SANYO 16” Oscillator Tri-Speed Wall Fan | Kipas Angin Dinding

Ah, this SANYO fan has always fascinated me since I was a kid. With its chrome badge, soothing white noise, deluxe body stickers, and the luxurious combo of a boxy blue blade and silver grille, it’s just gorgeous!

I got this SANYO model EF-J16 GKK from Facebook Marketplace in January 2024. The seller claimed it was still in “new” condition, but without the box and manual. I had a feeling that even if it was called “new,” there’d be signs of use, like dust inside the motor, blade, and grill. When it arrived, my guess was right. But honestly, it didn’t bother me much because it’s in such great shape, like new, and almost perfect for a 40-year-old fan. The only issue was that the oscillation sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t. I was too lazy to contact the seller again, thinking I could fix it myself.

The next day, I cleaned the fan and tried to fix the oscillation gear. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a real challenge, and the oscillation spring was tough to get the metal bead back in place. Now, the fan won’t oscillate at all 🤣 But no worries, I can always take it to a fan repair shop later.

As for the materials, they’re top-notch. The back of the fan is heavy iron, and the front is made of hard, heavy plastic to support the grill and blade. In my opinion, this Sanyo plastic blade is the heaviest plastic blade I’ve ever seen. The motor section is interesting, too, the motor is integrated with the gearbox, and the whole motor housing is heavy iron.

This fan still uses dual voltage, which makes me think it was made in the mid-'80s. For a wall fan, it has the longest power cable I’ve ever come across, about 3 meters. There are two fabric pull chains for power/speed and oscillation. Since the oscillation isn’t working yet, I use the 3-way oscillation feature to direct the fan head.

Even with those heavy blades, this old fan is pretty powerful when it’s on. I’m not surprised, though; when I was a kid, I often saw similar SANYO fans blowing everything around them. And don’t forget the calming white noise it makes when it’s running.

Originally, I planned to use this fan as a daily driver in my living room, as a wall air circulator and a cool display piece for guests. But with the oscillation broken, I’m not very comfortable using it because the wind is too strong to direct to just one spot.