NZ's Most Common Hand Dryer's

This page is designed to be a guide to some of the most common Hand dryer's in New Zealand. Some of these will be current models, while others will be older models that were once popular, but are quickly starting to disappear. This is not a complete guide of every type of dryer we've discovered, but rather just the most common types.

This page is listed in order of manufacturer, in alphabetical order. For dryers that have been used by multiple brands (such as the World Dryer Airforce), then that dryer will be listed under it's original manufacturer.

## Airtowel

Airtowel has a very complicated history. They started off in Melbourne, Australia, in 1980, but many of their products were made in New Zealand, including the S9 and S900 products. Airtowel is now based in Brisbane, Australia, and after they eventually stopped producing hand dryers, they now act solely as a distributor of Ardrich Hand Dryers.

### Mk 9

The Mk 9 was the original Air Towel hand dryer, and took some obvious design inspiration from designs made by World Dryer. This old dryer has become super rare due to its long-ended run of production.

### S9

The Airtowel S9 was once a very popular Hand Dryer around New Zealand but they ceased production of them at some point during the 2000's. It was introduced as a replacement for the Mk 9, feature a much more square design with a square nozzle. They are now very rare and are hard to find in New Zealand there is still some around, but they are becoming rarer. A couple of photos here show them branded "Maxidry" - this was likely a distributor of the product. The shape of these is very similar to the original version of the JD MacDonald Autobeam, but this is slightly larger, and the nozzle does not rotate.

### S900

The S900 is a hand dryer that is based on the Supreme BA101. It is essentially an Airtowel-designed case, fitted with the motor and nozzle from the Supreme BA101. These used to be very common in Burger King Restaurants in New Zealand and also a few can be found on Mt Ruapehu. As these are no longer produced, they are rapidly declining as units are gradually replaced. The closure of a number of Burger King's during the 2020 Covid pandemic lockdowns did not help. The only flaw with these compared to the Supreme BA101 is that the sensors did not work as well as on these making them more prone to cut-outs.

## AirSanz

AirSanz is a rare hand dryer brand, based in Australia. They're known for their low-energy, high-speed EcoAir hand dryers.

### EcoAir

This is a rare high-speed, energy efficient hand dryer. It has a distinctive oval design.

## AIKE

AIKE is a Chinese hand dryer manufacturer. Their products are primarily distributed by Force Hand Dryers (formerly Mode Hand Dryers), via Prosan NZ.

### AK2800

The AIKE 2800 is often criticized, due it it's appearance, as the shape and design of it is clearly mimicking the Excel Dryer Xlerator, leading many to refer to it as a "knock-off". Whilst that is mainly true, it is still actually quite a good high-speed hand dryer.

### AK2630 "Air Wiper"

This is a blade-type high-speed hand dryer. It is actually a pretty decent hand dryer all round.

### AK2006H/AK2005H

This is one of the dual-blade "hands-in" type hand dryers offered by AIKE. The 2006H is the white version and the 2005H is the silver version.

### AK2030/AK2030S

This is another type of "hands-in" dryer offered by AIKE, but it is not as common or popular as the one above. The 2030 is White and the 2030S is Silver.

### AK2805

This a small, miniature jet-type high-speed hand dryer. This is a pretty rare model, not often found in NZ. It is available in a variety of colours, with silver as the default option.

## American Specialities Inc. (ASI)

As is suggested by the name, American Specialites Inc., also known simply as "ASI" is an American hand dryer manufacturer. Their products are sometimes found in NZ, due to their partnership with JD MacDonald.

### Roval Semi-Recessed

This is a high-speed hand dryer designed for smaller spaces, as it's design involves it being partially recessed into the wall (hence the name "semi-recessed"). These are particularly popular in outdoor public toilet installations, due to their durability.

## Ardrich

Ardrich is a NZ manufacturer of cleaning and hygiene products, including hand dryers.

