Is Haxson Smart AirFan a scam or a smart choice?

We live in a scammy world. Smart people are sometimes a little too smart. You need to tread more carefully in the river of online crowdfunding projects. The waters have become muddier as many scammers are now targeting online platforms as a way to get a big pay check.

Kickstarter used to be a paradise for people who have everything except money to bring their brilliant idea into reality. Over the years, it has developed into something different. Something nastier for those who are unaware.

People started taking advantage of the platforms by promising the sky and then run off with the funds raised. Thus you need to be extra careful and do your due diligence before putting your money into a project.

So, let’s talk about the Haxson Smart AirFan. First of all, calling yourself smart doesn’t make you smart. Trust me, I tried that.

If you are thinking of backing the Haxson Smart AirFair, hold your horses! Read this article first. Then decide for yourself if you want to venture forth.

What is it

Haxson Smart AirFan is a smart fan (doh!) developed by *drum roll* the Haxson AirFan team.

It calls itself the world’s first all-in-one smart fan. That’s a big claim. I mean, what does a fan need to do besides delivering air? Well, it not only does it cool or heat the air, it can purify it too. It also has an alarm if you don’t want to use your smartphone’s alarm or your alarm clock.

It can be used in horizontal or vertical positions and comes with 10 adjustable speeds and 10 heating levels. It also has a UV-C lamp so that it can keep the filter clean.

Who is it for

Air conditioners are the more popular choice when it comes to cooling or heating the room. Why? Simply because it does the work better. But there are people out there who think that a long time spent in a room with air conditioning on bad for the body (yes me included).

They are the ones who would choose a fan over an air conditioner. Haxson’s target audience is this group of people.

However, no matter how much you try to make a fan smarter, it is just a fan. It’s purpose is to produce steady airflow. Disinfecting the air it blows seems to contradict the goal of delivering airflow.

The Haxon Smart AirFan might be for you if you want a fan that also works as a lamp. I mean, since it’s already built with UV-C LED for the disinfection, might as well add more LEDs to turn it into a lamp as well. Personally, I wouldn’t need another separate lamp for my room, unless we’re talking about an artsy one. Even then, I’ll still have to consider.

Is it innovative

If you call stuffing as many features as you can into a product innovative, then the Haxson Smart AirFan is very innovative.

There are many smart fans out there, but this product is the first smart fan I see that tries to be more than just a fan. It wants to be a lamp and an alarm. It’s like the engineers were told to create a wishlist of items they want in a smart phone and everything gets put into the Haxson Smart AirFan.

The product seems too good to be true. Yet, our experience with crowdfunding tells us that when something feels like it’s too good to be true, you have to start to do your due diligence.

Is it worth it

The early bird price is $199. That’s 50% off its retail price of $399. This is a reasonable price for a smart fan.

But given all the red flags, I would hold back horse my money and see how things develop. It might be a scam or just a great case study in how not to do marketing. After all, it’s a scammy world we live in.

What red flags🚩?

First of all, the smart fan is a Kickstarter project under Haxson. There are no team members named except for Woodruff Archibald Gaul. Now that’s red flag 🚩1️⃣.

If you say, well, at least they have one member’s full name! Ok, in their video, Woodruff is Haxson’s representative. But when I did a bit of Googling. What I found was someone who passed away some time ago. The possibility is that this said Mr Gaul has no trace to be found on the internet. If we were in 10 or 20 years ago, yes, that chance is high. But today when rich people can go to Mars, it’s highly impossible.

But again, in their campaign video, Woodruff seems like a nice dude.

Red flag 🚩2️⃣. The campaign page shows that the company is in Wilmington, Delaware. But actually, it’s a Chinese company. They claim that they chose to use a US-based company to advertise their project because project by Chinese companies don’t do well. Wait, a Chinese company but the team photo are all non-Chinese. Hmmm.

It’s a lame excuse and, it damages their credibility. Honesty is absolutely vital when you are asking for money from strangers. Do they think their potential customers are more likely to be racists?

Also, this Haxson Smart AirFan does not actually belong to Haxson. It is developed by the Haxson AirFan team that has a complex relationship with Haxson, an accelerator. Yet, they still keep calling themselves Haxson and use photos of people from Haxson. Red flag 🚩3️⃣

Of course, red flags are just here to remind us to pause and think before we throw our money at a campaign. But keep them in mind. It might help.

Some of the backers have been doing their homework and they have uncovered similar products being sold at a fraction of the price of the Haxson Smart AirFan. At this point, the brand should come out and prove that they hold the patent to the product.

Also, the team has not responded to calls for live streams to prove that the team is real. I won’t be too surprised if the creators ghosted after getting the $2 million they raised so far.

Are there any alternatives

Yes. There are always alternatives. It’s a one-way-or-another world.

Since you are reading this, I believe you are interested in looking for a fan. A simple smart fan selling at $145.99 is an option. Or a portable air conditioner at $399.99. Or, you get used to the stuffy room, which is the most economical and environmentally-friendly option.

What alternatives you can find depends on what your biggest need is. Smart fans are not a necessity. So, compare all the pros and cons/risks, then decide.

Conclusion

I personally hope this is a deliverable product since it is a cool and hot idea (see what I did there!). But the red flags are rather disturbing. It’s like when I caught my boyfriend lying to me. It wouldn’t kill my love for him at once, but it does affect his credibility. And trust, once broken, is something that can never be repaired easily.

In this case, I’d hold my horses first and see what happens next. You are free to choose your next action. But if you have time, I suggest you take some time to go through their comment section. It’ll be an entertaining and beneficial trip.

Hi, I’m Rainee.

I’m a reindeer that identifies as a bear. I’m the Critical Bear that does standup comedy.