New York’s Hottest Club Is…This Handheld Mini Fan

Over the weekend, I noticed that all of the hippest folks out and about in Brooklyn seemed to have one thing in common: They were holding handheld miniature fans, which are simultaneously the hottest and coolest accessory of summer. In fact, my own twin sister was influenced to buy one — and she is quite the discerning consumer, not easily swayed by hype.

"I bought my mini fan because my coworker had one, and she let me give it a try — I was sold right away," Brooklyn-based fashion designer (and aforementioned twin) Sarah Hoshikawa tells me. "We always talk about how gross we get commuting into the office, waiting for the train in the subway stations." Solution: a compact, tote-friendly fan that generates a powerful breeze whenever you need it — and with scorching temps across the board, the need is real. "I used it every time I went out during the heat wave this week, and it literally saved me from being covered in sweat while being outside."

In addition to being sleek and lightweight, this Amazon find is easily the most powerful one for how compact it is. It even came with a non-hideous rechargeable dock that my sister plugged in next to her nightstand. "I really like this fan and I’m going to purchase more," shares one reviewer. "I like that I can charge it instead of worrying about batteries and it has three settings [that] are actually powerful."

However, if you've got places to go and people to see, the viral (as in, 23,000 reviews viral) Jisulife handheld fan (which doubles as a phone charger bank and flashlight) might be more your speed. "I can't say enough [good things] about this fan," writes one Amazon reviewer of Jisulife's device. "I live in Florida, and spend a lot of time outdoors and at Disney. I'm a polar bear — always hot. I've bought a lot of different kinds of little fans, and this one outshines them all. It's quiet, powerful, and the battery lasts all day. For the price, you honestly can't beat it — and trust me. I've tried them all."

As with other red-hot products, Amazon has seemingly endless pages of results if you search "mini portable fan" on the site. However, with two extremely well-reviewed options (both clocking in at under $20, might we add), we hope you'll join us in riding out the remainder of the summer cool as a cucumber.