A lot of customers come to us with old hand dryers, looking for spare parts or matching products. We are putting together a series of guides to help identify what it is you need. The first in the series is Initial Hand Dryers, Initial are the washroom division of Rentokil Initial.
Rentokil were founded way back in 1925 and Initial date back even further to 1903, when an American, Mr. A.P. Bigelow, started a towel rental service for London businesses. The name Initial stemmed from the fact that every customer had their initials embroidered on their towels. Initial developed into providing full washroom services including electric hand dryers as well as linen roller towels.
Initial were one of the biggest providers in the UK, second to PHS and therefore there are a huge number of legacy Initial Hand Dryers all over the country and they continue to install modern hand dryers up and down the country. This blog will help you to identify their products if you need spare parts and also explain how you can rent or buy the same products for less.
Machflow
In recent years you may have seen quite a lot of the dryer in the image below with the Initial badge on it. This is the Machflow from Mediclinics who manufacturer in Spain. This is an excellent hand dryer with super-fast drying times, low energy consumption and an adjustable motor for noise reduction. Recent additions seen on some upgraded Machlows include a plug and play system that allows it to be disconnected from the mains without touching any wires, a HEPA filter and a build in Ioniser. There is also a new brushless motor version which reduces the maintenance requirements and extends the life of the unit.
We can provide full parts including replacement covers or a respray service if they are damaged or heavily scratched, motors, PCB boards, sensors. If you require anything at all relating to these products or even a replacement machine to match with others, please give us a call and we will be able to help.
Initial F5
This is Initials entry level, high speed hand dryer rebranded for Initial. This specification is freely available in alternative brands so its worth doing a price comparison with same specification products that originate from the same factory. Again, we can supply all parts out of guarantee or contract.
Initial Verdedri
This product comes from World Dryer in the US and can be found in its original form from a number of sources. It’s a nice slimline long-lasting product but perhaps a little overpriced in comparison with other premium products likes of the Mitsubishi SMART or even the Machflow. We are able to order in all parts if required.
The WAD 5
This was Initial’s main dryer pre around 2005. A British made, rock of a hand dryer. These dryers or variations of which just lasted and lasted so you will still sometimes even see versions that date back to the 1980’s. This product will have had numerous generations, so if you are looking to replace and want a unit that will match the others you still have, we can supply the closest looking, latest version. If you want spares for your old one, we recommend you take a picture of the label and of the machine itself and describe the fault.
In fact, if you have any kind of hand dryer you can’t recognise, we have been in the industry a long time and may be able to help. Simply send us a picture of the unit, the label and describe the fault.