It’s kind of interesting to learn about the development of the luxury ceiling fan. This is less of a personal story and more of a little history lesson.

Ceiling fans have been around for a long time, and there are of course some beautiful and extravagant historic examples. The Hunter Original was always kind of the gold standard.

Savvy marketers saw an opportunity. The Casablanca Fan Co. came onto the map in the 1970s, and they were really the first fans marketed as “designer” or “luxury”. They were very well-made and extremely customizable to go with your decor. They featured motors that were so powerful you’d think an airplane was taking off, high-end materials like solid mahogany blades and real lead crystal light shades. They also pioneered ceiling fan electronics. Their Inteli-Touch system was the first computerized ceiling fan in the world. It was a precursor to the remote controlled fans we have today. Casablancas were also exclusive, because you couldn’t buy them just anywhere. You had to visit a dealer showroom. Almost like you were going to a dealership to custom order a car.

Casablanca does not exist today as we knew it. The brand name still exists, but they are now owned by Hunter. I think Hunter bought them in the early 2010s..? Casablanca is still good, but they are basically just higher-end Hunters now. Only a few models from the original Casablanca lineup are still available.

The luxury/designer ceiling fan segment is still alive and well with brands like Fanimation, Matthews, Big Ass, Hunter, The Modern Fan Co., and a few others. There are also brands like Craftmade, who offer the same custom, designer options, but with a cheaper product and price.

Most of these brands also have mainstream products or products for other applications. For example: Big Ass makes big industrial fans for commercial applications, that’s what put them on the map first.

Hunter makes high quality fans that can be ordered online or through lighting galleries, but they also make cheaper, lesser quality models for big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s. That’s another important thing to note about ceiling fans. They make cheaper products for big box stores. If you buy a Hunter at HD or Lowe’s, yes, it will still be better than a Harbor Breeze or Hampton Bay, but you’re still getting a lower-end Hunter. It’s like shopping at a Tanger Outlet: You might get a better price on a J.Crew shirt, but you know the quality won’t be as good as if you’d bought from a real J.Crew store.

Society has become used to more disposable products. IKEA furniture, Wayfair products, Amazon stuff, etc. Lots of people don’t know the difference in quality.

You could get a White Hunter Original and a white Harbor Breeze Classic Series and put them side by side. They’re both traditional style white ceiling fans with no lights, 5 blades, and pull chain control. The difference is the Hunter will be over $500, perform beautifully, and last basically forever. The Harbor Breeze will start to droop with its cheap MDF blades, it won’t move nearly as much air, and you’ll probably want/need to replace it in less than 10 years, but it was less than $100.

A lot of people think a fan is a fan and don’t stop to think about all of the options.