Excel ThinAir Hand Dryer vs. Dyson Airblade V: A Detailed Comparison
Choosing a commercial hand dryer involves balancing installation requirements, operating costs, user experience, sustainability, maintenance and accessibility. Both the Excel ThinAir® and Dyson Airblade V offer ADA-conscious designs, but they differ in several areas that may influence which model best fits your facility. For architects, facility managers, and business owners, choosing a slim hand dryer with a profile of less than four inches helps ensure accessibility while creating a restroom that is welcoming for all users.
While the Dyson Airblade V is a recognizable name, the Excel ThinAir® hand dryer offers a compelling combination of accessibility, performance, and long-term value for a wide range of facilities.
Whether you’re upgrading existing commercial restroom hand dryers or specifying products for new construction, here’s how these two solutions compare.
Discover the advantages of slim hand dryers firsthand and see why they are becoming a favorite among architects and facility managers.
Excel ThinAir and Dyson Airblade V at a Glance
Both the Excel ThinAir hand dryer and the Dyson Airblade V are designed for high-traffic commercial restrooms, but they differ in installation profile, adjustability, operating features and sustainability documentation.
|
Feature |
ThinAir |
Dyson Airblade V |
|
Price |
$650 (Stainless Steel) |
$1,049 (Nickel) |
|
Product Category Rule (PCR) Tested |
Yes |
No |
|
Dry Time* |
14 seconds |
12 seconds |
|
Energy Per Use |
3.7 Wh |
3.33 Wh |
|
ADA Compliance |
Surface-mounted and ADA compliant |
Recessed profile |
|
Noise Level |
Adjustable (69 – 73 dB) |
Fixed (79 dB) |
|
Adjustable Speed |
Yes |
No |
|
Adjustable Heat |
Yes |
No |
|
Optional HEPA Filtration |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Made in USA Certified® |
Yes |
No |
|
Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) & Health Product Declarations (HPD) Available |
Yes |
No |
|
Custom Cover Options |
Yes |
No |
|
Warranty |
5-Year Limited |
5-Year Limited |
*Dry times are based on each manufacturer’s published testing methods.
Although both products provide fast, touchless hand drying, each has strengths depending on a facility’s priorities. Dyson Airblade V advertises a slightly faster dry time and slightly lower energy use per cycle, while Excel’s ThinAir offers additional flexibility with adjustable performance settings, multiple finish options, Made in USA Certified® manufacturing, and independently verified sustainability documentation.
Design and Installation Differences
For many facilities, choosing between a surface-mounted hand dryer and a recessed hand dryer comes down to accessibility, available wall space, and installation costs.
The ThinAir hand dryer is engineered as a low-profile, ADA compliant hand dryer that meets the 4-inch protrusion requirement when surface mounted. Its compact footprint makes it ideal for schools, offices, restaurants, healthcare facilities, and other projects where maximizing usable space matters.
As one of today’s leading wall mounted hand dryers, ThinAir also provides finish and customization options that allow designers to better match restroom aesthetics, something not available with the Dyson Airblade V. Architects and designers do seem to like the aesthetics of the Dyson V, even though it can cost more than ThinAir, depending on the model of ThinAir selected.
Drying Performance
A fast hand dryer should do more than move air; it should also create a comfortable user experience while efficiently drying hands.
Dyson Airblade V advertises a 12-second hand drying time, while the Excel ThinAir hand dryer has a PCR-tested, third-party verified dry time of 14 seconds. Although Dyson’s published dry time is approximately two seconds faster, the company does not publish third-party PCR verification for that claim.
In practice, a two-second difference is unlikely to have a measurable impact on restroom throughput in most commercial environments. Factors such as restroom layout, user behavior, and peak occupancy often have a greater influence on wait times than a small difference in advertised drying time.
ThinAir also allows facility managers to adjust airflow, sound, and heat settings to suit different environments. Whether installed in a school, office building, healthcare facility, or hospitality setting, those adjustable controls provide flexibility that fixed-performance dryers cannot.
Energy Efficiency and Operating Costs
An energy efficient hand dryer can significantly reduce both utility costs and restroom maintenance over time.
The Dyson Airblade V publishes a slightly lower energy use per cycle (approximately 3.33 Wh) than the ThinAir slim hand dryer (approximately 3.7 Wh). While Dyson uses marginally less electricity per dry, the difference is approximately 0.37 watt-hours per use.
For many commercial facilities, this translates to only a modest difference of about less than a penny in monthly hand dryer electricity costs, even in high-traffic restrooms. Because both products consume only a few watt-hours per cycle, purchase price, maintenance requirements, expected service life, and eliminating paper towel waste often have a greater impact on total operating costs than the small difference in electricity consumption.
Both ThinAir and Dyson Airblade V offer significant environmental advantages compared to single-use paper towels because they eliminate ongoing paper consumption and waste. ThinAir also provides an independently verified Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), and Health Product Declaration (HPD), giving architects and sustainability professionals additional documentation when evaluating products for green building projects.
Which Hand Dryer Is Right for Your Facility?
If you’re choosing a commercial hand dryer, both products offer touchless operation and fast drying. However, the best solution depends on your facility’s priorities.
When Dyson Airblade V may be the better choice
- Your organization already standardizes on Dyson products.
- You prioritize the shortest published drying time above other features.
- You prefer the minimalist recessed aesthetic offered by the Airblade V.
When Excel ThinAir® wall mounted hand dryers may be the better choice
- You want adjustable airflow, sound, or heat settings.
- You need multiple finish or customization options.
- Your project requires EPDs, HPDs, or other sustainability restroom solutions documentation.
- You value Made in USA Certified® manufacturing.
Why ThinAir Hand Dryer Applications Continue to Earn the Best Hand Dryer Reviews
Determining which hand dryer is best involves more than comparing dry times. Accessibility, sustainability, installation flexibility, maintenance, and overall ownership costs all play an important role in the decision.
The ThinAir hand dryer delivers the features today’s facilities value most: a low-profile slim hand dryer design, ADA compliance, adjustable performance, sustainability credentials, optional HEPA filtration, and Made in USA Certified manufacturing. Together, these advantages help explain why ThinAir continues to receive positive best hand dryer reviews from facilities looking for dependable, long-term restroom solutions.