Balmuda’s NatureWind Studio Review: Better Wind

A Dyson fan it costs about $400, which is to be expected from a brand known for electronic gadgets. But what if I tell you that there is a fan that costs a lot of money?

While the brand may not be a household name in the US, Tokyo-based Balmuda is well-known in Japan for its high-quality, understated accessories. The Brew and Toaster (and again Clock, Speakerand… The Teppanyaki). His latest release, a fan of the landscape, is not called “Fan” but rather NatureWind Studio. It costs $429 and is available in black and white.

NatureWind Studio looks like a hurricane with a cage on three main panels. It does not include any extensions, contain any artificial intelligence, or be associated with any software. It has only one purpose: to capture the wind outside. One could argue that most fans can achieve this by simply operating at a lower speed. But NatureWind Studio’s dual-mode design produces gentle, spacious, and quiet results.

Balmuda rates the NatureWind Studio at just 9 decibels at the lowest setting. I could not confirm this personally, because the noise in my house is high, but I can say that, in a quiet room, the fan is not heard. This is amazing, but after using NatureWind Studio in my living room for three weeks, I’m not convinced that its features justify the price tag, especially without a remote.

Built to Last

Unlike most pedestal fans and testingconsisting only of a base and stem, the NatureWind Studio comes in several pieces. I had to attach the cables to the engine, assemble the guard house, and slide it onto the sturdy tripod legs. This wasn’t tricky, but it took me about 20 minutes to make sure I connected everything correctly. A bonus to the setup, however, is that I know how to easily divide the wash sections – a miss for many foot fans. Several parts of the NatureWind Studio, including the blade and motor housing, are metal and well-built, which is to be expected at this price point but it’s nice to see.

NatureWind studio is not a new version of Balmuda; it’s been available in Japan since 2010 (where it’s called “GreenFan Studio”), but it’s new to the US since early June. Its design is two-way technology, where a slow-moving inner blade and a fast-moving outer blade create a combined air flow that feels more like – as the marketing materials say – “wind through an open window than a mechanical fan.”

Although the height of the fan does not change, and the NatureWind Studio does not have a rechargeable battery for wireless operation, it does have an extra long, 10-strand cord, which has a hook on the back of the fan stalk to extend the length of the fan.