Summer is here and if the last few years have shown anything it’s that the heat wave is lasting longer each year. It also means that the sale of air conditioners as well as air coolers is picking up. But not everyone can afford an air conditioner and not everyone wants to have an air cooler at home. Orient Electric is a brand that’s well-known and it has come up with an innovative solution in the form of Orient Electric Cloud 3.

If you have attended parties and weddings in Delhi or even in Calcutta, you may have come across giant pedestal fans that come with large tanks, filled with water. Those are “spray mist/misting” fans that try to bring down the temperature but many don’t like the big burst of mist. Before diving into Orient Electric Cloud 3, one should know a bit about mist fans. They don’t cool as fast as an air conditioner nor spread the coolness evenly like an AC. At the same time, mist fans are low cost, save electricity bills (compared to an AC) and are easy to move around the house.

THE TECHNOLOGY….

Orient Electric Cloud 3 is slightly different from a typical mist fan. Yes, there is a water chamber at the base of the fan but it comes in the stem rather than as a separate cooling box. Once filled up to a minimum level (go by the indicator on the stem of the fan), the company’s Cloudchill technology converts the cold water into nanoparticles. There are several vents on the fan and you will be able to see a cloud-like composition rising. The particles are so tiny that you won’t feel the moisture. That is the beauty of the fan.

In the water chamber, you can add ice cubes

Water becoming cloud-like ‘nano particles’

There is a small display on the fan

You could be someone who doesn’t want this option on all the time. Use the device simply as a pedestal fan, minus the cooling. It works very well, with different speeds (three options are there) and a swivel function. And then there is a separate button for cooling, whichhas three speed settings.

CAN IT REPLACE AN AC?

The technology that’s on offer is not a replacement for an AC, which works on a different technology. There are claims of bringing the temperature down by up to 10-12 degree Celsius. But it all depends on the size of the room. On a personal note, the temperature dropped a few notches after keeping the fan on for 45 minutes because my room size is on the bigger side. But modern rooms can expect a bigger drop in temperature. You can pour ice-cold water into the fan’s tank and for faster cooling, ice cubes. I did both and the “mist clouds” were visible within a few minutes. To measure the temperature, I used the weather and humidity sensor on the new Apple HomePod. The temperature did drop slightly and, at the same time, the humidity didn’t go up.

If you want to know where the fan stands in the cooling set-up, first will be the AC, then coolers and then there is the Orient ElectricCloud 3.

Working in favour of the fan is its set-up. Though it can be done singlehandedly by the adventurous type if the manual is followed, I needed the help of my hawk-eyed wife to go through the process. Like many pedestal fans, it has wheels and can be easily moved around. The fan comes with a regular two-pin plug, so it can be used anywhere in the house, unlike an AC. There is also an option to use essential oils. The fragrance is spread with the cloud tech. There is a small bottle of sandalwood oil that comes with the fan.

HOW IS IT AS A FAN?

As a regular pedestal fan, it works better than most rival offerings because of the engineering on the blades. One of the best features of the fan is its breeze mode. It sends out a gentle, natural-feeling breeze around the room. At lower speeds, there is a slight whirl but a buzz can be heard when cooling at full speed. There is a small display on the fan to keep track of the different modes and there is also a remote to help you achieve this. What I would have liked to see is some kind of IoT because many people are using the technology to control devices around the house.

SHOULD YOU BUY IT?

In case you are planning to buy a pedestal fan, it’s a good choice. But it’s not a replacement for an AC. It can even be a good purchase for small shops where certain nooks don’t get enough air. And I like the fact that it can be easily moved around the house. Orient Electric Cloud 3 works as a supplement to your cooling setup.