If there is one thing that the Dyson company is good at, it is testing the boundaries of what people are prepared to pay for cool versions of common household items. Which is why the Air Multiplier comes as a bit of a surprise – it is expensive, and it has a cool design, but it falls short in the performance department.

The Air Multiplier is a fan, it even has blades, but they are tucked away in the base of the unit. The blowing action is directed by the little loop up the top. There is nothing about the Air Multiplier that makes me want to break out the plastic – and it is made of plastic, considering the price tag, I would expect more; not solid gold, but something a little less plastic, like water-cut aluminum.

Walking into an electronics store last summer I saw at least a dozen standard fan models that offered reasonable performance that were priced under the $30 mark. Charging $300 ($330 for the 12-inch) is just plain obscene.

Word on the street is that the Dyson model stacks up well against a comparably sized $200 commercial model, and that the air quality is good, and not interrupted by the chopping that regular fans experience, but fans don’t actually cool air – so they will only take you so far.

Price: The 10-inch and 12-inch models are priced at $300 and $330, respectively. [Engadget]

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