I bought my Vornado 610W after feeling the larger unit owned by Ryan Davis in action on a hot Seattle day (unusual as it may sound, it happens). I was sitting four meters away from the fan and I had a good solid stream of air coming right at me. Before I had dubious thoughts about the efficacy of the devices, but they were all blown away by this single demonstration.
I didn't think I needed the power of the large unit Ryan had, so I bought the smaller 610W. (Vornado would get a link, but the 600 series is not to be found as of 2004/08/11.)
The fan is not silent, but is has a very low pitch that easily becomes nothing more than background noise. On high, the fan is as loud as the traditional 18" fans set to low. On low the fan is quiet enough to fall asleep to even when less than a meter away.
The fan throws a column of air that can be felt about two to two and a half meters away giving excellent directed circulation. Most non-ducted fans seem to be largely inept at moving air companed to the 610W. When I was fanless, after a hot day my bedroom would stay at a mildly uncomfortable temperature, forcing me to sleep sheetless (which is feels rather strange). Now the room stays cool due to the Vornado's forced circulation.
Another amazing thing about the fan is its size. The fan is only 14" tall and 12" wide. Despite its tiny package the fan easily moves more air than most 16" fans I've used. Also, the fan's head tilts from parallel to the ground to completely vertical with ease, rather than a tension screw that wears out like some stand-up fans I've used. Some Vornado models feature a variable-speed control, but the 610W has only three speed settings.
The Vornado 610W's excellent performance, tiny size and lifetime warranty (yes, lifetime) make this fan well worth its high price. I expect I'll be keeping and using this fan for a long, long time.