EASY BREEZY

Tech tester Alex Lee helps in the heatwave with portable fans

- Alex Lee

Summer has arrived: you’re sweating through your shirt on the train, your fringe is stuck to your forehead, and it feels like someone’s just locked you inside the sun. You could try fanning yourself with your debit card, but there are more practical solutions: portable fans.

I’m not talking about the flimsy, noisy portable fans you once bought impulsively from a guy on a city break that barely moved any air and broke in a day. Instead, you can find quiet, surprisingly powerful and multipurpose handheld and wearable fans. The best can almost rival a tower fan, and one comes surprisingly close to functioning like an air conditioner or an air cooler.

As a tech critic, I've spent this year's heatwave testing the best portable fans to see which ones actually deliver the breeze you need to stay cool and sweat-free.

Commem turbo fan: £7.77, Amazon

If power is your priority, this turbo model is the one to beat. It's the most powerful handheld fan I've tested to date, delivering such intense airflow that I've actually had to switch it off just to take a breather. The top speed genuinely feels like sitting in front of a small desk fan - it's that strong.

It's also cleverly designed. There's a near-180-degree hinge, so you can prop it up at different angles without it slipping or tipping over, and the overall look is slim and minimalist, which makes it easy to carry around or stash in a bag. While it doesn't offer as much surface coverage as some chunkier handheld fans, the sheer force of the airflow more than makes up for it.