Nicky Clarke NHD082 > Reviews (2)

I had desperately needed a new hairdryer for months, particularly as my last one would no longer operate with the switches and had stuck itself on the highest speed and heat setting. Consequently, I simply had to plug it into the mains and blast my hair with the dryer, which over a period of time had become a little too hot for comfort. It often decided to smoke and the last straw was when I saw orange sparks emitting from the grille, so my old and faithful Boots dryer was sent to hairdryer heaven.

I carried out a little research for my new purchase whilst taking into consideration my two requirements; one of which was that the dryer needed to be at least 2000 watts and the other was that it had to offer a choice of both heat and speed settings. A few brands made it to my shortlist with my final decision being the Nicky Clarke Frizz Control 2000w Turbo Hairdryer, Model Number NHD082 and this review discusses my experience of owning it.

~~ WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS PARTICULAR DRYER? ~~

As my hair is very long and thick I needed a powerful dryer hence my requirement of a minimum speed of 2000 watts. I am quite fortunate with my hair as whilst it is naturally curly it is easily styled, so I can regularly change my appearance. The fact that the good sized dryer is endorsed by Nicky Clarke had no bearing on my decision to buy, as I am not tempted by designer brands and my purchases are solely made based on their specifications.

~~ A LITTLE ABOUT THE DRYER AND ITS’ FEATURES ~~

I can vividly recall using my mother’s heavy pink coloured Pifco dryer many years ago, which resulted in a very sore arm and wrist as it took absolutely ages to effectively dry my thick locks. However, all modern dryers are extremely lightweight and whilst there is no weight information provided on the box I would guess that it’s less than 500 grams. The dryer is aesthetically pleasing with its’ modern and sleek design of shiny chrome and the touches of purple on the one end and two of the switches whilst offering a good sized handle, which is covered with a black coloured easy grip material. I find this dryer much easier to hold than my previous model, as it comfortably fits into my hand.

The dryer offers three heat options and two speeds with the appropriate buttons being in easy reach when holding the dryer. Consequently, I can click on my choice with my finger tips as opposed to turning the dryer around to carry out my selection. I like the fact that it offers a turbo function, which is extremely handy when I’m in a rush and it also offer a cool blast of air that assists when setting a style. Unfortunately, similar to that of all hair dryers, I need to keep my finger on each of these buttons when using and it would be more beneficial if they could operate from one simple press. However, this is not really an issue, but solely a grumble of mine as opposed to a design fault.

According to the box the dryer operates with ionic technology, which prior to my purchase was something I’d heard of, but didn’t really know what it meant.

I’m not intending to discuss the science behind this terminology as I would simply be copying and pasting information from the internet. In a nut shell it basically means that dryer operates in such a way that it will eliminate frizz and static contained within the hair. Whilst I am unable to evidence this, I also learned that ionic technology is not advantageous for those with fine hair as it works to reduce the activity within the hair. Does the technology work for me? This is quite difficult to answer, as whilst I often suffer with frizz on the ends of my hair, I regularly use specifically designed products to reduce the problem. However, when I compare the appearance of my hair to when it was dried with my previous model, it seems to be shinier and subsequently much smoother, but this could be due to the fact that my last dryer was stuck on the highest heat and top speed!

~~ WHAT ACCESSORIES ACCOMPANIED THE DRYER? ~~

Accompanying the dryer are two accessories, namely a diffuser and a slim concentrator, both of which easily fit onto the end of the dryer to enable me to create different looks with my hair. I tend to use the concentrator quite a lot as it allows me to be more precise and control the flow of air when drying my thick hair. There is also a small booklet, which provides details of the dryer together with a few hair styling tips.

~~ MY OPINION ~~

I am extremely pleased with my hairdryer, as it enables me to achieve a professional appearance to my hair with minimal effort and the noise levels aren’t too bad when in operation. The power lead is a good few metres long, so I am not restricted to sitting directly adjacent to a power socket when using. There are many occasions when I want to dry my hair as quickly as possible and this can easily be achieved in around five minutes with the dryer set at both the highest speed and heat settings provided I do not use any of the attachments. This is a great time saver for me, which is excellent as far as I am concerned, particularly as my hair is so long and thick and is normally a nightmare to dry.

The outer casing of the dryer is cleaned by way of a damp cloth and the mesh grille can be removed and easily replaced. Whilst there is a useful sturdy plastic hanging loop on the base of the handle I choose to store mine in a drawer so that it does not gather dust. I can fully recommend this dryer and I wish I’d replaced my old one sooner, as I would go as far as saying that this is the best hair dryer I have ever owned and as a result, it receives five stars from me.

~~ PRICE AND AVAILABILITY ~~

At the time of writing, the best price can be found at Boots where the dryer is reduced from £24.98 to £16.65.

I hope you found my review useful and would thank you for reading.

This review appears on both Dooyoo and Ciao under the same user name.