Just made an Ikea trip today and noticed something I think you guys might find interesting (even though it may not be very new). In the warehouse section there are these huge overhead fans. They look like some crazy propeller for a bomber or something.
Those massive air-movers have a name: Big Ass Fans (appallingly appropriate), and the one you see before you is the gargantuan Powerfoil X ($3,000+) in its Plus variation.
The Powerfoil X is a properly engorged air-mover with a wingspan that measures anywhere from 8 to 24 feet. Not just a, well, big ass fan, the Powerfoil X is properly modern. It comes outfitted with an advanced digital control wall panel, patented airfoil and winglet, NitroSeal custom gearbox with helical gears and lifetime synthetic lubricants, and optional lights, detectors, or even security camera (eye in the sky).
I was wondering if there are any benefits to having this type of fan installed over other smaller industrial options, anyone know?
Also thought it would be interesting to hear some of your favorite Ikea pieces. I was impressed with the kivik (Products - IKEA) line of couches and the Snille (Products - IKEA) chair. Also the prices of kitchen ware were amazingly low.
Small industrial shops can enjoy the same benefits from a Big Ass Fan that large warehouses like the one above enjoy. We have smaller (8ft. - 10ft.) and lighter (100lbs) fans that are perfect for small industrial applications. Learn more about our smaller fans at ISIS Support - Big Ass Fans®.
They installed a few of the smaller version in our warehouse a few months ago. What is nice is that due to the scale, they move an enormous amount of air at a relatively slow rpm. This means that they run silently while still moving a ton of air. It is much better than all the 32" industrial fans that sound like a propeller plane.
Welcome to the Core77 Big Ass… somehow that just doesn’t sound right, but it is your company name.
Core encourages discussion about how things are designed, as much, or maybe more, than what is designed. So how about a little story to go along with your shameless first-post plug!
Who are you guys? Who are your engineers and designers? How do you flesh out products like these? Who had the cojones to name you company BAF? Great website, who drives your graphic presentation?
As I said,
any company that invites open criticism of their products and management > on their own website > has some big ass huevos.
not to mention a great company culture. Fill us in. Please.
Thanks for the warm welcome. I’ll attempt to answer your questions.
Problem solving is at the core of what we do. We listen to our customers, as well as try to anticipate their needs. This, and an awareness of design trends, is the driving force for all of our product design and development. Our team of 21 engineers and designers take suggested product ideas and improvements, evaluate their worth using computer models and CFD testing, then develop the most effective and visually pleasing way to integrate the idea into a new or existing product. Our R and D test lab serves as the proving ground for all products before they are made available to the customer.
As for our name, that came from our customers as well. We started in 1999 as the HVLS fan company. However, our customers kept calling us “the company that makes those big-ass fans”. The name made sense to us so we changed it. This new name has since set the tone for our company and culture. We play hard and work harder.
Again, we are always listening to our customers. We regularly poll visitors to our website looking for ways to improve their interaction with us. Our customers are full of ideas. We take the ones that make the most sense and do them. Our marketing team, consisting of creatives of every persuasion, drives all interaction with our brand fans and customers, whether online or in print.
That’s us. We’re Big Ass Fans and we live and breathe fans.
As a former lighting designer, I hate fans with spot lights on them. Spot lights are designed to highlight something, not illuminate a whole room. I rent and have one in my kitchen. We’ve ended up putting a spot on a blank spot of the wall and the refrigerator. Wow.
I just joined a new gym (FFC in the west loop of Chicago) and I looked up and what did I see, that same enormous fan from Ikea. Looks great in a big space like that.
I love going into an old bar and seeing all the ceiling fans running off a big belt drive. This one is from the stockyards in Kansas City.
