WIRED's commerce team has published a buying guide to handheld and portable fans, reflecting the surging popularity of personal cooling devices as heatwaves have become more frequent and neck fans have grown into a mainstream summer accessory. Faced with tens of thousands of near-identical, often low-quality options on Amazon, the reviewer spent two summers testing dozens of products to identify standout picks across different needs and budgets.

The guide names a top pick in several categories: the Diveblues Portable Handheld Fan as best overall (around £11-15), praised for its wide 3-inch fan head, digital battery display and foldable design despite being somewhat noisy; the Shark ChillPill 3-in-1 as best misting fan (around £110); the Jisulife Portable Neck Fan as best neck fan (around £22-27); and the Jisulife Handheld Mini Fan as best option for children (around £13). The article notes prices are in US dollars and includes technical specifications such as decibel levels, wind speed and battery capacity for the recommended products.