After complaining for many years about the breakfast area of my house being particularly hot, I finally got a ceiling fan installed.  Actually, I had two fans installed - the first one had a 42" blade and lasted about 10 minutes before I decided it simply wasn't going to do the job.  So that one came down and one quick trip to Home Depot later, we ended up with the 52" AC414-WH from Hampton Bay. 

What does it look like?

This is a beautiful fan with a very pretty light kit.  The five 52" blades can be set so their white side shows, or flipped so their light tan side shows.  The irons (the assemblies that hold the blades in place) are very attractive.  They're white, and form almost a triangle with the long side across the blade and the triangle's point heading into the fan's motor.  The light kit is a single frosted dome with an etched design.  It hides two light bulbs.  I much prefer this design to the kind with three of four individual lights, which typically have their bulbs set inside little cups with their ends exposed.  That type of light causes a glare when you look up, whereas a dome completely covers the bulbs and shields your eyes.  Two pull chains hang from the center.  Included with this fan are two tear drop shaped pulls. One is labeled with a fan, the other with a light bulb.  Very convenient as it's typically a challenge to figure out which chain controls the fan and which controls the light.   The fan comes with two different sized drop poles so you can hang it a just few inches below the ceiling, or drop it another foot or so.  Everything on this fan is white, including the pull chains, except for the flip side of the blades.  The blades, the irons, and the motor housing are in a matte finish.  I prefer this look to a high gloss which could cause glare.

The assembled dimensions are 52" wide and 23" tall.  According to the manufacturer, it weighs 22 lb.

So, the fan is very pretty, but how does it work?

It works perfectly!  With three speeds, it's easy to find the one that suits my needs.  Like most fans, the first setting is "high", the second setting is "medium" and the third is "low".  I typically start out at high, then lower it down to medium after I've cooled off a bit.  On "high", there is a definite breeze, and papers on the kitchen table might be blown away.  On medium, you can definitely still feel a breeze, but it's much gentler, and nothing on my table blows.  Low is really low, and doesn't do a whole lot for me.  I rarely use it.  But on medium or high, this fan provides a definite breeze, and helps cool the kitchen when I'm cooking.

This fan is whisper-quiet, and there is no wobble at all.

The two 60-watt light bulbs provide a decent amount of light.  There's also a forward/reverse switch that controls which direction the blades spin, but I always use it on forward. 

I don't use the pull chains at all.  In fact, I have them cut quite short, so they're pretty high up, out of the way.  Instead, I bought a separate remote control.  Besides controlling the light and fan easily, with the touch of a button, the remote provides dimming capability for the light.  If you're planning to use a fan with a light kit, but you don't always want full brightness, I suggest buying a remote control with a dimmer. 

Installation was a snap.  Well, it was a snap for my electrician.  If you already have a fan-compatible box installed in your ceiling, then installing a ceiling fan isn't very difficult.  Assembling the blades to the motor is usually pretty easy, and hanging it is a matter of twisting wires together and installing a couple screws.  My husband and I have worked together and managed to get it done, several times.  But if you don't already have a fan-compatible box, then the task becomes that much more difficult as you have to first install such a box.  That's about the time I call an electrician. I know when a task is over my head! 

If you're looking for a ceiling fan, I would definitely suggest getting the largest blade size you can fit in the area.  The difference, in air flow, between a 42" blade and a 52" blade is tremendous. (Note: the size refers to the fan's assembled width, not the actual blade.  Think "wing span" when you figure out what size you need). 

I'm thrilled with this fan.  It's a very attractive addition to my breakfast area, and it definitely helps keep me, and my kitchen, cool. 

This is a cheap, basic remote control that could be used with this fan.

This is a more expensive, fancier remote control that does a lot more tricks.

Recommended: Yes