Design The Aecooly cold air looks much more like a traditional handheld fan compared to the Shark chillpill. It has a premium design, with a barrel-shaped fan head. There are two buttons on the front: the top button controls the fan speed, while the bottom button controls the misting feature. Double-press the button and it'll spray continuously. Hold it down and you can control exactly when it sprays, stopping the jet of water the moment you lift your finger.The Aecooly’s water tank is at the bottom of the device. Lift up the tab, rotate to unlock and then pull it out. You can then fill the 25ml tank up with ice-cold water. It’s very easy to refill.It has a wider barrel-shaped head than the Shark chillpill (Alex Lee/The Independent )The first time I filled the tank I hadn’t quite twisted it back into place properly, which caused a small leak, so just make sure it’s fully locked before chucking it into your bag. SizeThe Shark chillpill is more compact, but that also means it has a smaller fan head. I like Shark’s versatile design – the interchangeable attachments are great, the fan speed dial is a lovely touch and it can double as a desktop fan – but you have to hold it quite close to your face to really feel the cooling mist.The trade-off for the Aecooly’s larger fan head is portability. The Shark chillpill is much easier to pop into your pocket, whereas the Aecooly is better suited to a bag or being carried in your hand.CoolingIn terms of cooling performance, I actually found the Aecooly cold air’s misting feature worked better from a little further away. Hold it close to your face and the water sits on your skin rather than disappearing almost instantly like the Shark's mist. In fact, you kind of get drenched when you use the Aecooly, but you don’t with the Shark. I’m no physicist, but I suspect it’s down to the way each fan atomises the water – the Shark has a much finer mist, while the Aecooly seems to shoot water out using a more concentrated jetspray.You twist the tab and pull up to refill the water tank (Alex Lee/The Independent )Despite having almost twice the water capacity of the Shark chillpill, the Aecooly only has eight minutes of continuous misting, compared to roughly 15 to 20 minutes on the Shark chillpill. That may explain why it leaves my skin feeling wetter than Shark’s ultra-fine mist. That's not a huge issue, though. While the Aecooly's mist isn't as fine as the Shark's, it still feels incredibly cooling and has done an excellent job at helping me cope with this summer's heatwaves. It just achieves that in a different way to the Shark, leaving my skin a little wetter instead of evaporating instantly. I found myself using the mist in short bursts anyway instead of leaving it running continuously.There are five different fan speeds with the Aecooly cold air, but you get 10 on the Shark chillpill. Interestingly, despite only having five fan speeds, the Aecooly device feels more powerful than the Shark chillpill, and slightly quieter. The Shark chillpill and the Aecooly cold air are both loud, but I think the Aecooly is very slightly softer – the whir of the motor and the fan appears dampened and muffled in comparison to the Shark chillpill’s roar. BatteryYou can also use the Aecooly while it’s charging, with the battery life displayed on the screen. I never found myself running either fan flat during a day out. The Shark chillpill lasts up to 11 hours, while you get up to 20 hours with the Aecooly. Key specifications Dimensions: 15.3cm x 63.6cm x 52cmWeight: 285gFan speeds: 5Water tank capacity: 25mlBattery life: Up to 20 hoursCharging time: 3 hours (USB-C)Maximum wind speed: 9.5m/sMaximum motor speed: 12,000rpmNoise level: 51dB (low speed)