Technical Review of Dyson’s $400US Supersonic Hairdryer

It was suggested I do an unboxing and review of this $500CAD or $400US Dyson Hair Dryer. I know they make good products but, $500. It was also suggested I wear a wig for the video, but, this wig not a good representation of human hair and it could melt, right?

The price is the bad news, the good news is:

It came with the Platinum Bag Gift for FREE!
I also got money back using Ebates. Ebates in an affiliate marketer setup with lots of merchants. Since a marketer cannot use their own affiliate marketing account to make purchases, you can use Ebates, and they split their earning with you. You get 8% back when purchasing this hair dryer. It’s real popular in Canada, and here’s a link for more information.

Helps prevent extreme heat damage to protect natural shine; Air temperature is measured 20 times every second, keeping the temperature under control Ultra fast drying; For fast drying you need controlled, high velocity airflow. Rated power 1600watts ...

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Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, Iron/Fuchsia

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Helps prevent extreme heat damage to protect natural shine; Air temperature is measured 20 times every second, keeping the temperature under control Ultra fast drying; For fast drying you need controlled, high velocity airflow. Rated power 1600watts ... read more

(as of September 19, 2024 15:13 GMT -06:00 - )

Let's look to see what’s in the box!

Three styling attachments are attached by magnets which is super convenient:
- Smoothing nozzle – directs the airflow styling and drying
- Styling concentrator – small version of the smoothing nozzle but used more for styling
- Diffuser – to dilute the air and reduce frizz
A non-slip mat made of rubber to avoid putting scratching on your hair dryer and to protect the surface you lay it on from the heat.
A mini strap in case you hang your dryer on a hook just inside your vanity.
Lastly, the hair dryer.

Let’s have a look at the features!

Four heat settings (off, low, medium and high)
3 fan settings
A power button
A cool button which turns off the heat while pressed.
The motor is in the handle and air is sucked in through the base. Over time, you’ll get dust on the filter here at the bottom and it can be cleaned out by removing the bottom cover.

Let’s look at the Platinum gift bag, which isn’t real platinum. It feels like a quality bag which should last a long time.

So, how does an IT guy who hasn’t dried his hair in 10 years do a valuable review on a hairdryer? I will user these technical measuring tools and compare the results to a typical hairdryer:

Watt meter
Wind meter
Thermal camera
Decibel meter

Wattage Test

They claim this is a 1600 watt dryer, which is pretty standard. Let’s see how much power it pulls using a watt meter. When the dryer is plugged in and off, it pulls 0.3 watts.

Fan/Heat	High	Medium	Low	Cool
Fast	1554w	1300w	845w	113w
Medium	1403w	1174w	781w	87w
Slow	1196w	875w	638w	48w

Here is how it compares to a typical hairdryer.
When the dryer is plugged in and off, it pulls 0.0 watts.

Fan/Heat	High	Low	Cool
Fast	1409w	851w	273w
Slow	727w	439w	146w

Wind Test

Here is the wind speed at each fan setting at 1 foot away using a digital anemometer.

Fan/Attachment	None	Smoothing Nozzle	Styling Concentrator	Diffuser
Fast	26mph – 42kph	12mph – 19kph	20mph – 32kph	6mph – 10kph
Medium	23mph – 37kph	10mph – 16kph	16mph – 26kph	5mph – 8kph
Slow	20mph – 32kph	9mph – 14.5kph	13mph – 21kph	4mph – 6kph

Comparison wind speed at each fan setting at 1 foot away.

Fan/Attachment	None
Fast	20mph – 32kph
Slow	14mph – 23kph

Sound Test

Here is a look at the sound produced from the Dyson at 1 foot using a sound meter.

Fan Setting	Decibels
Fast	78
Medium	76
Slow	73

Here is a look at the sound produced from the standard hairdryer at 1 foot away.

Fan Setting	Decibels
Fast	82
Slow	74

Thermal Test

Here is a look at the heat produced from the Dyson at 1 foot for 30 seconds using a thermal camera.

Heat Setting	Temperature
High	104F – 40.5C
Internally	158F – 70.3C

Here is a look at the heat produced from the comparison.

Heat Setting	Temperature
High	109F – 43.2C
Internally	146F – 63.8C

That’s my review using the tools I have at my disposal. The wattage numbers between the 2 dryers are very similar at the maximum fan and heat settings. The Dyson does however output more air in all comparable settings. In the sound test, the Dyson wins there with a noticeable difference as it’s quieter. When testing the thermal output, the standard hairdryer wins by only a few degrees, but the internal temperature of the heating elements is much higher for the Dyson.

So back to the cost. The price is closer to supersonic than the wind speed, but is it worth the price tag. Overall it performs great and my wife has been using it for a few weeks and only has one complaint, when not using an attachment, the wind whistles in her ears. It’s compact, lightweight and it feels like it’s built to last, but only time will tell. If it lasts for 10 years or more, than yes, it’s worth it.

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