Scythe Kamakaze Blue LED 80mm Fan
Review by: Steve
Edited by: Ji4m
Provided by: Scythe USA

Introduction:
Do you want to turn down the speed on all those loud fans of yours? Can't afford a 50 dollar fan controller? The kamakaze fan from Scythe has a fan speed controller built right into it, and the great part, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to buy!

In The Box:
(1)80mm Blue LED Kamakaze fan
(4)Mounting Screws
(1)Rheostat for back slot of case

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Specs:
Dimensions: 80x80x25mm
Noise ranges from 16-38DBA (depends on speed setting)
4 super-bright LEDs embedded into the fan for illumination

(package contents, click to enlarge)

Installation:
Depending on what kind of case you are installing the Kamakaze into, installation can vary. In my case I simply had to pop it into the screw less fan mount. After that I plugged the molex connector into my power supply which provided a source of power for the fan.
Next I took the RPM sensing lead, which is a single wire on a 3 pin plug, and plugged it into my motherboard. After that was done I then removed an empty slot cover from the back of my case, then slid the rheostat in and fastened a screw in the hold it firmly in place.

Features:
Attached rheostat goes into the back slot of your case and allows you to turn down the fan to get rid of the noise when it isn't needed, which allows for a quieter computing environment.
Blue LEDs light up the fan blue and provide a soft blue "mist" of light around the fan.

Testing:
The first test I did was to check that the rheostat actually did control the speed and noise of the fan in a reasonable and equal manner. I will be watching the fan's RPM in Motherboard Monitor.
Low = 1300RPM
Middle = 2200RPM
High = 3300RPM
As you can see from the fan's RPM at the 3 different stages, the rheostat does indeed change the speed of the fan in noticeable increments. Along with the fan's RPM changing I also noticed a change in noise coming from the fan. When the fan was on low it was next to silent, however when I pushed it up to high there was a definite hum that could be heard clearly coming from the fan.
Another thing I looked at was how close the LED's were to blue because I have seen many LED fans where the "blue" LEDs almost look a solid purple. On the Kamazake the LED's are a definite blue, they do not look purply some other fans do.

 
(Click to enlarge)

Conclusion:
Overall I was very pleased with this fan. It's LEDs provided a nice blue colour to the fan and a blue "mist" of light around the fan. The added rheostat is a very nice feature which can rid the fan of some unneeded noise in certain situations.

Pros:
Rheostat to control speed/noise
Great airflow
Monitorable RPM
Blue LEDs provide great lighting for modders

Cons:
3 pin power connector would be nice instead of 4 pin one

Rating: 9.5/10

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I'd like to give a big thanks to the wonderful people at Scythe USA who provided the Kamakaze and made this review possible!