My first Vornado fan was in the 80's. I purchased the fan from Maison Blanche which was a high end store in the south. The cost was around 70.00. I was so impressed with this little fan I quickly purchased two more. These fans have lasted trough Hurricane Katrina. After all these years one of the fans failed. It just stopped working. It was a no brainer for me to get another Vornado. The frame of the old fans are heavier. The stand was made out of metal instead of plastic like the new ones. The older fans are larger and the front of the fan was easy to remove for cleaning. You will need a screw driver to remove the face of the new ones for cleaning. I like the black, the old fans are gray. All in all these fans have lasted me for over 25 years, I still have the large fan that is on a stand in my garage. One fan I gave away after Katrina, When I got my new Vornado I went back online and purchased another Vornado, a little one for my laundry room. It is cute as can be. I am sure I will have many many years of use from my new Vornado's.