5 Best Portable Neck Fans to Really Beat the Heat This Summer

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UNLESS YOU'RE LUCKY enough to live in Hawaii or San Diego, now's the time to start thinking about keeping cool over the next few months with a neck fan. (We all remember last year's brutal country-wide heat waves where it seemed like everywhere from Portland, Oregon to Texas to New England saw triple-digit temperatures daily). That seventh-circle-of-hell heat was enough to make any man want to abandon nature, curl up on the sofa, and play Call of Duty under a steady stream of ice-cold, air-conditioned bliss.

Neck fans are miracle devices worn around the neck like a pair of sleek, futuristic Bluetooth headphones. Using a combination of cool-to-the-touch metal plates and dozens of tiny fans, they create a bubble of cool air around your head. We researched, compared, and personally tested the best-reviewed models on the market to round to find the best neck fans worth your money this summer.

Best Neck Fans of 2024

How to Find the Best Neck Fan for You

Neck fans are surprisingly simple gadgets. Most are designed with several dozen ultra-compact fans blowing cool air up toward your neck and head to bring down your skin temperature. Most aren't powerful enough to drop your overall body temperature, but by decreasing your skin temperature, they provide the illusion of cool. Sometimes, that's all you need to find a bit relief on a hot summer day. Finding the right wearable AC for you depends on your personal level of activity, how hot it gets where you live, and how much you’re willing to spend.

Weight

Like anything wearable, the lighter the unit, the more comfortable it’s going to be to wear. The plastic construction of every unit above ensures every model we tested is light enough for all-day wear. Most models are extremely lightweight at less than eight ounces or one half-pound. The weight is typically a function of the battery size. Larger batteries make for longer run times, but also for heavier designs.

Battery Life

Most models on this list will last an average of 8-12 hours on a single charge, depending on which fan speed you choose. Those figures are according to each manufacturer's claims. In real world testing, we found those numbers to be closer to 4-6 hours (assuming a mix of low/high speeds). On low, many will run for up to 10 hours—more than enough for even the longest summer outings. Blasting these fans on high will cut that time down considerably, however. Some only last two to three hours on their max settings, so carrying a spare battery or portable power bank might be a smart idea.

Noise

Most of the neck fans we selected are relatively quiet on their lowest settings. However, some can reach levels of 60 dB or more on high. For comparison, anything above 40 decibels is louder than a whisper. If you’re planning on using your wearable air conditioner outdoors or in noisy environments, this may not be an issue. But if yours will spend most of its life indoors—say, in an office or at home—that noise could be distracting, especially since neckband models are designed to wear near your ears.

Price

Neck fans aren't complicated electronics. Thankfully, that means most decent models will run less than $40. Only the best, most premium options cost more than $100.

How We Selected

There’s no shortage of neck fans on the market. Amazon alone has hundreds of models, so it can be hard to choose the right one. We pored over dozens of top-selling and best-reviewed options, personally testing and comparing everything from design to durability to battery size to price. The list above represents our honest picks of the best neck fans to keep you cool this summer.

Coolify Cyber

Most wearable "air conditioners" are more like overhyped miniature neck fans. Torras’ Coolify Portable Air Conditioner Neck Fan is a rare exception, and the closest thing we’ve seen to a legit portable air conditioner. A patented metal plate at the base cools the skin of your neck by almost 20 degrees while six upper and two lower air vents deliver steady airflow. Most neck fans only have a few air vents at maximum to deliver air. The Cyber has several, and thanks to the strong 6000mah battery you actually get the most premium and complete cooling experience you can get out of such a product.

The most noticeable thing that sets the Cyber apart from all the others is the quality. It actually looks and feels like a high-quality electronic gadget (it even comes with a protective zip case!). We also loved the solid battery life that came pretty close to the reported eight hours of cooling on a single charge. Another key detail about the Cyber is it has the quietest noise level of all the neck fans we tested.

Lest we forget to mention how the Cyber has two other setting outside of the cooling mode. There's the fan mode, which is basically a lower cool setting that can run for up to 15.5 hours. Then there's the heat setting, which feels a lot like a light heating pad on the back of the neck. We haven't found a ton of use for the heat setting, but we did find it valuable for those who deal with neck soreness from staring at their work computer or cranking their neck in the gym. The fact the Cyber has three different settings doubles down on its usefulness as a 365-day gadget, and not just a summer go-to.

