier to scratch, but these are recyclable too if you have a soft plastic place near you. As far as fans go, this is a really good start.

Lindsey said that this struck a nice silhouette too, "it stands tall, but not too tall. It's lightweight and has a handle on top so you can easily cart it around after you. The battery pack means I can take the fan around with me when I'm in the kitchen or getting ready too."

The assembly was quick and easy, with parts slotting into place (no additional tools needed). Then, at full height, the light fan is "pleasing to the eye" according to Lindsey. There is an app that you can connect the fan to if you want to control it via your phone, but Duux also supplies a physical remote to control this fan.

Lindsey describes this as her "best discovery...I can adjust speeds and turn the fan on and off with my toe, as the base touchscreen is highly responsive." It might sound trivial, but it makes a big difference if you've got your hands full, or if your joints are aching, you can reach out a toe and tap away. It's actually a pretty rare but obviously well-liked feature to have on a fan at this price point. I'm amazed it's not more expensive.

What is the Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart Fan like to use?

The Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart Fan promises to bend to lots of different needs, so in our tests, we were scrutinising a number of different features. We wanted to know whether this really was as quiet as it promised (13dB). We also wanted to test the speed settings, oscillation, and portability of the fan.

If you want the concise summary: Lindsey was suitably impressed. She says, "It's absolutely brilliant at keeping me cool when I'm trying to sleep on a hot night. I'd be reluctant to sleep without it now." The fan has joined Lindsey for barbecues outside, on her makeup dressing table, and in the bedroom at night. So, here are the details of what the fan is like in day-to-day life.

There are lots of different ways that the Duux can be controlled. You have a remote, the smart app, voice assistants, and the foot/touchscreen control on the app. It's a really open set of options for how you want to control your fan. If you're not techy, you don't ever need to download the app and you won't be missing a thing.

However, if you did choose to connect it, you'll be able to set programmes. Lindsey said, "The app was simple to set up and I did use to turn the fan off when I'd accidentally left it on at home." There are definitely perks to being techy.

When you've got yours set up, the Duux offers up to 30 different fan speeds, as well as a night function and a natural breeze option. All of these come with vertical or horizontal oscillation, which Lindsey made great use of at night. "I was able to set it to oscillate so that tit fans cool air over the length of my overheated skin at night (avoiding her more heat-sensitive partner).

Lindsey played around with different speed settings and found "for a cooler evening, I can have it on a lower to mid level of 8-15 (out of 30) and I can barely hear it. On those hotter evenings, I can turn it up to 30 and though it's slightly more audible, it's definitely still whisper level."

Generally, though, Lindsey found herself using hers in the bedroom to tackle her night sweats. She said, "It works well. At night, I'm really happy with the noise level. It's so quiet that I barely have to use the nighttime function, which takes the quiet noise level even lower. My partner generally hates fan noise and he barely noticed it was on."

One of the other perks of the Duux is that it can transform into a smaller, desktop fan that's just 54cm tall rather than 92cm. It can also be unplugged and carried around with an 11-hour battery pack. Lindsey found this helpful for quick cool downs when she has been doing housework and takes a seat, or when she's doing her makeup (or trying to prevent it from running off her face).

When she was in drastically hot flushes in the middle of the heat wave, Lindsey found that she "craved a bit more oomph from the fan, even at the top speed of 30. However, in more consistent nights, she found the fan "quiet, soothing, and perfect for keeping my body temperature at just the right level for sleep." She added, "I've had fans which are harsh and can almost lead to skin burn at the top levels, but this feels light and fluffy."

Cleaning and maintaining the Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart Fan

Knowing how to clean a fan properly can make a big difference not only to how it looks, but also to how efficient it is. The Duux Whisper Flex Smart Fan is really low maintenance.

Lindsey noticed that hers collected dust after a few weeks, but this is really normal for just about all fans. The glossy surface is easy to give a quick wipe down and a vacuum over the surface works just as well too.

Is the Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart Fan worth the money?

There are lots of ways in which the Duux Whisper Flex 2 Smart Fan lives up to (and surpasses) what it promises in its name. The quiet and efficient function makes it, in Lindsey's words "the perfect bedtime companion for women prone to overheating", and that's not it.

The price is really competitive: you won't find a smart, silent fan for less money, especially one that can be carried outside on a hot day. Even if you don't need all the bells and whistles of a smart fan that comes with app controls, this is a brilliant buy.