As we transition into the chillier months ahead, many of us will be looking to embrace blowouts, making the search to find the best hair dryer all the more relevant. 

No one is more surprised by this wholehearted recommendation than me. I initially started testing the RevAir with extreme skepticism and disdain, fully expecting to use it and dismiss it instantly, thus relegating it to the already crowded Competition section of Wirecutter’s hair dryers guide.

For people with Type 3 or 4 curl patterns especially, this vacuum-like device is gentle on fragile strands and can cut down total drying time significantly. One tester, who usually requires two back-to-back appointments with a professional stylist at Drybar, now achieves similar drying and smoothing results in as little as 20 minutes.

These particular tools are not your average hair gadgets as they are the type of big-ticket items that professional hairstylists and men in the dog house are likely to buy. But if you do your own hair and you’re dedicated to the process, you’ll want only the best of the best. But are these tools the best?

With a spouse who has long, naturally curly tresses, Scott Thomason sees the struggle some women endure blow drying and flat ironing their hair into a silky, tamed finish.

Nowadays, Tami dries her hair in less than 10 minutes with one hand, no accompanying brush needed, and flat ironing is optional. Why the drastic change?

As cumbersome and intimidating as this contraption might look, this "reverse air" dryer presents a genius solution for saving you from damaging heat-styling. You place your hair inside the tube, and water gets pulled away—the before and afters, showing even very curly hair slicked straight, are extremely impressive.

"THERE'S A NEW WAY TO DRY HAIR."

Blowdryers have gotten faster, stronger, and smarter over the years, but they’ve always relied on hot air to get the job done. RevAir ($399; myrevair.com) is different.