Depends on the usage. You cannot expect a fish to climb stairs. Same way, the small size fans are compact enough for you to cool the place where you're sitting and working. The RPM of the motor and the power capacity of the unit make it worthy enough to be functioning in circulating cool air. More importantly, the compact fans are made for travel usage too. Additionally, small fans have also come with oscillation technology. That means to say it can cool you surrounding up to 180 degrees.