Hand Dryer by Dyson Uses 83% Less Energy: The Airblade
by Justin Thomas, Virginia 
on 10.14.06
A new hand dryer, the Airblade by Dyson, is said to use 83% less energy than similar dryers. It's rated at 4.4Whr. The dryer forces air at over 400 mph through a 0.3 mm gap, which Dyson claims, works just like a blade that wipes the water of your hands.
The Airblade also improves on the sanitary aspects of the hand drying process. The Airblade uses a HEPA filter to remove bacteria and mold from the bathroom air that it sucks in. It also collects and traps the water from your hands and passes it through an iodine resin micro filter and sterilized then it is released into the bathroom as a small mist.
The Dyson Airblade will soon be available in Europe, but there's no word as to whether the dryer will reach the U.S.
The Excel Dryer, which is available in the U.S., makes similar claims of efficiency and speed.
:: Via EcoGeek
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Looks good, but how sanitary is this? With the unit being so close to the hands, it would seem that hands are touching it all the time. What keeps it clean?
Hygienic? If that thing is meant to be used in public restrooms, then it's not going to be hygienic. Do they honestly think that people are going to be able to avoid touching those two sides in that narrow opening? As soon as some person who didn't wash their hands properly runs their hands against that surface, the next person who touches the surface with their hands is now going to get theirs contaminated.
Standard air dryers may be less efficient, from a strict energy consumption perspective, but at least your hands don't come near any surfaces unless you make an effort to have them do so.
Here's the page on the Dyson site that explains how the product is more hygenic than traditional hand dryers:
http://www.dysonairblade.ie/why/hygienic/thesolution.asp?sinavtype=menu
Agreed. Anything that's in a public toilet has got to have robust design qualities just to handle the perceived yuck factor, not to mention actual hygenic concerns. Dyson's a strong designer, so they say, but has he succeeded in tackling the special challenges involved with designing for a place where the public goes poo? Perhaps not.
I used a similar hand dryer in Japan years ago (though I believe the opening was wider... like this). I was amazed because it was the first hand dryer I'd ever used that actually dried my hands. I'd always wondered why they didn't use the same design in America.
"Anti-microbial coating"??
I think we can all imagine how that's not going to help much, considering what's on the hands of people who don't wash well.
The key is in the washing phase, then making sure you don't contaminate on the way out the door (which most facilities do a poor job of acomodating).
Well the more touched a surface the more clean it is. That's why a toilet seat is more clean than an edge or rim. But this isn't a new design http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/dyson-airblade-copied-mitsubishi-jet-towel-205926.php
the more touched a surface the more clean it is
LOL
Really? So if some guy poops, then gets it all over his hands, doesn't wash all of it off, then rubs it on the rim of the dryer, it's cleaner than an untouched surface that was sanitized beforehand? Now multiply that slob over 100 times in a busy restroom (like at an airport).
Think first, write later.
I have actually used one one of these driers and the gap is muc bigger than indicated in this picture, I did not touch the sides at all! So, I think they are hygenic, they are also pretty effective!
I used one of these in Marin, I think they had it in a Whole Food Bathroom. I was not impressed. It did not dry my hands very well and the size of the gap was an issue. Felt like a nice effort but impractical.
I recently used one of them at the San Francisco airport. I was so impressed that I wet my hands two more times just so that I could dry them again. I didn't touch the sides.
The Dyson is a nice dryer, but their claims that it is more hygienic are less than accurate. Not only does water collect in the well where the hands go, but so do other bits and pieces. If they are really well maintained, these can be good hand dryers for, say, an office building. But they are more bulky (use a lot of material to make) complex and expensive than other dryers.
World Dryer came out with a hand dryer last year called the AirForce. This may be the most energy efficient dryer available. It is high speed and it uses only 1100 watts of energy. It is more similar to the Xlerator which is also 1600 watts. The Xlerator has a heating element that uses 900 watts - the Dyson and AirForce do not have heating elements.
The Dyson IS energy efficient, but it uses 1600 watts. Traditional dryers use 2300 watts but they are also slower than these new, high-speed dryers.
ALL hand dryers are good for the environment when compared to using and throwing out paper towels. It takes less energy to dry your hands, even with the less efficient models, than it does to just manufacture the 2.5 paper towels you would have used. Plus all of the other factors like transporting them, cutting down trees, pollution from manufacturing and disposal.
You can get the Airforce specs at our hand dryer website: Airforce hand dryer