The Cyber is expensive, but if you are looking for most premium experience you can get then the juice is definitely worth the squeeze. Thanks to the brand's focus on durability, the Cyber is suitable for work, travel, and all-day adventures. Sometimes it pays to go all out. This is one of those instances.

Portable Neck Fan

Jisulife's Portable Neck Fan offers more features than almost any other wearable air conditioner at this price. It features 78 air outlets that deliver a steady, cool (though not quite cold) blast of air around your neck and head. The lightweight construction (at a little more than half a pound) and wide neckband make it plenty comfortable for all-day wear, even at the peak of summer. Compared to others we personally tested, the built-in fans are also quieter, especially at this price.

The battery charges in around three to four hours, which is slower than most we tested. JISULIFE reports between 4 hours (on high speed) to 16 hours (on low speed) of use, although, in our own testing, we found it was only good for around half that. In terms of battery life, that puts it near the bottom of all the wearable air conditioners we tested this year.

But, you get what you pay for. At less than $25, this is one of the most affordable personal/wearable air conditioners for the money, making it a great value alternative. Like many of the most budget-friendly options available in 2023, this model does feel like a budget product (lacking the same high-quality look and feel of more premium options, like the Torras above). We do like that it's available in a handful of stylish colors, though, in case you’re interested in color-coordinating your high-tech personal cooling neckwear.

Portable Neck Fan 360

Sweetfull’s Portable Bladeless Neck Fan features a thick, wide band that's surprisingly lightweight. It's a design that's among the most comfortable we tested—enough so for all-day outings in the sun. This wearable air conditioner relies on a brushless motor to ensure it’s whisper-quiet. According to the manufacturer, it measures less than 40 decibels on low. While we can't confirm that exact figure, it is among the quietest we tested (about as loud as a gentle tabletop fan), making it a great choice for indoor and home office use. We've actually even fallen asleep wearing it at the beach.

Like most on this list, it recharges in just a few hours via any standard USB port, and the battery lasts an average of 10 hours on the lowest setting (almost the claimed 12-hour run time). On the highest setting, however, it cools better than most, but only lasts two hours or less which is hardly enough for a full day out. After a few weeks of use, we did notice that the charging became a little finicky. Whether this is an issue with the port, the USB cable, or both, we're still not sure, but it's an issue other reviewers confirmed.

At less than $30, it's one of the best-priced models we've tested. We also dig the available color options—around 10 total, so you can dial in your exact look.

Portable Neck Fan

Civpower’s Portable Neck Fan is one of the best-reviewed and best-selling models on Amazon. The simple design features 78 air outlets and three selectable fan settings so you can customize your cool. In our testing, we found that it provides much better airflow than most.

We've found the lowest setting is great for most casual use, while the middle setting works well on hotter days or during light cardio. It works great on the maximum setting, but is significantly louder than most other wearable ACs we tested—around 60 dB (comparable to a moderately busy restaurant). The semi-closed airlets are sweat- and dirt-resistant, however, making this at least suitable for long walks or biking.

Like other budget-friendly options on this list, it’s easily rechargeable via a standard USB-C outlet in about four hours, which is on the long side. It does last approximately three hours on high and about 12 hours (compared to the promised 16) on low on a single charge.

Hands Free Bladeless Fan

There's not really any details that sticks out to us about this model from PenKou. Instead, it's just a really good well balanced neck fan. The shape of the fan is relatively thin and it doesn't stick too far out when positioned on the neck. The brand notes the fan can go up to a whopping 24 hours. While we can't confirm the fan lasted that long, we did find the power to stay steady the entire time we tested. As far as noise level goes, this is one of the quieter neck fans we tested. The air flow was solid too.

If we had to pinpoint what this model does best, it's provide reliable performance combined with style. Aside from the Torras Coolify, the PenKou does well offering the all black model with the silver detailing. Other neck fans around this price point usually have all black models but the detailing or the shape of the mini fans on the end is a little funky. Our verdict? This is another great choice, especially when it comes to buying in bulk ahead of a vacation.

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