The Dimplex FlexBlade Multi-Directional Bladeless Fan looks like it's part of a plane, but despite its propeller-like design it may struggle to cool your aircraft hangar

TechRadar Verdict The Dimplex FlexBlade looks like it should produce terrifyingly strong airflow, but it's not as powerful as some more traditional fan designs in its price bracket. It's very flexible, however, and being able to rotate the two arms independently and rotate them from horizontal to vertical is handy in shared spaces. The bladeless design makes it very easy to clean and the vertical rotation makes the FlexBlade easy to store too. Pros +Clever, flexible design +Bidirectional airflow +Looks like a plane... Cons -...and even more like a Shark -Disappointing power -Non-telescopic base Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you're buying the best. Find out more about how we test. Jump To: Two-minute review Price & availability Design Performance Should you buy it? Also consider How we tested Dimplex FlexBlade Multi-Directional Bladeless Fan: two minute review Vertically aligning the fan vents makes the FlexBlade easy to store. (Image credit: Future)SpecificationsType: TowerSpeeds: 5Oscillation: horizontal 30, 60, or 90 degreesVertical tilt: each blade can rotate 180 degreesDimensions (H x W x D): 32.6 x 27.9 x 14.6 inches / 82.8 x 70.8 x 37cm (blades horizontal), 43.1 x 12.6 x 14.6 inches / 109.5 x 32 x 37cm (blades vertical)Controls: power, speed, timer, plus remote controlNoise level: 36dB to 58dBThe Dimplex FlexBlade isn't your traditional tower fan, although you can use it as one. It's bladeless, Dyson-style, so it delivers smooth airflow without the buffeting of a bladed fan.The design is very flexible, enabling you to use it as a T-shaped floor fan, a vertical pedestal fan, or any angle in between. Air comes out of two wide vents, and those vents can be rotated 90 degrees in either direction so that you can have wider airflow or cool two areas simultaneously. That could be useful in shared spaces such as offices, although as the fan's stand isn't telescopic, one of you will get a cool back while the other gets cool legs.The FlexBlade looks like it'll be extremely powerful but the strength of airflow drops off quickly with distance, so at full power with both blades pointing forward it felt like a breeze at three meters. It's fairly quiet, though, and delivers similar airflow and noise levels to our trusty Dyson Hot+Cool fan.This isn't the most powerful floor fan we've tested by any means but it does move a decent amount of air and that flexible design makes it useful for multiple applications, such as the bedroom at night and home office or living room during the day. The FlexBlade is very wide in horizontal mode but you can angle it through 90 degrees. (Image credit: Future)Dimplex FlexBlade fan review: price and availabilityLaunched June 2026UK only£199.99 (about $160 / AU$230)With fortunate timing, the FlexBlade launched during a month of record-breaking heat in the UK. The Dimplex FlexBlade Multi-Directional Bladeless Fan launched in the UK in June 2026 with a recommended retail price of £199.99 (about $160 / AU$230). It isn't currently available in Australia, and Dimplex doesn't sell its home cooling products in the US.I'm writing this as more really hot weather is toasting the UK, so I need to temper my usual buying advice with the fact that for many people the only criteria for a fan right now are 'will it cool me down?' and 'is it in stock?', to which the answers are yes and at the time of writing, yes. But I would point out that Dimplex dropped the price to just £123 for Amazon Prime Day 2026, so if you're not reading this in sweltering temperatures you can expect similar discounts in the cooler months when demand sags.Value for money: 4/5Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inboxSign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. The two vent arms can be manually rotated independently to blow air in two directions (Image credit: Future)Dimplex FlexBlade fan review: designHorizontal and vertical adjustmentHorizontal oscillationSimple but effective controlsI can't talk about the design of the Dimplex FlexBlade without addressing the elephant in the room, or rather the Shark: the Shark TurboBlade cooling fan, which seems to have inspired Dimplex's designers. Both have a propeller-esque T-shaped design with two independent, rotatable bladeless vents. Both can pivot from horizontal to vertical mode. Both project air up to 20 meters. Both have a magnetic remote control. Both have a quiet sleep mode. And both have multiple speed settings: 10 for the Shark and five for the Dimplex. I think the Shark is a little nicer looking, more flexible thanks to its telescopic pole and less top-heavy — the Dimplex wobbles a bit when you touch it — but it's also £50 (about $70 / AU$100) more expensive when it's not in the sales.The FlexBlade arrives in six parts: the main motor unit, a two-part riser with a heavy base, and the two vents. It's simple and quick to put together – the only tool required is the provided Allen key for securing the base — and the remote attaches magnetically to the top of the unit so it's always handy. The FlexBlade can be angled horizontally, vertically or