For the past three years, I have kept Drybar’s Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush as my No. 1 pick. It got the job done and, coming from a well-loved brand known for its chain of blowout salons, seemed like a strong option for most people. Recently, though, I’ve been testing a few relative newcomers to the category, and, after much deliberation, decided to crown the T3 AireBrush as my new Best in Class blow-dryer brush. Since naming a new Best in Class successor is big news, I thought I’d share a more in-depth review of why the AireBrush is so great below.
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It’s extremely lightweight
There is nothing I hate more than feeling my arms start to burn halfway through a blowout. With the wrong tools in hand, hairstyling can start to feel as strenuous as a Pilates workout. A lot of blow-dryer brushes I’ve tried are quite heavy, while T3’s clocks in at a very lightweight 16 ounces. For context, Drybar’s Double Shot is 2.6 pounds, the Airwrap is 1.5 pounds, and the Revlon One-Step 2.0 is 1.8 pounds. I never get tired when using it, and it also makes it a lot easier to maneuver around my head while styling.
It’s got serious power
Wattage measures how powerful the dryer’s motor is, which in turn will determine how fast the dryer will be able to, well, dry. By virtue of their design, blow-dryer brushes tend to be on the less powerful side when compared to traditional hair dryers, but the AireBrush has still got some serious juice at 1,200 watts. This is especially important if you have a thicker, curlier, or coarser hair type that will take longer to dry.
It has the most customizable settings for all hair types
The more heat settings a brush has, the better you can customize the dryer to your hair’s specific needs. Lower heat settings are best if you have fine or damage-prone hair so you don’t cause unwanted damage, while higher settings are best if your hair is thicker. Most of the brushes I’ve tested usually only have three heat settings and rarely do they offer different speed settings the way regular blow-dryers do. This means some, like the Revlon One-Step, get too hot for fragile hair, while others don’t get hot enough to really smooth curlier textures. The AireBrush, on the other hand, has three heat settings and two speed settings, the most of any brush I’ve tested. It also has a cool-shot setting to set and lock your style. I also love how intuitive it is to switch settings: There are two twisting rings at the bottom of the brush that allow you to switch levels seamlessly.
Hair never snags
T3’s design uses “SmoothGrip bristles,” a combination of tufted bristles, which are great for smoothing frizz, and nylon ones, which help create the necessary tension for a bouncy blowout. A problem I’ve run into with other hot tools is my hair getting snagged in the bristles of the brush. Frantically trying to tug it free while the smell of burning hair hits my nose is not fun. Crucially, with T3’s combination of bristles, my hair never gets stuck or tangled while passing it through the brush. I also like that the ceramic coating on the head itself means the brush heats super-evenly without developing hot spots.
You don’t need multiple attachments
The beauty of the AireBrush is that you don’t need a ton of attachments to achieve a bouncy blowout. But if you find yourself really wanting more, for an additional $30, you can upgrade to the AireBrush Duo, which features an interchangeable paddle brush, in addition to the round brush, that you can use for both blowouts and for straightening.
Plus, it’s got an extra-long cord
Eight feet, to be exact. And it rotates.
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