The humble hair dryer is the least glamorous part of looking glamorous.
A typical hair dryer looks obnoxious, has a ever tangled power chord, difficult to carry as a travel accessory and takes up precious drawer space. In the UAE, you can find hair dryers from various brands and prices. From an unknown chinese brand worth AED 75 till popular global brands worth AED 750 that offer better chasis and improved technology. But who would’ve thought this humble hair dryer would itself get a fashionable makeover?
Enter Dyson, the brand behind reinventing the lackluster vacuum cleaner market with its innovative, colorful products. The British engineering firm launched its high-end Dyson Supersonic hairdryer with a price tag of AED 1499.
So, is it worth it? First, let’s get some facts:
The facts:
– Dyson spent $67 million to develop the gadget over four years.
– Over 100 engineers worked on this product.
– Dyson has over 100 patents pending related to the new hairdryer.
– Dyson boasts that the hairdryer has an “intelligent heat control” system to ensure it doesn’t overheat and cause hair damage.
– The super-fast motor is located in the handle instead of the head.
– Aero-acoustic engineers worked to make the product quieter, leading them to install extra blades in the motor and surround the motor with “acoustic silencers to further reduce sound.”
– The Dyson Supersonic hairdryer has been available in countries like the U.K. and Japan for months, but the company has not released sales figures.
The Supersonic hair dryer reinvigorates an underserved category with a masterpiece of efficiency that blows away the competition. Dyson engineers have undoubtedly created a product that looks different, sounds different and works different. Bonus: It’s beautifully packaged.
The Supersonic is compact; not “travel size,” but small enough to fit into a carry-on bag without having to sacrifice a day’s clothes. Inside you’ll find a tiny, but powerful, motor—the same technology Dyson employs in its bladeless fans—that produces a strong, even flow of hot air.
Dyson’s Supersonic is the Tesla of Hair Dryers.
Its placement makes the Supersonic easier to handle. Hair dryers have used the classic L-shape for decades, with the large motor—and hence the mass—off-center at the top of the handle. Dyson put the motor in the handle, giving the Supersonic superlative balance that makes it feel lighter. Professional stylists who use their hair dryers all day will love it, but even for regular folks, it’s a welcome improvement.
Three styling attachments—two to direct airflow, and a diffuser—snap onto the handle with magnets. You can rotate the attachments and swap them quickly and easily. The dryer works without them, but they’re handy if you need to direct airflow at a brush, or spread it out to get well-defined curls. One quibble: The cord is a bit bulky, but that seems designed to resist tangling.
The Supersonic uses a microprocessor to monitor heat output, and a constant feedback loop to ensure consistent temperature. That could sound like some serious over-engineering, but the ability to maintain consistent heat noticeably improves shine and definitely dries hair faster.
A pair of buttons on the back of the barrel adjust the temperature and fan speed. Their placement is an unsung design win for Dyson. Your typical hair dryer features two toggling switches: one for temperature and one for speed. The fancier the hair dryer, the more settings you have. You almost always find these switches on the side of handle (under your thumb), or on the front, like the trigger of a pistol. That might be useful in a shootout, but when you’re drying hair, you tend to pick a setting and let it be. Until, of course, your finger inevitably hits one of the switches, speeding up the fan or cranking up the heat. Dyson’s placement mitigates this risk.
The Supersonic offers three speeds and three temperatures. The max level serious oomph—Dyson’s experience controlling airflow is on full display here. You’ll find the power button on the handle, and, in a cool trick, the Supersonic saves your preferred settings when you switch it off.
For some more in-depth review, check it here.
Like all Dyson products, the Supersonic is pricey at AED 1499. But you get truly superior engineering and well-considered design. Sure, these are small changes to a familiar product, but the Dyson Supersonic has made hot air feel sexy and glamorous. Get yours here.
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