So… apparently, normal fans aren’t enough anymore. Because this… is the Dreo TurboCool 516S misting fan. And yes, it sprays mist at your face. And honestly? It’s kind of brilliant, though I do have my reservations being in the UK but more on that in a moment. I’m talking about the new Dreo TurboCool 516S — a compact desktop misting fan that’s designed to cool you down without turning your room into a rainforest. It’s got ultrasonic misting, smart controls, RGB lighting, a removable water tank, and surprisingly ridiculous airflow for something this size. But… it’s also not exactly cheap. And as someone living in the UK, I do have a couple of questions about long-term misting and potential mould issues. So let’s go through the features, the good stuff, the weird stuff… and whether this thing is actually worth buying.
So I actually really like the footprint of this thing. It’s compact enough to sit on a desk, a bedside table, or a gaming setup like I have here without completely taking over the space. But despite the smaller size, the fan itself feels seriously powerful. Dreo claims airflow up to 26 feet per second with air reach up to 33 feet and unfortunately, I’ve got no way of actually measuring that here, but I can say that on its most powerful settings, it does kick out a decent breeze. And because it uses a brushless DC motor, it stays fairly quiet at lower speeds too.
But of course, it’s not just about the air. The big selling point here is the misting functionality that it brings. It uses ultrasonic misting technology to create ultra-fine particles, which basically means the mist is so fine it’s supposed to evaporate almost instantly instead of soaking your desk. And to be fair, when it gets hot in here, it actually does feel pretty nice. You get this cool breeze effect without feeling like someone’s spraying you with a plant spray bottle which is definitely a positive. Dreo says it can reduce perceived temperature by up to five degrees, which is impressive and you get a 1.3 litre tank with up to 12 hours runtime on lower settings although if you crank everything to maximum turbo mode, that drops massively.
But realistically, unless you live inside the sun, you’re probably not running this at maximum all day. And I do appreciate that the tank is removable because refilling desk gadgets is usually an annoying experience. There are actually quite a few features packed in here. You’ve got six fan speeds, multiple mist modes, adjustable oscillation angles, humidity and temperature sensors, RGB lighting, a remote control, and app control on the 516S model. And yes… RGB. Because apparently even fans are gaming peripherals now. The oscillation is nice though. You can adjust different angles depending on whether you want airflow directly at you… or vaguely in your direction while pretending you’re being productive.
Now because this thing is the S model, it has an app. However, how necessary the app really is remains to be seen. Most of the app features can be controlled by pressing a button on the front of the fan anyway, and the only things you’ll need the app for are to change the RGB, unless you can tell me in the comments how to change that without it, and to change your humidity detection percentages and for a low humidity you’ll get a teal light and if its high it goes towards a more brown colour. One big negative though from me is the fact it needs to connect to your wireless network, which to me makes it feel a little unsecure. I don’t like that all, and instead it should have been a Bluetooth connection.
And I must say, I’ve had nothing but bad experiences with this. First off, I am not a huge fan of having to connect this to a Wi-Fi network. Why it doesn’t use Bluetooth is ridiculous. And secondly, the connection is very tempremental. Sometimes it will connect, and others it just doesn’t want to know. And trying to reconnect the fan to my Wi-Fi just ends up with it coming up with an auto troubleshoot that can never find the right answer anyway. It’s a right nightmare. And the only thing I can see that can only be changed via their app is the RGB light on the front. Everythying else can be done via the remote or buttons on the front. So yeah, not a great experience here.
Now… here’s my only real concern with this thing. I live in the UK and it can rain a lot here, and damp and mould, depending on the house and your airflow can be a bit of a problem. Of course keep your upstairs windows open to help with this but you yourself may have a situation like this. Especially around our bathrooms. Now I haven’t been running this for too long to experience any negativities with the misting, but the back of my mind is always telling me cool… what’s the mould situation going to look like in six months? Though to be clear, I haven’t had any damp or mould issues yet. Touch wood. But I can say that during heavy rainfall I do notice that my conservatory picks up a bit of damp especially in the corners. However, because the mist is so fine, it doesn’t seem to leave surfaces wet. But I also haven’t needed to use the misting feature constantly yet, because… well… Britain. So long-term? That’s still something I’d personally keep an eye on.
The good news is Dreo does recommend regularly drying and cleaning the tank to avoid smells or buildup, especially if it’s left unused. Now the other thing? This fan is expensive. For what is technically still a desk fan. But at the same time, it DOES feel premium. The airflow is excellent. The misting genuinely works. The feature set is kind of ridiculous. And the overall build quality feels really solid. So if you want a compact fan that feels far more advanced than the £20 supermarket specials everyone panic-buys during a heatwave, this is genuinely pretty cool.
Would I recommend it? Yeah… I think I would. Especially if you run hot at a desk setup, gaming setup, or office space. Just maybe keep an eye on maintenance if you’re using the misting constantly. Anyway, that’s the Dreo TurboCool Misting Fan 516S. Let me know in the comments: Would you actually buy a misting fan, or does the idea of water and electronics together make you immediately uncomfortable?
