In 2016, Dyson endlessly modified the at-home hair care recreation when it introduced its very first magnificence tech instrument: the Dyson Supersonic(opens in a brand new tab). It was a hair dryer that appeared and promised a efficiency like no different, granted you have been prepared to shell out $400 (lately, it is $429).
Most early critiques sang the blow dryer’s praises, marveling at its potential to dry hair quicker whereas damaging it much less. The one flaw that would deter patrons? The worth. But since then, the Supersonic has hundreds of optimistic critiques and stays one of many best-selling hair dryers at Sephora(opens in a brand new tab). It is a frequent fixture of magnificence YouTube movies and TikToks (#dysonsupersonic has 91.5 million views on the time of writing), the place each commenters with no followers and creators with tens of millions laud the hair instrument. Naturally, it is also impressed loads of dupes.
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Following the Supersonic’s success, Dyson has gone on to create different high-priced hair instruments just like the Airwrap(opens in a brand new tab), a $600 scorching air styler that nonetheless goes out and in of inventory 5 years after its launch (although we nonetheless do not fully get the hype).
Hype is why we’re right here at this time, testing a hair dryer that got here out seven years in the past. If there’s something that Dyson’s magnificence tech ventures have taught us, it is that hype can carry a model for years, but when there’s one thing to discourage the on a regular basis individual from shopping for in, it is how the worth tag really compares to the efficiency.
A product just like the Supersonic is definitely worth the hype, and subsequently price the price, if it really delivers on one thing completely distinctive or subsequent to perfection. So now that point has handed, the dupes have been made, and the Supersonic’s tech is now not model new — is it nonetheless price $429? We investigated.
Why is the Dyson Supersonic well-liked?
To reply whether or not or not the Supersonic deserves its devoted following, it is price understanding what began that following within the first place.
When it was launched in 2016, the traditional blow dryer design nonetheless reigned supreme. In that design, a fan sits within the head of the blow dryer, which sucks in air from the again, passes it over heating coils, and pushes it out the entrance. The result’s that echoey, wind tunnel sound, however this was the one strategy to dry hair quicker — till the Supersonic.

The Dyson Supersonic will not be like the opposite ladies (hair dryers).
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Even from simply taking a look at it, it is clear Dyson’s hair dryer is constructed totally different. As a substitute of the traditional fan, Dyson’s magnet-powered V9 digital motor sits within the deal with of the dryer. The highest of the dryer is a real ring form you possibly can look straight via, bearing a resemblance to model’s discontinued Air Multiplier fan(opens in a brand new tab).
That is no coincidence — the Supersonic makes use of Air Multiplier know-how, which supplies a strong airflow. The results of these deviations from the usual hair dryer design are the Supersonic options you will see praised again and again, together with:
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It is not noisy. There is no denying that the Supersonic is quieter than most blow dryers. Not precisely quiet (I nonetheless shunned utilizing it late at night time or tremendous early within the morning in order to not disturb my roommate or neighbors), however undoubtedly much less in-your-face loud than what you may anticipate from a blow dryer.
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It is light-weight. This motor within the deal with is tiny, permitting for the Supersonic to be noticeably light-weight, and fewer weirdly top-heavy than most dryers. Clocking in at slightly below two kilos, it is likely one of the lighter high-powered excessive dryers available on the market.
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It really works shortly, with out damaging your hair. Most of all, that high-powered motor is what actually shot the Supersonic to hair-care fame. Per Dyson’s web site, the V9 motor generates 1,600 watts of energy and shoots out 13 liters of air per second. Whereas that is not the very best wattage on the market, paired with the Air Multiplier, you get an airflow that is significantly robust, and reliably dried my whole head of hair in quarter-hour or much less. Nonetheless, the dryer by no means exceeds a temperature of 212 levels Fahrenheit, preserving the warmth injury to a minimal.
How the Dyson Supersonic works
The Supersonic actually does set you up for fulfillment. Along with the above three factors, it comes with 5 simply attachable but sturdy magnetic attachments, together with the styling concentrator, extensive tooth comb, light air attachment, diffuser, and most up-to-date addition to the road(opens in a brand new tab) — the flyaway attachment.
The attachments
I haven’t got tremendous curly hair, so I did not even attempt to take a look at out the extensive tooth comb. As for the remainder of the attachments, the flyaway one was the particular stand out. It really made a distinction across the ever-present halo of frizz my hair will get, and grabbed the hair equally to the Airwrap’s Coanda smoothing dryer.

