Ideally the perfect small desk fan would cool you down, it wouldn't blow your papers around and it most certainly would not be too noisy to intervene with your thinking, right? Of course, unfortunately the perfect fan isn't as easy to find as you might think! The most important factor of all is noise.
Noise in an office is one of the biggest problems and fans are notoriously noisy.
The best ways to avoid this problem is to search for a fan which has very sturdy construction and a nice base.
Another great tip is to buy a plastic fan.
Plastic fans tend to create a lot less noise than their traditional metal counterparts.
if the protective screening over the fan is metal it has a tenancy to rattle and clank when the fan is turned on.
Space is also an issue for most small offices and small desks.
The key is to find a fan with a small base so the initial amount of surface space used is minimal.
You can purchase a fan which clips to the edge of the desk on one of the sides which will use little no surface space but may not look appropriate depending on your preferences.
These clip-on style fans are also traditional plastic and give off very little noise.
Strength will be a key factor since the whole idea of a fan is to cool you off.
If the fan is too weak it will not do its job and therefore it is important to choose the proper fan.
It would be advisable to stay away from battery operated fans since they are traditionally weak and poor for cooling.