The Mistral USB Ventilator from Boynq is yet another genius invention. Home cooling units have always been helpful, especially in the heat. Have you ever been to an intense LAN party and sweated like a pig because you couldn’t get cool? Now you can pop in a suave-looking USB fan and cool yourself with your own unit! Eliminates the need for those special orange clip-on personal fans..
The Mistral is the ideal USB fan for your notebook. Different from other USB fans, ths Mistral has a special gear system, designed to keep the inside of the blade holder still while the fan blades rotate. Behind the transparent centre part there is an LED light that lights up automatically.
The Mistral has gained fame as it is the best USB fan in the market; it has the biggest and best motor of all (10,000 rotations per minute) and it will definately keep you cool!
Here’s some fancy specs from Boynq:
- high speed fan (10k rpm)
- USB powered, no AC adapter required
- Safe to use with soft neoprene blades
- Flexible wire, 30cm
- Easy to operate on/off switch
- Illuminated stationary center
The Mistral fan is similar in many ways to the D’light. Both are small, compact, have an on/off switch, provide some kind of illumination, and have a flexible wire. In comparison, it could be argued that the fan is more useful than the light. Cooling yourself off is more important than being able to see your keyboard.
The Mistral has a silver wire with a white body and white USB plug. The part of the fan connected to the rotating blades is silver, and the center of the blades has a small light that says “boynq” across the surface. Apparently white is the “femme” model, because the Mistral is also available in black. Both look very sleek; and I would say either color is unisex.
The Mistral is very easy to use. Plug it in, turn it on, and it’s ready to go. Compared to my tacky clip-on fan, the Mistral runs at least twenty-five percent faster and has the added advantage that it is attached to a flexible wire. I’m not sure what the purpose of the light in the middle is for, perhaps so that if you’re using it in the dark (like a LAN?) you don’t stick your hair in it by accident.
The on/off switch is handy, but presents the same problem as the on/off switch on the D’light. Basically, if you have fat fingers, you’re screwed. The switch is so tiny that it’s hard to not break it off unless you’re five years old. A minor problem, but one worthy of noting.
The blades are child and pet friendly, so if someone sticks a finger or tail into the fan, the blades will only slap the offending appendage. Just don’t try hair…or tongues… ouch.
I’m not sure that the fan is worth buying. Although it is a neat gadget, its uses are limited. It needs a USB port, so your only option is using it with a computer. The fan is also small so it doesn’t provide air flow to the rest of your body, like, say, your sweaty armpits or feet. Home uses are limited, since it’s just easier to turn on a box fan that cools down a room for around the same price. The only use I can think of that wouldn’t be excruciatingly nerdy would be at a LAN party, where half of the people don’t usually wear deodorant anyway. It could be a “scent distributor”, for better or for worse (wink).
The Mistral fan is sleek and compact, but its uses are limited. It would be a great gift idea for the gadget lover in your family, or for yourself if you think it would be worth it.
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