I need to know some brand names for "high performance" ceiling fans. I am replacing a matched set in my "cathedral" style living room so I need something that won't blow the motor under heavy usage but also a brand that has some attractive aesthetics.

Any suggestions? A quick google search brought up a lot of Casablanca as a possible brand but I really have no clue.

IMO, ceiling fans are sort of like computers - many are made by the same manufacturer with different labels put on them. Therefore, price may be the primary factor determining quality but not necessarily. For me, I just compare what's available at the store and purchase what I feel is the best value for the money, i.e., I ignore the brand.

Consumer Reports would probably be a good place to research.

I don't really have a brand opinion, but will say that over the years I have usually ended up getting Harbor Breeze. I think I've had a Hunter or two. No complaints with either.

I recently got several Harbor Breeze fans. It looks nice, but it's kind of noisy. Has a constant hum whenever it's on. It's installed properly (noise just comes from the motor, not like it's loose/unbalanced), and I got three of the same model and they all do the same exact thing. A slightly older Hunter I have is silent other than the sound of airflow.

Maybe it's just this particular model. It's not bad enough for me to replace again, but I'll avoid the brand in the future most likely.

For our house renovation, I purchased 2 Hunter fans for den and LR (Amazon) and the rest Harbor Breeze. Amazon was tons cheaper for a comparable Hunter than HD/Lowes.

I replaced mine with Hunter brand and have had no trouble.

You may pay more for a Hunter, but it will be a workhorse for as long as you live there.

I've installed a number of the Big Ass Fan commercial applications on several projects and have not had to make a warranty call yet. They now offer a residential line that I have no experience with, but would trust, especially for large spaces requiring a lot of air movement.

www.bigassfans.com

edit: I should add that their commercial models have a low head room clearance of 12', so that may be an issue.

[This message has been edited by Aggietaco (edited 6/18/2011 5:01p).]

we have matched Hunter Originals on 36" down rods in our living room(corners of room are 9' middle is 14') they are 20yr old and we put oil in them twice a year! The fan in our bedroom has to be oiled as well, the others have sealed bearings.

We have Hunter fans in every other room in the house as well. When we converted the dining room to a bed room we added the Hunter fan that looked like a baseball glove with blades that looked like a wood bat. That fan got changed back to a generic Hunter.

Thanks for the recommendations I was told that there is (or atleast used to be) a hunter store in the North Houston / Tomball area maybe I will see if they are still around and stop by there

I ordered 7 identical Hunter fans online at a discount from Home Depot back in 2007. All have been quiet and trouble-free. Would definitely buy Hunter again.

all the big box fans (including hunter) are made out of china. not to say they don't last - i haven't had problems with any of them, but i wouldn't overpay for any either.

I would normally say Hunter, but after last weekend, I will never buy one again. We got one at Lowes, and while it wasnt the most expensive, it was also not close to being the cheapest. It had cardboard blades, wouldnt hang on the ceiling correctly, we had problems with it shaking uncontollably no matter what we did. On top of that, when we took it down to put it back in the box to be returned, the wiring and motor were so hot, that it started to melt the finish off the fan. I took it back, bought a hampton bay fan for half the price, had it up in 15 minutes instead of 3 hours like the last one (and no, we arent idiots)

I have had great luck over the years with the Hampton Bay Huntington III model from HD. They are in the 75 - 100 price range. Very good and decent looking fan.

I have the opinion that over 100 you are paying for the looks. I often find that the really expensive ones seem to have more problems, but my sampling is far from scientific or a large sampling.

Kevin Weiss
http://www.AbsoluteInspections.net

I have 3 Harbor Breeze fans and have been very happy with them.

Casablanca is BEST - if u buy the original product line, but will cost u $800+ - have 3 still working flawlessly from 1986. In recent years they have developed lower tier line ($200)but quality not so good.

I have high regard for Minka Aire ( http://www.minkagroup.net/landing.aspx?cat=aire&startsession=1) - excellent fans for $200+. Have 2 with no problem for 6 years. Have had wobbly and tick tick problems with most fans I purchased from HDepot & Lowes.

Another vote for Hunter. Just replaced three ceiling fans and added a fourth...all Hunter.Got them at Lowe's and they weren't that much more than their house brand (Harbor Breeze).

Big Ass Fans

I second the Casablanca vote. Not cheap, but they are the Cadillac of ceiling fans. Got one I run almost every single day...perfectly balanced, dead quiet, no shaking or rocking, etc.

I have three old style Hunters (they need to have oil added, from time to time. Not sealed bearings.).

They have been running almost continously for probably 30 plus years. They are only turned off if Houston actually gets cold.

The wife ended up liking the Cassablanca so we went ahead and dropped $1400 on two fans ... I am fairly certain I will be killing someone if they die on me any time soon.

The fans are 60" with the XLP motor and remote controlled. On the bonus side they initially told me they would be in next week but arrived today .. Now we are just waiting on the special glass for the light package she wanted.

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What he said.

Not that it matters now that the OP made his purchase, but my dad installed a big, cast-iron Hunter in the mid '70s in our living room (vaulted ceiling with probably a 48" downrod), and that thing never wobbled an inch or made a sound in the 30 years that we lived in that house. It was incredible ... Don't know if Hunter still makes them the same way (or in the same place), but I was impressed. I have a mix of Hampton Bay and Hunter now, but in the new house we're building, they'll probably all be Hunters ...

Hunter originals are the best but they have had some changes, look at the wiki for them for specifics but

in the mid 80's they changed the motor and then again in 2002 or so they went to China and got a lesser motor.

I've got two and they are worth the money even the lesser china ones are still 4x a good as the "new hunters"