Which hand dryer should I buy?

Summary:
Our number one recommendation is the World Dryer AirForce hand dryer. This is a high-speed hand dryer at a great price and one of the most energy efficient hand dryers in the world. If you are concerned with vandalism or noise levels, we recommend the high speed World Dryer AirMax Hand Dryer or the Model A Hand Dryer (more on these below.)

The AirForce hand dryer is new by World Dryer in 2008 and has a number of great features:

High speed
12 to 15 seconds to dry hands vs 30 – 40 seconds for traditional hand dryers. This is part of a new category of dryers in the same class as the Xlerator or the Dyson.

A high-speed hand dryer means:

1. Your customers are happier. They will be out of the restroom quickly and they will not feel inconvenienced by using a hand dryer versus paper towels. No more jokes about drying their hands on their pants, which will be a welcome relief for me.
2. More people will get through the restroom in less time. Key if you have a high-volume situation like a sports or entertainment venue.
3. Lower energy costs since the machines run for less time.

Low Energy
The AirForce consumes only 1,100 watts of electricity. There are only a handful of dryers that consume less – for example the Nova 1 hand dryer. But since the AirForce is ALSO a high-speed hand dryer, it runs for less time. The combination of high speed and low energy makes this one of the, if not the, most energy efficient hand dryers available anywhere and earns it a Greenspec listing.

It is important to note that even the standard hand dryers like the Model A (2300 watts for 30 second dry time) still do not use a lot of energy. The cost to run one Model A hand dryer at a fast food restaurant for a year can be about $100 depending on usage and energy costs. That might replace $900 worth of paper towels! And even though hand dryers do use energy, it takes MORE energy to manufacture the roughly 2.5 paper towels that you would have used to wash your hands than it takes to run even a standard 2300 watt dryer.

Size, weight and look (of the AirForce)
At 7 lbs, this hand dryer can be mounted almost anywhere in the restroom. It is also modern and stylish.

Hygienic
The World Dryer AirForce Hand Dryer has a nice smooth surface that does not collect dirt and grime as easily as a dryer that has crevices. The AirForce is therefore easier to keep clean.

The World Dryer AirForce is embedded with Steritouch™ anti-microbial. The anti-microbial is embedded in the painted cover (white or black) and also in the plastic components that are on the bottom (the part you might touch) and the inside of the dryer.

Noise level
Most high-speed hand dryers are louder than their lower-speed counter-parts. This is one of the trade-offs of using a high-speed hand drier. In our opinion, the extra noise does not make a big enough difference to counterbalance the benefits of the higher speed, but if the hand dryer is very close to a noise sensitive area, such as an office or classroom, you might want to consider a lower noise hand dryer like the Model A or the Nova 5 hand dryer.

Still, the AirForce has a lower noise level than many other high-speed hand dryers. With hands present, (and be careful, because a hand dryer is used with hands, so don’t accept comparisons without hands present. The sound of high-speed air hitting hands can be quiet loud) the AirForce has a dB rating of 85.1 dB. This compares to over 90 dB for other high speed hand dryers, 83.3 dB for the AirMax high speed hand dryer, and a quiet dB rating of 75 for the World Dryer Model A hand dryer. One of the reasons the AirForce can acheive this is the 11 air outlets that spread the air over the hands instead of just one nozzle.

Others are even quieter, like the Electric-Aire LE hand dryer which is only 70 dB. The LE hand dryer and others in its class use induction motors, unlike the brush motors of the other hand dryers we have been discussing. This makes them quieter, but you are giving up on speed-of-dry performance at the same time.

The AirForce is unique in that it has 11 air outlets instead of just one like many other dryers. This is one of the reasons the noise is dispersed. It also, in our opinion, makes it more comfortable to use since it covers the entire hand and doesn’t direct a concentrated jet of air at your hand that can be, well, quiet exciting.

Vandalism and durability
If you are in a high-use, high-vandalism scenario like certain roadway rest-stops, football stadiums, schools or fast food restaurants then having a tough hand dryer may be your first concern. We recommend the World Dryer AirMax high speed hand dryer. The AirMax is a 15 second hand dryer, so about the same as the AirForce, but still about twice as fast as the standard World Dryer Model A hand dryer - which is closer to 30 seconds. Since it uses the same amount of energy as the Model A but is about twice as fast, the AirMax hand dryer is twice as energy efficient as the Model A, which is why it earns the GreenSpec listing along with the extremely efficient AirForce.