The attachments, from left to proper: the diffuser, the light air attachment, the extensive tooth comb, the flyaway attachment, the styling concentrator.
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Between the remaining three attachments, nothing felt revolutionary — the light air attachment did assist tone the air circulate down, and I think about could be well-loved by somebody with hair finer than mine. I believed the diffuser labored nicely, however I missed the adjustable prongs of the Shark FlexStyle diffuser. The styling concentrator was probably the most easy of the bunch, and it did what it was speculated to do. Greater than something, with this attachment I appreciated that the magnetic connection saved the concentrator firmly in place, however was versatile sufficient that I might transfer the concentrator and modify the angle whereas styling.
By the best way, in the event you’re all for having a delegated place to place all these attachments, we advocate going for the particular version Supersonic that comes with a storage case(opens in a brand new tab). It is the identical value as the traditional Supersonic, which surprisingly, comes with no storage choices aside from the field it is available in.
Dyson Airwrap vs. Shark FlexStyle: Here is which scorching air instrument is price your cash
The place it might be good to see extra innovation from Dyson is not within the precise tech of the attachments, however in how they’re provided with the dryer. Truthfully, I am unable to think about the one that’d have the use for each single attachment often. If Dyson took a web page out of the Shark FlexStyle playbook and allowed patrons to bundle collectively two or three attachments for much less cash, I might see that going a great distance for the individuals attempting to justify the worth. (As a aspect notice, Shark does not provide personalized bundles with its HyperAir dryer, but it surely solely comes with two attachments.)
The warmth and air settings
As for the settings, you will have your alternative between three totally different heats at 140 levels, 176 levels, and 212 levels, in addition to an 82-degree chilly shot button. You may as well change between three air speeds, with the bottom designed for diffusing, the center for normal drying, and the very best for quick drying and styling.

Alter the warmth and air settings with the 2 buttons on the again of the ring.
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable
Out of private desire, I gravitated towards the low or medium warmth paired with the low or medium airflow. Although I wasn’t maxing out the settings, it was nonetheless a lot achievable to go from very frivolously towel-dried hair to utterly dry hair in lower than quarter-hour. On the very best settings, this was nearer to 10 minutes.
The way it performs on different claims
The opposite claims you will see from the Supersonic are that it might probably “assist enhance smoothness by 75 p.c, enhance shine by as much as 132 p.c and reduce frizz and flyaways by as much as 61 p.c,” as in comparison with naturally dried hair.
I did discover a distinction from my naturally dried hair, however not one which felt all that totally different from another blow dryer I’ve used. Once more, the flyaway attachment made probably the most influence on my frizz, however even then I nonetheless tamed it with some styling merchandise. Total, it did make my hair look good, and the convenience of utilizing it’s a plus — however for many individuals, it would simply be price paying lower than half the worth, and getting via the educational curve of a extra traditional blow dryer.
Are Supersonic options price it?
There are many options of the Supersonic you possibly can simply discover in different blow dryers — adverse ionic tech to cut back frizz, a number of warmth and and air settings, and light-weight fashions are principally requirements for blow dryers lately, even for extra budget-friendly ones.
Even the power to measure the air temperature whilst you’re blow drying, and adjusting to forestall injury, will not be distinctive to the Supersonic — the Shark HyperAir(opens in a brand new tab) and a number of T3 dryers(opens in a brand new tab) do the very same factor.
Nonetheless, we get you are seemingly most all for getting a close to similar Supersonic expertise with out paying Supersonic {dollars} — and as we talked about up high, dupe tradition has delivered. Whereas we now have a high quality number of dupes we have researched and examined, the Laifen Swift(opens in a brand new tab) is by far the closest you will get to the actual factor.

The Laifen Swift is as near the Supersonic because it will get, looks-wise.
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable
It is $200, however that is nonetheless lower than half of the worth of the Dyson (and it is often on sale). It appears a lot just like the Dyson (minus the hollowed-out ring head), has the identical Dyson whir, the same magnetic attachments that maintain firmly in place, and it has a strong airflow that dries your hair in about the identical time because the Dyson.
The most important drawbacks are that it does not have as many warmth settings, with the most popular setting typically feeling hotter than the 176 levels that it claims to high out at, and it does not use the very same Air Multiplier tech that made the Supersonic stand out within the first place. For $200, you additionally solely obtain one styling attachment, and must pay $40 extra to get the 2 different out there ones(opens in a brand new tab).
The most effective Dyson Airwrap dupes underneath $300 — together with the Shark FlexStyle
I have been utilizing the Laifen Swift often for practically three months at this level, and up to now it performs precisely the identical because the day I first unboxed it. In different phrases, there aren’t any obvious high quality points.
If value is much less of an impediment for you and also you’re extra into the thought of a blow dryer that makes use of the most recent tech, the $349 Zuvi Halo(opens in a brand new tab) is likely one of the most revolutionary dryers on the market, utilizing low temps and light-weight to get your hair dry.
Who can purchase the Dyson Supersonic?
I am not going to attempt to play it cool — the Dyson Supersonic(opens in a brand new tab) continues to be a formidable hair dryer. Nevertheless it’s $429, and much from the one spectacular hair dryer available on the market.
Although the Supersonic definitely made my hair drying expertise really feel elevated, it did not make it really feel drastically totally different than different hair dryers, and for this drastically totally different value to be price it, it ought to.
For most individuals into the thought of a fast dry or a quieter dryer, on the very least, it is best to store round earlier than committing to the acquisition. We’re greater than prepared to guess you will be happy along with your buy, however you do not essentially must throw funds consciousness out the window.
The one who’ll get probably the most out of the Supersonic is somebody who’s blow drying their hair most days of the week, and who has hair that, left to air dry, most likely would not be capable to get utterly dry over the course of the day. The Dyson will certainly velocity issues up, and make making use of quite a lot of warmth styling kinder to your hair. Once more, it is a actually good blow dryer.
We’re simply saying that the costliest dryer is not essentially the best possible dryer for everyone.
Originally posted 2023-05-27 09:00:00.