If you run your store, restaurant, or are just looking for a way to bring your home bathroom to a whole other level, then it’s time to ditch paper towels and switch to a hand drier. Plus, it gives bathroom-goers an incentive to wash their hands since nobody can avoid the temptation of blowing toasty warm air on their palms and fingers. There are several advantages that electric hand dryers have over paper towels, but that topic is for another day.
In this article, we’re going to talk about the amazing Dyson AB14-G-HV from their world-renowned Air Blade series. You might’ve come across one of these badboys at a restaurant or hotel at some point, so you’re already familiar with their amazing hand-drying capabilities. Read our review to fully understand what makes the AB14-G-HV such a magnificent hand dryer.
Certified by HAACP International and NSF International Protocol
What do these certifications mean to you? Well, if own a business that deals with food and beverage, then you know how absolutely everything in your establishment needs to be up to standard. This includes bathrooms and whatever fixtures are there. All of Dyson’s Air Blades meet HAACP International and NSF International Protocol requirements. An Air Blade in the bathroom, including the AB14-G-HV, means ticking one item off your ridiculously long list of certified brands and items.
Filtered by HEPA
The way a hand dryer works is by suctioning in ambient air, passing it through a filter, then blowing it back out in concentrated, high-speed bursts of around 10 to 12 seconds. The filter is the real magic sauce that determines how well a hand dryer works since you really don’t want all of the disgusting microorganisms floating in the bathroom throwing meeting parties on your hands and palms. With True HEPA Filters, you won’t have to worry about this any longer – their super-fine mesh captures particles as small as 0.3 microns in width with 99.97% effectiveness. No common airborne pollutant can escape a HEPA filter.
Durability backed by 5-year Warranty
Let’s be honest. Owning your own business means dealing with unruly customers who feel it’s their job to punch walls and karate chop whatever fixtures they find in bathrooms. You may not like it, but it’s a part of the game. With this Air Blade, you won’t have to worry about premature failure.
The AB14-G-HV is made of super-strong ABS polycarbonate which protects its sensitive components. This material is known to withstand more than its fair share of poorly aimed punches and kicks. Plus, material is covered in an antimicrobial coat that eliminates germs on contact. If that’s not enough to convince you of its resilience, then the 5-year limited warranty should.
12-second Drying Time
Many people opt to use paper towels because the available hand dryer is far too weak to blow away or dehydrate the smallest water droplet. This is not a problem that this Air Blade knows of. Thanks to its digital motor V4 and 92,000 RPM, the AB14-G-HV can dry your hands in less roughly 12 seconds. It blasts out huge volumes of air (7.4 gallons per second) at a rate of about 420 mph. Hold onto your dentures because it might send them flying out of your mouth if you’re not careful.
81 Decibels
You may also want to turn your hearing aids down when using this Dyson Air Blade. After the motor has reached its peak speed, it plays the music of its people at 81 decibels. This is not the loudest hand dryer, nor is it the quietest. The real question is whether the noise is worth dried hands? It is in our opinion.
Dyson AB14-G-HV vs. Dyson AB14-W-HV Air Blade
Comparing the AB14-G-HV to the AB14-W-HV is like comparing apples to apples. They are the same model but with a different finish. The G-HV is grey whereas the W-HV, as you can already tell, is white. There are no technical advantages that one has over the other. Deciding one model is purely a matter of aesthetics.
Since the white Air Blade is the same thing as the grey version, they’ll deliver the same tremendous amount of air (7.4 GPS) at an unfathomable 420 mph. Drying your hands is done in roughly 12 seconds, helping your business cut down on electricity costs – assuming patrons don’t play around with the Air Blade.
Dyson AB14-G-HV vs. Air Blade V
The Air Blade V is another one of Dyson’s ingenious hand dryers. With its notable V-shape design, this machine offers the same performance as the G-HV without consuming as much power. The Air Blade V is available in either grey or white.
First of all, the Air Blade V’s design shoots air downward and at two different angles, drying each of your hands individually. This is not a knock at the G-HV’s upward blowers – in fact, you may even prefer the upward-facing blowers – but the design does have one advantage.
The main benefit that the Air Blade V has over the G-HV is power consumption, or less of it to be exact. Although they both come equipped with the same digital V4 motor (92,000 RPM) and deliver the same 420-mph gusts of wind, the Air Blade V produces only 5.3 GPS of airflow while drying your hands in only 12 seconds. Since the motor doesn’t have to work as hard to keep its airflow delivery at the same rate as the G-HV, it consumes considerably less power, helping you save more than just a few dollars annually.
One very minor difference is noise production. Both are quite loud, especially in bathrooms without proper acoustics and sound insulation, but the V is slightly quitter than the G-HV. When both are running at full force, the V produces 79 decibels – two less than the G-HV. Will you hear the difference? No, no you won’t.
The two hand dryers’ casings are made of the same ABS polycarbonate with an antimicrobial coating. Its resistance to bumps and kicks is akin to that of the G-HV, so regardless of what Air Blade you’re getting, rest assured that it will most likely live up to and beyond the 5-year mark protected by Dyson.
Dyson AB14-G-HV vs. AIKE AK2005H
Now let’s take a look at how the AB14-G-HV compares against non-Dyson products. The first comparison is against the AK2005H from AIKE. Surprisingly, this hand dryer has a ton of different features that make it a lot preferable to the Air Blade.
Appearance-wise, we’d have to say the Air Blade is a lot sleeker looking than the AIKE. We might even go as far as saying that the AIKE lacks a little thing known as style. It looks somewhat boxy without any fanciful curves like the Air Blade, but you really shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, especially the AIKE.
The most important thing worth noting is that the AIKE has heating! The only way you’ll achieve shoots hated air at your heads – a feature that’s surprisingly missing from any of the Air Blades. And thanks to the heating function, it only takes a maximum of five seconds to get your hands from sopping wet to dry as a bone. Users can switch the heater function on and off using the hidden panel on the side. To prevent heat damage, the AIKE is fitted with heat sensors and auto-shutdown when the unit reaches a certain temperature. Pretty neat!
Installing the AIKE is a quick process of mounting the back plate then placing the plate’s notches into the provided spaces on the back panel of the hand dryer unit. After that, plug it in and be amazed by the tornado whooshing from its dual blowers.
The AIKE also makes use of HEPA filters for the cleanest air possible. The filter is placed on the underside of the hand dryer, just below the panel where the drip tray is fitted, for easy access and replacing.
Dyson AB14-G-HV vs. AjAir Hand Dryer
And finally, we have the AjAir Hand Dryer – a simple-named hand dryer that suits its simple design. This unit would probably fit best in places where looks don’t matter… Like your home (OH!).
On a more serious note, the AjAir is a pretty decent hand dryer. It doesn’t deliver the same amount of airflow and speeds as the Air Blade, but it does have a built-in heater that ensures dried hands in just 7 to 12 seconds. The heater doesn’t provide as much heat as we’d like, but it’s still a lot better than the Air Blade’s lack-of-heat-ness.
Furthermore, the one thing we love about the AjAir is its cost-effectiveness. In the box, you get a pair of hand dryers – one for the ladies and another for the gentlemen. In a single purchase, you’ll have enough hand dryers to make everybody happy.
But there is one glaring downside of the AjAir. Many customers have either a drop in heat or a total lack of functionality after the unit has passed its warranty period. If we think about it objectively, we can’t fault this non-brand hand dryer for its questionable durability in the long run since it is a budget-friendly solution.
In the end, since hand dryers aren’t a routine part of any establishment’s annual budget, we feel that perhaps a higher-quality unit like the Air Blade would be the much smarter purchase.
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