Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
There's been a long-running debate about the motors used in these box fans. In the early 2000s, Lasko switched from a Marco shaded pole motor to PSC motors of varying OEMs. Many people hated the new PSC motor models, really for no other reason than the fact that they were different than the previous models.
I used to have similar feeling about these units, until I acquired a handful of the earlier models and surveyed the performance for myself. These PSC motor models definitely got cheaper as time went on, but back in the early 2000s, they were quite substantial.
My testing here suggests the performance of the PSC motor model is higher than that of the shaded pole motor model, plus at the advantage of significantly higher efficiency operation.
There are certainly still valid reasons to prefer the older unit such as for the slower low speed, or in my case, for nostalgia, but I think it's quite clear that the PSC unit is arguably an objectively superior product.
This is the data I collected during the test:
Shaded pole motor, 1999, Loudness (dB)/Power Consumption (Watts)/Air flow volume (CFM)/Efficiency (CFM/watt)/ Wind Speed (MPH) at 0'/6'/10/ from the fan, respectively:
Low - 49/90/873/9.7/8/4/1
Medium - 62/117/1,203/10.3/11/5/3
High - 68/164/1,557/9.5/14/6/4
PSC motor, 2003, Loudness (dB)/Power Consumption (Watts)/Air flow volume (CFM)/Efficiency (CFM/watt)/ Wind Speed (MPH) at 0'/6'/10/ from the fan, respectively:
Low - 56/68/1,167/17.2/10/5/3
Medium - 63/96/1,546/16.1/12.5/6/4
High - 68/122/1,791/14.7/15/7/5
There's been a long-running debate about the motors used in these box fans. In the early 2000s, Lasko switched from a Marco shaded pole motor to PSC motors of varying OEMs. Many people hated the new PSC motor models, really for no other reason than the fact that they were different than the previous models.
I used to have similar feeling about these units, until I acquired a handful of the earlier models and surveyed the performance for myself. These PSC motor models definitely got cheaper as time went on, but back in the early 2000s, they were quite substantial.
My testing here suggests the performance of the PSC motor model is higher than that of the shaded pole motor model, plus at the advantage of significantly higher efficiency operation.
There are certainly still valid reasons to prefer the older unit such as for the slower low speed, or in my case, for nostalgia, but I think it's quite clear that the PSC unit is arguably an objectively superior product.
This is the data I collected during the test:
Shaded pole motor, 1999, Loudness (dB)/Power Consumption (Watts)/Air flow volume (CFM)/Efficiency (CFM/watt)/ Wind Speed (MPH) at 0'/6'/10/ from the fan, respectively:
Low - 49/90/873/9.7/8/4/1
Medium - 62/117/1,203/10.3/11/5/3
High - 68/164/1,557/9.5/14/6/4
PSC motor, 2003, Loudness (dB)/Power Consumption (Watts)/Air flow volume (CFM)/Efficiency (CFM/watt)/ Wind Speed (MPH) at 0'/6'/10/ from the fan, respectively:
Low - 56/68/1,167/17.2/10/5/3
Medium - 63/96/1,546/16.1/12.5/6/4
High - 68/122/1,791/14.7/15/7/5
