I agree 100% I burned my first vortex fan out in less than 6-months with a cheap speed controller that are all over the web, my understanding is they control speed by turning the power to your fan of and on many times a second vs a variac that reduces the voltage/amps to reduce the speed...
Yes Sir, that is correct. Those cheap fan controls are all the same and yes they start and stop the motor rapidly. Essentially burning the motor out sooner rather than later. They all come from the same place and companies just put their brand on them. They are not worth the box the come in!
Did you give Atmosphere a ring? I'm sure they would just send you another with no problems or questions asked. I've spoken with them, they are very nice people who are extremely helpful and back their products 100% let's be real, everyone needs to make a living and a profit off their product. That being said, those folks actually care about their customers & want them to be happy. They are not into those hit and run sales tactics that most other companies use to make a buck. I've not used any other brand of fan but I have been told some crazy stories by people I know dealing with other manufacturers.
The vortex is a really nice fan with good build quality. I love my s line. Its quite, powerful and has a 10 year warranty. They are a bit expensive yes but for the quality, low noise, warranty and customer service you really cant go wrong.
You can also find them for around 120.00 usd. That's what I paid for my 6". I see them priced at 200-250.00 usd for the 6". which is well over what I paid. I will say, if i was not able to find the one i have for the price i paid. I still would have purchased it at those price points due to warranty alone. I could be wrong but I dont think any other fan manufacturer has a 10 year warranty. If any company builds a product and give' a warranty as such you know it's not garbage!