Honeywell HW-628 Enviracaire Twin Window Fan

by people ...

Adjustable grilles direct breezes where needed
3 speed motor for high, medium and low operation options
Fits virtually all window types with built-in adjustable slides
Ultra convenient removable grills for easy cleaning
Built in adjustable side screens to keep dust and bugs out; Rain resistant motor for safe use in windows

Honeywell Twindow Twin Window Fan - White

Product Reviews

Excellent fan

It took me awhile to get this fan because some people had commented that it was noisy or that it was not powerful enough to blow-in or exhaust air. Well, none of those are the cases. This is an amazing fan. It is so powerful that I keep it in the lowest speed setting to keep my bedroom cool and airy. The thermostat works great. While I am away, it turns on the fan automatically as needed. Thus I no longer walk into a hot stuffy room when I come home from work.A quick rundown of its features. The unit has two fans that work independently to blow-in fresh air from outside or exhaust air from inside. The settings for each fan are low, high, supper and off.The thermostat knob if fully turned counterclockwise will keep the fans off until the room gets exceedingly hot. On the other had, if the knob if fully turned clockwise, will keep the fans running until the room gets exceedingly cold. Somewhere in the middle is the tipping point that turns the fan on or off depending on your desire room temperature.The fan fits nicely in the window casing. My window has a screen, and it does not get in the way of the fan.

this seems to be a sturdy product and worth purchasing for the right environment but …

this seems to be a sturdy product and worth purchasing for the right environment but i can’t totally tell; so this average rating should not reflect at all on the seller and possibly not even on the product. i think it’s more due to my need for more cooling and this is not an A/C unit - and that’s no one’s fault! so if i can help you by explaining that i made the wrong purchase for me and the unusually muggy indian summer we were having in So Cal! it cost a fair amount more due to electricity use all day and night (about $40 over about 2 months) for very little “cooling”; but i was probably asking way too much for this little unit with the sun shining on it from morning until some time after 12 noon and obviously hot, hot weather! if you need to push hot air out or cooler air in, it would probably do the job just fine in a minimum 100 sq ft room.

This fan blows

On a scale of 1 to fan, this one is definitely a fan!My wife and I live in a turn-of-the-century brownstone in Mpls. We’re on the top floor, which gets a little warm. We didn’t want to waste the electricity that an A/C uses, so we got this fan for the bedroom.It fits nicely in the window, the thermostat works, the electronically reversible thingy lets me reverse the fans electronically, and with the bedroom door open, it actually moves air through the rest of the apartment - on low!I keep it on low. Given the amount of air it moves on low, I’m afraid that if I try the highest settings, it’ll suck pedestrians off the street three stories below, chop them up and spit them into my apartment. Which will make my wife angry. You don’t want to make my wife angry. You won’t like her when she’s angry.I love this fan!

