Need a new dryer!!!!, with specific requirements

[DogzLife]

I have been using my Metro Quick Draw Pet Dryer for a while now and its kinda my old faithful, Lovely little machine for "little dogs" however after a talk with my landlord I have gotten permission to do large dogs... and suddenly my Metro Quick Draw... just doesnt cut it. I love it because its quiet and pretty poweful concidering its size, at 18,000 fpm, with the new "big" clientel a new dryer will pay itself off in the first month. because my landlord lives upstairs Id like a dryer as quiet as possible, or one with two speeds so that when they are home I can use one speed. I want one with a bit of heat, I love do ALOT of poms, and poodles, and need to straighten coat, I want the shortest drying time as possible (need that be said?) My budget is preferably $350ish, but if there's a dryer for $400 that outranks them all by far I;m willing to bend my budget for some. the dryers I have been researching are:

Laube Magnum force 30,000 fpm $238
(a little lower fpm than I wanted but love the extra vac shedding rake and its well within my budget at $238)

Metro Airforce master blaster 58,500 fpm $308
(Definately like the fpm of this model, and at $308 its also within my buget, however I used this model at the salon i used to work for and it was a "screamer" it squeeeeeeled a high pitch squeel, athough it was pretty banged up and the hose was being held on with ducttape, so I dont know if its the screaming was normal?)

k9I 42,000 fpm $314
(everyone raves about there K9s, so I'm keen on the idea of acquiring one myself, but have heard they are loud, and don't really mind the noise myself, but my landlords living upstairs might if they can hear it.. however with the option of two speed if i cut the power in half, the noise shouldn't be an issue $314)

k9II 59,329 fpm $360
reasonably close to my budget this dryer has the power, colours, and price i need but if noise will be a major concern for my landlords living upstairs (but gone 8am-5pm mon-friday, and home during the summer)

k9III 60,921fpm $405
(eek for the budget but have heard rumor of it being quieter than other k9s? and the power is a definite be all end all... do K9's warm up well? have you used one? This would be the top of my budget, but also something that i wouldn't have to "upgrade" anytime soon... how long would it take to do a husky with a dryer like this? or any other breeds...?)

Airforce Turbo two speed 61,000 fpm $389
With more air fpm and a smaller price tag, this is the one i'm leaning towards but cant seem to find any reviews, and that worry's me... what better place to find out the nitty gritty on this dryer with great specs?)

As my salon is home based I don't need one that is Mobile friendly (yet).. so amps shouldn't be an issue as long as it doesn't blow a circut in my suite..... >.< ... i don't pay electricity,, so the bills on my landlords

Mid aswell ask here as well im hearing great things about best shot ultra max shampoo for speeding up drying time, and time is money.... any other suggestions or is best shot the winner.

[celebpet]

I doubt the landlord will notice it, however they are more likely to hear the thumping and banging of a big dog. I wouldn't be so concerned about the noise. If the apt was built right and the ceilings and walls are insulated I doubt the noise will transfer. Ask them if they can here the shop vac running if so most HV dryers are about the same noise level.

As far as dryers go I didn't have much money when I got started so I bought the Pet Edge Blue 4.0 Dryer. It worked great for about the first 20 dogs and then when it would start up it would howl so bad it would hurt my ears and freak out the dogs. So I called pet edge and they said that the issue was totally random. They sent me a new dryer free of charge and told me to keep the old one. So now I have two and she gave me a few suggestions on how to eliminate the howling from the other one which I have not tried yet.

But as far as this dryer goes it works great and I believe it is built by B-Air. They now have one that looks just like the PE one, only green. It warms the air, has a variable speed, is pretty darn quiet and I use it on all my dogs little to small and it will push out the undercoat on the big hairies no problem at all. I like the fact that the hose is 10' long and the hose and nozzle attachments screw on secure. It has a plastic housing so its fairly light weight.

[Cat Crazy]

.. so amps shouldn't be an issue as long as it doesn't blow a circut in my suite.....

The bigger driers tend to draw around 19 amps. I believe most home outlets are 15 amp. Check with your landlord before investing in a drier that blows the breaker every time you turn it on.
I bought a Sullivan drier about 6 months ago. That thing ROCKS. We joke around at work that we could levitate a Yorkie with that thing. It was a bit less $ than the K9 III and has more airflow (can't quote the #s as all the info is at work and I'm at home).

