Plastic fan grilles

[Fanman]

Why are the plastic fan grilles getting so popular? I remember in the 80s, the fans usually had bare metal wire grilles, sometimes chromed. Then in the 90s, they were usually plastic coated white. However, more recently, it seems that some major fan makers such as Lasko and Duracraft have gone to all plastic, while some such as Lakewood and Holmes are still metal. And most all of the dollar store fans: Dollar General's "Currents", and Walgreen's "Aries" are metal as well.

Is it just more fashionable to have a stylish plastic grille, or do they perform better?

[Jean Lemieux]

Its probably cheaper to produce.

[JW]

I'd guess they're much less expensive to produce. Cost-cutting measures, just like 80-90 percent of everything manufactured today.