Lectrofan Classic review

One-minute review

It might not look like much, but the modestly designed Lectrofan Classic has the ability to drown out even the loudest of noises. The volume is adjustable, but even on the lowest setting we found it blocked out the loud traffic noise from outside, as well as a barking dog, and even a doorbell. It certainly does a good job of masking disturbances.

There are 20 sounds you can choose from; 10 different electric fan vibrations and 10 variations of white noise (including pink and brown noise). It does take some time though to get used to what you prefer, and different settings work well in different situations.

We found the noise of the low fan helped block out a neighbour’s chatter when we were working in the day, and for bedtime the brown noise was extremely effective at blocking out a partner's snores. It also masked the loud noise of teenagers slamming doors shut at night.

The Lectrofan Classic has a timer you can set for how long you want it to stay on for. We often left it powered up throughout the night to ensure nothing disturbed us, and it worked extremely well.

Price and release date

The Lectrofan Classic first went on sale in October 2014, and has a recommended sale price of $49.95 / £49.95 / AU$89.95. 

That's around the same price as the HoMedics Deep Sleep Mini white noise machine, which is a more sophisticated device (offering various nature sounds, as well as a meditation mode), but doesn't offer the same non-looping fan sound.

Design

The Lectrofan Classic (available in black or white) is a simple heptagonal device measuring just 11.2 x 11.2 x 5.6cm, making it easy to fit onto your bedside cabinet or nightstand. It weighs just 1.2lb (544g), which means it can also be tucked into your luggage when travelling.

The base of the device is fitted with non-slip rubber feet, and the front has clearly labelled controls for adjusting the volume, choosing between fan and white noise, and controlling the power and timer.

It might not be visually stunning, but it's a design that works well, and makes the Lectrofan extremely easy to use.

Performance

The Lectrofan Classic is extremely easy to set up; just choose the appropriate plug adapter for your country, connect the power cable underneath the unit, and it turns on straight away. Then all you have to do is select the sound you want. There are 10 fan sounds and 10 white noises to choose from. This can be done very easily with a touch of a button that takes you through the different options.

For those who prefer to fall asleep to white noise as opposed to a sound one such as the sea or rainfall, the Lectrofan provides plenty of variety. The easy-to-use control panel is very effective in enabling you to press between the different sounds and even at night in a darkened room, it was no trouble to use.

As for blocking out noise, we've not come across anything more effective. Working from home with a noisy family next door meant our office wasn't as peaceful an environment as I would like and this machine helped provide the perfect background noise. After experimenting with the sound effects, we found the ‘lo mellow’ fan sound worked the best. It wasn’t at all distracting, yet was loud enough to stop the background noise – including two crying babies - from disturbing us.

The white noise function served its purpose well at night. We found when set on the lowest pitch the brown noise was soothing and stopped us being disturbed by the outside traffic and dogs barking. There's something very soothing and relaxing about the fan noises, which don't loop.

At night the 60-minute timer helped us get off to sleep, but we were disturbed later on by loud, sudden noises. Leaving the Lectrofan running solved that problem, and gave us an extremely good, refreshing night's rest.

First reviewed October 2021

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• We've tested and rated the best mattresses and sleep trackers