Since they are all pretty much made in China these days, I would go with ones you like the look of. I've had a number of them over the years, and only had one problem- the switch went bad- on a $400 Hunter! I've had cheap ones that ran for years and years.

You can find reviews on-line, I think, but I honestly have never has an issue other than the one $10 switch.

I like Fanimation - great designs and good motors. There are different quality motors in the various brands out there. Cheaper ones tend to hum and don't move as much air.

What style do you want? If you like modern-ish we are getting one from...I love this name... Big Ass Fans (!) for our sunroom. They're pretty swag.

Not sure, although most likely the style with lights.

(Hah, though the girls picked theirs entirely based on the fact there are rocket ships on the blades)

We have a 1906 Westinghouse that still works! To be honest, it looks just like any generic fan out there. You would have to look closely to see any difference. That being said, it is unbelievably heavy- about 60 lbs.

Being in the South, we have always had ceiling fans . . . some of mine are over 20 years old, and none of them has ever had any problem other than a burned-out light bulb.

I'd encourage kids not to choose kid-themed ceiling fans. When they're a little older, they'll want something more adult-oriented, and you aren't going to want to replace a fan that works perfectly. Give them kid-stuff that's easier to replace: Pink or blue walls, bed linens, etc.

Who knows, by the time we actually buy the fans, they may have changed their minds. (They're five, hoping they like for at least some time)

http://www.hunterfan.com/Products/Ceiling_Fans/Discovery%C2%AE_-_52019/

We bought kichler from lightingdirect and like them so far. Easy to install says my dh.

kiwigem, do you have your big ass fan yet? We are seriously looking at them. They claim to be the most efficient fan, but expensive. Love to hear what you think

More info

Here is a link that might be useful: More than you ever wanted to know about ceiling fans

Harringk- Sorry, no first-hand experience. We are still framing so I have not purchased it yet. Will be happy to give a review in six months or so :-)

No problem. We might be ahead of that schedule slightly, so I'll let you know if we get it. Enjoy your build

lusting over the $1000 big ass haiku ceiling fan...

But man, that is absurd amount of money, It would have to drop $ bills from the air to pay for itself with "efficiency"....

Efficiency? It's the most efficient way to have a ceiling fan of profound awesomeness.
:-)

We have two of the Haiku fans (the "1.0" model without the iPhone integration) and cannot say enough about them. They are both in the gloss white finish, one is in our bedroom and the other in our living room. The fans are completely silent -- and I mean totally, completely silent. You will obviously hear the air at some of the higher settings, but the fan itself is really incredible at how silent it is.

We ordered the fans together, one with a longer drop than the other, and somehow some of the pieces were mixed up between the two boxes, which caused me a bit of confusion when I first started installing them. Once I figured out what went where, they were relatively straightforward. We did get the LED light kits for both fans, but we very seldom turn them on and frankly are not too impressed with the lights (unlike most modern LEDs, you see each individual diode, and I just don't like the look).

All in all, we love the look and functionality of these fans. The price is obviously on the high side, and as a result we are considering alternatives for our guest bedrooms (perhaps the Minka Artemis), but you can't go wrong with the Haiku.

Also, just a note about the company/support: we received and installed our Haiku's a day or two before the announcement about the new version. I called their support line, and they had no problem taking back the fans and swapping them for the newer version. Ultimately, we decided it wasn't worth it to us, so we did not take them up on it, but I was impressed with that response. Also, upon installing the bedroom fan, I did hear a bit of noise when the unit was operating. I called their support line and the representative walked me through a few troubleshooting items, and was able to resolve the issue (basically, I had tightened the LED unit too much, and it was rubbing against the motor). All in all, excellent support.

Let us know if you have any questions, happy to give you our thoughts!

Thanks so much for sharing your experience blufan. Looking forward to getting ours ordered. We need to take the time to call them and talk with them before ordering and just haven't done it yet. We have an unique area, a long open area with different ceiling heights. I love hearing that their support system is great. Thanks again

Thanks for the feedback on the haiku models - I'm still thinking about getting one for our master, despite the crazy price.

I'm probably ordering a Big Ass Fan Haiku tomorrow for our family room. I already knew about the brand because they made the appropriately named fans that we have at work. Some are easily over 20' but they work without any trouble and are completely silent. I looked around at some alternatives, but our family room is huge and they looked too contemporary instead of modern.

From what I read they're made in the US, not China.

We bought several brands when we moved into our vacation house-Casablancas for liivng area and master bedroom, Emerson for breakfast area because I wanted a particular blade/wood and metal finish...got a smaller diameter Minka for husband's office that moves tremendous amount of air very quietly and 3 Hunters for the outside lanai that are wet-rated...
good prices from DelMar Fans--and extra miles from AAdvantage eshopping.

thought prices were fair compared to others online
had them installed by electricians doing other work on house--

we have 8 ft ceilings in all areas but breakfast room so needed lower profile light kits--some fans don't have those from what I found...

Emerson is the best IMO. I used to like Casablanca, but they dumped their XLP-2000 motors on most lines which was one of the things that set them apart. And they redesigned their great-looking Panama series and the new ones are UGLY.

I would get either a fan with a stack motor or a DC motor, both of those are far better in terms of performance and noise levels than the pancake motors you see in most fans nowadays. On Emerson, look for fans with the K-55 motor.

Any updates on the Haiku fans? Still loving them a year later?