# Mild pittage - those "Airblade" hand dryers **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 14, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300 "2011-09-14T16:02:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/21 "2011-09-14T20:33:58Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > Those are great. Only one drawback to them though. They’rWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRs hell. > Sorry. I said they’re loud as hell. Seriously. It’d have the same effect to dry your hands behind a jumbo jet. I feel like my eardrums are being sliced when they go off. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/22 "2011-09-14T20:43:43Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > tdn, I was just about to post the same thing… but then you have to realize that people have dismally bad hand-washing habbits. Experts recommend at least 20-30 seconds of warm soapy lathering scrubbing action, and most people will literally spend no more than 5 seconds of (sometimes) water alone, then go straight to the dryer. Excellent point. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ssktVpcv9WI/hqdefault.jpg "wash your hands") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssktVpcv9WI) ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/23 "2011-09-14T20:44:52Z")
I want to stick my penis in one. Just to see. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/24 "2011-09-14T20:49:25Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I want to stick my penis in one. Just to see. It’ll be the most intense blowjob you’ve ever had. Notice I didn’t say the best. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/25 "2011-09-14T21:56:37Z")
They seem to work great, if there are no paper towels or rest room attendants handing out real hand towels, I want to see those Airblade hand dryers. Oh and no worries about bacteria growing in sprayed off soap water as most places use anti-bacterial soap. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/26 "2011-09-14T22:20:41Z")
I hate how they cut off just before I get my fingertips dry. No water spray for me, though. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/27 "2011-09-14T22:34:33Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > I want to stick my penis in one. Just to see. A cow-orker was telling me a story about how, on a recent trip to the health club, some guy in the locker room was drying his balls with the hand dryer. I’d love to see him try that with a Dyson Airblade. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/28 "2011-09-15T12:45:20Z")
I’ve only seen them once - at the airport in Las Vegas - and I kinda liked them. Regular air dryers just don’t work - my hands are always damp. I suppose I could stand there for 5 minutes to make sure they get dry, but that is a pain. Paper towels work better but there are always those morons who miss the trash can and can’t be bothered to pick them up. The air blade thingy, though - got all the water off my hands in a few seconds. I don’t think I brushed against the sides of it at all (and even if I did, the only hands that had been in there were presumably freshly-washed ones!). Plus it was cool to see the skin rippling from the force of the air :). ---
**Author:** ![Charley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/97f17d/32.png) [@Charley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charley)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/29 "2011-09-15T12:59:37Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > The OP can just do what I do after washing my hands: rub them on my cock until my hands are dry. Nice of you to offer to the OP, but if we all do that I can’t help feeling you’re going to end up with some serious chafing. To the OP: I absolutely disagree. I get unreasonably excited when I see one of those things, I think they’re groovy. Even my 5 year old daughter, who divides all other hand-dryers into ‘kittens’ and ‘lions’ depending on how loud/fierce they are, and won’t use ‘lions’ unless she’s forced, loves the Airblade version. ---
**Author:** ![pikey\_pete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pikey\_pete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pikey_pete)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/30 "2011-09-16T21:31:35Z")
all I could find about the dyson airblade being unhygenic was from studies by the University of Westminster Trade Group. Oddly, these studies were apparently funded by the European Tissue Symposium…which leads me to believe the findings may be skewed. ---
**Author:** ![Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crown_Prince_of_Irony)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/31 "2011-09-16T22:27:36Z")
The only problem I have with them is that I can’t get my son to use them - they scare the crap out of him. I once asked him why, and he said “they might grow teeth and bite my hands off” (he’s 4). Otherwise, they work very well - I just don’t touch the sides, and make sure I run them slowly down and up, about 5 seconds each time, and I’m done. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/32 "2011-09-16T22:32:14Z")
> [@Crown\_Prince\_of\_Irony](#): > > The only problem I have with them is that I can’t get my son to use them - they scare the crap out of him. I once asked him why, and he said “they might grow teeth and bite my hands off” (he’s 4). …Well damn. I might not be able to use them now. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/33 "2011-09-16T23:00:35Z")
If you think slightly touching the side of one of these unhygenic, I suggest you not even think about the ten thousand other things you touch every day that are probably 50 times worse. ---
**Author:** ![Wash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9dc877/32.png) [@Wash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wash)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/34 "2011-09-16T23:38:32Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > If you think slightly touching the side of one of these unhygenic, I suggest you not even think about the ten thousand other things you touch every day that are probably 50 times worse. Such as the restroom door as you leave… ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/35 "2011-09-17T00:05:55Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > I’ve never seen one of those, but I love the [Xlerator hand dryers](http://www.exceldryer.com/). Damn thing about flays the skin off your hands. > > I thought about buying one and mounting it in our kitchen, but I’m afraid my wife would think I’ve gone insane. (That, and they’re over $400.) I think that might be the one a local restaurant (that closed) had in their bathrooms. It just about knocked me over the first time. Seriously. Like the other poster said, they are damn loud, I really didn’t like that people outside the bathroom (in the dining room) could hear it running. Or rather, I didn’t like hearing it running while I was eating. [Feel The Power](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87h1mn6Xkn4) ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2011, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/36 "2011-09-17T00:08:07Z")
> [@Wash](#): > > Such as the restroom door as you leave… Or the faucets. I’ve used one once, it worked pretty well. It’s certainly more hygienic than the jeans I normally dry my hands on. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/37 "2011-09-18T22:21:01Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I used one only once, but I loved it. My hands were dry in .0000023 seconds. > > One that I had to use at work all last fall was… let me demonstrate: Pucker up and blow on your hands as if you’re blowing on a candle but trying not to blow it out. Fully agree with the positive review (Pepper Mill and MilliCal agree, too). Getting water in your face? You’re doing it wrong. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/38 "2011-09-20T03:58:16Z")
Obsessing about germs? You’re doing it wrong. (“it” being “coping with the world”…) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/39 "2011-09-20T12:50:46Z")
> [@digs](#): > > Obsessing about germs? You’re doing it wrong. > (“it” being “coping with the world”…) Well one of the touted benefits of the airblade is that it’s no-touch and thus less germy. If it blows you against the sides, then that “benefit” is lost, even if it’s not that much of a benefit. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300/40 "2011-09-20T13:26:39Z")
I’ve never seen the Airblade gizmo, but I do like the Xlerator. For those who have used both, which do you prefer? mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mild-pittage-those-airblade-hand-dryers/596300.md?page=3)