The Dyson Supersonic is genuinely the best hair dryer in this group, and the
margin is not small. It removed 25 g of water from the towel, more than
anything else, and it left the driest patch of hair at 11.5% moisture when the
next best result was 20.3%. It does this on 1,554 W, less power than the $16
Revlon draws, because the win comes from air speed rather than heat: just over
40 mph on high, the fastest here. It is also the quietest at 82.3 dB, has the
shortest barrel at 1.5 in, and ties for the longest cord at 8.7 ft. Whether
that is worth $430 is a separate question, but the performance is real.
For value, the $19 Remington is the pick. It finished second on hair drying at
20.3% and tied for second on the towel at 24 g, beating every dryer between it
and the Dyson, including the $115 Panasonic and the $200 Shark. It is
relatively quiet at 83.7 dB with low EMF readings, and it has a cleanable air
filter. The compromise is ergonomics — it is a long, conventional 458 g dryer.
Spending a little more, the $31 Shrate is the better-handling option: 38.68 mph
of air speed, a tie with the Remington at 24 g of towel moisture, 23.7% on
hair, and a short 2.25 in barrel, all from the lowest measured wattage in the
group. It is loud at 86.1 dB and its 5.38 microtesla magnetic field is the
highest measured.
Two cautions on the expensive end. The $115 Panasonic has the second highest
measured wattage at 1,728 W and finished last on hair at 50% moisture, because
25.15 mph of airflow cannot carry that heat anywhere; it is also the heaviest
at 516 g. The $200 Shark has the opposite problem — 39.45 mph of air but a
230°F temperature cap that held the towel at 108°F, giving it the worst towel
result at 18 g, and it is the loudest here at 88.2 dB. Across the whole
lineup, the number worth ignoring is advertised wattage: every dryer measured
below its rating, the Trezoro by more than 500 W, and the two dryers that came
closest to their claims finished tenth and eleventh for actual power. Air speed
is what separates the good dryers from the poor ones.