Customer Reviews

Hot Tools Professional 800 Watt Ionic Soft Bonnet Hair Dryer

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(19)

 

 

I originally purchased this dryer for my wife as a gift after looking at several soft-bonnet hair dryers. My mother had one for years, so I figured if I bought one of the higher priced ones I could not go wrong....haha. According to my wife this dryer would dry okay if there was a secure way to attach the bonnet to the hose. However, what the picture doesn't show is that the flimsy apparatus for attaching the hose constantly falls out, forcing her to hold them together. I might as well put a plastic bag on her head and blow through a hole....
The worse part of this whole fiasco came when we tried to return the dryer to BEAUTY SUPPLY 4LESS. We were given the run around until it was pointed out by the oh-so helpfull customer service people at BEAUTY SUPPLY 4LESS that their return policy only allows for exchanging the same item for the "damaged item". Unfortunately, this item was not damaged, it was designed wrong.
In the end I had to glue the whole thing together, not cool after paying 40+ bucks for this thing....

Bought this dryer a couple weeks ago.So far it works surprisingly well. I have a very short hair cut so the bag is a bit loose on my head as I don't use curlers or other styling aids that may take up volume. However, the heat settings are very effective. In fact the highest setting tends to be too high and therefore I maintain the dryer on the medium setting. Otherwise, the dryer works very well and I have had no problems so far.

I had high hopes for this dryer, since my previous experiences with bonnet dryers were with ones from the 1960s and 70s that I found used. I've bought several old ones for around $6-$8 over the past several years, and have ended up giving some away to friends who liked them, and using others until they died. In general, I've been really happy with the performance of the old ones, but I figured getting one new could only be better. Wrong.

I respect the opinion of the other person who wrote a review, but I have to differ on several points-- the dryer is neither particularly quiet nor powerful. True, it's quieter than a regular hair dryer, but the air output is absolutely lousy. Even on the highest setting, it can't fully inflate the bonnet, even after I made sure the plastic wasn't sticking to itself. I found because of the weak airflow, the front of my head gets getting absolutely NO air. The plastic is just flat against it. I've tried rearranging it, and finally have found that the only way to dry my hair on all sides is to rotate the bonnet regularly, defeating any "convenience" this product might have had.

The other point I must disagree with is about the length of the tube. It's simply not long enough unless you're sitting up aginst the unit and not moving.

Pros - Despite the fact that I overall don't care for this unit, there are some positive things about it. The cord, tube, and bonnet store inside the actual unit. The tube is sturdy. Also, the unit kicks out a decent amount of heat.

Cons - Weak airflow and short tube. Not worth the price. Also, the dryer is not very tall, but has a really large footprint. It takes up about a square foot of space on my counter. It's larger than any of the even the clunkiest vintage dryers I've had.

I highly recommend finding a vintage bonnet dryer in a thrift store or on Ebay. I've owned several, and have never been disappointed in the settings, airflow, or performance. Those things are workhorses, and they come with really neat "hatbox" type cases for storage. Plus they're so cheap that if you do get a bum unit, you can afford to replace it easily.

This hair dryer is just what I needed. The bonnet is so soft and opens wide enough for my large rollers. I just love the different levels of heat because some days I only need a little cool air to finish drying my hair and other times I need the full heat. It is just wonderful and I should mention it is not too loud. I can actually listen to TV while sitting on my couch while drying my hair. Every one should consider this hair dryer. Curling Irons ruin your hair over time. My daughter is a hair dresser and she approves of my new method of drying and curling my hair. :)

I just got this dryer last week. You can get burnt with this dryer as the heating vents are placed in odd areas on the bonnet. Also the attachment on the bonnet (the one you hook the dryer tube into) came out completely only a few days after I got it. So I am unable to use. I will not purchase again. I did not purchase from amazon.com but thought the review would be useful.

For me, this dryer has been fantastic! I have had it for 3 months and use it 3 or 4 times a week; and, I have no problems with it at all. It is compact, which means it takes up very little space. I would recommend it, based on my experience.

I wrote a terrible review for this after my first use but now I'm feeling better about it. In fact, I'm using it as I write this. At first I didn't think it heated my whole head, but it does. It's just not as powerful as the old bonnet dryers I remember from my youth. It works OK though. I can't seem to alter my rating but I'd give it three stars instead of two.

I bought it in the middle of December 2006. Today June 18, 2007, I turned it on to use it and it burned out and smoke was coming from the vents. The plastic around the slot the tube goes into broke twice..had no choice but to stitch it with thread to keep it attached to the plastic cap. So disappointed with this product. Don't buy it. Better to spend the money and buy professional. This product is not worth the 40something dollars I paid for it.

I bought this dryer about two years ago, and I used it for deep conditioning my hair after washing. I have thick, kinky hair and this dryer didn't get my hair completely dry. They dryer was quiet which was good, but it also wasn't very powerful. About a year ago the plastic ring that attached the hose to the bonnet began separating from the bonnet. It eventually came apart entirely. Unless I tie the opening on the bonnet around the hose, the dryer is now useless.

I bought this dryer over one year ago and only used it once. The first time I used it there was an unusual odor, but I thought it was because the bonnet was new and was giving off a strange plastic smell. It worked fine the first time, but the smell was almost suffocating. I did not use the dryer again for many months and when I turned it on it did not work at all. I called Amazon and there's nothing they can do. It has been well over a year since I purchased it, so I cannot get any type of refund. I would not recommend anybody to purchase this item, but if you do, please use it regularly (to make sure it's going to keep working) before the 30 day return period has lapsed. I would hate for anybody else to waste money like I have.