You are considering buying a Dyson Airblade hand dryer because you have used one and they seem pretty cool but just want to make sure it’s a good buy before forking out lots of money. All things considered, are Dyson hand dryers a good buy?
The Dyson Airblade AB14 is the hands in design, this has a few practical advantages and disadvantages to consider.
Advantages
- Dries hands from both sides quickly which means users always leave dry. The way it dries is consistent and effective and therefore hand hygiene is maintained. Wet hands are 10,000 times more likely to harbour bacteria.
- It’s a Dyson so it looks pretty cool and hi-tech
- It has a hospital grade HEPA filter which traps viruses and bacteria from entering the airflow. The jury is out a bit as to how important this is as nasties in airflow have not been proven to stick to hands. After all it’s the same air as is all around us.
- It has been approved by NSF and HACCP for use in food production factories which is a pretty good indication of hygiene.
- They are reliable, break down rates are a lot lower on their hand dryers than they seem to be on their domestic products. We sell large volumes and rarely if ever hear of faults.
Disadvantages
- It’s expensive, the most expensive in its class
- It doesn’t have a drip tray, so water drips down the sides and onto the floor necessitating regular clean ups unless you want to spend even more on a water capture tray.
- HEPA filters are not easy to get to so it’s hard to unclog or replace quickly which can affect performance.
- Water tends to splatter everywhere when it’s in use
Conclusion
It was Dyson’s first foray into hand dryer design and while it’s fantastic, I think they have recognised the flaws of the system and as such are focusing more on the over the sink solutions these days. It does pose maintenance issues and cleaning issues. Ultimately it won’t let you down and it will get the job done effectively, you may just have more mopping up to do than with other comparable and lower priced units.
