Broan-NuTone® 688E Bathroom Exhaust Fan, 50 CFM Energy Star Exhaust Fan, 2.0 Sones

Very quiet but powerful, fairly easy to install, sturdy and good looking.

My 25 year old broan 50CFM 4.0 was failing, so it was time to replace. I made sure this one fit into the existing housing, so installation was a breeze. It really is a lot quieter at 2.0, if you use the fan to cover the sound of you taking a dump you might want to go louder. But I prefer a quieter fan. Apparently it is more energy efficient as well while still pulling out the same air, but I could find no information as to power usage. i've had this for some months now and no issues at all. If I had to complain, it looks like the new cover design may restrict airflow a bit, but at only 50CFM, its likely not.

The Broan-NuTone 688E is a quiet and efficient bathroom exhaust fan, earning its Energy Star rating. Its 50 CFM airflow is suitable for smaller bathrooms, effectively removing moisture and odors. Installation is generally straightforward, and the low sone rating (2.0) makes it pleasantly quiet during operation. While basic, it's a reliable choice for those seeking a cost-effective and efficient bathroom fan.

Recently one of my bathroom fans started to have issues. I had not replaced the fans for almost 20 years, so I wasn't surprised. All of my fans were made by Broan and since they lasted such a long time, i decided to get new Broan fans. Thankfully, I found the Broan-NuTone 671 at a very good price and bought several of these as replacements. Installation was easy and straightforward. The only issue was removing the old fans which required a dusk mask, and goggles (they were really dusty). Once the 671 was installed it worked as advertised. It is a "noisy" fan as one would expect, and it is not "quiet" at all. But I prefer this because it masks a person's "activities" while in the bathroom. Performance is very good - it clears the moisture from the air faster than my old fans for sure. Lastly, the vent cover of the fan can easily be opened for maintenance (like dust cleaning). This fan is a good choice for something inexpensive, reliable, and straight-froward.

Our house was built in 1989 and has 3 bathrooms with ventilation fans. I highly suspect those fans have NEVER been replaced. I looked at the fan cover and saw the name brand "Broan" and took a chance ordering this replacement fan. It worked like a charm!I removed the fan from the outside housing and only installed the internal fan. I removed the old fan in the master bath that had gotten severely clogged and rusted and refused to turn anymore. The outside housing in the ceiling is severely rusted, but still holding well. Replacing the entire unit would involve a full bathroom reno, which we aren't ready to do just yet. I vacuumed out all the dust and installed the new fan inside the previous fan's housing. It was simple, easy to do, doesn't even involved shutting off the power to the bathroom, and worked like a charm. It fits perfectly, and we have a working bathroom fan again!I ordered two more to replace the fans in every bathroom.

Cutting the sheetrock was the most challenging part - that being said, this fan was an easy install. Used Wago Clips to wire it and has been used for months with no signs of wear. Low functioning sound.

My previous Bathroom exhaust fan was a 20-year old, SUPER-LOUD 6 'Sones' @ 70 CFM, and would drown out EVERYTHING -- the nearby radio, water from the shower... conversation was 100% impossible. Awful, just plain awful... Thank God it finally played out -- good riddance!This 1.5 Sones Exhaust fan is so quiet that I absolutely can not hear it, while showering. In fact, for the first time, I can hear everything nearby -- every single thing and every spoken word! When out of the shower, I still have to practically stand underneath this fan in order to really hear it and know for sure that it's actually running.Added bonus: It look good and removes far more steam, more quickly. Yet, the 80 CFMs are just enough to not overpower the size of my Bathroom. The perfect sweet spot. While only time will reveal it's long-term reliability, this is a Trusted, proven brand.I searched high and low, read countless reviews and was tempted to pay far more money for the "quiter (??)" Panasonic "Whisper" model. Two things stopped me dead in my tracks, however: its bigger footprint/size would require widening my existing ceiling opening (unlike this one), and mixed reviews about its true quietness.Bottom line: If you want a bona fide "Whisper quiet" Bathroom exhaust fan, @ a relatively cheap price, from a proven brand. Stop searching...buy this Exhaust fan today.

dan is definitely quiet but the gaps just look ugly. unlike in the picture you can see into the fan and it just doesn’t look good