I don’t normally do stories like this but I find Dyson to be such an intriguing company. As you all may know, they are most well known for reinventing the vacuum cleaner market with their innovative, colorful products and now they’ve turned their attention to the hairdryer.

Just this past Wednesday, the British engineering firm launched its high-end Dyson Supersonic hairdryer in the U.S. The price? A cool $399.

It’s available TODAY at Sephora stores all over the country and at other retailers later in the month. Whether or not it’s worth it to you depends on how much hair you have and how often you use a hairdryer. So, CNN Money lays out the facts for us to help you decide if its worth a try or not:

  • Dyson spent $67 million developing the dryer over four years.
  • Over 100 engineers worked on the product.
  • Dyson has over 100 patents pending related to the new hairdryer.
  • Dyson says the hairdryer has an “intelligent heat control” system to ensure it doesn’t overheat and cause hair damage.
  • The super-fast motor is located in the handle instead of the head.
  • Aero-acoustic engineers worked to make the product quieter (although its a bit more high pitched than most others), leading them to install extra blades in the motor and surround the motor with “acoustic silencers to further reduce sound.”
  • The hairdryer has been available in the U.K. and Japan for months, but they have yet to release sales figures.
  • The U.S. hair care appliance market is worth $1.9 billion, according to research firm Euromonitor International. Globally, the market is valued just above $7 billion.

 

Now, before I tell you what CNN thinks of the dryer, he’s an everyday girl (well, she’s got a Youtube channel about hair/makeup) and her thoughts.

CNN feels a little different than Lauren did. While they liked the “sleek, sophisticated and completely unique” nature, and they were impressed with its ability to blow a steady stream of air without a fan in sight, they ultimately said:

“Based on a trial run comparing the Dyson to a cheap, run-of-the-mill hairdryer, the Dyson’s air flow was more powerful and left hair looking a bit sleeker, smoother and shinier.

In a separate trial on curly hair using the curl-boosting diffuser, the process and final results weren’t noticeably different than a normal dryer. If there was any impact on frizz or flyaways, it was imperceptible.

It also wasn’t noticeably faster at drying hair.

When it’s all said and done, the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer worked well, but it wasn’t a miracle device that offered enough benefits to justify the price.”

 

There you go- two opinions, one from a glamour girl and another from someone at CNN Money. I think I’ll trust the glamour girl and the next time I have an extra $400 to spend on a blow dryer, I’ll run out and grab one!

Happy Friday! XO- Erin

Source: CNN Money