The updated 'Best Commercial Hand Dryers in 2024 list' has been compiled based on a scoring criterion for speed, energy-efficiency, quiet operation. vandal resistance. life expectancy and overall value. The list provides an overall 'best' however it is worth considering the particular needs and budget of your location. The individual product reviews will give you more personalised insights into the best hand dryer for vou. If you go to the bottom of the page you will also find links to the 'best high-speed' the 'best quiet' and other factors that may be important to you
Below we have but together a list of the best commercial hand dryers based on customer feedback and our understanding of the qualities most needed in these environments.
The best hand dryers to buy in 2024 are:
Mediclinics Machflow Brushless
Pros
- Fast
- Adaptable when quiet is needed
- Easy to install
- Enhanced hygiene features
- Long life
- Energy efficient
Cons
- Premium product
From £299.00
Mitsubishi Jet Towel Wave u02 Smart
Pros
- Fast
- Energy efficient
- Best combination of speed and noise available
- Most reliable unit in class
- Low energy consumption
Cons
- Less slimline than some options in class
From £325.00
Mitsubishi Jet Towel Wave u01 Slim
Pros
- Fast
- Energy efficient
- Most reliable unit in class
- Low energy consumption
- NSF hygiene approval
- Highly effective water capture
Cons
- Premium price
From £499.00
Dryflow BulletDri
Pros
- 5 year guarantee
- Energy efficient
- Very fast
- Slimline
- Vandal resistant
- Adjustable settings
Cons
- Not the longest motor life (can be upgraded)
From £179.90
Dryflow Turboforce
Pros
- 11-12 second dry time
- 7 years guarantee
- Very robust
- Adjustable speed and sound
Cons
- No HEPA filter
- Loud on max settings
From £299.00
Dryflow Elite MK 2
Pros
- Good combination of low energy, low sound and ok speed
- Very slimline
- Exceptionally long life
Cons
- Speed could be faster
- No HEPA filtration
From £349.00
Dryflow Ecoslim
Pros
- Ultra slimline
- Very low energy
- Adjustable speed and sound
- HEPA filtered clean air
Cons
- Compromise on dry time on very low energy settings
From £349.00
Dryflow Turboforce Junior PLUS
Pros
- Compact
- Energy efficient and fast
- Best value in class
- 5 year guarantee
- Carbon neutral
Cons
- Not suitable for high traffic locations
From £139.00
Dryflow G-Force MkII
Pros
- Adjustable speed and sound
- 12 second dry time
- Plug-in installation
- HEPA filtered air
Cons
- Can be loud on maximum setting
From £299.00
Dryflow JetDri Mark II
Pros
- Best in budget class
- Dry time > 15 seconds
- Robust
- Low energy on eco mode
Cons
- Bulky
- Old fashioned design
- Loud for some settings
From £149.00
Dyson Airblade V HU02
Pros
- Iconic brand
- 12 second dry time
- HEPA filter
- Slimline
Cons
- Creates water mess
- Expensive
From £615.00
Dryflow Bi-Tap Wash and Dry
Pros
- Provides soap, water and dry in 2 taps
- Best use of washroom space
- Energy efficient
- Plug in dryer install
- HEPA filtered
Cons
- Expensive
- Not as fast as the best dryers
From £759.90
Dryflow D-Flow Eco HEPA
Pros
- 12 second dry time
- Attractive looking
- Adjustable speed and sound
- HEPA filtered
- Effective water capture
- Energy efficient
Cons
- Not as vandal resistant as Dyson or Mitsubishi
- Shorter lifespan than premium brands
From £577.28
Dryflow Tri-Tap
Pros
- Provides soap, water and dry in 3 taps
- Best use of washroom space
Prevents water on floors - Energy efficient
- Plug in dry install
- HEPA filtered
Cons
- Expensive
- Not as fast as best dryers
From £1099.90
Dryflow Jet Force Pro
Pros
- Quiet
- Effective water capture
- Excellent lifespan for price
- HEPA filter
Cons
- Compromise a little on speed and energy efficiency compared with higher priced units
From £392.79
Dyson Airblade Wash + Dry
Pros
- Iconic brand
- Innovative design
- Best use of washroom space
- Fast dry time
- HEPA filter
- Energy efficient
Cons
- Expensive
- Needs soap dispenser
From £987.99
Dryflow Slimforce
Pros
- Great performance for price
- Fast
- Energy efficient
- Compact
- Slimline
- Vandal resistant
Cons
- Not suitable for high traffic
- Basic features
From £99.90
Dyson Airblade 9kJ
Pros
- Low energy consumption
- Fast dry time
- HEPA filtered airflow
Cons
- Over designed
- Little benefit over cheaper models
- Only suitable for premium locations
From £807.50
Dryflow Jet Force Junior
Pros
- Best in class - budget
- Blade dryer
- HEPA filtered airflow
- UV-C protection
- 15 second dry time
- Good water catchment system
Cons
- Build quality is not as good as higher priced unit
- Not suitable for high traffic
From only £269.00
Our online hand dryer selector gives you suggestions based on your own unique requirements
Can you believe the stated dry times you read in some manufacturers specifications?
