Supersonic Hair Dryer

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer ($399.00) is the first beauty offering from a brand that's primarily known for their vacuums. I was both curious by my nature as someone who is devoted to reviewing beauty products as well as a fan of the Dyson brand in general (though I'm primarily a vacuum consumer of their products). I've been using it twice a week for the last month and a half.

The Dyson hair dryer is quiet, powerful, efficient at drying my hair, is comfortable to use, and seems well-made. I also like that the Dyson comes with both a smoothing and diffusing attachment, so at least you don't have to immediately buy accessories!

Here's the real test I gave myself to see if it was "worth it" to me: when I think about whether I'd use this or my prior T3 Featherweight, I'm not sure. I feel compelled to have to use the Dyson dryer, because it was extremely costly and it works as well, but I am not overly enthused or excited about it--because it really just doesn't do a better job for me. I think that if your normal dryer takes you 30 minutes, and the Dyson can cut the dry time down to 15, the price difference could absolutely make it worth it for time-savings alone, but it's really going to depend on what you have already (and how long that takes) compared to the Dyson (or any high-end dryer).

I think if you already have a high-quality, mid to high-end dryer, you may have a similar experience of just not being impressed enough for the price differential. If you're someone in the market for a serious upgrade, it's certainly a dryer worth considering, because I think it does an excellent job at drying the hair and is easy to use. For me, I am lucky to already have a really great blow dryer in my arsenal, so while nice, the Dyson Supersonic was definitely not necessary.

One additional thing I'd like to note is that based on various reviews I've read across platforms and retailers, those with finer hair seem the most frequent to write that the Dyson dryer made their hair feel like straw, but most reviews are positive across. Most retailers in the U.S. have good return policies, so if it doesn't work out, it can always be returned--just make sure to keep receipts, the box, and any packaging for it.

Blowdrying

It felt like a powerful dryer, and the top speed setting certainly blew my hair around--I actually found it necessary to drop down a speed (and I almost always use high on a dryer) if I wasn't using one of the attachments or else it felt a little like hurricane winds and my hair would tangle up easily. I primarily tested and used it with the smoothing attachment, which is the type of attachment I normally use with dryers. The sound it made was as loud as I'm used to with my T3, but it has a different sound--more whooshing and blowing and less the whir of a motor. Due to the way the dryer is built, I didn't expect it to be an issue, but certainly worth mentioning that it didn't suck my hair into the back of it and pull!

The Dyson 70% dried my hair (top layers were fully dry, some of the underlayers were damp, ends were mostly dry) in 5 to 8 minutes, and to fully dry my hair, it took 12 to 15 minutes. I have thick, long hair and a lot of it; just about every hairdresser I've ever had cut my hair has said, "You have enough hair for two people." I rarely fully dry my hair, because mostly dry is enough for me. I felt like it was efficient and did a good job at drying the hair without overheating it, which is part of their technology: "the temperature is measured 20 times a second" to prevent overheating. The end of the dryer (or the attachments, smoothing or diffuser) get hot to the touch, but the rest of the dryer is just a little over room temperature and never felt too hot to handle.

To compare, my T3 Featherweight has presently been taking me between 5 to 8 minutes to dry (my hair is particularly long these days) for mostly dry and then 12 to 15 minutes for fully dry. As you can see, those are the exact same time ranges as the Dyson. One day, it might be slightly faster, and the next, it might be the same or even a minute or two longer. My guess is the variance is the result of how much water I've been able to squeeze out via towels; I used the same techniques and products across the two dryers. My other guess is that since I have so much hair, it just takes awhile to get to each layer, and I can only run through sections so fast!

The end result between the Dyson and T3 was similar; the only difference I could convince myself was really there was that I felt like the results with the Dyson were slightly smoother for that day, but my hair was frizzier the next day (after going to bed and waking up) compared to the T3, where my hair seemed to have the same amount of frizz/flyaways or less the next day. I felt like the shine was comparable between the two.

Weight

The way the weight is distributed differently than typical dryers, as the motor is in the handle. It took some getting used to, as it felt heavier initially to me, but after a few uses, I did not notice the weight distribution and only notice it when switching between my T3 and the Dyson. The way the motor is in the handle does make the dryer more prone to sliding off the counter, which is why the brand included a rubberized mat to place the dryer on.

The current T3 Featherweight Luxe 2i Dryer is 18.5 oz., and the Dyson weighs 28.8 oz. (per the brands), so depending on your needs, it's not the lightest dryer out there. I think that the weight being closer to the hand actually makes it easier to hold for the long-haul, so even though it was heavier than what I'm used to, my arm didn't ache or get tired using it.

Build/Packaging

The dryer has a really sleek look, and it definitely looks different from most dryers on the market, so if it's your aesthetic, that might be a "wow" factor for you. I like that the attachments are magnetized, so they click on and come off really easily--no need to catch the corkscrews to screw it on, which also means that it is very easy to remove and change attachments on the fly (especially as they don't get too, too hot, but while Dyson advertised "cool to the touch," they felt warm to me). The buttons are right on the handle, so it took some getting used to ensure I wasn't keeping my hand right over the controls. After a few uses, I did not notice the position of them in any positive/negative way. In many ways, I see how they reengineered the way the dryer looks and feels in the hand, but after using it for over a month, I'm not convinced one is better than the other.

The Dyson has three speed settings, four heat settings (including Constant Cold), which are located on the back of the dryer. There is also a filter in the bottom of the handle, which can be cleaned (and it's pretty easy, though mine wasn't particularly in need of clean when I looked at it). The cable is long enough (9 feet) to navigate through most situations, whether you're in a hotel room or in a large bathroom.

The power cord for this is more industrial than any dryer I've encountered, with a large rectangular part towards the end, along with a very large plug. I expect that some of the weight of the cord also contributes to the dryer having a tendency to slip down the counter without using the no-slip mat (which is included).

It had a good feel and seemed well-made to me. There was nothing about it that seemed cheap, loose, or rickety in any way. The dryer comes with a two-year warranty, but for the price point, I'd like to see it push longer--after all, their vacuums come with a five-year warranty and are nearly the same price.

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