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

The Dryflow® D-Flow Eco HEPA - Value

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 Dryflow® D-Flow Eco HEPA - Dry speed

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 and 1 second slower than the Mitsubishi Jet Towel. It is up there with the very fastest dryers on the market.

The Dryflow® D-Flow Eco HEPA - Energy efficiency

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 per dry. To give you an idea 1000 dries would cost between 28p - 60p, a 96 - 98.1% saving against paper towels.

The Dryflow® D-Flow Eco HEPA - Quiet operation

It is always difficult to assess manufacturer’s stated sound levels, as there is no single uniform standard. The D-flow is measured at 62 – 72dB(A) at a 2-metre distance, depending on the motor speed setting. As a rule of thumb this will be 72-82 dB(A) at 1 metre, so this is 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, with an ability to reduce the noise down where needed.

The Dryflow® D-Flow Eco HEPA - Vandal resistance

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 for idiots to try and abuse. Fine for all civilised locations!

The Dryflow® D-Flow Eco HEPA - Life expectancy

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 hand dryer for approximately £200 more.

The Dryflow® D-Flow Eco HEPA and the environment

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.

The Dryflow® D-Flow Eco HEPA - Conclusion

As a ‘hands in’ blade hand dryer, this is a really good product that makes sense at the price it is available. It looks attractive, it’s one of the fastest dryers around, it has the flexibility to adjust the noise to match the needs of the building, it has an easy to service water tray, a high quality HEPA filter, a good motor-life, good quality components and an easy fault diagnostic system. It is worth just considering whether alternative, lower cost units will do the job you need, and whether you need a ‘hands in dryer’ given the extra cost and materials needed to produce them.e printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

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