Modern Forms Smart Fans

[Cole S.]

I've been posting stuff mostly in my own finds/acquisitions thread, but this deserves its own thread. For those who don't know, I got involved with Kichler via Russ Klingel, who is THE fan man of fan men. He's been with Emerson and Fanimation, really built up the Kichler fan line over the last decade, and now he's with Modern Forms building this line. Also involved is Alex Ostrovsky, formerly of Fanimation, so there's a lot of experience going into this line. Knowing Russ previously, I knew I'd probably be working with Modern Forms fans, but my trip to Dallas for Lightovation sealed the deal. I got to meet Russ and Alex in person, and really got a firsthand look at the products. I think the real appeal here is that Modern Forms has taken all of the best things happening in the current industry, and built an entire line of product incorporating the best of the best.

To cover it for anyone unfamiliar, the entire line is DC motor and LED-based, and all of those components are exclusive to WAC Lighting/Modern Forms. They created these fans from scratch, it's not off the shelf Rhine motors and electronics. Every model is wet rated so you can install it anywhere, inside or out. Every model comes with smart features integrated to work with your smart home, offer adaptive learning, or set the fan to control itself completely. Yes, the technology and electronics skeptics fan come for me now, but y'all, this is where everything is going and that's just the way it is. I like my vintage fans as much as you do, but I also like these fans. If I'm going to trust ANY manufacturer with this kind of technology, it's going to be a WAC lighting company. They know what's up in lighting technology, and have been a driving force in advanced systems practically since the beginning. I could not be more excited about another lighting manufacturer entering the ceiling fan space, although I do love the multitude of manufacturers exploring fan options.

While the Vortex is probably my favorite current fan from the entire Modern Forms line, we chose the Morpheus III as my introductory fan because it includes the light option, moves a ton of air, and is offered in one of Modern Forms' premium, unique luxe finishes: Carbon Fiber. These were all features I wanted to highlight in my first impressions. This fan moves nearly 7500 CFM on high, which gets even more impressive when you look how close the blades actually are to the ceiling, and at the size of the motor (see pics below). It's a very low profile fan despite being downrod-mounted, which you might think would restrict the air movement, but that's not the case at all. It's so good, and the performance numbers across the board for other models look pretty great too. I do really love this design, too, it highlights the seamlessness that all of the fans offer. A canopy-based receiver is utilized, which I don't love comparatively when most DC designs integrate it somewhere else on the fan, but what I do love about that is how clean and minimal the rest of the design can be without having to fit a receiver in the motor housing. There are no visible labels or stickers, you just get the beauty of the fan. I'll quit rambling, I could gush all day about these fans. Review video is up, demo and install videos coming. Pics below.

This is the motor. Yes, that little thing drives large blade spans and cranks out thousands of CFM. I think this is the smallest ceiling fan motor I've ever seen, and it's outperforming the biggest and best AC motors I've worked with. I'm not positive if all models utilize the same motor or format.

[veteater]

Very sharp! I embrace new technology....but yes the older stuff still has their place. I have a few questions for ya:

How well does this fan light up a room?
What is the blade span of this thing?
What does it weigh?
What kind of pricepoint does this fan carry with it?

I'm really diggin' the carbon fiber finish.

[Cole S.]

Like most of these new designs with an integrated downlight, downlight being the key word, it doesn't do great things for covering an entire room's lighting needs. This one however, goes SUPER bright, brighter I think than any other I've worked with. So in that regard, it's actually pretty good, but it doesn't have a great spread.

The Morpheus is 60".

I'm not sure how much it weighs, but it's CERTAINLY lightweight. You can see, there's not a lot to it that adds any significant weight, especially with such a small motor.

Retail on the 3 blade model is $600. Modern Forms has models in the $300s though (the Mykonos is $299), which is pretty good in the smart fan arena. Big Ass Fans/Haiku is gonna have to figure out how to lower their prices further, there are cooler designs with all the same features coming out at WAY better price points from both Hunter and Modern Forms.

[Patrick]

I believe that we are currently in the middle of an age of ceiling fan revolution somewhat similar to the mid 80’s and 90’s, only with modern styles suited to this era. After seeing several Haikus and other unknown modern 3 blade fans in the wild last week during a trip to FL, I have to say they felt very much in place as much as say a hunter original or some type of 90’s casa would have during their height of popularity. As far as controls go, I am a proponent of either some type of wall switch replacement (IE Intellitouch style) but also Just something mounted to the wall in general. I am fine with smart device integration but I myself would rather use something wall mounted. Remote only fans are BS as the last thing I want is to lose the remote with the fan stuck on high.

Anyway, to make this post germane to the subject, it seems as though they are more or less imitating the styles of their competitors while cutting prices. That reason I why I made the above statement that we are in the new era of fans just as all of the high end 90’s fans had similar styles and lots of competition.

[Cole S.]

I'll agree. Modern Forms call themselves a revolution in ceiling fans, and truly they are on another level, but it's been a real change and transition across the industry recently. A lot of that has come with DC motors and LED integration, making new things possible. I didn't mention here, but to clarify for those unfamiliar again, each Modern Forms fan does come with a wall mounted control that's paired with the fan right out of the box (as it should be), which controls all of the basic functions. The only accessory control they sell is another more advanced wall control that connects to wifi and allows you to do all the advanced features the app offers, just at the wall. Much like a programmable thermostat. The only "remote control" is your phone, a little harder to completely lose track of that haha.

There are definite imitations, though many of those are already popularized concepts that have been done and redone multiple times, basic stuff you need to have in order to be competitive. They also have many of their own unique concepts, those are the ones that I think are really exceptional, because they've spun some trendy elements in ways I've never seen. I mean the Vortex, come on. There have been precursors to what that fan is, but it's an actual vision. I so agree with your statement on the competitive edge, though, and with more players entering the ceiling fan arena again, it only gets crazier by the minute.