Bionaire Remote Twin Window Fan BW2100R-U | 
| Brand: Bionaire
Category: Kitchen
List Price: $64.99
Buy New: $49.95
as of 3/15/2010 00:40 CDT details
You Save: $15.04 (23%)
New (3) Used (1) from $49.95
Seller: Hammacher Schlemmer
Rating:  10 reviews
Sales Rank: 9405
Color: Gray
Shipping Weight (lbs): 8.6
Dimensions (in): 6.3 x 25.5 x 14
Model: BW2100R-U
UPC: 048894556777
EAN: 0048894556777
ASIN: B0015GME8E
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Remote Control for Convenient Operation | | • | Digital Thermostat Display | | • | Electrically Reversible Air Flow Control | | • | Air Intake, Exhaust, or Exchange, Multi speed settings | | • | Air Intake, Exhaust, or Exchange |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The Bionaire Twin Window Fan with Electronic Thermostat is designed and safe for use in a window. In addition to the elegant design of the fan, it also comes with twin 9" blades, an electronic thermostat, multiple speed settings, electrically reversible motors, built in extender screen, and a bonus extender panel. The electronic thermostat allows you to set your desired comfort level and the fan will automatically cycle on or off to maintain the set temperature. This product is ideal for bedroom and living room use.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
 Bionaire / Honeywell comparison July 5, 2009
6sensesfeeling5 (San Francisco, CA USA)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
I needed two window fans, and couldn't decide between this one and the Honeywell HW-628 Honeywell HW-628 Enviracaire Twin Window Fan 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:
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.
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.
Operation:
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.
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.
Air Flow:
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.
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).
Maintenance:
One benefit of the Honeywell is that the front grille is removable for cleaning, 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.
comparison w/Holmes HAWF3095 June 29, 2009
i.c. (Santa Monica, CA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I have had this fan for ~2 years with no problems. I had the older Bionaire model before that (BW2300), which also worked well for ~4 years. I am writing this review because I went to buy another Bionaire (for another window) and found the Holmes HAWF3095, which looks almost identical to the Bionaire BW2100, except that it does not have a remote and is $20 cheaper. I brought both home to do a comparison. After reading the reviews and seeing for myself, I agree with others that the Holmes fan is slightly noisier and less powerful (strange combination). The Holmes also feels somewhat cheaper in construction (the plastic buttons). In the end I decided to keep the new Bionaire and return the Holmes. I think the Holmes would probably work fine, but it does not feel as well made as the Bionaire so I decided to go with the safe bet.
Remote Window Fan January 27, 2010
A. Cooper (Cresson, PA USA)
This is a great product! Both my husband and I are smokers and we use this fan in the kitchen window to take the smoke out of the house. We had another Bionaire for about 4-5 years and finally one of the twin fans quit working so we purchased this one. Because the price had increased since our last purchase, I checked out other window fans but the Bionaire was the only one that had a remote and I remembered the old saying - "you get what you pay for," and we were very happy with our original Bionaire Remote Twin Window Fan, so we purchased this one and it lives up to our expectations. The only drawback is that it cannot be taken apart to clean the blades, but other than that, it's quiet and efficient.
Rock Solid Dependability. Non-Removable Grills A Downside December 10, 2008
Avid Reviewer (San Jose, CA)
35 out of 35 found this review helpful
I've had this fan for over 5 years. It has been a workhorse for cooling my room, especially in the summer months. The remote is a very nice touch and I find myself using it more than the controls on the fan itself. The unit has performed its function beautifully through the years, but it does have some drawbacks. Here's a detailed assessment:
Features
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- Thermostat: Turns off the fan after a preset temperature is reached.
- Timer: Turns off the fan after a preset time.
- 3 Speeds: Low, Medium, High.
- Airflow Direction: The direction of airflow of each of the two fans is Independently adjustable (intake or exhaust).
- Remote Control: Controls everything but the airflow direction.
Pros
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- Remote control control convenience.
- Good Looks
The fan looks well-built and elegant and will blend in with any décor.
- Extremely Durable
Like I've already mentioned, I've had mine for over 5 years - and it's still going strong. I leave it on 24/7 during the summer months and at least half the day the rest of the year except winter. That it has held up to years of rigorous use is a testament to its durability.
- Function
The twin fans effectively move air in/out to cool a room fairly quickly. Depending on the indoor and outdoor temperature difference, the unit can take anywhere from 15 minutes to half an hour to almost completely equalize indoor and outdoor temperatures.
Cons
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- Non Removable Grills
This is a very big drawback for me. The Grills are not removable for cleaning and there's no way to open the fan even with all the screws removed. The two halves of the unit are permanently joined at one end so that there's no way to separate them without doing some serious damage to the casing. The fan blades on my unit are caked in dust, but I'm unable to open up the fan to clean them.
- Inaccurate Thermometer
I'm not sure if the thermometer is an indicator for outdoor or indoor temperature but it always shows a reading that's somewhere between indoor and outdoor temperatures.
- Cumbersome Speed Change
The speed modes are: 1) Low, 2) Medium, 3) High, 4) Low at preset thermostat temperature, 5) Medium at preset thermostat temperature, 6) high at preset thermostat temperature. If I want to change from say mode 2 to mode 1, I would have to press the mode button 5 times to cycle through modes 3, 4, 5, 6, and finally 1.
- Remote control does not control the airflow direction (but everything else).
Other Models
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Here are some suggestions for other models you might want to look into:
1) Bionaire also makes the Bionaire BW2300, another model of a twin window fan that's comparable to this model but its remote control allows you to change the direction of the airflow. The product description doesn't mention if the grills on this unit are removable.
The next two models do have removable grills but no remote controls:
2) Holmes HAWF2026U
3) Honeywell HW-628
Conclusion
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The lack of removable grills on this fan is a huge downside, which prevents me from rating it 5-stars. It probably wouldn't be a problem if you're looking to replace the unit every year or so, in which case, this window fan will be the perfect choice.
There you have it. Whichever fan you decide on, the above are some considerations you might want to take into account before making a purchase decision.
Performs as advertised November 9, 2008
MC Sombra (USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This product performed as advertised (about 30 days now). Because of the climate where I live, it is on daily. I'm not sure the temperature gauge for auto on/off is exactly what the digital read says, but after about 3 days of monitoring it and adjusting it a couple of degrees this way or that way, it does automatically turn on the fan when you need it and don't need it. Bottom line: I am perfectly content with this fan and in a year or two will buy another one exactly like it to replace it.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 10
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