Herb,
I put a Fantastic Fan 6600R in my van last summer.
http://www.fantasticvent.com/products/m ... _6600.html
I bought it here, and did a special order to get a Flat top, Smoked lid with the least interior intrusion and I even got a Gray interior surround. It took about two weeks to get.
http://www.rvvent.com/
It replaced a metal framed Hengs fan that I bought when I first wanted a vent/fan in my van. The Hengs was well made (well good as any RV part is made) and easy to install and much better looking than the Fantastic but the fan was not at all what it could have been. It had no reverse, did not really move much air, somewhat high amp draw, very noisy.
At any rate the Fantastic has its share of good and bad features so I guess I should just do a Pros and Cons list.
Pros.
1 Very Good Ventilation (you have to open at least one hinge out window to let the air move)
2 Fan is pretty quiet (most speeds)
3 Fan is reversible
4 Available Gray interior trim (although not quite the right color to match the gray in my van)
5 Fantastic is good with customer service
6 Switchable Rain Sensor (this will be on the cons as well)
Cons.
1 Not very high quality parts. It looks much more cheaply made than it price reflects.
2 Only works with the remote. Misplace the remote and no fan, you can however open the lid manually.
3 Remote is huge and somewhat confusing to operate. I would not get the remote controlled fan if I was to do it over.
4 Takes forever to open and close.
5 The lid lifting motor noisy and is so weak that you have to use lube on the seal so it wont stick shut. It will wake you up if the rain sensor kicks in.
6 Rain sensor, the lid will open and close repeatedly sometimes even from the morning fog, you can shut the sensor off but that kind of defeats the purpose.
7 Too many mounting screws/holes in your van/ camper. If the $80 Hengs can do it with NO external screws why does this $250 one need 16 through the flange?
8 The smoked lid lets way too much light in when closed. I am not sure how the white one lid would be but the guy at Fantastic told me the smoked ones let less light in. I am starting to get a faded spot on my bed after just one year, it also lets a lot of heat and could in I feel. They offer a double thickness lid but only in the bubble style.
9 Lid shakes when fan is on Medium or Higher speeds. Blades out of balance?
10 Blades are made of clear plastic which is nice to see though but when the fan is on they reflect and bounce light everywhere.
11 All different types and placements of switches.
12 Fan will only run with the vent almost completely open. So you cant just use the fan to move air around if the temp inside is OK.
As you can see I am somewhat disappointed in my Fantastic Fan.
I had thought of buying one of these but I had never seen one in person.
http://www.maxxair.com/maxxfan.html
I decided on the fantastic because of the good customer service, lots of guys on here have them and the Gray interior color.
Looks like I might be getting Fan/Vent number Three for my van sometime in the future.
...Jamie