The Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer is truly in a class above the rest; celebrity stylist Adel Chabbi introduced the machine by declaring “Everything else is antique.” Of all the hair dryers we tested, this one stood out to us first and foremost because it doesn’t look like a typical dryer, and when we put it to the test, we quickly found that the Dyson doesn’t act like a typical dryer, either.

The reason? The Dyson has a top-of-the-line motor which produces its chart-topping 65 mph while being quiet enough to hold a conversation. It has one of the widest temperature ranges of all tested dryers, and contains a microchip specifically to self-regulate its heat levels, going above and beyond to protect your hair from damage. That combination of speed and heat saw rapidly reduced dry times: one tester cut her time in half. It’s also our lightest pick, easy to hold and comfortable to use, even running at full strength.

Most importantly of all, the Dyson excelled in the one test that separates a great hair dryer from the best: Results. If you have straight hair, or if you’re looking for a dryer that can reach those ultra cool temperatures for damaged and color-treated hair, the Dyson can give you smooth, shiny, frizz-free locks.

The Dyson’s concentrator and diffuser attach magnetically.

Testers quickly took note of smaller details, right out of the box, and loved the light-up display. It has the most heat settings of our dryers, giving you 12 different combinations of heat and speed to customize to your hair needs. And since the Dyson automatically turns on to the last used setting, you don’t have to worry about which heat and which speed you liked, no matter how long between styling sessions.

Our one request for the next generation of Dyson? Give us a little more heat. We know it’s possible; a few of our other dryers hit 200 degrees and higher. People with coarse hair, or a lot of hair, will still see shorter dry times because of the Dyson’s super-fast wind speeds, and if you have thin, fine curls, the Dyson can help you achieve a straighter blow-out, though it might not be as fast as our next pick, the DevaDryer.

We can’t ignore that $400 price tag either. While we do think its functionality and features of the Dyson merit its price, it’s still twice the price of its closest competitors.

Our testers adored the DevaDryer and its patented diffuser, the Devafuser. It has the widest temperature range of all our tested hair dryers — no matter your hair type, it has your back. It came in second only to the Dyson in wind speed, hitting 54 mph — still plenty fast to get your hair dried quickly, and was #1 in terms of heat, reaching 230 degrees at its hottest. And it impressed us where it matters most with consistently beautiful hair, free of frizz, and shiny.

Stats aside, if you want a curly style, the Devafuser alone pushes this dryer over the top. Call it a hand, call it a leaf, call it a human-palm-tree-hybrid, in the beginning we were skeptical about how it worked, but the Devafuser takes this hair dryer from greatness into true stardom.

A regular diffuser blows air into your hair from one direction. The finger-fronds of the Devafuser not only feature holes on all sides, giving you hot air from 360 degrees, they get that air deep into the curls and close to your scalp. The result? A more evenly produced heat to dry your hair faster. One of our testers with thick, voluminous hair brought her styling time down from 30 minutes to eight.

We also loved how compact it felt, despite being a full-sized dryer. It does weigh a bit more than the Dyson, but all our testers finished drying before their arms got tired. It ranks right in the middle for volume, but in all honesty, we couldn’t hear a difference between the DevaDryer and our lower-decibel dryers. And a bonus for us organizers – the DevaDryer comes with a velcro cord-keeper to help corral this already smaller dryer into a tidy package.

And it’s one usability issue is tiny. Like most of our dryers, the switches are on the front of the handle, so you’ll have to be careful where you place your fingers and how hard you grip it. It’s easy to switch back to your preferred setting, but it was still annoying to have to pause mid-styling because we accidentally moved the switch.

The DevaDryer has all of the functionality of a fantastic hair dryer, and is more user-friendly than others in its class. While it lacks the cutting-edge technology and design of the Dyson, it’s still the best standard dryer available — and costs a fraction of the price.

If you’re looking for a quality hair dryer without spending a small fortune, go with the Xtava Allure. It meets the same standards for functionality and user-friendliness as our other top picks — no small feat for a budget dryer.

Ranging from 70 degrees all the way up to 175, the Xtava handles all but the coarsest and thickest hair with ease. This is nearly the same range as the Dyson, but its highest speed setting is 15 mph slower — and that lack of power made a noticeable difference. People with thick, and medium or coarse hair will spend a couple extra minutes under the heat.

Still, our testers found that the Xtava dried their hair faster than our similarly-priced Revlon and Conair dryers. While they reported more shine and less frizz than usual, they still needed to work their hair to calm down all the little fly-aways after drying. If you have a lot of curls, know that the Xtava only comes with a concentrator by default. We did test several of our universal diffusers — they all fit well — but if you want a guaranteed tight fit, the Xtava diffuser costs an extra $17.

Out of the box, the Xtava only comes with a concentrator, so those with curly hair may need to accessorize.

We had two other fan-favorites that didn’t quite compare to our top three in terms of their overall specs, but still earned high praise from our testers.

The Drybar Buttercup Blow Dryer produces gorgeous results and offers some nice design touches. It scored well both in temperature (with a great range of 70–200 degrees) and performance. Our testers found that after using the Buttercup, their hair felt fuller and had less frizz. There were mixed results on whether it improved shine, but their hair did feel much softer.

We loved the Buttercup’s two unique concentrators. They come with the standard flat edge on one side, as well as a scalloped edge that our testers found useful in making sure the heat was dispersed evenly across the hair. The diffuser, called “The Bouncer,” costs extra, but we found it easy to attach, with a bowl wide enough to handle large curls without swallowing up shorter or thinner hair.

The Buttercup’s biggest flaw is wind speed: it only reaches a measly 38 mph, definitely on the slower side — not great for very thick or coarse hair. Even though our testers loved their results, they weren’t impressed by the lower speed.

The T3 Luxe 2i had similar specs to the Buttercup for heat and speed, but it couldn’t hold that temperature steady. We liked the brush and diffuser it comes with, but couldn’t recommend an inconsistent dryer that — when it works correctly — is just as good as the Buttercup for $50 more.

The Harry Josh Pro Tools Dryer is tiny, but it packs a punch. Our testers reported seeing the smoother, shinier results compared to the other standard dryers they tested, and despite its relatively average wind speed, it cut down the time it took testers to dry their hair compared to their regular hair dryer.

It’s also easy to use — the buttons are tucked out of the way on the back of the handle, where your palm sits, so it’s almost impossible to accidentally switch a setting the wrong way. It’s compact, and with the minty green color, it’s honestly pretty cute.

When we first saw this dryer up close, we were a little hesitant about whether it was more cute than useful. Its power falls squarely in the middle, with a just-average wind speed. But it’s biggest flaw is its narrow temperature range: 110 degrees at its lowest and 150 degrees at its hottest.

This dryer works best for people aiming for a straighter hair style, with either medium hair thickness or medium hair density. If your hair type falls on either side of those spectrums — very fine or quite coarse, extra thin or tons of hair — approach this dryer with greater caution. It wasn’t designed with curly styles in mind, either. The diffuser isn’t included, and for $30, we’d like it better if it didn’t look and feel like a cheap piece of plastic.