Dreo Pilot Max review

One minute review

The Dreo Pilot Max is a powerful oscillating tower fan that offers users a variety of speeds, modes and oscillation degrees to adapt to different preferences. This fan has been designed to offer extreme cooling as quietly as possible. Its minimal footprint is also a draw: it stands tall at 42 inches / 107 cm but takes up barely any floor space. 

Australian-based brand Dreo is best known for its tower fans. Released in 2022, the Dreo Pilot Max Tower Fan is the brand's latest model, improving upon its predecessor in a number of areas. It follows the Dreo Pilot Pro, which delivered nine speeds versus the Max’s 12 speeds, and 90-degree oscillation versus the Max’s 120 degrees.

The Dreo Pilot Max arrives with the brand’s all-new brushless DC motor, which can operate as quietly as 25db. The fan is also designed to adapt its fan speed to the ambient temperature through its Auto mode, but users can customize to their heart's content via Dreo’s user-friendly app, a remote control or via the controls on the fan itself. A stand-out feature of the Max is the fan’s ability to record the room’s current temperature and adapt its settings to achieve an ideal temperature.

The fan’s multiple speeds and degrees of oscillation will reach different areas of a large room and promise to cool you down, no matter where you’re sitting. When cooking in a kitchen, the fan successfully circulated the air to prevent that space from overheating. 

The Dreo Pilot Max is best suited for individuals and families looking for a powerful fan that will suit a variety of cooling preferences, with its adaptability and remote/app control options making it simple to operate. As someone who grew up with basic table and pedestal fans, I appreciated not having to move the Dreo Pilot Max around the room to cool different areas based on the time of day and activity. 

Dreo Pilot Max Tower Fan price and availability

• List price: $129.99 
• Available in a variety of stores

The Dreo Pilot Max costs $129.99 and is widely available from various stores including Amazon, Walmart and the Dreo website in the US. It’s not currently available in the UK or Australia.

While this fan is expensive when compared to other tower fans on the market, the features make it worth the money. Offering 12 speeds, four modes, four oscillation degrees, a silent motor, ambient intelligence and app capabilities, it’s a step ahead of its competitors. 

Price and availability score: 5/5

Dreo Pilot Max Tower Fan design

• Stands tall at 42 inches (107 centimeters)
• Easy-to-use LED display, remote control and app
• Elegant and sleek design 

The Dreo Pilot Max 120° Oscillating Tower Fan boasts a simple but elegant design and arrives in just one color: classic silver. The cylindrical-shaped unit stands tall at 42 inches, but takes up a minimal amount of floorspace in a room. The circular base has an area of 113 inches (287cm) and the fan's dimensions are 11.81 x 11.81 x 36.22 inches (30 x 30 x 92cm).

It’s super-easy to set up using the Quick Start Guide, but there is a more detailed user manual available in the box, if you need it. Also in the box you’ll find two base halves, the fan, the remote control and the power adapter. Tools won’t be necessary for setup: simply put together the two base halves using the insertable pegs and slots. Once you slot the fan onto the base, securely screw in place with a nut. 

The Dreo fan features 12-speed settings and four modes. The modes include Normal, Natural, Sleep and Auto. The oscillation angle can be set to 30/60/90/120 degrees, but it can be changed only through the app. Other settings include a timer from 1 to 12 hours that will turn off the fan automatically depending on the time set, and a mute button to turn on/off remote-control sounds. 

Tower fans in general are designed to be less noisy, using their taller composition to distribute the maximum amount of air. Comparatively, pedestal fans may be more powerful but tend to take up more floor space. 

Design score: 4.5/5

Dreo Pilot Max Tower Fan performance

• A variety of working modes for different preferences
• Powerful but silent fan
• Easy to move around if needed

The Dreo Pilot Max is extremely easy to use, and you won’t have to take advantage of all its features to notice a significant improvement in air circulation and temperature when it’s on. The Quick Start Guide is helpful for initial setup, but thereafter, the basic features are intuitive. The control panel at the top of the fan has six clearly labeled options with easy-to-understand symbols. As you choose your options, the LED panel lights up and displays the chosen mode and speed of the fan. It also shows if it's connected to the Wi-Fi and if the buttons are muted. At night, the LED display will go into Dark mode to not disturb your sleep. 

To fully take advantage of all the fan has to offer, I recommend reading the manual. The most hands-off mode is Auto, where the fan speed adapts to the ambient temperature. It’s a great option for those users who simply want to turn on the fan and be done with it. In Normal mode, the fan will run at a constant speed. Natural mode will see the Dreo fan run at alternating speeds, mimicking a natural breeze. Finally, Sleep mode is the most intricate, with the fan speed decreasing every 30 minutes until it reaches level three, two or one, where it will remain constant for the rest of the night. 

To test the fan, I placed it in two different rooms with different uses. My studio apartment has one large single room that’s both a bedroom and living space. As such, having a fan that can reach every corner without having to be moved is key to my and my partner’s comfort. Depending on how far away I was from the fan, I’d adjust the speeds and modes to make it as efficient as possible. Since the fan can reach up to 120 degrees of oscillation, my partner and I could enjoy the cooling capabilities of the Dreo Pilot Max, even if we were on opposite sides of the room. For general living purposes, the Natural mode proved best, since the alternating speeds and low noise meant that you could forget that the fan was in the room. The cooling felt natural, as if a breeze was passing through an open window.

In my kitchen, space is limited, and the area tends to heat up significantly when the oven or the stovetop is in use. But the Dreo Pilot Max came to the rescue. As soon as I started cooking, I turned it on in Normal mode, for a steady speed. In terms of oscillation, I set the fan to 60 degrees, which was appropriate for the size of the kitchen. Cooking in these new conditions was infinitely more pleasant; plus, cooling also prevented the warm air in the kitchen from escaping into the main living area – a regular occurrence prior to using the Dreo Pilot Max. At the highest speed level, the fan still operated silently, with noise never topping more than 48dB.

The handle at the top of the Dreo Pilot Max is great for easily moving the fan from one location to another. In addition, its 9lbs (4kg) weight allows it to be moved with almost no effort.

Performance score: 5/5

Dreo Pilot Max Tower Fan app

• Easy download and set-up
• Can connect to Alexa and Google Home
• Extra features aren’t included on the physical fan

The Dreo app is easy to navigate, and users can connect to their Dreo Pilot Max as well as other Dreo app-supported appliances. Once downloaded, I simply had to sign up and press the oscillation button on the fan for five seconds to start the network setting and device pairing.

On opening the app, you’ll see an image of the Dreo Pilot Max; you simply swipe up to access the settings. Here, you’ll see the current room temperature, with an option to change the mode, change or stop oscillation, speed level, set a timer, and turn the fan on or off. The remote and control panel allow the same functionality, except the ability to view the current room temperature and change the degree of oscillation. 

App score: 5/5

Dreo Pilot Max Tower Fan score card

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• First reviewed: September 2022