[DogzLife]

I ended up checking my outlets and they are indeed 15 amps, so sadly most of the dryers I was researching are indeed out of the running but found this one http://www.petedge.com/catalog/produ...&shipTo=Me-v4t 3g9&shipToZip=v4t 3g9 which offers 40 fpm, and under $250, and 13 amps this may just be the perfect fit for my needs, any reviews?

The bigger driers tend to draw around 19 amps. I believe most home outlets are 15 amp. Check with your landlord before investing in a drier that blows the breaker every time you turn it on.
I bought a Sullivan drier about 6 months ago. That thing ROCKS. We joke around at work that we could levitate a Yorkie with that thing. It was a bit less $ than the K9 III and has more airflow (can't quote the #s as all the info is at work and I'm at home).

[kdickerson]

I've worked at a 2 ****** shave shacks, a petsomething, and two higher end shops and my favorite dryers i've ever worked with have had variable speed switches. SO awesome for getting dogs used to the dryer.

What about the new double k dryers that are variable speed?

[neanea]

you might consider the Chris Christiansen Kool Dry. It's a variable speed and is not a screamer, works well for large AND small dogs and the speed is adjustable. It's around $350 and very well worth it. I do A LOT of poodles and I've been very pleased with the FLUFFING ability of this non-heated dryer.

[mylady]

When I clicked the petedge limk is says the page is being worked on, so I don't know which dryer you were referring to.
I LOVE my Hanvey Gold Hi-V, but it's fairly expensive. I think about $500, but I bought mine used off ebay so paid about half that. Only pulls 10 amps. Kool dry is another good dryer. If you can post the name of the dryer you were looking at maybe some of us can give you a review.

[Shaina]

I ended up checking my outlets and they are indeed 15 amps, so sadly most of the dryers I was researching are indeed out of the running but found this one http://www.petedge.com/catalog/produ...&shipTo=Me-v4t 3g9&shipToZip=v4t 3g9 which offers 40 fpm, and under $250, and 13 amps this may just be the perfect fit for my needs, any reviews?

I bought this one a couple months ago and i love it. Its not as powerful as a K9 II but it works great for me. I love the variable speed on it too. I bought mine on Ebay new for under $200 dollars.

[petgroomaustralia]

The Doule K dryers are fairly quiet and very powerful and not too expensive.

[DogzLife]

http://www.progroom.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=624

I am looking at this double K one its a twin motor, its 14 amps (my circut is 15 amps) but says the velocity is 15,000-18,000 a minute, is that per motor or total? because my current dryer is 18,000... so If that's all it has it offer it wont do. but also has two heat settings so that would be wonderful its between this dryer and,

http://www.petedge.com/product/B-Air-Bear-Power-Dryer-II-GreenBlack/54717.uts

this one any insight?
Thanks for all your help everyone its all great advice

[petgroomaustralia]

I dont know how accurate it is to compare dryers via the velocity of the airflow, velocity is speed and there could be a small amount of air coming out at high speed versus a larger amount coming out at a lower speed but being more effective. There are many variables, hose width and type of hose being a couple. What I do know is that they are very powerful dryers at a very good price. With two motors running they will just about blow a small dog off the table...lol. They are also very low maintenance.

[petgroomaustralia]

I did some research for you. What you need to look at is the Amps because this tells you how powerful the motor/s is/are and also the Airflow which is shown as CFM (cubic feet per metre).

Quick Draw 8 amps 85 CFM

B Air 13 amps 150 CFM

Double K 14 amps 266 CFM

Kool Dry 9.6 amps ??? CFM - couldnt find it

K9 Fluffer Dryer 10.8 Amps 120 CFM

Hanvey Gold Hi-V 10.5 amps 120 CFM

[DogzLife]

Thank you everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

I have settled on the Double K ChallengAir Airmax 2-Speed Dryer based on power, budget, noise, and your stunning reviews. I couldn't have made a more educated decision without you guys and would have gotten a dryer that would have blown my circuit >.< I cant wait to get my new dryer!!!!