Who needs a rattling noisy fan on your desk while you're trying to work? I want it to be cool and quiet and for some reason I always want to stick things into the spinning fan blades. Unlike most fans that have safety cages to prevent people like me from getting ridiculously mangled, the Propello Desktop Fan ($139) by Black + Blum uses soft natural rubber blades and leaves off the cage completely. Not only that, it also runs virtually silent thanks to a high quality Johnson Electric ball-bearing motor. The body is made of pressure cast zinc alloy/aluminum and the airflow is adjustable. Cool fan, but you could probably buy 10 regular fans for the same price of one of these.

• Powered by a "John Electric" ball-bearing motor
• Pressure cast zinc alloy/aluminum body
• Blades are made from soft natural rubber
• Virtually silent operation
• Direction of Airflow adjustable
• Available in Gray or Pale Blue