### A255P

The A255P is one the most easily recognizable classic's of NZ Hand Dryer's, becuase it's uniquely designed frontage. These were once popular all over, particularly in Malls and also in several McDonald's restaurants. Westpac Stadium also installed dozens of these, of which around 2/3 are still running. These hand dryers are now out of production, so units are rapidly declining as they are gradually replaced and are starting to become really rare in New Zealand.

### A255M

The A255M is version of the A255P that uses a metal casing, instead of plastic.

### A260M & A260SP

The A260 Range is very similar to the A255P, but features a rounded and less decorated front, and it is made of metal instead of plastic. The A260 range is still in production. The A260M is painted white, whilst the A260SP brushed stainless.

### EconoDri (A256P)

The A256P EconoDri came out as a replacement for the A255P. These have been popping up all over the place, often as replacements for older Ardrich Dryers. The A256P uses the same motor as the A260M, but is made of Plastic instead of steel. The A256P was originally called the "Ascent" before being re-named "EconoDri". These come in White, Grey and Black.

### SmartDri (A290PE)

The A290PE SmartDri is the least common of the Ardrich family. It is much smaller, but still has some decent power. These come in White, Grey and Black.

### SmartDri Jet (A290PJE)

This is version of the SmartDri that blows out air as a high-speed jet, using a smaller nozzle, compared to the normal SmartDri. It uses the same motor as the SmartDri. Unlike the normal SmartDri, the Jet version is only available in white.

## Anda

Anda Products is a UK supplier of Heating, Cooling, Ventialtion, Hand Dryers and Soap Dispensers.

### Automatic Hand Dryer

This product has no real "name", and there are actually a few different versions of this that all use the same casing, but different motors. These are sold in NZ by Manrose. These are also known for being some of the worst hand dryers on the market.

### EcoDry ST2000

This is a stainless steel, slow, quiet, hot-air hand dryer. It is designed to be a more vandal resistant product. It is known for being a very ineffective hand dryer. These are often sold by JD MacDonald.

## Dyson

Dyson is a British Company (based in Singapore since 2019) that started out making Vacuum Cleaners, before diversifying into other products. They entered the Hand dryer market in 2006 with the "Airblade"., and have gone on to be one of the most popular hand dryer brands in the world.

### Airblade

The Dyson Airblade was launched in 2006 and made until 2013, when it was succeeded by the Mk2/dB. It was responsible for popularization of the "hands-in" style hand dryer. The Original Airblade was available in Grey or white. It was easily distinguished from the newer models, as the air nozzles were Yellow on the original Airblade and Blue on the newer models. The original Dyson Airblade can still found at numerous locations nationwide.

### Airblade dB (Mk 2)

The Dyson Airblade dB was launched in 2013 as a replacement for the original Airblade, originally branded as "Airblade Mk2", before later being changed to "Airblade dB", and lastly just "Airblade" (with no other branding). These were made from 2013 until the end of 2021. The Airblade dB was, like the original, available in Grey or White. These newer models have the air nozzles in blue, as opposed to the yellow use don older units. These are still really common, and despite production being ceased in 2021, a few units have still been installed since then from suppliers remaining stocks.

### Airblade V

The Dyson Airblade V was launched in 2013, and is Dyson's answer to the "hands-under" type hand dryer. It uses two blade of air in a V-Shape (hence the name). The Airblade V is one of the most popular hand dryers in New Zealand. It is available in either Silver or White.

### Airblade Tap

The Airblade Tap is a tap and hand dryer all in one! The Airblade tap is a normal tap, but with two "wings" coming off the sides, which are the two air blades. They function similarly to an Airblade V. The popularity of these has been limited, largely due to the high cost of these units.

### Airblade 9KJ

The Airblade 9KJ is Dyson's newest hand dryer. It is a hands-under type dryer, similar to the Airblade V, but is stylized to look more akin to the Airblade Tap. Currently, we are yet to find one in New Zealand.

