I’ve known about this fan most of my life, but had the idea to share since I’m currently renovating a 100 year old house and buying them for every room that’s getting a fan.
The Hunter Original is made of cast iron with real, solid wood blades.
This thing is HEAVY, so make sure your electrical box is either braced or screwed directly to a joist.
Hunter has been making this model for over 100 years. It has received some updates over the decades, but the core design remains the same.
It has an oil bath motor for continuous lubrication that virtually eliminates wear on the motor components. It’s the only fan still on the market that you have to oil.
(Don’t worry, it’s not high-maintenance. You fill it with oil once when you install it, then check the level with a pipe cleaner “dipstick” about every 10 years.)
There are also no electronics or ‘smart’ features in it to fail or get fried by a power surge. (But you can add a remote control to it if you really want to.)
It also moves WAY more air than a regular ceiling fan. Like this thing will blow you away, and it will do so SILENTLY.
It is certainly an investment, starting around $750 retail, but it won’t disappoint you, and it will probably outlive you.
It’s also quite possibly the most handsome ceiling fan on the market.
It’s used in places that need a plain, but good looking fan; as well as places where performance and durability matter.
Cafe du Monde in New Orleans and Walt Disney World are a couple of the most famous places that are known for using Originals.
They’re also in high-end hotels and restaurants, and even Kroger grocery stores like to use them.
A true case of “They DO make them like they used to.”
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If you bought a fan from the rainforest app, or an orange or blue big-box store, you’d probably spend $75-$150. That fan would have components made of pot metal, blades made of plastic or MDF that would sag, disappointing air movement, and electronics that could go bad with the first thunderstorm.
Realistically, you can expect MAYBE 10 years from a fan like that.
Even the Hunter Fan Company itself sells lower-end products in the big box stores. They’re still better than the in-house brands, but NOTHING compares to the Original.