apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Well, if the device is half as effective as the publicity campaign, we'll have a winner.

On a more serious note, I have to encounter one, but because of the angle of the hands, I suspect there may be a problem mounting at a height suitable for use by both the tall and the small.

I used one of these a few months back--they got my hands dry very quickly. The only odd thing is that unless you keep your hands absolutely steady they will almost certainly touch against the 'blades' on their way out. Kind of gross considering the dozens and dozens that have had this happen to them before you got there.

This freaks me out just a bit. I feel like Gregory Peck in "Roman Holiday"- it might bite my hand off!

They are quite awesome. They have them in the bathrooms at the Time-Warner Center here in NY, and they leave your hands dry, but not uncomfortably so. The trick is to draw your hands out slowly, to give the air time to push off the water.

I've encountered then at the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. I think they work wonderfully and each bathroom has two, each mounted at different heights.

I think it blows!

I like it.

I also encountered them at MSP (Minneapolis-St Paul Airport). Most people didn't like them because they were waving their hands around, like a regular hand dryer. If you use them properly, they're great! Put your hands straight down into them, and pull out slowly, letting the air "wipe" the water off your hands. They were always mounted in pairs for "the tall and the small"

You know, I have to ask, what is this paranoia people have about touching this thing? In almost every discussion I've seen about this, people always say how gross it is that their hands will touch the blades when so many other people have touched it too.

...So? Am I missing something? I mean, we touch things that have been touched by other people daily, and we have no idea how clean their hands were at the time. This is a device for washing hands. Most, if not all hands that go in there will be clean. The devise itself will likely be cleaned daily along with the rest of the bathroom. It seems a thousand times more hygienic than, well, sitting on a public toilet.

I just don't get it!

I must not get out enough - where in Chicago might I see one of these??

I used something like this in Japan last year--I was "blown away" at how effective it was!

Allsunday, I'm with you. Consider what you touch when you walk into a public bathroom. The door in, the stall door, the stall lock, then you wipe (if you're a lady--I hope you wipe, anyway), then the toilet paper, then the stall lock again (my biggest ew factor), then the faucet (second ew), soap dispenser, faucet again, then paper towel dispenser button, then door out. Of all the things we touch on a daily basis that ewwed me out, this wouldn't be as big a concern.

Skyharbor International in Phoenix has these in its baggage claim-level bathrooms, and I think they're awesome. I made my boyfriend check out the one in the men's room, I thought it was so cool. It's quicker and easier than the older air-dry machines, and creates less paper waste and mess around the garbage cans (how do people miss what's often a giant garbage can) than paper towels. The gadget geek in me wants one each for my bathroom and kitchen!

Katheryn, the only place I've seen it so far has been at Motel Bar. And I loved using it! Totally great!

The restrooms at the water tower have them

who cares?

I forgot to mention how much I enjoy design boner.

I like this way more than I like the 2 watt dryers in most places...the ones where after 30 seconds of having cold air weakly blown on you, you give up and wipe your hands on your pants anyway, thus defeating the entire purpose of a hand dryer.

Kathryn: Water Tower Place off Michigan Avenue also has them in the restrooms across the hall from Vidal Sassoon.

As a designer I don't find them very ADA friendly and they are loud. On recent site visit to a building with them a coleague went into the women's restroom to see/use it. (they didn't have them in the men's room!?) She washed her hands, used the dyson and when the thing turned on it was so loud it made her shriek. It made me laugh because I could hear her yelling and the machine running about 20' from the restroom door.

Its Hot - but not becasue it's "a Dyson" or that it's "cool looking".

It's Hot because it works.

They're ADA friendly in that they can be mounted at lower heights to suit. A Dyson rep told me last week that most orders are for dual installations.

They are actually also surprisingly inexpensive to run, which makes them a green product compared to both paper towels and regular dryers.
http://www.dysonairblade.com/why/cost_effective/

Loud, yes, but the Bobrick that came out a couple of years ago is louder.

I used one an at airport once. They are awesome.

I have not seen one of these in my neck of the woods. But frankly, I'd have reservations with sticking both my hands wrist-deep into anything called the "airblade". Why not just call it the "Guillotine des Mains" or "the Widowmaker"?

Sure, cool and everything, but only if the sinks and doors are touchless too. (If the doors are regular handled affairs, then how am I going to open them without a paper towel? I haven't touched a bathroom door without a prophylactic in years.)

I used one of these in london this past summer, it was freakin awesome!

what about when it is a rainy day and you need to dry your clothes and you hair?
In Ireland rain is a big issue!

Didn't we rate this last year? What's with the repeats? I didn't like this then and don't like it now, for the reason Matthew (poster #2) points out: your hands will touch the sides when taking them out.

"If the doors are regular handled affairs, then how am I going to open them without a paper towel?"

Use your shirt, like I do.

They're at The Paramount Room on Milwaukee. I like them, except they are extremely loud. I was surprised you can't hear them from the outside of the bathroom