## Excel Dryer

Excel Dryer is an American hand dryer manufacturer, most known for their famous "Xlerator" high-speed hand dryer. The Xlerator is primarily sold in NZ through Force Hand Dryers (formerly Mode Hand Dryers) via Prosan NZ.

### Xlerator

This is Excel Dryer's best known product, and one of the most infamous hand dryers in the world, being one of the very first high-speed hand dryers ever made. These are particularly common at Burgerfuel outlets.

## Franke

Franke is a fairly rare brand in NZ. They've provided a few hand dryers for public toilets over the years,

### Airtronic Rodan

This is a slow, soft dryer with a metal case, designed to help fend of vandalism.

### Airtronic Automatic

This is an old, metal hand dryer that is a slow, soft dryer.

### STRX 210

This is a high-speed hand dryer, designed with a stainless steel casing for use in vandal resistant applications.

## Hokwang

Hokwang is a hand dryer manufacturer based in Hong Kong. Many of their products are found here sold by Metlam, among others.

### HK-JA

This is one of Hokwang's most popular models around the world. Not that many have actually been seen in NZ though. It is a high-speed jet hand dryer.

### EcoMo

This is a vertical hands-in type hand dryer.

## JD MacDonald

JD MacDonald is an Australian Manufacturer of Hand Dryers. They currently have a partnership with American Specialities Inc. (ASI), and currently sells both JDM JD MacDonald and ASI products.

### Classic Autobeam/TouchDry 1000

The original Autobeam/TouchDry 1000 were popular hand dryers using a protruding font nozzle design. The design of these was very similar to the Airtowel S9, but was a slightly smaller and different shape. It also has a rotatable nozzle, unlike the static nozzle on the air towel. These have started to become quite rare now, due to their gradual replacement. These hand dryers were introduce din the 1980s and were eventually succeeded by newer versions in the mid-late 2000s.

The Autobeam is the automatic version, whilst the TouchDry 1000 is button operated.

### New Autobeam/TouchDry 1000

The newer versions of the Autobeam and TouchDry 1000 came out in the mid-late 2000s. These newer models have updated motors and casing designs, which have a large nozzle on the left hand side (to partially resemble the original design), but this doesn't rotate. These are still made, but have become unpopular in recent years, with many having already been replaced.

### Applause (Mk 1)

The Applause is a slow, quiet, hot-air hand dryer. It is often considered by Kiwi and Australian enthusiasts to be one of the least effective hand dryers on the market by a major manufacturer. It is available in white, brushed chrome and polished chrome.

### Applause (Mk 2)

The Mk 2 version of the Applause has a slightly updated casing design, but is otherwise no different to the original. It is available in white, brushed chrome and polished chrome.

## JVD

JVD is a French hand dryer manufacturer. Their main product seen in the NZ market is the Master, which is sold by Supreme (SPL) under the name "Master Air"

### Master

This is a slow, hot-air hand dryer, which was available in white and grey. It has since been succeeded by the Master II.

### Master II

This is the more common, updated version of the Master. This is available in White, Grey, Black and Stainless Steel.

### Tornade

This is another type of slow, hot-air hand dryer but made of plastic instead of metal. These were sold in NZ by Supreme, but were dropped in favour of the Master hence these are actually quite rare!

## Kingwe

Kingwe is a Chinese hand dryer manufacturer, which has a huge range of products. Despite this, Kingwe's are fairly rare in New Zealand.

### KW-1053 SoftDry

This is a slow, hot-air hand dryer. It is generally considered to be pretty rubbish.

## Mediclinics

Mediclinics is a well-known Spanish brand of hand dryers and other washroom equipment.

### SpeedFlow

This is supposed to be a "blade" type high-speed hand dryer. The general consensus among hand dryer enthusiasts is that these are terrible.

### SmartFlow

This is a mini hand dryer, using a small jet-type design. Again, these are not considered to be good.

## Metlam

Metlam is an Australian-based hand dryer manufacturer.

