The Dreo Pilot Max is a 42-inch bladeless smart tower fan with a brushless DC motor, 12 speeds, four modes and oscillation up to 120 degrees. PCMag gave it an Editors' Choice, finding it powerful enough to feel from 18 feet away and almost silent even at top speed, and TechRadar called its range of speeds, modes and app control a step ahead of competing tower fans. The gaps are small: no Apple HomeKit or IFTTT support, the oscillation angle can only be changed in the app, and it comes in one color.
Full review
Quiet and powerful in testing
PCMag set the Pilot Max in a far corner of a roughly 216-square-foot family room and felt its breeze from as far as 18 feet away at the highest speed. With oscillation at 60 degrees it kept a continuous flow of air going on a very warm day, and even at maximum speed the only sound PCMag noticed was the moving air itself. The fan earned PCMag's Editors' Choice for smart fans. TechRadar used it in a combined bedroom and living space and a small kitchen, where it kept the cooking heat from spreading, and reported that noise never topped 48 dB even at the highest speed.
Speeds, modes and oscillation
The brushless motor drives 12 speeds and four modes: Normal runs at a set speed, Natural alternates speeds to mimic a breeze, Auto adjusts to the room temperature, and Sleep slows down every 30 minutes. Oscillation can be set to 30, 60, 90 or 120 degrees, and a timer runs from one to 12 hours. TechRadar found Natural mode best for general living because the low noise let you forget the fan was there, but notes the oscillation angle can be changed only through the app.
App and voice control
PCMag found pairing over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi quick and it responded instantly to app and Alexa commands for power, speed, oscillation and mode. The Dreo app also shows the room temperature. It works with Alexa and Google Assistant but not Apple HomeKit or IFTTT, which PCMag lists as its only real shortfall. A seven-button remote is included and stores in a tray on the back.
Design and price
The slender tower measures 42.5 inches tall on a 13-inch round base and weighs 9 pounds, with a carry handle and a removable rear grille for cleaning dust, per PCMag. TechRadar found setup tool-free and quick, but the fan comes only in silver, and it judged the fan expensive next to other tower fans while concluding the features justify the price.
Strengths
- +PCMag felt its breeze from 18 feet away at top speed and found it almost silent even at maximum
- +12 speeds, four modes (Normal, Natural, Auto, Sleep) and oscillation of 30, 60, 90 or 120 degrees, per TechRadar
- +Controls through the Dreo app, the included remote, the top panel, or Alexa and Google Assistant voice commands, as PCMag notes
- +At 9 pounds with a rear handle, easy to move between rooms, according to PCMag
Watch-outs
- −No Apple HomeKit or IFTTT support, PCMag notes
- −TechRadar found the oscillation angle can be changed only through the app, not the remote or control panel
- −Comes in one color, and TechRadar calls it expensive compared with other tower fans
How it compares
Like the Levoit Classic 42-Inch Smart Tower Fan it has 12 speeds and app plus Alexa voice control, which the Lasko T42951 Wind Curve and Honeywell HYF290B QuietSet 8 lack. Its oscillation reaches 120 degrees, against 90 degrees side to side on the Levoit and 60 degrees on the Lasko, and it costs far less than the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which adds air filtration.
Rating sources
Counts as 4.16/5 in our score — this publisher's 181 scores on the site average 4.00, so its scores are adjusted up to compare fairly with other publishers.
Counts as 4.42/5 in our score — this publisher's 195 scores on the site average 4.25, so its scores are adjusted down to compare fairly with other publishers.
Our 4.3 score is the average of these published ratings, each adjusted for how strictly its publisher scores. More about methodology.