The AirMax is built with the same tried and true and incredibly durable base and cover as the Model A. One of the cover options is the cast iron cover with a white porcelain enamel coating. The cast iron is literally bullet-proof (World Dryer has the squashed bullet to prove it) and the porcelain enamel vitreous coating makes the cast iron cover nearly scratch-proof. This is similar to an old fashioned heavy duty cast iron bath tub with its thick porcelain enamel coating.
The AirMax has a 10-year warranty on parts, 5 years on the motor and sensor and 3 years on the replaceable motor brushes. The AirForce has a 5 year warranty throughout. The Model A is the same as the AirMax but with a full 10 years on the motor.

If you want the same durability and vandal-resistance as the AirMax, but you also are looking for a quieter hand dryer, we recommend the Model A. As a 30 second dryer, this is also a very good dryer – in fact it has been the standard for many years – and it is still faster than many other dryers.

The AirMax and the Model A hand dryers come with many cover options, including cast iron, stainless steel (both cast and stainless are very good vandal-resistant materials) steel – still quite strong, but easier to scratch or dent than cast iron, and WorldStone, a very nice bulk molded compound. For more on hand dryer cover optons, please see: Cover Options. For information on push button vs automatic hand dryers, see push button vs automatic hand dryers. (I like automatic.)

So far we have discussed high speed and standard hand dryers. Here are some other hand dryer questions you should be thinking about.

ADA compliant hand dryers / recessed hand dryers
The American with Disabilities Act asks that items that are in a passageway protrude 4 inches or less off the wall. This is primarily to keep a blind person from bumping into something as they are walking. For ADA standards, click here: ADA

The easiest way to meet this standard is to mount your dryer out of a passageway – the end of a wall, for example, near a sink or behind a partition. If this is not possible, some hand dryers come in either a recessed version or with a recess kit that will make them ADA compliant.

There are a few dryers on the market that are ADA compliant even without a recess kit. For example, you can purchase the Nova 1 or 2 hand dryers, which are 4” off the wall even if surface mounted. These are also lower cost hand dryers, but on the other hand are not as durable or fast as some other dryers, so not appropriate for all settings.

• Nova 1 hand dryer
• Nova 2 hand dryers (higher air volume than the Nova 1)

The World Dryer Model A and AirMax series hand dryers are offered in very durable cast iron or stainless steel recessed versions. (For example, models RA5-Q974, XRA5-Q974, M5-Q974, XM5-Q975.) The recessed kit is included as part of the hand dryer. A space will need to be made in the wall to insert the dryers, so there is a little more construction than a surface-mounted hand dryer requires.



The AirForce hand dryer can be purchased along with an additional recess kit (KJR-973) into which the dryer fits.

You can also purchase a recess kit for the Airspeed and NoTouch hand dryers, but the dryer will still protrude more than 4” and so will NOT be ADA compliant if in a passageway, but will still take up less room.

Quiet Hand Dryers:
Below is a list of the noise ratings for various hand dryers. As a very general rule of thumb, the higher the noise level, the faster and more durable the dryer.

Induction motors
• Electric-Aire LE hand dryers 70 dBs
• Airspeed and NoTouch hand dryers 71 dBs
• Nova 4 hand dryers 74 dBs
• Nova 5 hand dryers 74 dBs



Brush Motors
• World Dryer Model A hand dryers 75 dBs
• World Dryer AirMax hand dryers 83 dBs
• World Dryer AirForce hand dryers 85 dBs

FYI, there are some high-speed hand dryers that can spike above 90 dBs when hands are present. (None of the above.)

Low Cost hand dryers:
If cost is your number one concern, look at these two hand dryers which are great values:

• Electric-Aire LE hand dryers
• Nova 1 hand dryer

Plug-in hand dryers
Having a plug-in hand dryer can be very convenient and a big cost saver. You will not need an electrician to mount the hand dryer for you and you can use an existing wall socket. In the US, there is only one plug-in hand dryer that I know of that is also a UL certified hand dryer (in the plug-in configuration) and that is the Nova 1 plug in hand dryer, model 0833.

It’s fairly easy to add a plug and cord to a 115 volt hand dryer and you can purchase almost any model in a plug-in version from some vendors. If you are buying a plug-in hand dryer other than the Nova 1, you should check to see if the manufacturer’s warranty and the UL certification are still valid if the dryer was altered outside of the factory. When the Nova 1 plug-in hand dryer was developed, special precautions were made so that the dryer would be considered safer and qualify for UL approval.