There are a number of stated dry times on websites and in literature. as well as testing videos, from manufacturers claiming their hand dryer has a fast dry time.
However. when you look at how they are performed. the methods used can be unrealistic to what happens in the washroom environment or the results are not given with full transparency.
At Intelligent Hand Dryers we believe our job is to give you the best possible information, not over state a products performance. Therefore, our dry tests use the following protocol, which mimic real life hand washing practices.
Our hands are fully submerged in water not just the fingertips.
Our dry times are shown via a stop watch on the actual testing videos - no assumptions on how long we dried the hands for.
The fronts. backs and sides of both hands are placed on a paper towel. so vou can see the moisture left from the entire hand. not just selected areas to give bias.
We show moisture left at various dry stages so that you can compare the amount of wetness left on the hands at each moment in time. This allows accurate comparison against reported dry times in documented specifications.
What is important in your facilities?
The list of best hand dryers above were based on average scores across a number of criteria. However, you may only care how fast or how quiet a hand dryer is? To save you time trawling through all the reviews and, we have also compiled a list ot the best hand dryers based on specific criteria.
Helpful guides
Evapor8. The accessory that improves hygiene and prevents wet floors.
Which are the fastest hand dryers on the market?
There are a number of high speed hand dryers on the market that do actually dry the hands in under 12 seconds using our in house tests.
If you're looking for pure speed of drying then the Dyson Airblade AB14 has retained this crown with a 10 seconds dry time. This has been shown to be marginal faster than the other leading blade hand dryers. The Dryflow Vapordri and Mitsubishi Jet Towel Slim comes with a super fast 11 seconds dry time.
Not only is the Dryflow Vapordri one of the fastest drying in the world, it's also one of the most compact blade style dryers available. In our opinion the Mitsubishi Jet Towel Slim is the most reliable unit on the market as we have had a 0.05% returns rate in 6 years!
Mitsubishi have perfected the art of speed, energy efficiency and low noise. Another contender in this category Is in the Dryflow D-Flow at an impressive 12 second dry time.
In the hands-under category we now have the Dyson Airblade 9kJ Hand Dryer - HUO3. This interesting unit has two Curved Blade™ design apertures which create 388 mph sheets of air that follow the contours of your hands and dry the hands in 12-14 seconds. The Mitsubishi Jet Towel Smart has produced 11 seconds dry times in our stringent testing. The Dryflow Turboforce and Dryflow G-Force MKII gave a dry time on full power of 12 seconds
The Dryflow Viper utilises the type of dual bladed air outlet of the HU02 to good effect, bringing in dry times of around 15 seconds Then Dyson Airblade V HUD have improved the energy efficiency and reduced the sound level when compared to the earlier AB08 model. this has cost 2-3 seconds on the dry time., which now stands at 12-14 seconds.
If you have a low-traffic washrooms where the dryers will get less than 100 uses a day, then this high speed, fast drying category includes the Dryflow JetDri Mark Il and Jet Force Junior, both of which will dry the hands in 14 seconds. These will give long-life service in small offices, restaurants, cafes and warehouses.
What to look for if energy usage is your main concern
There are now lots of very low energy consumption hand dryers on the market with fast dry times and sub 1kW rated power. In the not too distance past, dryers were usually 2.4kw and dried in over 30 seconds, using as much as 30 watt/hours per dry! Luckily that’s changed and we have more and more renewable energy being used to power the dryers!
The Dryflow Ecoslim can be set at a very energy efficient 180W rated power! This can still produce dry times of around 22 seconds, comparable with other popular hand dryers on the market that profess to have faster dry times, when in reality they don’t. The speed of the hand dryer can be increased to produce faster dry times of around 16 seconds, yet it will still only have a rated power of 850W!
The Dyson Airblade 9kJ hand dryer has been engineered with energy efficiency certainly in mind. It produces its rapid dry times at just 650 – 900W rated power dependent upon which setting is chosen.
The Dryflow Turboforce remains very fast drying at an ambient 700 watt setting, with the G-Force MKII having effective drying using as little as 420 watts. As stated above, the Dyson HU02 has increased its energy efficiency by reducing its overall rated power from 1.6kW down to a very respectable 1kW rated power, whilst maintaining its high speed dry time. This now really does come in the classification of low energy hand dryer.
The Mitsubishi brand has always been known for its reliability and quality, but their hand dryer offerings are some of the most energy efficient on the market. The hands in version, the original blade style hand dryer, has a rated power between 550W and 1240W dependent upon the settings. There is now also a hands under version called the Mitsubishi Jet Towel Smart, which can be set as little as 410W but is only 980W at full speed even with the heater element active.
Intelligent heating systems are now used to great effect in hand dryers. These basically only add heat to the airflow if the temperature of the room is cold, therefore adding comfort to the hands in the winter months. This means that it will almost always be working at its most energy efficient. Heated airflows are not required to improve dry times in modern hand dryers as it’s the speed of airflow which dries the hands.
