The Best Handheld and Wearable Fans to Keep Sweat at Bay

If you deal with dreaded back or boob sweat, this belt fan offers a solution (though it’s not the most discreet). Pick one of the two soft, stretchy adjustable straps it comes with, and you can wear it around your waist either over or under your shirt to blow air up toward your sweatiest parts. It stayed in place well while I did chores around the yard. The back of the fan is covered with PCM cooling material, which feels like a gel beneath a plastic sheath, that the company claims absorbs heat and transfers it away from your body, The gel does feel cool to the touch, but I can’t say I noticed it when I was wearing the fan, and in some cases, it felt a little leaky and greasy. Still, this was one of few belt fans I could find in this shape. With a 4,000-mAh battery, 15 hours of battery life, and two fan speeds, this is a solid option for anyone who needs a hands-free, wearable fan.

Like heated vests and socks, clothing with built-in cooling is becoming more streamlined, functional, and fashionable. This jacket from Ororo looks like your standard windbreaker, save for the two circular fans on the lower back. You turn them on (there are three levels of airflow) with a button on a cord that attaches to a chargeable battery in the pocket, and you can remove the fans, cord, and battery when it’s time to wash the jacket. The cooling sensation is surprisingly strong and the fans aren’t too heavy or annoyingly loud—the only downside is the back and sides puff up like you’d expect when the fans are on.

The jacket itself is comfortable, made from a stretchy, lightweight, abrasion-resistant fabric, with five pockets, an adjustable hem, and the option to zip off the sleeves and convert it to a short-sleeved jacket. The battery works for 5.5 hours on the high setting and 9.5 hours on the low setting. I’d choose this jacket over waist and belt fans for superior upper body cooling and comfort, if you can deal with looking a little like the Michelin Man.

This fan was a great companion during a late summer parade, providing some airflow without much noise. I appreciate that the fan blades are soft, and they stop automatically if they hit something—it’s the type of fan you could hand off to a kid without much worry. It can also stand up on a table, and when folded, easily fits in a small purse or clutch. It comes in pretty pastel colors and has tiny, pointed ears, with a button that looks like some kind of cute creature, though I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be an owl or a cat.

At only four ounces and with a small lanyard, you could definitely attach this fan to your phone or keychain to always have it at the ready. It has 10 to 17 hours of battery life, depending on which of the two speeds you use. I wish the higher speed was stronger—it helped provide some relief during a parade, but it didn’t totally prevent sweating, like the PlayHot Portable Handheld Turbo Fan. Still, for the price, size, and low noise level, it’s a decent cooling option. The Aecooly fan ($10) is also a small, slim, pocket- or purse-sized option.

This fan with little ears and a printed-on bear mouth was WIRED senior commerce editor Kat Merck’s top hand fan pick in her guide to the Best Fans. “Its two blades produce a pretty strong breeze at 472 feet per minute (measured on my anemometer), it’s quiet (44 dB on low), and it’s also lightweight at four ounces,” says Merck. “I also found the battery life to be pretty solid. It’s not as inexpensive or easy to slip into a pocket as the Aecooly portable fan, below, but I think the fact it doubles as a flashlight and portable power bank make it worthwhile. However, note that the 2,000-mAh battery does run out quickly if you’re using it as a power bank.”

This no-nonsense neck fan looks a little bit like headphones, with a 5000 mAh battery and five speeds. I like that it’s super-lightweight and comfortable if you need to wear it for long periods. However, the ends don’t adjust or angle, so if you don’t like where the air is directed, there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s also not too loud; around 40 decibels on low. Color options on Amazon are limited, but if you buy direct from JisuLife you have access to more options like navy, forest green, and pink. —Kat Merck

This fan is so strong it’s almost comical—1,614 feet per minute on my anemometer. For reference, that’s the same as a full-sized tower fan. It also emits a high-pitched whine not unlike a jet engine (60 decibels on its lowest setting), and its mallet-like shape makes it too bulky to slip into a pocket. However, it does double as a power bank and a flashlight, and it’s got a short carrying lanyard you can attach to make it slightly less unwieldy. The 9,000-mAh battery is also a plus. Jisulife says this can last up to 25 hours, which I have no reason to doubt, as I’ve been using it off and on for three weeks and the battery has yet to run out. —Kat Merck

This periscope-shaped “powerful turbo air tube” won both a Red Dot and iF Design award this year, and the curved shape is both easy to transport and hold. I also like that there are no rotors or blades to knock into, and the airflow was impressive for a hand fan—807 feet per minute on high (there are six speeds total). It doesn’t double as a flashlight or phone charger, but it does come with a digital display, which shows you the battery and speed levels, and a short lanyard for carrying. Don’t plan on using this one if you’re going to have a conversation, though, as it was over 50 decibels on low. —Kat Merck