Makita has come out with a new jobsite fan, model DCF300Z. The new 13″ cordless fan has 3 speed settings (low, medium, high), an oscillating mode, and a timer with 1-hour, 2-hour, and 4-hour automatic shutoff settings.
Runtime is up to 4 hours with a 4.0Ah battery pack (once they hit the streets in the USA), if the low setting is used. You can tilt the fan up or down for convenient aiming, and the front grill is removable for easy cleaning. The fan weighs in at 10.4 pounds, with a battery.
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Price: ~$150 for the bare tool.
Batteries and a charger are sold separately, but the fan does come with an AC power adapter that helps avoid runtime concerns.
Buy Now(via Amazon)
If you’re interested in a fan that’s less expensive but also less featured, the Makita BCF201Z is priced at ~$80 via Amazon.
First Thoughts
The ~$150 price tag is a little surprising – to the point of being off-putting – but the DCF300Z is also appreciably more complex in design and construction than Makita’s simpler BCF201Z cordless fan. With this model, you get large fan blades, a tilting fan head, an oscillating base, and timer functionality.
This fan is also larger than others currently on the market, such as the Ryobi 18V One+ cordless fan we recently reviewed, which means it requires a beefier and pricier motor. This makes price comparison with other brands’ cordless jobsite fans a little off balanced.
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All of the fan’s features seem nice, but its somewhat high pricing makes it seem more like a luxury than a jobsite essential. In my opinion, a price of maybe $120 or so would be just right.
Pricing considerations aside, this looks to be a very well thought out fan for cordless jobsite cooling or light drying applications.
ChrisK1970
Cha-chinnnngggg!!!! Looks pretty sweet but…..
Mike
I only see one problem with it. Doesn’t say dewalt on it! $150 seems a bit steep without a battery. $99 it would be an impulse buy on a warm day. At $150 it makes you stop and think.
ChrisK1970
Especially when the 4.0 battery is going to be over a bone alone!
Jason
It sounds nice but you mentioned Stuart it is priced about 50 dollars more than I would spend on a fan like this. I think a good price point would be $100 on this fan, and 50 dollars on the more basic fan Makita offers. Ryobi is able to offer their hybrid fan for $39 I think Makita can bring their prices down a little.
Phil
I have the previous model BCF201Z and it comes in handy working in hot attics, under cars, general workshop and camping uses, corded and on battery. The original suffers from a design fault, when a battery is installed and the fan is plugged in with the AC adapter, the fan will continue to run from the battery until it’s exhausted before the line power takes over. There is no “intelligent” switching or anything of the sort, just a pair of diodes routing the higher of the two voltages to the fan circuitry. Since the adapter outputs 15V and the battery 18(ish), the battery will keep the fan going until its voltage drops below 15V, in other words, dead. You have to remember to pull the battery out unless you want it totally dead. I hope this new version doesn’t have that stupid design decision in place.
Also, at just about double the price I paid for the original, it’s too expensive unless you are a Makita diehard. The oscillating feature is a nice addition, the three speeds and tilt-swivel features don’t make it any sort of compelling upgrade. In fact, were I in the market for a cordless fan right now, it would be the original, or probably the Ryobi. I just hope DeWalt, Milwaukee or Bosch come out with their own versions.