Reddit reviews Honeywell Comfort Control Tower Fan, HYF013W
We found 3 Reddit comments about Honeywell Comfort Control Tower Fan, HYF013W. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Easy to Use push button controls with 3 speeds - low, medium and highOscillation for wide area coolingRecessed carrying handle2 hour auto shut-off timer
Honeywell Comfort Control Tower Fan
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011EOFGO
My husband found this Honeywell Comfort Control Tower Fan at the Target by the South Bay Galleria.
I would never have even looked at it, but he bought it, brought it home and got it going. Best fan I've ever owned.
I think you're on the right track when it comes to using a timer. In fact, for your purposes, the old-fashioned REALLY simple mechanical timers will be your friends.
However, you're right, modern fans, especially tower fans, are a slave to fancy circuitry, and I honestly can't remember ever seeing one that doesn't have some kind of stupid electronic control rather than a simple on/off switch.
What you may need to do is void the heck out of your warranty, and just hard-wire the fan to stay on, bypassing all the controls.
Good luck!
EDIT: No sooner than I post this, than I go doing some looking, and find this, or even this somewhat nicer version, which might suit your purposes.