Portable air conditioning for the summer heatwave, does it work?

Trying to keep comfortable and cool in the searing summer heat is a priority as temperatures soar and many countries suffer from heat waves.

A new fad of "personal air conditioning" looks set to cash in, but is it any good?

I tested three tiers of product and compared the results.

The most expensive model I tested was a "cold compress and neck cooling fan" coming in at $50.

This model boasted rapid cooling twin semi conductors, a high power - low noise fan and long battery life. 

Battery life on this model with it set to medium fan speed and medium cooling is around 15 hours from a full charge. While aesthetically it looks the best of the three and has a quality 'weight' about it; it is in fact the worst performing and most useless in terms of practical design. 

Firstly, the most expensive components, the semiconductors are positioned in an odd place, they don't really come close enough to the skin to cool anything and no airflow seems to be directed past them. Perhaps if you have an incredibly fat/thick neck or chins, this might be a game changer. 

There is an LED display on the back of the device that shows the ambient and target temperature... In Fahrenheit.

This could be useful if you are being followed very closely by an American, but for the rest of the world, not much use and not something you'd ever need to look at.

It's not like setting a thermostat in a room, you're either too hot, or comfortable.

Lastly the airflow/fan of this model was again victim to it's design. The air is designed to be pushed up the back of the head, but unless you're walking around constantly looking at the heavens it's not going to hit it's mark. You need it on full power to feel anything and 80% of the airflow is simply blowing into thin air (or cooling the eyes of anyone trying to read the temperature display). Not to mention that, despite the claims, the full strength fan is deafening. 

Overall this model looks the best, pretty stylish, looks quality and with some 'razer' like LED lighting to show people around you what fan strength setting you're using.

For actually cooling you down this was a non starter, it's marginally better than nothing, but you'll ultimately probably just feel hotter carrying it around your neck. 

Next up, the mid priced model at $20.

This felt noticably cheaper in terms of construction and was also slightly bulkier.

It protruded a little further forward than the more expensive model, while this made it a tad more cumbersome, it did also allow for better cooling.

Battery life was still a decent 10 hours via it's USB C charging.

The fan was noticably stronger in this model and about the same volume as the more expensive version, so in effect you're getting a lot more airflow to noise ratio.

This model still manages to incorporate a single semiconductor cooling plate; positioned at the nape of the neck it's far more effective than the larger twin semiconductors of the previous model.

This mid tier unit was definitely the best of the three. It's very basic and doesn't look or feel as stylish as the pricier version but it's far more efficient and effecting at providing wearble heat relief.

Lastly at just under $10, we have the cheapest option.

Packaged as a bladeless neck fan, this cheap plasticy model most certainly does have blades.

It looks hideous with it's gold colored patchy plastic trim and it feels more like a child's toy than an effective cooling solution.

Of the three this definitely feels like a disposable option.

A 9000mAh battery boasts a running time of 20 hours on it's lowest setting. But you have to wonder how many charges you'll get out of it before it breaks.

The fans are decent enough and design placement offers good airflow to the face. However the plastic blades inside clatter and rattle incessantly against their fixtures and housings. Reminiscent of those old AC units you used to see wedged in the windows of NewYork apartments in old 70s movies.

Wether it breaks before you lose your sanity is up for debate, but it still provided better cooling than the $50 version.

So there were have it. None of these are really 'portable air conditioning' in the way we know air conditioning. There's no treatment of air, removal of moisture or condensing going on. But this should be already relatively obvious given they are designed to be worn outside.

They are essentially hands free fans that provide some respite in the same way as a dog receives by sticking it's head out the car window. The semiconductors do make a difference and really add to the overall comfort and cooling sensation but they need to be in contact with the skin.

There are so many different designs out there with a wildly fluctuating range of price, quality and effectiveness for these nascent products. Choose carefully, temper your expectations and above all choose function over fashion.