### Slimline HK100N

This is standard warm air hand dryer. It is so named due to it's very slim design, making it ideal for small bathrooms.

## Mitsubishi Electric

Mitsubishi Electric is a Japanese manufacturer of electronics and electrical equipment, of which hand dryers is one of their products. Mitsubishi are credited as being the original inventors of the "hands-in" type hand dryer in the 1990s. Some Mitsubishi products are re-branded and sold under other names, including Cannon Hygiene and Ardrich.

### Jet Towel Slim

This is Mitsubishi's dual-blade, hands-in type dryer. These are often sold by Cannon Hygiene, and are also sold by Ardrich under the name "Dual-Dri", sometimes with a modified casing.

### Jet Towel Smart

This is Mitsubishi's hands-under type hand dryer, using a blade of air. These are very rare in NZ.

### Jet Towel Mini

This is very similar to the model above, but has a built in catch tray. This is also extremely rare in NZ.

## Roache

Roache was a Hand Dryer manufacturer based in Australia who also had a branch in Otahuhu in Auckland, not much is known about their history or their products or if they are still around these days or not.

### 2400 Series

This is an old looking Hand Dryer that can be found in both New Zealand and Australia, a couple of examples here in NZ have been found under the Handcare brand with a different motor, not sure if this is a different company who modified the product and distributed it or if it was sold by Roache themselves, both examples are super rare in New Zealand.

## Stream Hygiene

Stream Hygiene makes a tiny little hand dryer, which is both rare are very powerful! This was sold by Supreme.

### Mini Jet

This is one of the smallest hand dryers in the World. It was sold by Supreme, but was retired in favor of the Diamond V. This hand dryer is available in white or silver.

## Supreme (SPL)

Supreme is a New Zealand company, known for being the manufacturer of the infamous BA101. Supreme is one of the most popular hand dryer suppliers in NZ. Most of the products they sell are actually re-badges of other brands products, but they have also manufactured the BA101 (and similar models) in-house.

### BA101

The Supreme BA101 is one of the most popular Hand Dryers in New Zealand. It has been made in New Zealand since the 1970's and to this day it is still one of the most popular Hand Dryers in New Zealand. Heaps of places install these such as McDonald's, Mobil as well as being installed in Public Bathrooms around NZ. The BA101 is only available in white.

Various differnt lables and badges have been used on these, which helps to identify old units versus newer ones. Another feature is that over time the nozzle has changed from white to black. In recent years some of the older versions especially the ones with the blue and black circular label have slowly started to decline in numbers with many being replaced with newer BA101's and are gradually becoming harder to find.

#### **"3 generations"**

Whilst there are no definitive/official "generations" of the Supreme BA101, they can be grouped based on the design & colour of the nozzle - in addition to the label used. The "first generation" has the nozzle built into the casing itself, the "second generation" has a white nozzle, and the "third generation" (current) uses the same nozzle in black.

### Elegante

The Elegante was a hand dryer design to be partially recessed into a wall. It was actually a modified BA101 design, and used the same motor as the BA101. It is most well known for being used in BP Connect sites (sadly now mostly replaced). The Elegante was available in grey or white. It has now been discontinued.

## TekFlo

TekFlo is a hand dryer manufacturer based in the UK.

### Blade

This is a hands-in hand dryer. It is quite rare in NZ, but has been seen sold by Simx.

## Velair

Velair is a hand dryer manufactuer & distributor from the UK, best know for their Pebble range of hand dryers.

### Pebble

The "Pebble" is a modern, high-speed hand dryer so-named becuase of its round shape. It is currently advertised on the Supreme (SPL) and Initial Website as the "DriBubble". An example of these in NZ is yet to be found.

## Vortice

Vortice is a UK-based hand dryer manufacturer. Generally, only their older products are found in NZ.

### AHDR

This is a slow, soft hand dryer that was made by Vortice. It's one of their more common types to be found.

