Shark TurboBlade Ultra fan review: Premium cooling with unmatched flexibility

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When the Australian summer hits, there’s nothing you won’t do to try to keep the temperature down. While air conditioning will get you part of the way there, sometimes you need a good fan to help keep the air circulating.

The Shark TurboBlade Ultra takes the innovative approach to design we’ve seen from previous Shark fans and applies it to the tower fan category. Instead of a single vertical tower, the TurboBlade Ultra twists from a vertical mode to horizontal with no effort whatsoever.

Combined with full 180 degree adjustable fan direction, a range of blowing speeds and oscillation, this premium fan is a great partner for the summer.

You’ll pay for it, but if it helps keep you cool, what price isn’t worth paying.

What makes the Shark TurboBlade Ultra stand out?

The best product designs are both functional and stylish, and Shark has managed to achieve both with the TurboBlade Ultra. Not only is there nothing else like it on the market, the Shark blows impressively well.

At its core, this is a pretty simple “tower” fan with a really ingenious design. With the main fan in vertical mode, the TurboBlade will help blow air around a room.

But with an intentional twist, the main fan will rotate to blow horizontally. Features like oscillation continue to work, and some dedicated low-noise modes make it a great partner on hot nights, blowing gentle air over you while you sleep to help you stay cool.

But it’s not just a horizontal or vertical choice. You can angle the main blade at any angle, and both sides of the fan’s blade arms can pivot a full 180 degrees. This gives unparalleled control of your air’s direction and power, even if some of that control is manual.

It also means you can have air blowing in two entirely different directions at the same time.

For anyone looking for an in-home fan that can do just about anything, the TurboBlade has a lot to offer.

Shark TurboBlade Ultra specs

Design and build quality

Despite the fan having a plastic finish, Shark has managed to create an elegant looking appliance that is stylish as well as functional.

There are two colours available – I ended up with the black model for this review, and it combines well with the gold trims to look premium in the home.

From the moment you take the fan out of the box, it’s a simple experience. There is a little bit of assembly, combining the fan arms to the main tower.

One of the coolest features of the TurboBlade is just how flexible it is as a fan. By default, I mostly leave it in tower mode, with the two arms aligned vertically in the room.

As I’ve already mentioned, you can rotate from tower to horizontal fan mode easily. But you can also adjust the height of the fan by about 16 cm to help get the perfect height.

You can also rotate each of the arms a full 180 degrees, 90 degrees to the right and left of the front of the fan. The left and right arms can also be rotated independently, so you can have one pointing down and one pointing up when the fan is aligned horizontally.

While none of these movements are automated – you need two manually shift the direction every time – it does give you an incredible level of versatility. For example, in tower mode, you can stick the TurboBlade between two people and have it blow nice fresh air on both simultaneously, without needing oscillation.

The only real concern is that the entire fan is controlled by the supplied remote. It’s easy to use, but it does mean you will be in trouble if you ever lose that remote.

Fan performance

Fans are designed to circulate air, and hopefully cool you down in the process. The TurboBlade Ultra has a few extra tricks up its sleeve.

At the most basic level, you get 10 levels of control over the fan speed. The lowest speed is barely perceptible, but the highest setting can be felt at least 10 metres away.

The fan is pretty quiet on the lowest five speed settings, though it does develop a bit of a jet engine sound when you crank it between 6-10. I constantly had the fan running on about 3-4 in my living room while watching TV and while it was audible, it wasn’t distracting. At higher speeds, it would definitely be too loud to have on while streaming Netflix.

The TurboBlade offers three levels of oscillation, which helps circulate the air. The highest setting will spin a full 180 degrees, though because of the customisable direction of the vents, you could use it to blow air in a full 360 degrees.

It’s probably not worth pointing out, but oscillating when the TurboBlade’s fans are horizontal obviously requires a lot more space. I found I never really did this because it would likely end up bumping something, but it’s certainly possible.

Beyond the basic settings, Shark has included three additional modes for the TurboBlade. The first is Sleep mode, which mutes chimes, dims the lights and offers a gentle breeze for overnight use. It also turns itself off after eight hours.

I found the fan was still a little bit too noisy for me to use while sleeping, though I know plenty of people would happily have that gentle hum of white noise in the background as the fan blows gently from the foot of the bed. To each their own.

The second specialty mode is Breeze Boost, which cranks the fan’s output to 11. Shark says it the air can be felt from 20 metres away in this mode, and I couldn’t really test that in my house. But it is louder and more powerful than leaving the fan on the highest normal speed.

The final specialty mode is NaturalBreeze, which tries to replicate the feeling of a gentle breeze by varying the airflow speed to recreate the sensation of natural wind. It’s a cool idea, and works well, but on a hot day, I found I just wanted the fan to circulate the air normally.

Ease of use

So long as you have the remote control, using the TurboBlade Ultra is a piece of cake.

Without the remote though, it’s a bit of a nightmare. There’s a single button on the front of the fan, which turns it on and off as well as giving rudimentary control over fan speeds by pressing and holding it down.

If you want oscillation, direction control, oscillation or any other features, you need the remote.

Fortunately, the remote magnetically attached to the back of the fan, so it’s easy to store. Just don’t lose it.

The TurboBlade is also super easy to clean, which is arguably one of its biggest selling points. The tower arms can simply be wiped down with soapy water.

At the back of the fan’s base is a “dust defence” panel, which is designed to capture dust, and it pops off easily for cleaning. A simple vacuum of the grill and a wipe of the internal mesh screen with a microfibres cloth is all the maintenance you really need.

Verdict

There is nothing else like the Shark TurboBlade Ultra on the market right now. This premium fan delivers exceptional performance and unrivalled versatility. While there are other tower fans on the market, none offer a rotating arm and directional control in the same way, which gives this model a distinct edge.

The catch is that the TurboBlade Ultra isn’t cheap. At $399.99 RRP, you can find solid – if not quite so versatile – alternatives at a fraction of the price. Even Shark’s own first-generation FlexBreeze fan is only $250, and that has the benefit of battery power and a convertible design for pedestal and tabletop use.

But I still feel like this is a more complete package as an indoor fan. If you can justify the price (or pick it up on sale), then there is a lot to like with the TurboBlade Ultra.

Just don’t lose the remote control.

Buy the Shark TurboBlade Ultra if you:

• You want a versatile fan that can pivot between vertical and horizontal modes with adjustable airflow direction
• You're willing to pay premium prices for powerful cooling (up to 20 metres), quiet operation, and easy cleaning
• You need multiple speed settings and modes for different situations like sleeping or maximum cooling

Skip the Shark TurboBlade Ultra if you:

• You're on a budget — there are good fans available for much less
• You have limited floor space, especially since it needs 80 cm width when horizontal
• You would rather not rely on a remote control for most functions

🛒 Where to buy Shark

Available from these trusted retailers:

BTTR is independent, but we may earn money when you purchase through links on our site. This helps us cover costs and continue providing honest reviews. Find out why you should trust us.

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