I grew up in a small house with no central air conditioning and our only means of cooling the house was a 25" Air King box fan, circa 1960s. By the time of my parents last move that original fan went missing, and although it was super ugly and dirty, dented, missing carry handle and all its buttons, the speed controls worked great as long as a screwdriver was nearby, and it was mighty morphin powerful! But was it loud! People who have bought this model 9166, complain about its loudness (and it is loud) have no idea how loud those old metal box fans used to be unless they owned them; but by comparison this baby is nearly silent. However, this fan doesn't begin to compare to anything on the market today, especially something that could be picked up at a local big box store for a comparable price or less. I purchased this fan in May 2016 on the recommendation of my father who has been happily using his similar Air King model (version previous to this) for the last 10-12 years without incident yearly from mid-Spring through early Autumn. Prior to buying I read every single 1-3 star review and agonized for days over the decision to blow $150 on a fan! A fan! (I really wanted to blow that money on a new pair of Birkies!) When it all came down to taking the plunge, I realized I needed either three window fans for three different rooms or one really good house fan. The Air King 9166 won and I haven't looked back. The ONLY thing I don't appreciate about this is the noise, but it's only 25 feet away in basically the same room and I can always hear the stereo or TV which aren't ever blasting or even near to 1/4 of full volume. Not bad. I have noticed many comments regarding the fan shaking or vibrating walls and floors; I haven't had either problem in the two seasons or 10 months of operation. My home is a 2,100 sq. ft. tri-level and this fan cools the main and upper levels down nicely in the evenings, which is when I run it most often. Rarely do I ever utilize any settings other than Low/Exhaust as they are perfectly capable of making the house comfortable within 15-20 minutes. By "perfectly comfortable" I am referring to making the inside temperature just as comfortable as the temperature outside. Twice I've run the fan on the Medium/Exhaust controls due to my own impatience, and as one might expect the noise level to increase to some degree it wasn't discernible nearly as much as one might think. One time I turned it on the High/Intake settings which sent a month of filing and the contents of a standard filing cabinet drawer flying across the dining room, sailing on into the living room and smack into the bay window. So, yeah, high/intake...No. Not necessary. While I don't feel as if it needs to be said, I will say it anyway: when operating the Air King fans it is absolutely imperative that the house has plenty of proper ventilation. The window the fan is installed in must be open 100%, ideally in the same room across from the fan another window should be open several inches as well as other windows around the house, especially on the same level of the home in order for the fan to function well. This fan is installed in my dining room window which is always fully open when the fan is operational. Next to the fan window is another window that I open at least 3-4 inches minimum. Across from the dining room, is a family room with three huge windows and two smaller side windows. Those smaller windows are always adequately (3-4") open during operating hours. The kitchen is next to the dining room - same thing, windows open at minimum of 3-4". The second level bedrooms, baths, sitting room always have excellent fresh air circulation. Whether its important or overkill on my part it's worth mentioning that I always wait until the fans stops (completely or nearly depends on the mood of the day) rotating once the power has been turned off before closing the window it is housed in. Additionally, when it begins to rain I cut the power on the fan and close the window, because electricity and water...um, no! If this ($150!) fan ever quits on me it will not be my fault, and especially not because I didn't something careless. People have asked whether the fan should be screwed into the window frame, and I have done just that. The window closes effortlessly behind the fan which is brilliant. No more messing about with lugging a fan in and out of the window when it rains, is too cold, or too hot, and then wondering where to put the thing. Also, no shaking, rattling or vibrations, as mentioned above. It also seems to make good sense to screw it in from a safety standpoint as this sucker isn't any lightweight piece of equipment. Final word on this screwy business, $150...for a fan. Because I run the air conditioning so much less now than I used to, I have saved on average, June-August $127 per month. Hello new Birks! Another thing to note is, absolutely yes, you want a screen down between the outside world and this fan, if you normally live with screened windows. Otherwise - bugs! I live in the woods, my fan is still in the window and we just finished up with stink bug and mammoth wolf and barn weaver spider seasons; can you imagine if the fan was open to the elements? Oh gawd just kill me...no screens... At the end of a warm, stuffy day I highly recommend the Air King 9166 for it's cooling efficiency and capabilities.
