On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:40:12 -0700 (PDT), Jeffy3
wrote:

The previous owners of our house had ceiling fans installed in two
rooms and 15 years later they still work great. In fact, on high in
our one small room the fan turns the room into a tornado! In other
rooms, admittedly cheaper fans were installed by me and they are
horrible. In our bedroom it is right above the bed and you don't even
feel any air hitting you when laying in bed. I guess my question is
what do I look for in a new fan? Is the length of the blade most
important? The pitch? The materials used in the blade?

Probably the most important is how it looks with a room. A 56" fan in
a small bedroom is not good. Also must consider how far low the
fan/light hangs. Three speeds is a good feature. Solid metal blade
brackets break less than hollow stamped metal. I have both cheap
($12 special) and expensive ($240) ceiling fans and you wouldn't know
it unless up close. All fans should be properly installed and tuned.