****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
Love the style, efficiency of blades. I had it professionally installed and it installation was quick and without problem. Highly recommend this fan. I do not rely on the power of the light for illumination. This is not a bright light fixture.The fan in our formal dining room was starting to fall apart, and the previous owner installed the cheapest crap he could buy at Menards when he was redoing the old farm house we live in, so getting this Casablanca was a breath of fresh air (literally) because it is such high quality. High quality aside there are definitely some issues.First off installation was not as smooth and easy as expected mostly because of the canopy and the bracket under it. It has a triangular cut out in it to match the triangular end on the down rod but it was just a bit off and the canopy interfered with the triangular ball on the down rod. Still, this was overcome albeit with too much time. It was also really nice that the instructions had color and shape coded symbols that matched up with the same colored shapes on the bag of hardware that was supposed to be used at that point in the instructions.What cannot be overcome is the low level of light this unit emits. It is enough for a nice dinner, but you can't read by it and actually it is so low that I can't even see the markings on the wall switch for the unit, even on the highest level of the dimmer, there is just not enough light. If you take the globe assembly off there is a great deal more light because the white glass is no longer there blocking all of the light coming out of those LEDs, so maybe the solution is to have some different glass cut for the globe assembly that allows more of the light to come through, but we shouldn't have to do that. Honestly, if we had known how little light this thing puts out we would not have gotten it. it does not light up the whole room. We will have to add lamps.Now, on to the good. How great is it that this thing is reversible? Even if it is more wobbly going backwards. The unit is super quiet which we love and a much needed change from what we had in there before. You can choose from two shades of wood on the blades, kind of a nice little detail. It comes with a fantastic switch, the functionality of this switch is a vast improvement over the old rheostat two switch set up, though it did not cover the hole left behind from the old switch that was removed so we'll have to buy a cover plate. My husband likes the design, it is a little modern for me and I think our house but it does kind of have a little bit of a deco vibe going. And again, I just have to mention how high quality this unit it.This would have been a 5 star unit hands down if it were not for the low level light output which is something that cannot be changed, the LED bulb unit is fixed. I wanted to go as low as 3 stars because of this issue but my husband said he still liked likes this unit A LOT so the 4 star rating is his idea and he is still holding out hope of changing the glass out for better light.Pros:The best aspect of this fan is the adjustable downrod. You get a choice of 12 and 2.5 inches, which is really excellent and surpasses the offerings of many other companies. We have relatively short ceilings in our 1920s condo unit in Chicago, and the ability to shrink the downrod came in very handy. In operation the fan is quiet and effective at cooling. I like the LED lighting unit, as well, though I wish it were brighter (it is 18w, perhaps 26w would have been better).Cons:Installation in our dining room was more difficult than I would have liked - the blades easily fall out of alignment with the screw holes, and the fan overall is rather heavy, which led to some sweating and worrying moments. This is also a rather pricey fan for what you get. Also, the remote makes annoying beeps to indicate when things are happening - useful to know that you are actually doing something, but they could be 50% quieter and nothing would be lost.I did enjoy the quality of the fan but the lighting was not good.My husband and I installed this fan in a bedroom where there had previously been just a light fixture, never a fan.As it turned out, this did not pose a problem.Our ceiling had adequate structural support to mount a fan, so we were relieved to find that we would need no additional support.Installing the fan:Having little expertise in this type of home improvement, we followed the instructions carefully, finding they were easy to read and understand.All mounting hardware was included, along with two different lengths of extension, one short and stubby for mounting close to the ceiling and one to extend the fan downwards a foot or more. Longer extensions can be ordered.We chose to install ours close to the ceiling.All of the hardware came organized in individually numbered plastic bags.The instructions referred to these bags by their numbers as they progressed, thus saving time and preventing migraines.Everything needed was included, even the mounting plate.Installing the wall switch:We pulled out the light wall light switch and replaced it with the fan control switch.Again, everything needed was included, and the directions fully explained.The programmable control switch has awide variety of settings, and includes combinations for the speed of the fan and the brightness of the light together.The settings are explained in the directions, but I found them to be confusing, and would have preferred the settings to be less complex.I just set it where I like it best and leave it there, but of course my husband enjoys fiddling with the controls.This fan setup does not include a remote control.The fan is virtually noiseless, and does not hum at all.It fully aerates our large bedroom, which is about 12’ by 18’.If you closely follow the directions and use common sense, you will find the installations are relatively quick and easy.
