To help us provide you with free impartial advice, we may earn a commission if you buy through links on our site. Learn more
- Affordable
- Lightweight and fast
- Fab smoothing attachment
- Attachments aren’t magnetic
- Highest heat feels very hot
I’ve been testing hair dryers for the past four years and in that time, I haven’t been blown away by anything that cost under £100. Typically, hair dryers at this price have bulky, noisy and heavy motors that dry hair much slower than their pricier digital counterparts. It’s usually worth spending a little extra to get a faster dryer.
That was true until I tried the Revlon One Step Power Move hair dryer. At £65, it’s the most affordable hair dryer I’ve tested that packs in a digital, brushless motor. It’s also one of the smallest and lightest, with a good range of attachments suited to styling different hair types.
I was intrigued to see whether it could live up to the performance of its pricier competition. In terms of basic functionality, it does, but the lower cost comes with a few minor compromises.
Revlon One Step Power Move hair dryer: What do you get for the money?
The Revlon One Step Power Move costs £65, and for that price you’ll get a 1600W digital motor that spins at 110,000RPM. It’s housed in a slightly pearlescent grey plastic body that, admittedly, reflects its lower price. Still, it feels sturdy and durable enough to use regularly and is compact enough to store away neatly or pack in a suitcase.
It has three speeds and four heat settings as well as an intuitively-placed cold shot button. This should give plenty of control to style multiple hair types in different ways. The heat levels are controlled via a button located above the power and speed switches, both of which are tactile and intuitive to use mid-styling.
Revlon hasn’t scrimped on attachments, either. Inside the box, there’s a concentrator nozzle, diffuser, root lift comb, and a Smooth & Shine Finisher – the latter of which uses the Coanda effect to allow hair to cling to its curved ceramic surface, taming flyaways and adding shine. This technique, first utilised by Dyson, is becoming more common among high-end hair dryers, so I’m glad to see one in a hair dryer of this price point. All the attachments clip securely onto the front of the dryer.
Finishing things off, you’ve got a 2.5m cable that is long enough for home use. There’s also a drawstring bag included, which can store the dryer and all its attachments in one place. The whole dryer – cable included – weighs just 483g (294g without), making this a great option for domestic travel.
How I tested the Revlon One Step Power Move hair dryer
I tested the Revlon One Step Power Move hair dryer over the course of multiple hair washes. This helped me to identify any usability problems, as well as the key benefits that set the dryer apart from its rivals. I also tested every attachment and assessed their performance and ease of use.
The tests also involved rough drying my hair at least once to test speed levels. Then, I tried a round brush blow dry to see how intuitive and effective the various settings were at creating more precise styles. I also measured the noise levels, weight and wind speeds of the hair dryer to accurately compare it to its competition.
What’s it like to use?
I was immediately struck by this hair dryer’s lightweight build. At 294g, this is easily the lightest hair dryer I’ve ever tested, which worried me at first: a light build isn’t usually a marker of quality. Thankfully, my fears were dispelled when I got to using it and realised just how comfortable it was.
As I mentioned, its controls are sensibly placed on the handle, so they’re easy to reach during round brush blow dries, without being too easy to press by accident. The dryer itself is also very small – just larger than my hand but small enough to fit on an A5 sheet of paper. Its small body means that, in terms of its weight and size, it’s just as comfortable to use as the much pricier Dyson Supersonic.
Its speed settings also offered me a great amount of control during blow dries, with the slowest speed being perfect for taming shorter sections. The highest speed, which I measured at 20.3m/s, is much faster than the comparably-priced Babyliss Hydro Fusion hair dryer and dried my thick head of hair in around seven minutes. And, thanks to the switch-operated controls, it was easy to adjust the speed mid-styling without having to re-adjust my grip.
The sound levels weren’t too bad either: I measured 84dB at the lowest speeds and 89dB at its highest, which is comparable to far pricier dryers including the Cloud Nine Airshot Pro Adapt.
The only niggle I have is that the attachments aren’t magnetic; this is one of the few areas the dryer shows its price. While the attachments clip in very securely, they aren’t as easy to swap around, especially if you lack strength.
How well does it work?
Even when simply rough drying, this dryer left my hair feeling healthy, with no frazzling or breakage. Admittedly it isn’t a miracle worker – it didn’t add a huge amount of shine when rough drying alone. However, finishing with the Smooth & Shine Finisher helped smoothed down flyaways and tamed the top section of my hair, leaving a smooth, polished result.
While it’s great at rough dries, I also found the drier had a brilliant amount of control for a round brush blow dry. It’s light, so I never suffered from aching arms, and the range of controls made it easy and comfortable to add shape and bounce to the hair. The cool shot button is exactly where you’d expect it to be, and works quickly to cool the hair, setting the style in place. The finished result lasted for multiple days and didn’t degrade into frizz or static when brushed.
I’d only advise caution when using the highest heat setting, as this felt incredibly hot on my scalp and could frazzle delicate or damaged hair. For healthiest results, stick to the middle heat setting.
Should you buy the Revlon One Step Power Move hair dryer?
This is easily the best affordable hair dryer out there right now. It’s fast, extremely comfortable to use, and it doesn’t overcomplicate things with fancy settings you’ll never use. For the price, I’m really impressed with the results, especially from the shine-boosting finishing nozzle, which feels like a luxury feature.
Admittedly, its no-frills controls aren’t groundbreaking, and its plastic build doesn’t scream luxury, but its great range of attachments and fast drying times easily make up for that. If you’ve been clinging onto a decades-old hair dryer and suffering with frizz and slow drying times as a result, this is a worthwhile upgrade.
