The first hands-in dryer was the Mitsubishi Jet Towel, but it was the Dyson Airblade that brought the idea to everyone's attention, and the design is now the standard for fast, high-velocity drying.
They all work the same way: hands in, and a narrow sheet of air scrapes the water off as you draw them out. Most collect it in an internal drip tray instead of dropping it on the floor. Several let you switch the heating element off over the summer or turn the motor down to cut power draw, and some take air-freshening gels. No contact with the machine is worth having in a catering washroom.
The first hands-in models were all top-end. The range has since filled out, and while the lower-priced units are not built for the busiest washrooms or backed by five-year warranties, they look the part and dry hands properly.
- Handy Dryers TOTO at 54dB, the quietest hands-in dryer we sell.
- Mitsubishi Jet Towel Slim at 9 seconds, with a heater you can switch off.
- JETBOX Blade at 201 m/s, the fastest airflow on this page.
- Dyson Airblade AB14, the original, and the one hands-in model in the Dyson range we stock.
- Handy Dryers Gorillo, the entry point into hands-in drying.
The whole Veltia V7 range is hands-in as well. If you would rather talk it through, call us on 01934 253600.
Hands-in or hands-under?
This is the choice that matters, and it is worth settling before you start comparing brands.
Hands-in dryers, the ones on this page, enclose your hands and scrape the water into a drip tray. They are the fastest way to dry hands and they keep the floor dry, which is why they suit airports, shopping centres and busy office washrooms. They typically cost more, and the tray needs emptying.
Hands-under dryers blow downwards onto open hands. They are simpler to clean, easier to fit where space is tight, and usually cheaper to buy. The Dyson Airblade V, the Airblade Tap and the 9kJ are all hands-under.
The term blade hand dryer covers both. It was coined when every bladed dryer was a hands-in one, but it is now used for hands-under models as well, the Dyson Airblade V and the Handy Dryers Crocodillo Blade among them. If one of those is what you are after, start with the Dyson Airblade range or the Handy Dryers range.
