I tried a £449 Dyson fan in the UK heatwave - it's cool, but that price is a problem

Unless you are one of the lucky ones who has invested in some high-tech air conditioning, you're probably, like me, suffering in this current heatwave. Trying to get a good night's sleep or attempting to work from home when the mercury is well into the red is almost impossible. One simple way to keep cool during the summer is to buy a cheap fan and hope that the gentle breeze it produces will reduce the temperature.

A basic blower will cost around £20, and although they don't look very appealing, they will do the job. But what if you fancy something a little more flash and feature-packed?

Of course, Dyson has been making more premium fans for over 15 years and, along with getting rid of the old-fashioned blades, many now cool the room as well as filtering the air.

That means you get fewer pollutants in your lungs, along with it clearing things such as allergens, viruses, bacteria and unwanted gases.

With my house currently hotter than a sauna, I felt it was a good time to try out the Dyson Purifier Cool PC1 fan. As the name suggests, this not only blows out air but also cleans things as well. Living in London means there should be plenty for this device to filter, so how did it do?

The first thing to note is that this is not a subtle accessory that can be hidden away. It's big, tall, bold and tells everyone you have a Dyson fan keeping things cool.

Switch it on and the totally fanless system instantly gets to work cooling things down. Unless you set it to the max, it's very quiet, and it can also spin to push air around the room or stay in one position if you simply want all of the cooling for yourself. You can even tell it how much or little rotation you want via the bundled remote control.

A screen on the front shows the level of cooling, spin and power - and that's not all, as you'll also see how polluted the room is via this mini display. Green is good, amber means things and getting worse and red shows you've got some nasties in the home. If the Purifier Cool PC1 spots something, it will set about removing the issues from the air. It's a nice automated feature, but I wouldn't say I've felt any better or sneezed less since the device has been plugged into my living room.

As I mentioned before, it ships with a neat little remote control, plus there's full access to all the settings via the Dyson app as well.

Using your smartphone, you can check the air quality and set timers that shut the fan off after a certain amount of time.

There's no question that the Purifier Cool PC1 purifying fan is far more advanced than anything I've ever used before.

It looks like something from the future and also makes sure my lungs aren't full of muck.

The smartphone control is a nice addition and knowing that it removes allergens brings a bit of peace of mind to anyone who suffers from these annoying health issues.

Yes, Dyson does make a very good fan, but it comes at a massive cost. The model I tried is priced at over £400! That's a ludicrous amount of money, especially as UK heatwaves don't last that long. Unlike my cheap supermarket model that can be shoved in a cupboard during the winter, it feels like the Dyson needs to become part of furniture all year round.

No, my cheap fan can't filter the air or be controlled by an app. It's also very ugly and not something that will make the neighbours envious when they pop round for a BBQ - something Dyson's model definitely does.

Does the Purifier Cool PC1 purifying fan do a great job? 100% yes!

Is £449 way too much for a fan? Unless you just won the Lotto jackpot I think it probably is.