Installing and Testing the Cheapest Ceiling Fan Available | 42" Hampton Bay Littleton Ceiling Fan

This is the cheapest ceiling fan available at the The Home Depot; the 42" Hampton Bay Littleton. Retail price of $44.97 as of February 2023. For years this used to be one of the cheapest ceiling fans available anywhere, with prices as low as $16 within the last decade, but like everything else it has increased many fold in recent years. After the taping of this video, I checked at Lowes and discovered they have a comparable model available for $37.98. I'm not sure how the quality and performance compares to this one.

I got this to use in the garage, at least until the ceiling is removed and replaced. When this was $16, it was quite a bit more satisfactory. But now at nearly $50, the super-cheap imperfect paint job on the blade irons really leaves something to be desired, and the noisy bearings is just downright unacceptable. The motor is audible, but that's expected and not unreasonable for this style fan and price range. The performance is quite limited, but it does push down more air than I was expecting. There's a decent breeze felt directly underneath, but don't expect to feel it clear across the room.

2 things that exceeded my expectation:

1) Ease of installation. I've worked with many flush-mount fans like this before that have an absolutely horrid mounting system that is a total pain to install. This is probably the best design I've ever worked with, it installs quickly and easily. At no point was I frustrated by the install process.

2) The included LED light bulb, while I'm sure will fall very short of it's claimed lifespan, outputs surprisingly pleasant light. The color is a very pleasing warm white and there doesn't appear to be much of any noticeable flicker, even against the rotation of the blades.

Overall, if it weren't for the bad bearings, I'd say you get your $44 worth. The imperfections in the paint on the irons isn't really a big deal, a ceiling fan isn't something you inspect closely and the imperfections aren't really noticeable once it's hanging. However, the noisy bearings are a total deal-breaker. This is 100% unsatisfactory and would make the fan unusable to me anywhere besides in non-noise sensitive area like the garage. It's possible the bearings will 'break-in' after hours of use and become quiet. If they do, I will notate so below.