What's the best supersize case fan?

Akasa 180mm and 220mm Fan Reviews

Akasa AK-F1825SM-CB

UK price (as reviewed): £8.04 (inc VAT)
US price (as reviewed): NA

Although the Akasa AK-F1825SM-CB is a 180mm fan, it can also be attached to a 140mm fan mount if there’s sufficient clearance for the fan’s huge frame. The frame and blades are made from transparent plastic illuminated by a cluster of blue LEDs around the motor. Unfortunately, the plastic is incredibly thin and flimsy. This means that the blades and frame flex out of alignment with alarming ease.

Although this means that the AK-F1825SM-CB only costs £8.04, the use of such cheap materials is a false economy. The sleeve bearing-equipped motor spins the blades at just 600rpm, which Akasa claims will produce 51.86cfm at 15dBA.

However, although the fan was quiet, raising the sound pressure in the listening room to just 23.4dBA, its pathetic static air pressure meant that it failed to inflate the black sack. This means that it has an effective airflow of 6cfm or less. The AK-F1825SM-CB is pathetically underpowered and made from poor-quality materials, so you’d be better off wafting air over your PC with a sheet of paper than buying this fan.

Akasa AK-F2230SM-CB

UK price (at time of review): £8.02 (inc VAT)
US price (at time of review): NA

The AK-F2230SM-CB is the largest fan in Akasa’s line-up with a notional size of 220mm – too large to fit in most cases except in the side panel. Unfortunately, it’s constructed from the same flimsy transparent plastic as the AK-F1825SM-CB above, so it suffers from the same flexing and distorting. It also features several blue LEDs, which are all too easily pushed out of alignment, so that they smack into the fan every time the blades pass.

Like the AK-F1825SM-CB, the AK-F2230SM-CB has a cheap sleeve bearing motor and spins at just 600rpm. Akasa makes the laughable claim that it should produce 95.63cfm at 23dBA. In our tests, it moved 43cfm and only emitted 28.5dBA, but its airflow is nearly half of what Akasa claims it should be, no doubt due to its low static pressure. As with the fan above, Akasa has produced a supersize fan that isn’t worth buying.

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