ALDI Easy Home 5-inch USB Fan: A Review

One of the things I enjoy about the ALDI Aisle of Shame is that it sometimes brings me special buys I didn’t realize I needed. Case in point: this little ALDI USB fan for my desk! It’s blowing on me right now as I type, and has been allowing me to set the A/C up higher during the day while I work.

I’ll admit that I didn’t pay much attention when these fans originally appeared in last month’s ads. But, my store has still had them out… so while shopping on a hot day last week, I impulse bought this Easy Home USB (or battery) powered 5-inch fan for $7.99. Available in black or white at this price; I picked up black to blend in better with my darker computer desk and speakers.

An Easy Home 5-inch Fan Review

This small desk fan sports a surprising number of features for a cheap little $8 item.

• A 1, 2, or 4 hour timer
• Low, medium, and high speeds
• 90 degree tilt
• USB or battery powered

I haven’t yet run the fan off battery power; why waste four (!) AA batteries, when I can easily run it off the USB port on my computer? The battery option, though, does make this completely portable if you wish to take the fan outdoors with you.

USB Fan functions and features

At night, I’ve plugged this fan into a charger by my bed instead. (Because those of us of a certain vintage know that sometimes, you just need a little cool air in the middle of the night, right?!) USB-powered items sometimes seem weaker, but the Easy Home 5-inch fan works surprisingly strongly off the computer USB port.

Among its many features, this little USB fan really does tilt a complete 90 degrees. This allows you to aim it precisely where a little blast of cooler air is needed. I have mine sitting on my desk aimed up towards the side of my face, and it’s just perfect.

When it comes to the timer and speed functions: The timer is useful when running the fan at night; it will turn itself off while you sleep. As for the speeds, though, low speed usually does the trick — although the other options are useful on an exceptionally hot day.

I’m a fan

Overall, I’m very pleased with my impulse $8 purchase. It keeps me cool while I work, and runs fairly quietly on low speed. The white noise is fine while I work, but note that it gets a little noisier, however, on medium or high.

What ALDI Finds have you impulse bought lately?