### EcoDry

The EcoDry is another type of slow, soft hand dryer. It's not quite as common as the type above, but still found in a few places.

### Optimal Dry A

This is one of Vortice's current models, though it is very rare as hardly anyone in NZ buys Vortice hand dryers these days.

## World Dryer

World Dryer is an American Hand Dryer manufacturer, best know for some world-leading hand dryers, including the Model A, Airforce and more. World Dryer hand dryers are sold in NZ by Supreme (SPL), and usually get rebranded as Supreme products. Some of their products have also been sold by Initial and formerly Airtowel.

### SmartDri

The SmartDri is a high-speed hand dryer. It was sold by Supreme under the name "Tornade SD". The SmartDri is still manufactured, but is no longer being sold in NZ, as supreme has dropped it in favour of other products. It is available in silver, white and black, but thus far only silver examples have been found.

### Airforce

The Airforce is the most popular World Dryer Product in NZ. It is a high-speed jet hand dryer with multiple jets of air. It is distributed in NZ by Supreme, who also name it "Airforce". It is available in White, Black, Brushed Chrome and Polished Chrome.

### VMax

The VMax is World Dryer's "hands-in" type hand dryer. It is a very good, powerful dryer. This original version was sold in NZ by Supreme, under the name "Jet Dryer Executive". It was available in white or grey.

### VMax V2

The VMax V2 is an updated version of the VMax, and is the current version on sale. It is sold by Supreme as the "Jet Dryer Executive II" or "Jet dryer Exe". It is available in white or grey.

### VERDEdri V2

The VERDEdri V2 is one of World Dryer's newest products. It is an update on the original VERDEdri (which wasn't sold in NZ), having added the bright blue LED lights at the bottom, which illuminate when the dryer activates. The VERDEdri V2 is a high-speed single-jet dryer. It is sold by Supreme under the name "AirJet". It is available in White. Black and Silver, with only the silver having been found thus far.

### XA

The XA model was the automatic version of World Dryer's classic Model A. The only version of the XA sold in NZ was a version sold by Initial/Rentokil, which uses a customized casing with a different body shape.

## XinDa

XinDa is a Chinese Hand dryer manufacturer.

### GSQ-250

The GSQ-250 is a basic, warm hand dryer that is designed to copy many of the features of the World dryer XA series. It is a very rare hand dryer in NZ, with only a couple of known installations.

### GSQ-250B

The GSQ-250B is another hand dryer in XinDa's 250 series. It uses the same motor as the design above, but has a full encased nozzle. This dryer is known for having awful sensors, and therefore it cuts out regularly. These are unfortunately still fairly common, particularly in Wellington, as for a period of time they were installed en masse by Wellington City Council (thankfully not anymore). These are usually sold by Bradley.

### GSQ-87

This is a single-nozzle high-speed hand dryer. It is very rare in NZ. These are usually sold by MacDonald Industries, and supplied by Delabie. It is listed on the MacDonald Industries website as being available in stainless steel and black. White versions have been noted overseas, but this doesn't appear to be an available colour in NZ.

### GSQ-80

The GSQ-80 is "hands-in" type jet hand dryer. It is generally sold by Initial, and is a fairly popular model of "hands-in" dryer.

### GSX-1900

This is sort, warm air hand dryer. It is generally terrible all-round.

## Zip

Zip is a supplier of plumbing and washroom supplies. Like Supreme, they are mostly a distributor of others products (this ironically includes selling Supreme BA101s in Australia). However, Zip has occasionally made a few things themselves as well!

### Superdry SD100

This is a nozzle-type, fast warm-air hand dryer, very similar to the design of the JD MacDonald Autobeam. It notably has the feature which allows you to flip the nozzle down to blow-dry your face. These have a metal casing and are able to be found in white or brushed silver. It is not clear if they are still in production or not, as they are not a common dryer.

### Superdry Extreme

This is a soft, slow hand dryer. Like the SD100, this also has a nozzle you can flip-down. It is generally found in silver/grey.