Panaflo fans... some questions...

[that Linux guy]

Ok, I know everyone most of the people here would opt for Noctua, Scythe S-Flex, or Nexus fans, but what about Panaflo's on a fan controller? If I'm not mistaken, aren't Panaflo fans very high quality? I was looking at some on newegg and noticed they're all louder with higher CFM ratings than a "quiet" fan, but with a fan controller they' be fine, right?

My main questions are...

Do they undervolt well?

Do they last?

...tried to think of a third, but I'm out. Just planning a new build and and am still putting research into my parts. All that's left is the fans. The Panaflo's are around $10, rather than the $15 to $20+ for Noctua, Nexus and Scythe models. Thanks for any input in advance...

[jhhoffma]

Do they undervolt well?

Depending on which one you get, yes, but some have been know to click with PWM voltage control

Do they last?

Yes, as well as any sleeve bearing fan.

Which size and speed are you looking for? Generally, Panaflo's are old technology and newer fan designs will really give you better performance. If you're looking for 120mm fans, Scythe has the Slipstream series that comes in several different speeds. They sell for under $10. Really cheap are the Yate Loon 120mm. The D12SL-12 is very good and is essentially the same fan as the Nexus (the nexus runs a little slower but is made by Yate Loon).

For 92mm and 80mm sizes, you have fewer options. Scythe has the Minebea NMB which is made by the people who developed the Panaflo. Globalwin has the NCB bearing fans that are also good.

I won't spend the extra money on Noctua and Nexus, as there are cheaper alternatives.[/list]

[continuum]

Panaflos are pretty old designs. The Hydrowave bearing lasts a very long time for a sleeve bearing design, but the noise/airflow isn't great compared to the latest in fans.

Panaflos were bought by the dozens, hundreds, and thousands back in `97-`03 or so til newer designs came to market. I wouldn't touch an older Panaflo fan today given the alternatives available, particularly the 120mm Yate Loon at $4.99 a pop which offers superior performance.
'
Panasonic Panaflo is now NMB-MAT after an acquisition and there some excellent fans, but for whatever reason the top-grade NMB-MAT fans are not easily available to consumers in the USA. If you're in the UK you're in luck, Dorothy Bradbury.co.uk stocks the top grade ones-- but all we get in the US are the cheaper second-grade Rexflo's and whatnot.

http://www.dorothybradbury.co.uk/

A bunch of NMB-MAT RB-12025-L's at 9v would be sweet... but I don't think they're worth the price, not when the competition here is so good. Ignore the older FB-series ones, those are the same designs as the Panaflos of yesterday. Now if you need long life then NMB-MAT would become top picks again...


For 92mm, the Nexus 92mm's or the... crap. There's a few others that are good and aimed with appropriate speeds at low-noise builders. There's actually a newer competitor (from Noctura?) that is good, I think. Not sure it's worth the money, though.

[Felger Carbon]

For 92mm, the Nexus 92mm's or the... crap.

The Nexus was a very good fan when it first appeared, but it's been around almost as long as the Panaflos. You might want to look, for example, at the new Scythe Kama Flex 92mms (1600 or 2000RPM nominal). Just a thought.

[that Linux guy]

The case I was looking at was the Antec Sonata Plus (a Solo with a NeoHE 550 PSU), so I'm looking at a 12cm exhaust, and 2 92mm intakes. I haven't seen too many quiet 80mm fans, but the only one I'll have is in my NeoHE. If I need to get a quieter replacement, then I'll worry about that if I get to it. Thanks for the info.

So far, Scythe Kama 12cm fans, and Scythe Minebea 92mm look like good units for the price. I just didn't want to spend $60 on fans, when I can get the same result for $25. Thanks guys for input on Panaflos. To the person who referred to cheap Rexflo's, those were actually the fans I was looking at getting. Thanks for steering me in the right direction.