Examples of hand dryers with an intelligent heating system (with the rated power they will mostly be working at) include Dryflow Bi-Tap (500W), Turboforce Junior PLUS (500W), Stealthforce Plus (750W), Jet Force (750W), Jet Force Junior (750W) and Dryflow Vapordri (1000W).
There are other products which excel in this category. For more information about these and the energy used per dry, cost and carbon production per 1000 dries please view The best low energy, high speed hand dryers blog post here.
Are electric hand dryers hygienic
Hand dryers have been subject to much scaremongering from the paper towel industry about their hygiene, largely based on misleading test protocols. We have written about this topic in detail here.
The WHO, CDC, UK Government all approve hand dryers for use in public areas, the German and Japanese government conducted a lengthy review following papers published by the paper towel industry and both also came to the conclusion that hand dryers were hygienic. More testing needs to be done but now we are aware that covid-19 is airborne and transmission by surfacer to hands is very unlikely, hand dryers may actually be displacing clusters of infected air in washrooms and aiding the dispersion.
Whether you choose hand dryers or paper towels, the main thing is to wash your hands thorough and according to the guidance for 20 seconds. If you don’t really dry hands properly then your hands will be a breeding ground for germs, so make sure your hands are dry completely, the more effective the hand dryer the quicker this will be to achieve.
The Dyson products include high quality HEPA filters that have been rigorously tested to trap 99.95% of particles the size of bacteria to ensure clean air is blown over the hands. The AB14 has been certified by the HACCP International Food Safety certificate and also has, as well as the HU02, been certified by NSF, which is a global authority in public health and safety risk management solutions. The Mitsubishi Jet Towel and Mitsubishi Jet Towel Smart have also been certified by the third party NSF accreditation.
The Mediclinics Dualflow Plus Eco Hand Dryer has also recently been awarded HACCP certification which guarantees that it can be installed in any industry / business related to food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic industry and in all types of industries that manufacture materials in contact with food.
Other units which include a high grade HEPA filter as standard include Dryflow Viper, Jet Force Junior, Dryflow EcoSlim, Jet Force, Stealthforce Plus, Dryflow Vapordri and D-Flow.
Do high performance yet quiet hand dryers exist?
There are now some great good performing yet quiet hand dryers on the market.
If noise is your main concern but you still want an effective dryer, there are a range of hand dryers that have been approved by Quiet Mark. An independent body that tests products for low noise while ensuring performance standards are met.
Not only are the Mitsubishi Jet Towel in both its Slim and Smart options one of the fastest and most energy efficient available, they are also one of the quietest. These are certainly worth a look if quiet noise levels, yet good dry times are your priority.
The new Dyson V HU02 has certainly come of age in this category. Not only is it certified by the Quiet Mark, it has remarkably achieved this whilst maintaining a dry time of just 12 seconds. The now smoother operation created by adjustments to the motor and internal parts, really does bring this unit into contention as being a great performing yet quiet hand dryer.
There are quieter hand dryers than the HU02 which still have respectable dry times such as the Dryflow Ecoslim, Turboforce Junior PLUS, Dryflow Elite MK2, Dryflow Viper, Stealthforce PLUS and Jetforce however no one has yet produced a product that can be run at maximum dry speed which is also very quiet. The Dyson V HU02 has come a long way in trying to achieve this however for even lower levels of sound there is still some compromise on performance.
What’s new with installation methods?
A new way of installing hand dryers is a systematic plug-in system. This has many benefits which have been highlighted in this post here. Hand dryers such as the Dyson V HU02 and G-Force MKII have incorporated these systems so that install and maintenance are hassle free. Essentially anyone can fix or remove the main hand dryer unit from the pre-fixed back plate safely, without any exposure to the electrical components. Therefore, if a fault does occur, the old unit can be removed and the new unit fixed back in place without the need to wait for an electrician, 24 hours a day. It also means electrical work in newly furnished bathrooms can occur without leaving a full hand dryer to get in the way of other professionals such as plumbers, tilers or decorators.
Need a slim hand dryer?
Another thing to consider when installing a hand dryer is how much space you have in the washroom. We have a number of hand dryers which are ADA compliant which means they have a depth of 10cm so have little projection off the wall.
The Dryflow Elite MK2 and Dryflow Ecoslim are a great examples of hand dryers with this depth. There are also a number of units that have this profile with differing characteristics such as varying motor lives and dry times. To view these see our full slim hand dryer range.
Over the sink hand dryers
Installing a hand dryer over the sink has a number of advantages. Not least it saves a lot of space, especially in small washrooms, but it also means that people have everything they need for hand washing in one area. This could even be beneficial away from the commercial environment and be used to dry the hands in a domestic household.
This means people do not move across the washroom with wet hands, potentially saving water from getting on the floor as they move to a paper towel dispenser or hand dryer that is far away from the sinks.
The newest products on the market in the hand dryer tap range include the Dryflow Bi-Tap hand dryer and the Dryflow Tri-Tap hand dryer. They really are up there with the fastest drying hand dryers available that can be installed straight over a sink.
