Kolockum
Still Wandering
Excuse to buy both fans
Long story short I saw a MaxxFan Deluxe in person a few days after I ordered a Fantastic Fan off the internet. You could say it was love at first sight, I like the idea of having a built in, low profile rain guard that allows me to be able to run the fan in the rain and while driving (allowing me to dry out the camper while on the road). Living out of the camper for several months a year in the rainy Pacific Northwest make those two abilities very appealing. So I bought the MaxxFan. Then I found out that I could not return the Fantastic Fan so I figured out I would make the best of it and compare them side by side
Side by side comparison.
To be completely clear the make, models, features are: Fantastic Fan 5000RT (thermostat, in/out switch, 3 speed control, manual opening) and MaxxFan Deluxe (thermostat, in/out button, 10 speed control, manual opening).
Note: The controls on the Fantastic Fan are dials whereas the MaxxFan are buttons. The thermostat on the MacxxFan is a button with a default stetting of 78*, to adjust this you hold the thermostat button while pressing the +/- buttons. Each press of the +/- button is one degree change and is marked by a beep. Kind of complicated considering the Fantastic fan is a color coded dial, but the MaxxFan does allow you to set an exact temperature.
Note: MaxxFan has a data type port built into the control.
Power Usage Comparison
To measure the power usage I wired up a Tri-Metric meter with a 500A shunt. Good to the nearest tenth of an Amp. I took a measurement of the fan in each speed setting both blowing in and out.
Note: Fan was elevated off of the ground by 4 inches allowing for air flow. The same stand was used for both fans.
Note: Fan was elevated off of the ground by 4 inches allowing for air flow. The same stand was used for both fans.
I paired up the Fantastic Fan speeds with the MaxxFan speeds using amps. Best I could tell the air flow was similar.
Observations
Dome: Fantastic’s dome is advertised as smoke color and has a dark blue color. It lets in a fair amount of light and is more of a dark blue color. When the dome is open you can see the sky through the fan and mosquito net. The MaxxFan’s dome is almost black and is more of what I would consider smoke and when opened it is not possible to see out of the vent (make sense considering what the vent is designed for).
Sound: Fantastic is little quieter at comparable power settings, but on MaxxFan’s lowest setting it is nearly silent.
Fantastic Fan: Made in USA
MaxxFan: Has a separate ring that gets attached to the camper roof that the rest of the unit slips inside of. This allows the unit to be removed fairly easy. The rain cover is very effective in heavy rains.
Build Quality: Both fans feel fairly well made. However the motor on the Fantastic Fan is a little quieter and runs a little smoother.
Long story short I saw a MaxxFan Deluxe in person a few days after I ordered a Fantastic Fan off the internet. You could say it was love at first sight, I like the idea of having a built in, low profile rain guard that allows me to be able to run the fan in the rain and while driving (allowing me to dry out the camper while on the road). Living out of the camper for several months a year in the rainy Pacific Northwest make those two abilities very appealing. So I bought the MaxxFan. Then I found out that I could not return the Fantastic Fan so I figured out I would make the best of it and compare them side by side
Side by side comparison.
To be completely clear the make, models, features are: Fantastic Fan 5000RT (thermostat, in/out switch, 3 speed control, manual opening) and MaxxFan Deluxe (thermostat, in/out button, 10 speed control, manual opening).
Note: The controls on the Fantastic Fan are dials whereas the MaxxFan are buttons. The thermostat on the MacxxFan is a button with a default stetting of 78*, to adjust this you hold the thermostat button while pressing the +/- buttons. Each press of the +/- button is one degree change and is marked by a beep. Kind of complicated considering the Fantastic fan is a color coded dial, but the MaxxFan does allow you to set an exact temperature.
Note: MaxxFan has a data type port built into the control.
Power Usage Comparison
To measure the power usage I wired up a Tri-Metric meter with a 500A shunt. Good to the nearest tenth of an Amp. I took a measurement of the fan in each speed setting both blowing in and out.
Note: Fan was elevated off of the ground by 4 inches allowing for air flow. The same stand was used for both fans.
Note: Fan was elevated off of the ground by 4 inches allowing for air flow. The same stand was used for both fans.
I paired up the Fantastic Fan speeds with the MaxxFan speeds using amps. Best I could tell the air flow was similar.
Observations
Dome: Fantastic’s dome is advertised as smoke color and has a dark blue color. It lets in a fair amount of light and is more of a dark blue color. When the dome is open you can see the sky through the fan and mosquito net. The MaxxFan’s dome is almost black and is more of what I would consider smoke and when opened it is not possible to see out of the vent (make sense considering what the vent is designed for).
Sound: Fantastic is little quieter at comparable power settings, but on MaxxFan’s lowest setting it is nearly silent.
Fantastic Fan: Made in USA
MaxxFan: Has a separate ring that gets attached to the camper roof that the rest of the unit slips inside of. This allows the unit to be removed fairly easy. The rain cover is very effective in heavy rains.
Build Quality: Both fans feel fairly well made. However the motor on the Fantastic Fan is a little quieter and runs a little smoother.