The more modern our world becomes the better is our approach to sanitation and hygiene. There already are several advancements in the market when it comes to home and office devices and this includes the ones that we install in our washrooms. From the materials, construction, and features included, you’re sure to find one that not only fits your budget but will also address your needs.
One of the most common washroom devices that you’ll find in most establishments that are a testament to the huge leap forward in the world of sanitation is the hand dryer. They’re convenient, efficient, and highly effective in doing their jobs. More and more business owners and building managers are opting to choose hand dryers in lieu of paper towels as they’re more cost-effective in the long run.
However, due to the high saturation of high-quality products in the market today, the task of finding one that fits your needs can be daunting.
In this article, we’ll break down a few of the important things you need to look for if you're in the market for a new hand dryer. We’ll briefly touch on the types, price points, physical looks, and features of hand dryers in the market today to help you have a more informed decision for your next purchase.
Types of Hand Dryers
First, you’ll need to learn the two different hand dryers that can be found in the market today. Each type will differ slightly from the other in terms of performance and features.
Conventional hand dryers
If you’re looking for a hand dryer that has “traditional” features, look no further than conventional hand dryers. They are typically in the mid to lower price bracket and have a long history of being reliable since the technology they used has been tested through time.
A telltale sign of a conventional hand dryer is that they produce hot air to help dry your hands. This flow of hot air will then evaporate water from your hands. For this, hand dryers will need to have a heating element. They also tend to have higher electricity consumption due to the presence of a heating element.
On a positive note, conventional hand dryers are also very much well-known for their sturdy and rugged construction. They’re built to last long and are usually installed in places where there’s high foot traffic. Examples of these are leisure parks, public transportation terminals, and government establishments.
You can also recognize most conventional hand dryers because of the presence of a push button that activates the hand dryer.
Automatic hand dryers
As the name suggests, these hand dryers are operated without the use of a push-button. All you have to do is place your wet hands near its sensor (typically infrared) and the hand dryer will blast air into your hands.
These hand dryers have been developed more recently and come with advanced features that one might not find on a conventional hand dryer. Examples of these would be quiet operation and high-speed drying. Some automatic hand dryers even have a drying time of 12 seconds or less!
As expected, these hand dryers would generally be a bit more expensive than their older counterparts. They’ll also be typically found in mid to high-end establishments where customer comfort and convenience are a priority.
Hand-in Blade Dryer
This type of hand dryer is one of the latest developments in the market. They’re loaded with features and have well-engineered air outlet angles, blades, and motors that all work together to make them more efficient and effective in drying hands.
Much like automatic hand dryers, hands in blade dryers also come with sensors that trigger the motor to turn on a blast of sheets of air into its user’s hands. They typically have an upright orientation and are installed on walls. Your hands go into the body of the hand-in blade dryers and will be placed in a perfect position for air to “push” water out of your hands.
Unlike conventional hand dryers that use hot air to dry your hands, hand-in blade dryers use air that is blown at high speeds to remove water. Their design also incorporates a reservoir on the bottom part so that all the water removed from your hands won’t drip on the floor creating a safety hazard.
Because of the level of research and engineering that usually goes into hand-in blade dryers, they also belong to a higher price bracket which can be inaccessible for most. However, if you do want to provide the best service and amenities for your customers, clients, and other visitors to your establishment, hand-in blade dryers are the way to go.
Which type of hand dryer should I get?
Based on the types of hand dryers alone, you can already have an idea as to which one would best suit your needs.
For longevity, robustness, and high foot traffic usage, you might want to look at a conventional push-button hand dryer. If getting the most affordable yet functional hand dryer is your goal, you can check our line of automatic hand dryers. However, if you’re looking to buy the best of the best in the market, especially if you mainly cater to high-profile clients, hand-in blade dryers would be best.
But, these are merely generalisations when it comes to choosing the best hand dryer for your establishment. There are still several factors you need to consider before deciding which hand dryer you should get.
We’ll discuss them briefly below.
5 Features You Need To Check For Your Next Hand Dryer
Hygiene
Hand dryers are devices that greatly improve the hygiene levels in your washroom. One of the reasons they’re able to do this is by minimising the touchpoints you have in your establishment. Instead of using paper towel dispensers, something that everybody would touch around, you can opt to use dryers that dry hands with a push of a button, or even without touching anything as in the case of automatic hand dryers.
To complement this, you also need to find hand dryers that have advanced hygienic features such as HEPA filters.
Size and mounting options
Before finalising your decision, you need to find the space you have in your washroom for a hand dryer. If you have larger washrooms, you’ll have a wide array of choices since you don’t have limitations as much as small washrooms do.
In the case where space is a luxury, you can still have a powerful hand dryer in your washroom such as one that can be installed behind your mirror to save space. There are also hand dryers that are recessed into your wall. You can also choose to purchase one that’s specifically designed to have a slim construction - these ones are the best for those that have limited spaces.
There are also different types of mounting options for your hand dryer. This is mainly determined by its size and consequently, its weight. The heavier the hand dryer, the more fittings and brackets are needed to attach them to your wall.
Drying speed
The speed at which a hand dryer can finish its job is an important feature that you need to look at when deciding to purchase one. Generally, the faster they are, the higher their price point is. That’s why you need to balance cost and drying speed.
If you have fairly low foot traffic in your establishment, you probably won’t need a fast hand dryer. After all, there would not be any hold-ups in line for using the hand dryer. On the other hand, if you always have a packed washroom, you’re gonna need to have a faster hand dryer to avoid keeping people in line and discouraging them from using the hand dryer.
Upscale businesses also draw high-profile customers, who, generally, have high expectations from establishments. You can meet their expectations by providing them with high-speed hand dryers as part of your washroom.
Price to features ratio
There should be a good balance between the price if your hand dryer and the features that you’ll need from them. It wouldn’t make much sense if you have a hand dryer with high-end features after checking that you’ll only need a basic hand dryer with barebones functional features.
You should only pay for what matches your needs. Here in Prestige Washrooms, we cater to all types of customers - from those who are budget-conscious to ones who need luxurious and high-end products. As you scroll through our product line, you'll find hand dryers that range from around £60 to £1,500.
Rest assured that all our products have the lowest price in the market. To prove our dedication to providing the best value to our customers, we’ll do a price match should you find any of the products we offer at a lower price from other sources.
Noise
Depending on the type of establishment you have, you might want to check the noise levels that a hand dryer makes before choosing one. There are hand dryers that have been specifically designed to have a quiet operation and won’t disturb anyone in your building if someone uses them in the washroom.
