Some of our new favorite hair dryers (we've been testing again)

We’ve been on a bit of a hair dryer testing kick lately, partly because our old ones kept dying, and partly because we needed something that could work across a couple different hair types of hair. Between curly (3B), wavy, and straight styles, it’s been a bit of a trial-and-error situation.

We handed off a few dryers to different testers with different hair needs and here’s what made it through the gauntlet as some of our current faves:

Ella Bella Ionic Pro – Fastest diffusing time (curls dry in, like, 18 min). Comes with a legit bowl diffuser and you can switch the ions on/off for volume. This is perfect if you have a multi-user household with different hair types.

Dyson Supersonic – Costs a kidney, but the motor is in the handle, so your arm doesn’t die. Great if you dry daily or have wrist issues.

Revlon Turbo Fast 1875W – Under $40 drugstore lifesaver. Way louder than the fancy ones, but solid airflow and an ion switch. Good guest-bathroom backup.

DevaCurl DevaDryer + “hand” diffuser – Weird alien claw attachment that dries curls from the inside out. Huge root lift without frizz halo. I loved this one, but it didn’t work for my daughter so I ultimately went with Ella Bella.

T3 AireLuxe Afar – Folds up and weighs almost nothing. Dual voltage, so it’s the only thing that keeps me from hotel-dryer misery. Super pricey, though.

Random tips we picked up along the way:

• Don’t skip the lint filter, it builds up fast.
• Rough-dry to about 80% before brushing or styling.
• Hit the cool shot button for a few seconds—it actually helps with shine.

Okay, so now, what are we missing? Anyone else have a dryer they swear by – or one that melted on first use? Let's keep the discussion going...