At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Powerful
- Portable
- Up to 9 hours of use between charges
- Folds into standing mode
Cons
- 5-hour charging time
- No way to attach it to a bag
Our Verdict
With a couple of minor tweaks, this fan would be perfect. As it is, it’s powerful, long-lasting, cleverly designed and excellent value. For a very small investment, you can be comfortable everywhere you go for the rest of the summer.
Best Prices Today: John Lewis Anyday hand fan
Summer has been a mixed bag, veering wildly between grey and blazing days. But the sunny days have been a showcase for how poorly the UK is adapted to very hot weather. Unlike those in other countries, we don’t skip between air-conditioned spaces when we’re out, and our buildings are designed to keep the heat in, not for ventilation.
Arming yourself with a few keep-cool devices can make a huge difference. A good fan in your bedroom and one for your home office will do a lot to help keep you comfortable at home. Check out our round-up of the best fans we’ve tested for indoor fans to chill you out through August.
But once you go out, you’re at the mercy of the sticky outdoors or stuffy indoor public spaces. You’ll get on a train looking fresh and leave it looking shiny and wilted. Waiting rooms are airless. Festivals and gigs are stifling.
It was, in fact, at a gig that I first saw John Lewis’ Anyday portable fan, in the hand of the one person in the packed venue who still looked cool (although not unruffled).
Design & Build
The Anyday fan is 25cm long, and the fan head has a 10cm diameter. It’s light too: only 184g, which is about the same weight as your average smartphone.
It comes in four attractive matt colours: white, sage, lake blue and yellow. At the time of writing, the blue and yellow models are sold out, but you can buy the sage (pictured) or white fan from John Lewis for just £8.40.
It’s nicely made – much more robust than other hand fans you might have tried. And its seamless design means that it’s actually a pleasing thing to carry around with you.
When you get wherever you’re going, you can then fold it into standing mode and use it on a desk, table or shelf. You can even adjust its angle – although there are only two possible settings.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
But its performance is even better than its design.
For a start, it’s powerful. More than enough to stop you from breaking a sweat at your desk or on public transport. And it’s quiet as well – especially on the first two of its three operating speeds. To my mind, the middle speed is the Goldilocks setting: quiet enough not to be intrusive, and powerful enough to be effective.
It won’t dribble along and conk out after half an hour either. You’ll get nine hours of use on low speed, six on medium and four on high, so it’ll see you through a working day or a night out.
Its charging time is slightly less spectacular though: it takes five hours to charge from flat to full. But as it comes with a standard USB cable with a Type-A to Type-C connection, it’s simple enough to do. It even has a charging indicator light. It’ll go from red when charging, to green when fully charged. The indicator glows blue in normal use and blinks blue when its charge is low.
In a perfect world, it would have a clip or loop at the end so you can attach it to your bag. Still, it can comfortably fit into one – and a small, shoulder bag, at that.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Should you buy the John Lewis Anyday hand fan?
In a word, yes. It’s such a small outlay to stay cool. I wish I’d discovered it earlier in the summer.
For more help keeping comfortable in the heat, see our top fan recommendations for the home.
Best Prices Today: John Lewis Anyday hand fan
Author: Emma Rowley, Deputy Editor, Tech Advisor
Tech Advisor’s Deputy Editor, Emma has been a journalist and copywriter for over 20 years and has been testing and writing about home tech and appliances for seven years. She tries out every appliance she writes about at home, and aims to recommend time- and energy-saving products that will last.
Recent stories by Emma Rowley:
- These are the best cooling fans of 2026
- These top-scoring electric heaters will keep you cosy – and keep costs down
- Google’s 4th Gen Nest thermostat won’t be coming to Europe
