Review on 💨 HOLMES Heritage 4-Inch Mini USB Desk Fan in Brushed Copper Finish by Brandon Plowden

I replaced an old Hunter retro fan that was forgotten when moving house with this one - I liked this Hunter fan but its rotary motor has long since broken and in recent reviews indicated that the quality of the newly produced units had continued to deteriorate. So I bought this one instead, and while it's not bad, I miss my old Hunter even more. The Holmes fan looks good - it's not as dark as the photos, it's just a standard pewter colour. The entire outer casing and the visible mechanism are made of metal; There is no painted plastic here (except for the rotary and power buttons). It was pretty easy to assemble, although there is a bolt right on the main motor rod that's pretty hard to get to. I use this specifically for sleeping - I can't sleep without a fan - so I like something with a pleasant but definitely "whistling" sound. I'm not looking for complete silence. This fan is a bit louder than my Hunter at any power level, but it definitely sounds good. It has a slight rumble from the fan blades combined with a thumping sound and definitely pushes out some air even on the lowest settings. This is great if you want the fan to be used like a real fan, but some people may find it too big to sleep on. But not me - I like the palpable sound of passing air. If it stayed that way, I would love this fan. The problem is that after about 4-6 weeks of nightly use it started to have an odd rumble or rattle (it's either a high pitched hum or a low pitched thump) that I hear beneath the buzz and whistles that otherwise sound so nice . . It's not that obvious and I can usually ignore it, but now it's definitely there all the time. I think it's the engine. Also, when I first turn on the fan before it gains speed, I can sometimes hear a "psst" as it starts running, like something is rubbing against something in the engine. It's definitely not something I can adjust or fix from the outside. I also tried moving the fan head around and up and down; it doesn't change the rattling noise. So we'll see how things develop and I'll update this review if things get worse. I use my fan more than most people because it runs 8 hours a day, every day. Still, I find that the fan should last for more than a month or two before it starts whistling or making other annoying noises. If it weren't for that, then it's a really cool fan. And it certainly serves its primary purpose of moving air efficiently.