Is £300 too much to pay for a hair dryer? In most cases, probably yes, but the Dyson Supersonic is no ordinary hair dryer. You can see that right off the bat, as this rather unusual-looking device carries all the same futuristic hallmarks and bright, bold colour combinations that have come to define Dyson's entire product range.
Design
With its elongated handle and empty void-like barrel, the Supersonic looks nothing like a conventional hair dryer. Its stainless-steel housing is beautifully designed, and the magenta highlights on my review model immediately draw the eye.
Build quality is top-notch, too. Its sliding, metal power button feels like it's built to last, and the three other buttons that control heat and airflow all feel sturdy and well made. It's unlikely you'll need to use them much, though, as the Supersonic automatically remembers your last-used settings each time you turn it on. These are helpfully indicated by three white and red LED lights on either side of the barrel. There's even a removable filter at the bottom of the hair dryer for easy cleaning.
You're not simply paying for the Supersonic's good looks, though: it's so bottom-heavy because Dyson placing the motor in the handle rather than the head. This goes against traditional hair-dryer design, but the results are surprisingly effective. Not only does this allow the Supersonic to shed some weight, making it lighter to hold, but Dyson says it's also in a better position to take advantage of the company's unique Air Multiplier technology to dramatically increase its overall power.
Indeed, if you haven't got one of its three bundled attachments snapped on (all of which are magnetic, by the way, so they can be easily removed or twisted round as and when you like), its 13 internal impeller blades can whip up to 41 litres of air per second, which, on the maximum power setting, feels like a gale-force wind blowing in your face – something that most hair dryers can only dream of.
With so much power at its disposal, it literally cut my hair-drying time in half and then some. I have very thick, shoulder-length hair that normally takes about ten to 15 minutes to dry after a wash, but using the second heat setting on the Supersonic at maximum power meant I managed to finish a usual dry in less than five minutes.
The Supersonic also has negative ions to help reduce static, and I found this worked a treat on my hair. Cheaper hair dryers I've used in the past have caused static issues, but I had no such problem with the Supersonic.
It's surprisingly quiet, too, making much less racket than you might expect for something so powerful. It still makes some noise, of course, but whereas my current hair dryer can be heard two rooms away with the door closed, the Supersonic barely registered with other members of my household.
Its long 2.7m cable also ensures you've got plenty of slack if your mirror's not right next to a power socket. The only thing you have to bear in mind is that the cable's fed downwards out of the plug connector, which may be a problem if your plug boards are low to the floor. I had to use a multi-plug with my test sample, as there simply wasn't enough clearance to plug it straight in.
Verdict
Plug issues aside, the Dyson Supersonic is hands down the best hair dryer I've ever used. It's super powerful, looks fantastic, and its bundled smoothing nozzle, styling concentrator and diffuser give it plenty of versatility for different hair types. The only sticking point, of course, is the price. Most people would probably baulk at paying £300 for a hair dryer, but having used it solidly for two weeks, I have to say it's been very difficult indeed going back to my old hair dryer. The Supersonic is very expensive, but once you've tried it you'll know it's worth every penny.