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Dyson hair dryer review: Is it worth $400?

Don't Waste Your Money
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Holiday gifts are getting expensive this 2016 holiday season.

Kids want new XBox Ones, PlayStations and Hatchimals, the Furby-like creature that has become impossible to find.

But those little critters are downright cheap compared with a Dyson hair dryer, a $400 high-tech wonder from the Dyson vacuum cleaner company, who taught us that a good vacuum should cost $500, not $99.

Professional hair stylist Michelle Miller said: "I've heard all about it, but I have not heard anyone who's used it."

So we brought one to Miller's salon, where she agreed to try it out on her client, Mandy.

We compare dryers

Miller dried one side of Mandy's wet hair with the new Dyson, the other side with her old trusty $100 salon dryer.

The Dyson was a bit quieter -- the element and blower are built into the handle -- not up near your ear.

The Dyson seemed to make her hair smoother, too.

"It felt like on this side my hands were going through smoother, where this side my hands were getting stuck in her hair," Miller said.

Indeed, Dyson's explanatory video says the dryer uses computer technology to make sure it doesn't get too hot, so that there is no chance of frying the hair strands like there is with a conventional dryer.

The women said they felt no burning from the Dyson either.

"It wasn't too hot. It didn't burn my scalp which can happen if someone is holding the blow dryer too close to your scalp for too long," Mandy said.

Would she like one? "Absolutely!"

The only downside: the price.

The Dyson hair dryer costs between $399 and $550 at Sephora, Best Buy, Amazon, and other retailers. There is no budget version yet, and might never be.

You may be able to get it a bit cheaper at Black Friday and holiday sales, so you don't waste your money.

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“Don't Waste Your Money” is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. (“Scripps”). The information included in this article was obtained independently by Scripps reporters. While purchases from links inserted in this article may result in a commission for Scripps, no Scripps reporter benefited from that commission.

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