I have super-thick hair and drying it has always been a big dilemma for me. If I shampoo in the morning and let it dry naturally, it is still slightly damp with lots of fly-aways at day’s end. If I shampoo and blowdry in the evening, I end up with bedhead in the morning. I’ve never worn my hair longer than shoulder length for it takes at least 30 minutes to blow-dry it, and then I have to follow through with a hair iron to make it smooth and shiny which takes another 20-30 minutes.
Late last year, I decided to let my hair grow long, and now my hair is about shoulder length. So I am back to my one hour hair styling routine. Then in February I went to the Dyson store at SM Aura for the product launch of their newest vacuum cleaner which was pretty awesome, but I was literally blown away by their supersonic hairdryer.
Long story short, I am now a proud owner of a Dyson Supersonic.
Design: 5/5
The Dyson Supersonic looks and feels like the high-end, high tech dryer that it is. The unit itself is designed differently from a regular hair dryer. For one, it is much more compact. The handle is about as long, but the body is just about a third of a regular dryer or about half-size shorter than a travel hair dryer.
The body also looks different. Instead of a barrel that contains everything, it is a short cylinder with a hollow middle, which makes the supersonic look sleeker. It has four control bottons: a slide on/off switch, a push button control with LED indicators for the 3 heat levels, a separate push button control with LED indicators for the 3 airflow settings and a Cold Shot button that immediately turns off the heating elements so cooler air flows through to set the hair style.
There are three styling attachments with magic magnetic holding: a wide nozzle to smooth and dry, one with a narrow nozzle for concentrated styling, and a diffuser that evenly disperses airflow to dry curls and help reduce frizz.
Hardware: 5/5
The Supersonic is uniquely engineered using advanced Dyson technology. The Dyson V9 digital motor is so small it fits inside the handle, yet so powerful with its 13 impeller blades that spins up to 110,000 rpm, generating 3.5 kPa of pressure.
The cylindrical body is designed with Dyson’s Air Multiplier technology that amplifies air volume 3x to produce high pressure, high velocity jet while using only 1600 watts of electricity. My other hairdryer does not have the same drying power even at 2200 watts.
The Glass Bead Thermistor measures air temperature as it exits the dryer head 20x per second and transmits data back to the microprocessor that intelligently controls the heating element avoiding scalp burn or hair damage from extreme heat.
It also produces negative ions that reduces hair static. And lastly, the dryer has a removable filter cage that is easy to clean, and comes with a 2.7 meter cable.
User Experience: 5/5
I have to say that the Dyson Supersonic is the best hairdryer I’ve ever used, bar none. I can now dry and style my hair in under 20 minutes, cutting my hair styling routine by 2/3rds of my previous time.
The Supersonic feels well-balanced because the weight is concentrated on the handle. And the shorter barrel makes it easier to point the airflow more effectively using one hand while holding a brush on the other hand.
It is also a lot quieter than other hair dryers. I can actually hear the TV or the audiobook on my iPhone while drying my hair.
Words alone won’t be enough to impart user experience— you have to go to the nearest Dyson store to experience for yourself how great this product is.
Value: 4/5
The Dyson Supersonic is more than 4x more expensive than any of my previous hair dryers and more than 2x more expensive than the cost of my hair dryer and hair iron combined. But weighing that cost against the time I save drying and styling my hair, and the possibility that I can now grow my hair longer, I think it is a worthy investment.
Plus, it it small enough to take along when I travel abroad. I only need to get a mini-transformer for travel to the USA.
What’s more, If you buy the violet model, which is exclusively available only in the Philippines, you can get a free carrying case while supplies last.
Bottomline:
It’s the ultimate hair dryer; you won’t want to use anything else.
Also published in GADGETS MAGAZINE March 2018 Issue.
Reviewed by Presy Alba