Dyson to release $700 Supersonic hair dryer in Australia

Would you pay $700 for a hair dryer?

It's a question British technology brand Dyson and major Australian retailers are sweating on as they prepare for the release of the company's Supersonic hair dryer.

Promising a quicker dry, less heat damage to hair and better ergonomics, the dryer is the first major rethink of the appliance since the 1960s.

Myer ambassador Jennifer Hawkins, pictured with the $700 Dyson Supersonic hair dryer. Myer will launch the appliance on the Australian market on July 9. Photo: Chris Hopkins

It also has patented magnetic attachments for its nozzles and the motor in the handle, promising fewer sore wrists.

While Dyson senior engineer Adriano Niro acknowledges the price will deter many consumers, he assures the Supersonic offers value for money.

"We have always had the skills to design a hair dryer [at Dyson]. We never bring out a new product that doesn't benefit the consumer ... we have to be better than anything that's out there," he told Fairfax Media.

Dyson founder James Dyson unveils the Supersonic dryer to Japanese media earlier this year. Photo: Supplied

It's a bold claim but consumers will get their chance to have their say from next Saturday, when the dryer goes on sale at Myer, which is holding the national launch event, and David Jones.

Consumer organisation Choice is yet to conduct its own extensive testing on the Supersonic but spokeswoman Kate Browne said first impressions were good.

"It feels really nice, when we ask customers what they look for, ease of use and how it feels in the hand is really important," she said.

A Dyson engineer performs hair testing on a prototype of the new Supersonic hairdryer. Photo: Supplied

But she said buzz words in all hair dryer marketing should be taken "with a grain of salt".

"There is no conclusive proof that those ionic, ceramic [features] improve the performance," she said.

Still, Ms Browne said Choice has found consumers need to spend more than $100 to get a high-performing hair dryer, and it should last at least two years.

Sir James Dyson Photo: Supplied

Mr Niro promises the Dyson dryer would last at least 10 years, adding that "drop testing" was performed at least 2000 times at different angles.

The final design is the product of more than $100 million investment in research and development, 600 prototypes and testing on more than 1600 kilometres of human hair.

"The biggest discovery is that heat really damaged hair … we put most of our effort into limiting the amount of heat that's put into the hair," Mr Niro said.

The dryer's 1600-watt motor makes 110,000 revolutions per minute, compared with 18,000 in an Formula 1 racing car.

It also has a thermostat that measures temperature 20 times per second, meaning the air temperature is regulated around 100 to 120 degrees, to ensure hair is not damaged.

Dyson also claims the dryer is quieter than many other salon-quality dryers on the market.

The Dyson Supersonic goes on sale on Saturday, July 9. Myer Melbourne will hold a special event from 12pm-4pm featuring Jennifer Hawkins.