First it was standard fans. Then clear ones, some in shades of colors. Then through various approaches we arrived at the LED fan. Around the same time cold cathodes were becoming all the rage and soon enough UV lights made their appearance. What followed was a hype of everything-UV, from cases to fans to water dyes. The latest evolution is the UV LED fan, dyed in reactive material and activated by several lights mounted around the perimeter.
Currently there are only a handful of places that manufacture UV LED fans, with Vantec being the popular contender. And unlike a lot of stores that carry these fans, SVC actually makes their own, or perhaps has them exclusively made somewhere in the Far East. But the point is that both the box and the label on the fan bear the SVC mark. They're called "citylights" series with the following slogan: "put the lights of the city in your case". There are three available colors: blue, green and red *cough* orange. Blue being the most popular (for obvious reasons) was sold out at the time of writing so instead I got two each of the green and red. Specs are as follows:
Dimensions: 80x80x25 mm
Bearings: ball bearings
Rated voltage: 12V
Startup voltage: 6V
Voltage range: 6.0V to 13.8V
Rated current: 0.23A (0.276A max)
Rated speed: 3000 RPM +/- 10%
Airflow: 36CFM
Noise level: 32dB
Lifetime: 40,000 hours
Tachometer output
UL/CUL, TUV, CE approved
76g net weight
There are quite a few things that distinguish SVC's offering from their Vantec counterparts. First and foremost, these are quad LED fans with each light positioned near a corner, meaning the entire frame will be illuminated equally. However the most pleasant surprise is one of value: each fan comes with a pre-installed chrome grill, four additional screws for case mounting and a 3 to 4-pin pass-through adapter (since the fans themselves are the 3 pin variety). But the real kicker is in the price: these complete kits (keep in mind each fan sports an additional LED) come in $5 a pop, roughly half of what others are charging for Vantec's version.
Granted, these are only available in three solid colors (as opposed to different frames/blades), but still. One thing that automatically sets SVC's apart from the rest are the polished blades, similar to what Akasa did with their fans. Of course you can only tell they're polished when they're still, but these blades seem to have another function as well. It appears that the reflective coating, well, reflects the light hitting them from the surrounding LEDs, in turn creating a unique effect we'll see shortly.
The label isn't a re-badge which leads me to believe once again that these fans are made especially for SVC. It's a shame I didn't take a picture of the label on the "red" one instead, which in fact says ORANGE UV+UV LED instead of red. You'll also notice additional positive and ground wires coming out from the central PCB to each individual light. And unlike the Vantec/generic ones I reviewed earlier, the LEDs here are wired in parallel as opposed to series, meaning if one were to die the fan and the remaining lights would keep working. I came upon this conclusion by accident.
