Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Update 7/7/16: 3 years + and still runs great using it every night. ---------- Spoiler version: It is awesome if you like white noise, good air flow and don't mind a little blue light or have a black sharpie pen. As someone who is VERY particular about sounds when trying to fall asleep I read up on all the tall (40"+ tower fans) fan reviews here on Amazon and let me again say how great it is we can share info with each other. How particular am I about the noise? Well I installed fantastic ceiling fan to never use it once I heard how it has a low frequency HUMMMMMMMMMM when on low or medium. I have hardwood floors and most circular fans with a stand put out a vibration that travels down the shaft of the stand and seem to broadcast these vibrations directly through the base, into the wood, into the bed frame, somehow through all that padding including memory foam, my pillow right into my brain and HUMMMMMMM again. I had a tower fan for $20 from a Dollar discount store that was only like 28" high but put out a decent amount of air and white noise without much vibration but the actual fan blades themselves started getting a little squeaky as they spun and I knew my time was limited so I began my search here and after picking this Lasko 4443 as the least likely to aggravate me based on the bad reviews (which seems to be mostly about screws - which BTW my little package was opened and screws were loose in the box but still all there), I got the chance to use it for the first time last night and I wish I had this fan for the past 3 or 4 years and I would have slept so much better. The pitch of the white noise is mid to high which is EXACTLY where I like it. Lower frequencies grind on me. The air flow is excellent on the lowest setting (where I use fans at night) and on medium it rivals the biggest fans on high setting I have scattered throughout the house from previous attempts to find the right sleep accessory. The best way I could describe it is it's that higher pitch like sitting in a jet during a flight - but not nearly that loud. I sleep like a baby on flights and usually am out by the time the drinks get served so that's just my personal preference. The only minor negative thing (for me) is the blue power light. It is almost as bright as the built in "night light" feature which is the Lasko label down low on the tower that is backlit with a white led if you want it on. It makes just the right amount of light down there for my 13 year old maltese who has a habit of going to get water in the middle of the night and has diminished eyesight and sometimes gets frozen in the dark trying to figure out where he is - so I'm going to say he likes this fan too. But the blue power light beaming up at the ceiling is of very little use and will be getting a makeover this evening before bed with a black sharpie or electrical tape. It didn't keep me awake or anything but as someone who likes a dark room, this would be a flaw worth noting. As others also noted, the oscillation spread is very narrow, maybe 35-45 degrees total variation. I actually like it this way because I can keep it blowing across me and my side of the room without spinning too far around and still keep air off the wife who seems to get cold all the time and cannot stand air blowing on her. So overall in order of importance to me; Sound - A+ (a sensitive sleeper's perfect white noise fan) Airflow - A+ (heaven help you if you need the high setting) Price - B+ Remote - B Other features - C+ (night light, power light, oscillation, packaging, size, weight, looks) Overall - A- in my book. I hope this review helps the other finicky sleepers like me. ********************* Update 3/26/14 Fan still runs like new - no new noises or mechanical issues at all and I have used it every night since I purchased it. I'm considering buying another one just to have in case this one ever dies though because I don't want to have to find a new fan if they stop making this one.