I took Shark’s ChillPill fan on holiday in 30°C heat and now I won’t travel without it (aff)

Portable fans have always felt a bit hit and miss to me. The ones I have used have underwhelmed me, they felt underpowered, didn’t refresh me as I hoped and ultimately ended up sitting forgotten at the bottom of a bag after one use.

But, when the Shark ChillPill was released earlier this year, I was keen to try one from a widely appreciated household name.

Let’s be honest, apart from the odd day or two, the weather in the UK hasn’t exactly been warm enough for someone to need a handheld fan yet. So, I decided to put the Shark ChillPill to the test during a recent week-long holiday to Crete, Greece, where temperatures were around 30 degrees every day.

After seven days of frequent use, I can say that the Shark ChillPill felt like a genuine upgrade from any of the personal fans I’d used before. It became one of those products I didn’t leave my hotel room without, whether I was simply relaxing by the pool for the day or going out on an excursion for the day.

The thing that stood out to me is this isn’t a standard handheld fan. It combines a fan, a misting feature and an InstaChill cooling plate in one compact device, giving you a few different ways to cool down.

Shark says it can be used indoors and outdoors, and can provide up to 11 hours of runtime on lower settings. Personally, I found the battery life lasted just fine throughout the day, but I still charged it every evening to ensure that there was maximum power available for the day simply because I knew I wouldn’t have access to a charge point easily.

I rarely found I had to use the fan at its full power of 10, and often used it somewhere between 5 and 7 - but I know I speak as a person who prefers to be warmer rather than cooler so others may prefer to have it on full blast. This wasn’t needed, however, to feel the effects and benefits from my point of view.

The cooling plate was probably the biggest surprise for me because it actually felt noticeably cold against my skin, especially around my neck or wrists, even when it has had been buried in my bag all day. It gave me that quick blast of relief that I needed at times, for example when I was in a tight crowd of other tourists during excurisions and didn’t want to activate my fan at that time. Shark says the cooling plate can reduce skin temperature by up to 9°C on contact and I could definitely feel the difference.

The misting feature is another nice addition. Rather than spraying heavy droplets everywhere, it created a finer mist that felt refreshing without leaving my face or body wet. It reminded me of the large misting fans you sometimes come across abroad outside cafes which provide a very welcoming cooling sensation. But, this one is personal just for you and you can have it whenever you want it.

What I liked most is that the Shark ChillPill like a premium gadget that’s built to last year-after-year rather than an impulse last-minute buy that might only get you through one holiday. The design looks sleek, the controls are simple and it’s easy to carry around with you, but it still feels robust.

The only slight drawback I found was that the fan could be a little noisy, especially on the higher settings. It was distracting at times, and I found it drowned out the sound of music I was listening to, for example, but I suppose this is the compromise you must make for high power.

One thing I did find to be slightly disappointing was that the Shark ChillPill doesn’t come with a travel bag. It comes with a pouch to hold the two attachments that are not currently in use and the charge cable, but there’s no bag actually big enough for the fan included. Instead, you can purchase one separately. I do think that an item at this price point (£129.99) which is designed for transportation should come with a travel bag included as I do think it’s necessary not just a nice little addition. However, given the quality of the product I wouldn’t let it put you off buying the Shark ChillPill, it’s just something to be aware of.

If you’re going away soon, or you regularly struggle through hot commutes, summer travel days or those surprisingly warm UK bank holiday weekends, the Shark ChillPill is one of those gadgets that actually earns space in your bag.

And, with a humid bank holiday weekend and festival season ahead, this will also make sitting in busy beer gardens or packed outdoor events suddenly feels a lot more manageable too.

Shop it here direct from Shark. Or buy here on Amazon.

* Please note that delivery charges may apply.