Dryflow Slimforce

The Slimforce is a super-compact, entry-level high speed hand dryer. It is available in a brushed stainless-steel finish. Can a hand dryer this cheap, really be any good?

£84.99 + VAT

The Dryflow EcoWave - Value

Top marks for value, ok so there are better dryers out there but none at this price. There are dryers that only cost £20-30 more that perform a bit better, but when you consider it is a quarter of the price of a Warner Howard Airforce and 1/10 of the price of a Dyson Airblade, you can’t really complain at what you get for your money.

The Dryflow EcoWave - Speed

The manufacturer states a 12-second dry time, in reality, it takes nearer 20 seconds which is good enough to be classed as effective. To put this into perspective the Dyson AB14 measures at 10 seconds and the Warner Howard Airforce 20+ seconds.

The Dryflow EcoWave - Efficiency

Calculating the energy efficiency of a dryer depends on 2 things, rated power and the dry speed. The Slimforce has a rated power of between 0.6 kW – 1 kW so the consumption per dry is just 3.5 – 5.83 watt/hours. To put this into context, the Dyson Airblade AB14 uses 4.44 watts per dry, a traditional hand dryer uses 20-30 watts per dry and the best available uses 1.9 watt/hours. 2500 dries possible per £1 spent on electricity compared to 143 dries per £1 spent on paper towels, a 95.3% – 97.2% saving against paper towels.

The Dryflow EcoWave - Quiet operation

The manufacturers stated noise output is 74 dB(A), our real-life testing got this closer to 78 dB(A) while in use, which is fine but probably not ideal for areas only catering for small children or people with noise sensitivity issues.

The Dryflow EcoWave - Vandal resistance

It’s super compact which always makes it harder to vandalise and has a strong stainless-steel cover. This is fine for a pub or bar that may get some low-level vandalism.

The Dryflow EcoWave - Life expectancy

The Slimforce is a reliable dryer if located appropriately. This is not a dryer for an airport or shopping centre. Having a life expectancy of 144,000 dries makes the Slimforce a great dryer for locations that aren’t in constant use such as small to medium offices.

The Dryflow EcoWave and the environment

We estimate the embedded carbon in the Slimforce to be around 14.95/CO2, because this is such a small compact dryer that only weighs 2.5kg. 

 At about 800 uses this hand dryer will be producing a net carbon reduction vs paper towels. When you consider the lifespan is probably in excess of 144,000, the lifetime emissions savings will be huge! Consider whether your location needs a longer lasting hand dryer first though.

The Dryflow EcoWave - Conclusion

As we have said there are better products but none for this sort of price. It may be worth paying a little extra for something like the Turboforce Junior PLUS and getting a faster dryer with a longer guarantee but overall, this is an impressive dryer. The Slimforce is a reasonably fast, very energy efficient product that won’t let you down. If you have a limited budget, this is the dryer for you. If you have hardly any space to fit a dryer this is also the dryer for you.