Honeywell / Bionaire comparison

I needed two window fans, and couldn’t decide between this one and the Bionaire BW2100R-U Bionaire Remote Twin Window Fan BW2100R-U so I ordered one of each. Trusting the Honeywell name, I expected it to out-perform the Bionaire. After trying them both, I’m returning the Honeywell and getting another Bionaire.Materials:Right out of the box, the Bionaire is much more attractive and modern-looking. The plastic is very sturdy and bright white, and construction is solid while still being light-weight. I notice no odor.The Honeywell’s material is more flimsy, and somewhat translucent and yellow, reminding me of cheap Chinese toys from the 99¢ store. The seams audibly pop and rub against each other when the unit is moved around, and it has a strong solvent odor.If I kept the Honeywell, I’d be tempted to hide it if company came over. Not so with the Bionaire.Mounting:My windows are the slider-type, so I need to mount the fans vertically and remove them daily when the weather gets hot. Both fans are reasonably stable mounted vertically, and both can be mounted simply and quickly without removing window screens by trapping attached tabs within the window frame. I have not tried to mount either permanently or with removed screens, but both have hardware to do so.Controls:I find the controls on the Honeywell difficult to use. Each fan has its own knob to control speed (a plus), but their too-flat, too-smooth shape is difficult to grip and much torque is required. Definitely NOT arthritis-friendly. Two primitive switches select between intake and exhaust and, frankly, these look like an afterthought to me. Clearly, little effort was put into the control panel design. One additional knob crudely adjusts the temperature setting. It has no marks on it at all; presumably one must wait until the room is too chilly and then turn the knob until the thermostat switches off and expect that it will continue to switch off at that unspecified temperature in the future. I can’t help but shake my head at this bit of advanced technology. There is no remote.The buttons and switches on the Bionaire are smooth, large and respond to the lightest touch. Each fan has its own switch to select between intake and exhaust, and one button toggles digitally through all speeds (3-2-1-A3-A2-A1) for both fans simultaneously. (The “A” settings automatically turn the fan on and off at your pre-selected temperature.) The final two buttons control both the optional timer and temperature settings (digitally). It also includes a remote control that can adjust the temperature settings and fan speed. I haven’t tried the remote, it just it just isn’t very useful for me. I turn the fan on when I put it in the window and off when I remove it. I can’t think of any reason I would want to adjust the speed or temp settings from a distance, although other users may. The remote would be more useful to me if it could control the intake/exhaust selection. For example, if the fan is running on intake and starts to suck in parking lot exhaust or my chain-smoking neighbors’ stink, I’d like to quickly switch to exhaust from the next room. Maybe this feature could be added in future generations.Operation:The Honewell let out a strained buzz the second I turned it on, eliciting grimaces from both my husband and myself. Unfortunately, the buzz continues through all fan speeds. Also, the left-hand fan revs up and down, almost pulsating, when it’s running, which made me nervous. The solvent odor was stirred about the room while the Honeywell was running, and I assume this would fade with time, but I’d rather not live with it at all.The Bionaire motor is silent, and its solid construction prevents any rattles or buzz. All I hear is air moving, and even on the high setting it’s not distracting. In fact, I find the sound soothing. Both fans must run at the same speed at the same time, the only independent adjustment is Intake/Exhaust. When using the temp or timer settings, the fans switch on and off silently with no clicks or beeps to disturb one’s sleep.Air Flow:The Honeywell’s air flow is more restricted, although the rotating front grills do allow you to adjust their direction. Set on Exhaust, even the high speed doesn’t stir the air at the opposite end of a 30’ room, and set on Intake it creates a strong current that I can’t quite aim in a direction that makes it comfortable. Honestly, even if it perfectly circulated the air in my entire home, it wouldn’t be worth living with the noise and smell (and, forgive me, the ugly).I’ve used the Bionaire almost daily for a week now. My living space is 13’ wide by 30’ long, with windows at opposite ends. I can run the Bionaire on medium speed Exhaust at one end of the room, open the windows at the opposite end, and feel a gentle, comfortable air flow moving throughout. I am THRILLED with this. It’s exactly what I was hoping for. Plus, if I happen to be standing near the fan when outside stink starts to come into the room, I can quickly switch to Exhaust mode and within seconds the room smells fresh again. I’m surprised every time at how well this works.Maintenance:One benefit of the Honeywell is that the front grille is removable for cleaning (this explains the second star), where it’s not on the Bionaire. Aside from the remote functions, this is the one thing I would change about the Bionaire if I could. I’m not looking forward to cleaning this thing once our abundant field dust has its way with it. And yet I still wouldn’t trade it for the Honeywell.

Good general features, good performance. Minor gripes

I’ve owned 2 of these fans for ~6 years. Expansion louvers on one recently broke. The second one is starting to make some worn bearing noise. They have been used each year very heavily for 2-3 months. Overall, satisfied, but not impressed, with their longevity.From a performance perspective, these fans are much better than 3 others I’ve used from different brands. Airflow is superior, ability to set air flow direction independently is awesome. You can even rotate the fins to adjust where in the room the air blows. I did find the temperature control nearly useless. I’ve instead used outlet controlled thermostats.

Five Stars

works good

Best fan ever but it is not longer made :(

I have had this fan for over 10 years! It ran mostly during cool summer nights but I also ran it for “white noise” during the winter.

This thing can cool off an apartment in no time and can be …

This fan has lasted me for YEARS and is still going strong. This thing can cool off an apartment in no time and can be set to keep running or to turn off at a certain point.

what a money saver

Super fan works outstanding, really cools condo after sun goes down…

Best fan ever!

I own 2 of these fans and I love them! I bought the first one in 2007. Last year I decided to get another one, but sadly, I had to settle for a Holmes fan which has as much air…

Quiet, powerful, easy to fit in window

I bought this fan 8 years ago and it is still a great fan. Not too loud, easy to put in the window and pretty easy to clean.

Rest In Peace, Enviracaire!

I LOVED this fan. My uncle brought it to my apartment at my college when I was complaining about how hot it was and it was AMAZING.

It ran like a champ all day

Replaced ⁸⁄₂₀₁₁, sadly this model was no longer available, or I would have bought another. It ran like a champ all day, every summer day for 6 years.

Great fan!

I’ve been using this for years now. I bought it in 2009 and it’s run flawlessly every summer since then (I’m writing this at the end of the summer of 2014.