The D-flow hand dryer is available in black, silver, and white . It is available in several versions with added specifications and features as the price increases, this includes an upgraded brushless motor version, an ioniser version and a plumb-in version to drain the excess water directly out of the unit. The D-Flow is produced in Europe and was launched in 2012 in response to the popularity of the Dyson ab14 . The review scores focus on the basic brushed motor version with HEPA filter. So how does it stack up?
As a ‘hands in’ blade hand dryer, this is a good product at a competitive price. It looks attractive, is one of the fastest dryers around, and has the flexibility to adjust the noise to match the needs of the building. It also has an easy-to-service water tray, high-quality HEPA filter, good motor-life, quality components, and an easy fault diagnostic system. It is however worth considering if an alternative, lower-cost units will do the job.
From £503.36 +VAT
At £509 + VAT,
the D-Flow is a mid-range ‘hands in’ hand dryer
(it is worth noting that trade discounts can be applied, so potentially this unit may be available in volume at £430-£450 + VAT).
The D-Flow is an interesting alternative to the Dyson Airblade ab14 , however, compared with the Mitsubishi Jet Towel Slim (only £50 less), it is harder to see this as great value. With the trade discounts, it becomes a serious proposition. It is also worth checking out the Vapordri, which is in a similar price bracket .
The D-Flow produced a consistent 12-second dry time in our stringent tests, making it only 2 seconds slower than the Dyson Airblade ab14 and 1-second slower than the Mitsubishi Jet Towel . It is up there with the very fastest dryers on the market.
Calculating the energy-efficiency of a dryer depends on 2 things, rated power and the dry speed.
The D-flow has a rated power of between 0.42 kW and 1.5 kW. If the heater is deactivated via the simple switch, then the power drops to 1.1kw and when the motor speed is turned down to reduce the noise and consumption, the unit drops to 0.42kw. The consumption per dry is therefore 2.33 – 5 W/hours per dry. This is very low when you consider traditional dryers would use up to 30 watt/hours. To give you an idea 12857 dries possible per £1 spent on electricity compared to 143 dries per £1 spent on paper towels, a 96 – 98.1% saving against paper towels.
It is always difficult to assess the manufacturer’s stated sound levels, as there is no single uniform standard. The D-flow is measured at 62 – 72dB(A) at a 2-meter distance, depending on the motor speed setting. As a rule of thumb, this will be 72-82 dB(A) at 1 metre, this is the equivalent sound level of anywhere between a normal level of office noise and the level you would expect in a noisy restaurant 82 dB(A).
Our real-life experience which has been backed up by customer reviews is that the sound is well contained and more than acceptable even at max speed.
We don’t tend to recommend this style of dryer for vandal-prone areas, there is too much to grab hold of and they are more of a target than compact dryers. Fine for all civilised locations!
The brushed motor version accessed here has an expected motor-life of 3000 hours or 900,000 uses on full speed. As it’s a brushed motor, the dryer is likely to require a motor brush service at between 300,000 and 450,000 uses. You can upgrade to a 5000-hour/1.5 million dry, maintenance-free, brushless hand dryer for approximately £200 more.
We have been working with the manufacturer to reduce the use of plastics in their packaging, they are also working with us to create circularity where components can be re-used and still pass quality control. We have carbon footprinted this product in detail and it came out at 55 kg/co2 from production through to end of life. As with all ‘hands in’ blade dryers, they are bulky and require more material, please consider whether this is necessary.
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