Clean Dry Hand Dryer

I've used the Dyson and Xcelerator a number of times and the sound is deafening. Perhaps literally, over time. Kids are especially vulnerable because their ears are closer to it, and the littler kids are afraid of them. I really like the idea, though, and though I haven't used the TOTO, I like what I'm reading and hope it becomes popular.

I've used the Dyson Airblade a number of times--including this week at either the Minneapolis or San Francisco airport (I can't remember which!). I like it, though it did seem louder than the TOTO I tried both at Greenbuild and at the TOTO factory in Atlanta a few years ago (before it was formally introduced in the U.S.). It may be time to do a more thorough product review of both of these products in EBN.

Sorry to keep posting. Just looked up and found Airblade was launched in 2006 and available in the US from 2007. It like the Toto does not have a heating element but works 12 seconds. It appears to have a more powerful motor at 1400 W. But says it uses .00468kWh/dry. It has a lot of hygiene certifications.

The real difference with a Dyson product is its ergonomics. It is FUN to use. It is intuitive designed around your hands not some box that could be anything. As a designer and architect this is what good design is what I want to see in the marketplace. Alex you should review it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_Airblade

Here is the link. I assumed this was the most efficient dryer around. Have a look at the animation!! Seems they can be purchased in US for $1199.

http://www.dysonairblade.co.uk/

I wonder how this compares to James Dysons Air Blade dryer? Perhaps it is not available in the US. In Britain they have been available for some time. You put your hands straight down and pull up as a blade of air wrings the water off hands to drip below. Ikea stores here in the UK also have a similar product installed.

I investigated the Dyson a couple years ago and remember that despite the hype around Dyson (like anything Steve Jobs does), the Airblade was louder (by a lot), uses more energy, and dries hands no quicker than competitors (like the one profiled above). Looks like all that is still true according to our GreenSpec entry.

From the GreenSpec listing at http://www.buildinggreen.com/auth/productDetail.cfm?ProductID=3624 - "The Dyson Airblade is a touch-free electric hand dryer with a drying cycle of about 12 seconds. The 1400-watt Airblade generates an air current that travels 590 feet per second to physically blow water off users' hands. Its die-cast aluminum casing has a scratchproof coating with a silver ion antimicrobial treatment. The unit’s replaceable HEPA filter (which has a pre-filter and comes with five-year warranty) removes 99.9% of the bacteria from the air used to dry hands. The Airblade is the first hand dryer to be certified by the National Sanitation Foundation under protocol P335: Hygienic Commercial Hand Dryers. The unit operates at about 84 dB and has a sensor that shuts the unit off if hands are not removed after 30 seconds."

I also used a high velocity hand dryer recently. It was mounted to the wall and protruded into the bathroom space. Hands were inserted within the unit's outer and inner walls. It did a very satisfactory job. The drawbacks were that your hands could easily touch either inside wall as they were being dried and that, at least psychologically, did not offer a comfortable feeling. I think that a child would not be able to use it because of the height placement on the wall. Still, it was an interesting concept and mucho preferable to the old continuous loop cotton cloth dryers found in gas station restrooms for years! I remember trying to find a spot on them that looked like it hadn't been used yet! :(