Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer: Review

Disclaimer: The product featured was provided for review.

If you've ever shopped for high-end vacuums or have ever visited a decent public bathroom, then the name Dyson should be pretty familiar to you. Earlier this year, the brand unveiled an innovative hair dryer that's been in development for more four years. With a small and sleek design and a powerful Dyson digital motor, the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer ($499.99 CAD) is probably the most expensive hair dryer on the market to date. So is this piece of technology worth the hefty price tag? Read on to find out.......

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer

Packaging:
Housed in a large and sleek box, the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer comes with three different head attachments, a storage hanger, a non-slip mat, and a booklet of operating directions. The packaging is pretty well-designed and everything is neatly tucked away in its own slot. Unboxing this thing felt like unboxing a giant iPhone!

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer

For the attachments, you get a smoothing nozzle, a styling concentrator, and a diffuser for curly hair. The key feature of these accessories is that they attach magnetically onto the head of the device and rotate easily as desired. The magnetic attachment is not life-changing by any means and although I really don't use attachments all that often, the snazzy snap-on, snap-off feature is still pretty convenient! The included hanger lanyard can be hooked on to the ribbed section at the base of the device if you want to store the dryer hanging up while the non-slip mat can be placed on the counter for you to set your dryer down during use (or storage).

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer | Accessories

The Device:
Unlike your traditional hair dryer, the Dyson dryer's fan is located in its handle and not in the head of the device. This feature, coupled with the tiny size of the Dyson impeller blades (capable of reaching 110,000 rpm), drastically cuts down the size of the dryer and shifts the balance of the device for better handling. The dryer is definitely lighter, but I think the key is that it has a much better hand-feel. Because the head is much shorter and smaller, I can hold the dryer a lot closer to my head so I am not constantly bending and twisting my wrist and arm into uncomfortable positions.

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer | Controls

Although equipped with some very advanced technology, the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer is very user-friendly. The back of the head has a total of four buttons- one that controls the airflow, one that adjusts the head, an on and off switch, and a cold shot button. The dryer has a glass bead thermistor that measures the temperature of the airflow 20 times per second. This sensor then sends the data to the dryer's microprocessor that monitors and controls the heating elements to ensure a consistent and safe airflow temperature.

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer | Front View

Suffice it to say, the airflow of the Dyson Hair Dryer is quite strong, noticeably stronger than any ordinary hair dryer I've tried in the past. However, if you were expecting extreme turbo airflow that's going to dry your hair in a minute, you may be disappointed because as compared to my old dryer, the Dyson only saved me around a minute or so of drying time (~15% less time). For the fastest drying time, I would not recommend using any of the attachments until the very end. Even with the smoothing nozzle (which has the widest opening), I noticed a pretty big decrease in airflow. So for the fastest drying time, I would recommend drying with no attachments until the hair is 90% dry. After which, you can go in with one of the concentrating attachments to really smooth out the hair cuticles. However, if you have curly hair and want to maintain your curls, it's probably wise to stick with the diffuser attachment throughout the entire drying process.

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer | Filter

Despite not quite meeting my expectations of a significantly shorter drying time, the hair dryer is a lot quieter than any other hair dryer I've owned, a perk anyone with a ton of hair would really appreciate as holding a loud fan next to your ears for ten minutes is never a pleasant thing. At the base of the handle is an air filter; it has a removable cage that allows you to easily wipe clean any debris and lint. Like most hair dryers, the Dyson has a "cold shot" button that helps set the hair at the end of the drying process. To use, you have to press and hold the button but I noticed that the airflow was not actually very cool as it was lukewarm at best. I've owned hair dryers that provided very cool air before so this feature on Dyson was a bit disappointing for me. One last tiny critique I have is with the power cord. Near the plug portion, there is quite a sizeable power brick attached to the cord. I'm sure it's there for a very good reason but it's not something I've seen with any other hair dryers I've owned in the past. Depending on how far you will be standing from the outlet, the brick might make things a bit unwieldy.

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer | Back View

To conclude my review, I will quickly summarize some pros and cons of the device. With a very sleek and futuristic design, the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer is small, light, and quiet. The magnetic attachments are very snazzy and the airflow is quite powerful; however, I did not see a drastic reduction in the drying time. The "cool shot" feature was room temperature at best so that was a bit disappointing and the power brick on the cord may prove to be a bit clumsy. Overall, the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer is not only a very good hair dryer but an impressive piece of technology. Like most luxury beauty items, though, it's difficult to justify the price but as I always say, if you have the money, then why not spend it on something that you will use on a regular basis?

Availability:
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer is available at www.dysoncanada.ca.