Panasonic FV-08VF2 WhisperFit 80 CFM Low Profile Ceiling Mounted Fan

You may look at the price of this fan and say, "Hey! I can buy four fans at Home Depot for that amount!" And those four fans will be noisy, rattling affairs that won't move air and won't last a year. This baby is dead silent (really - I had to get on a step ladder next to it to make sure it was on) and yet it moves 50 CFM with an oversize squirrel-cage fan (the secret) and an excellent solid state Panasonic motor. If you want to do the job right (and only once) spend the money - buy this fan! (And no - I don't work for Panasonic or own their stock.)

Was taken aback by the price for this fan compared to others. We went to the local big box hardware store where they had a display demonstrating noise levels for fans of three different sound levels, and found that the sound level for this fan supposedly was significantly quieter than the typical fan. It was going in the bathroom next to our family room, so we decided to give it a try.

Our old fan was about the size of a shoe box for a kid's pair of shoes, was rated at 50 cfm, and was loud enough that we couldn't hear anything else in the bathroom when it was on. In fact, we could hear it running in other parts of the house, let alone the family room.

This new fan is much bigger, about the size of a shoe box for a pair of men's work boots, and also is rated at 50 cfm. But it's so quiet that we specifically have to listen for it to tell that it's on, even when in the bathroom itself. Yet it still draws at least as much air as our old fan...Read more

We bought this fan because it was recommended by Consumer's Report.
It is soooooo.... quiet. We love it and the installation wasn't too hard.