Dyson Supersonic Travel Hair Dryer Review

If you’ve ever been disappointed with the look of your hair on vacation, you might think about making space for your favorite hair dryer in your luggage. However, they can take up a lot of space, which is why we test travel hair dryers. They’re smaller and more compact, though they sometimes force you to make some sacrifices for the size.

However, the Dyson Supersonic Travel Hair Dryer is supposed to give you the best of both worlds, with power and performance in a smaller size. Does it live up to the hype? Our long-haired testers have been using it for weeks to find out, and the answer might surprise you.

The Rundown

The Dyson Supersonic Travel Hair Dryer is a smaller and lighter version of the original Supersonic Hair Dryer. For comparison, it’s 1.3 inches shorter, 1.4 inches narrower, and about a quarter inch skinnier than the original. It’s also less than half the weight: 0.7 pounds versus 1.8 pounds for the original.

In addition, its voltage ranges from 100-240V, depending on where you are, instead of the standard 120V of the original. That means you can take it to another country that uses a different voltage standard than your home without worrying about frying your fancy hair dryer. When your travel hair dryer costs as much as this one does, that’s a big consideration.

The Supersonic Travel Hair Dryer has three heat settings and two speeds. You’ll find two tiny buttons on the blower: one with a little fan icon and one with a red thermometer. The fan icon is the speed adjuster, and the red thermometer is the heat. Simply press the button to cycle through your desired speed and heat to find the right combination for your hair. Little LED lights next to each button illuminate so you know what setting you’re on, and they stay at that level when you turn the dryer off and on, so you don’t have to reset it each time. While there are only two LEDs for each, you’ll know you’re on the lowest heat setting when none are lit.

In contrast, the original Supersonic has four heat and three speed settings. It’s also more powerful, with airflow of 13.3 liters per second versus the travel dryer’s 11.6 l/s. However, we find the travel hair dryer much more powerful than many travel hair dryers and some traditional ones, so you might not even notice the difference unless you have super long and thick hair. Even then, we think the high speed setting ought to work better on your hair than the highest speed on other travel hair dryers, since our tester with long yet thin hair dried her hair in 3:26 on the low speed setting. For context, she uses the highest setting on her home Revlon hair dryer, and it takes a bit longer to dry.

There’s a small switch on the back to turn the dryer on and off, and it has a different air intake than most other hair dryers. This one is at the bottom of the dryer, near where the cord attaches. You’ll find a metal mesh covering there that can be removed for cleaning if it collects lint or hair, similar to what you’d do with a traditional dryer. We never ran into any issues with accidentally covering it while holding the dryer, which was the only concern about that location. And, contrary to our experience with some other travel hair dryers that have the intake on the back of the head, its location on the handle means that you’re less likely to have your hair get sucked into it by accident.

The cord is 6.5 feet long, compared to the Dyson Supersonic’s 8.6 feet, but it’s still quite thick and sturdy. That’s great for durability, but it takes up nearly as much space as the dryer when you’re trying to pack it. It’s also unwieldy and doesn’t coil up very small, so you’ll have to play around with it to find a good way to fit it into your travel backpack or rolling carry-on luggage.

Packability

When it comes time to pack the Dyson Supersonic Travel Hair Dryer, you’re going to want to add something to your list: a VELCRO Brand Cable Tie, a Nite Ize Gear Tie, or even a humble twist tie or rubber band. Doing so makes it much easier to wrangle the cable, which is the least packable part of the Supersonic Travel Hair Dryer. Don’t get us wrong, it’s great to have a 6.5-foot cord on a travel hair dryer. You never know where you’re going to find a plug in the hotel, especially if you’re trying to use it outside of the bathroom while a travel companion is showering. However, the cable on the Dyson is thicker and less flexible than that of some other hair dryers, so it’s harder to pack.

It’s much more packable when you hold it together, all neat and tidy. You can fold it up to fit under the head, making it more packable and easier to slide into the side or bottom of your travel bag. Removing any attachments, like the concentrator, is also a good move. You don’t have to leave them behind; just find another pocket or spot to stow them while you travel. Doing so leaves you with something about the size of two rolled T-shirts, which isn’t too bad to fit into a travel bag, though it’s obviously not the most minimalist way to travel.

Quick Comparison

So, we’ve done a lot of talking about how the Dyson Supersonic Travel Hair Dryer compares to the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer, but why should you choose it over another travel hair dryer? We’re putting it up against the Conair Compact Folding Handle Hair Dryer for a more apples-to-apples comparison than apples-to-pineapples.

On straight packability, the Conair is about an inch shorter and can get even shorter when you fold it (though it’s then fatter). Its 5-foot cord is also thinner and easier to coil, so it’s likely easier to tuck into your travel bag than the Dyson.

However, after testing both travel hair dryers, there are some reasons you might want to make room for the slightly larger and heavier Dyson. While the Conair is more powerful than hair dryers we’ve found on cruise ships and at some hotels and resorts—and it’s a 1600W device instead of up to 1220W like the Dyson—it feels less powerful than the Dyson, even on the highest speed setting. (By the way, it has two speeds and two heat settings, while the Dyson has a third heat setting.) The Dyson gave our tester a smoother hairstyle than the Conair while using the same brush, and it only improved with the concentrator attachment. Speaking of which, there aren’t any optional attachments for the Conair, while the Dyson comes with a concentrator and the ability to use other Dyson Supersonic attachments, which may help you get a better hairstyle on the go.

However, you can buy more than 15 Conairs before hitting the Dyson price point. Is it worth it? That probably depends on how often you use a travel hair dryer, whether you would just use the Dyson Supersonic Travel Hair Dryer as your only hair dryer instead of buying one specifically for a trip, and how important it is for you to have a great blowout while traveling. It’s something only you can decide.