The 10 Best Electric Hand Dryers

Busy public restrooms are where the Excel XLERATOR XL-BW earns its keep. It pushes hot air hard enough to dry hands in about 10 seconds, and a dial inside lets the owner turn down the speed and the sound. Excel Dryer builds it in Massachusetts and backs it with a seven-year warranty. The white resin cover shrugs off dents and wipes clean. It sticks out far enough that a hallway install needs a recess kit.

If the power bill matters more than warm hands, look at the Excel XLERATOReco XL-BW-ECO. It has no heater, so it dries with a fast stream of room-temperature air and uses far less electricity than heated dryers do. Excel Dryer says hands come dry in about 10 seconds, and the unit carries a long warranty. The white resin shell is tough and easy to wipe down. In a cold building, the unheated air feels chilly.

The AIKE Elephant AK2812 brings the look of a commercial steel dryer to a small shop or a busy home. Its shell is pressed from one piece of stainless steel, so there are no seams to collect grime. It plugs into a wall outlet with a cord that comes off for hardwiring, and the heater turns on by itself only when the room is cool. AIKE names no U.S. safety-lab listing for this model, and it is loud.

For a dark-tiled bathroom or a modern restaurant, the Alpine Hemlock 400 comes in a matte black finish that hides water spots. It blows heated air, runs from a plug or from hardwiring, and Alpine shows safety-lab and accessibility badges on it. The maker advertises five years of coverage, a long term at this price. Its heater draws a lot of power, so it is best on its own circuit, and it sits well out from the wall.

A home or small office that wants control over the noise should consider the EnBath CHD-1020B. Inside the cover are dials for air speed and sound, plus a switch that turns off the heater to save power. A washable filter keeps dust out of the motor, and the brushed steel shell is compact enough for a powder room. EnBath covers it for two years. At full speed it is noisy, and the brand is a small online seller.

Narrow restrooms and busy hallways are where the Alpine Willow 405 makes sense, because it sits within four inches of the wall. That shallow depth keeps it inside the federal accessibility limit for objects that stick out into a walkway, so it needs no recess. A fine-dust filter cleans the air it blows, and there are dials for heat and speed. It plugs in or hardwires. The seller gives mixed warranty terms, so confirm coverage before buying.

A home bathroom or a tiny office restroom is the right fit for the AIKE Compact AK2822, a slim black box smaller than a sheet of printer paper. It plugs into a regular outlet, and its heater kicks on only when the room is cool, which saves power in summer. The plastic shell is light and hangs with the screws in the box. Its small motor takes a few extra seconds, so it suits light use.

Outfitting two restrooms at once is simpler with the Jetwell JW2902, which comes as a pair of stainless dryers. Jetwell says the model carries UL safety certification, and each unit has a washable fine-dust filter and shuts itself off if something blocks the sensor too long. Both plug in or hardwire, with Jetwell's two-year warranty. The filters need a rinse every few months, and you can't buy just one here.

Spend little and the Vevor K2017 still brings a brushed stainless shell and a switch for hot or cool air. It runs from a plug or can be wired in, and the sensor wakes up when hands come within a few inches. Vevor rates drying at under 10 seconds with the heat on. It is loud while running, and unless it's hardwired, the cord hangs below the unit in plain sight.

Brass taps and gold mirrors call for a matching finish, and the Goetland HHD0001-05 comes in brushed gold over a steel shell. It runs a strong heater and has one switch for air speed and another for hot or cool. A plug-in cord comes attached, and Goetland explains how to wire it in instead. The gold coating shows fingerprints, and with the heat on it draws nearly all a household circuit can carry.