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I don't know about those reasons, but an AC fan uses ~100W on low and my DC fan uses 5W. You tune out the hum, but the AC fans hum and the DC fans don't.

But I don't think torque or longevity are actual issues with AC fans. Just efficiency and noise.

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> torque

DC fans don't have the hum, get up to speed faster, etc. They can operate at a far greater range of speeds and still maintain high power output. AC fans operate in a much narrower envelope.

> get up to speed faster

That's not something I've ever cared about.

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