in between, and it oscillates up to 90 degrees. (Image credit: Future)Controls are kept to a minimum on the fan itself: power/speed, oscillation and timer. The remote is simple too, with the addition of dedicated speed up/down buttons, a full speed button and a sleep mode button to put the fan into its lowest power state overnight.The T-shaped, two-vent design delivers a lot of flexibility. You can't adjust the 1.1m height of the main motor unit but you can position the two blades vertically, horizontally or in between, and you can rotate them independently up to 180 degrees to push air in two opposite directions at once. The rotating blades are a little stiff but not awkwardly so. The blade adjustments are manual but the fan itself can oscillate automatically, delivering horizontal oscillation of 30, 60 or 90 degrees.Design: 4/5The on-board controls are simple: timer, power/speed and oscillation.(Image credit: Future)Dimplex FlexBlade fan review: performanceOscillation and adjustable ventsQuieter than similar rivalsBest experienced reasonably closeThe Dimplex promises airflow in excess of 6m/s with a 20-meter range and 90-degree sweep, but at full power with both blades pointed directly at me from three meters away it felt like a very mild breeze. At that distance and with the blades arranged vertically the remote control was very hit and miss. The FlexBlade comes with a straightforward remote control. (Image credit: Future)The Dimplex is a bit quieter than the Shark – Dimplex's figures say it's 36dB at its lowest setting and 58dB at full pelt, compared to the Shark's 40dB to 66dB – but it still gets loud at higher fan speeds with the telltale whoosh we've come to expect from bladeless fans. It's not Dyson hand dryer loud at full power, though; it's more like a hair dryer on a very low setting.I compared the Dimplex's airflow to two other room fans: a Dyson Pure Hot + Cool and a Meaco Sefte 10-inch air circulator. Both the Dimplex and the Dyson are bladeless and moved air a similar distance with similar noise levels, although the Dyson's wider diffusion mode made its output quieter at the expense of focused air. But the Meaco was quieter than both and delivered significantly stronger airflow across a large living room.Performance: 3/5 The FlexBlade has a magnetic perch to keep the remote handy. (Image credit: Future)Dimplex FlexBlade fan review: should you buy it?Swipe to scroll horizontallyValuePrevious Prime Day pricing suggests that the list price is a little high.3/5DesignIt looks very like a Shark, but it's well made and feels solid; controls are straightforward and the flexible airflow is clever.4/5PerformanceNot as powerful as it looks, and venting in two directions reduces airflow in each direction.3/5Buy it if...You like to shareUnlike traditional fans the FlexBlade can cool in two directions simultaneously with or without oscillation.You like planesThe twin-blade design resembles a propellor or wings, and arranged vertically it looks like something from a space programme.You need flexibilityIt's easy to direct air exactly where you need it to go.Don't buy it if...You want all the airflowBi-directional venting inevitably mean splitting the output in two.Your space is bigAn air circulator is likely to do a better job cooling large rooms and similarly big spaces.You like a bargainThe Dimplex FlexBlade was much cheaper during Prime Day 2026.Dimplex FlexBlade fan review: also considerMeaco Sefte 8in Portable Air CirculatorThe Shark TurboBlade is the closest rival in terms of this kind of design. But if you don't need the bi-directional air of the Dimplex or Shark I'm an evangelist for Meaco's Sefte table and pedestal air circulators, of which I've bought three so far for my family. They're astonishingly quiet, very powerful and oscillate both vertically and horizontally to really move air around the room. Unfortunately the big ones are sold out and apparently won't be back in stock until October 2026. However, there is an eight-inch rechargeable model with a list price of £79.99 (about $110 / AU$150) that's in stock at the time of writing. It pushes air up to 17 meters and runs as quietly as 27dB.Dimplex FlexBlade fan review: how we testedI tested the FlexBlade for a week at my home in Scotland during July 2026's UK heatwave. Scotland escaped the worst, because while England boiled the temperatures here were milder, peaking at 27ºC / 80.6ºF. That's hot enough to need a powerful fan but not so hot that I was crawling into my freezer or taking cold showers fully clothed.I work from home in a long downstairs room that gets sunshine from both directions during the day, and that means it's often warmer inside than out – especially in the evening, as UK homes are typically made to retain heat rather than reflect it. I tested the FlexBlade as a daytime fan in my living room/office and as a bedroom fan overnight to see if it could keep me cool during the day, cool my family in the evening and help me sleep better at night.First tested July 2026 Contributor Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than twenty books. Her latest, a love letter to music titled Small Town Joy, is on sale now. She is the singer in spectacularly obscure Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.