Since this is a topic that comes up time and time again, I'm going to copy and paste my post from other forums on the subject of high velocity (aka force) dryers.

The High Velocity Dryer, simply put, is a force grooming dryer that blasts water, dirt, debris, loose undercoat, etc. out of the coat for extremely fast drying and helping remove undercoat during shedding periods.

That said, I own a K-9 Mini dryer and I love it! Hands down my HV dryer is my number one grooming and de-shedding tool and I will never ever be without one. I did a lot of research before deciding which dryer I would buy. I visited multiple groomer forums and read their comments and experiences before ultimately deciding to buy a K-9 brand dryer. I had seriously considered buying a Metro because they were cheaper, but after reading many groomers' experience with the Metro's dying on them after a number of years of use I decided to go with K-9 since they seemed to last much longer and it was recommended by a so many groomers.

Since hubby didn't want to spend too much on a dryer I opted for the K-9 Mini which was recommended on another husky forum by a groomer who used it on her own sibe with great results. I love my K-9 Mini and both hubby and I are so pleased with it we both wish we would have known how great it would be and now wish we had put up the extra money for the K-9 II. But what's done is done and I am still in love with my K-9 Mini.

This is the dryer I have: http://www.petedge.com/product/Grooming/Gr...c/263/45986.uts

I can have my dog dry in about 15 minutes and blow out any loose undercoat in the process. It leaves my dog oh so fluffy and looking like he's ready for a show. It is also great for removing loose undercoat between baths as well, just lightly wet the coat with a hose or spray bottle of water and blow them out. It's so easy and only takes 10 minutes to do from start to finish...definitely beats brushing for hours! And if you come home from the dog park with a soaking wet muddy dog...bath? Nope, just hose them down a bit and blow them out with the dryer and in minutes you'll have a clean, dry dog looking like it never left the house.

We got ours from a great seller on ebay that I highly recommend. She was so incredibly nice, helpful, and shared tips with me on how she uses an hv dryer on her own double coated northern breeds who also shed bi-annually.

Our sibe was scared of the dryer at first but with each use he got more and more comfortable with it and now he's so comfortable with it that he's content to lay down and fall asleep while I blow out his coat. I love that it comes in a high and low setting so that it is strong enough to blow out the undercoat on my husky but also gentle enough to use on my little chihuahua. It also comes with several different nozzles to customize your usage. I use the cone shaped blower tip for maximum force when blowing out my sibe.

This pic shows the cone nozzle that I use for that extra concentrated force to blow out undercoat.


The K-9's are built solid and very durable and due to that they do have some weight to them. But they are still easy to transport and store. I love that they come in many different colors, I got mine in purple, my favorite color.

For those interested in specs, I just measured it and my K-9 Mini (body only) is about 11" L x 9.5" H x 7" W with a 10' hose. I just weighed it myself right now and mine weighs 14.2 lbs, that includes the body, hose and cone nozzle blower tip. (Note, the shipping weight on the K-9 Mini is 15 lbs.) The K-9 I is 19"L x 11"H x 8"W according to the PetEdge website, the manufacturers website says its shipping weight is 24 lbs so I'd guess it's actual weight is slightly over 23 lbs. I also have no idea of dimensions on the K-9 II but it's shipping weight is 26 lbs so actual product weight will probably be just over 25 lbs.

Here is a pic of my dryer next to my sibe for size perspective for anyone unfamiliar.


And not to rattle on too much, but they can be used for other things to which makes them an even better investment. I use mine to dry the cars, it makes an amazing duster for fans, keyboards, etc, I use it to clean off the air filter on itself, and clear out any junk on the front porch, sidewalks and driveway. I just can't say enough good things about HV dryers!

The K-9 Mini is an excellent choice if you are looking for a good, quality, long lasting dryer that won't break the bank and it's size makes it really great if you need to travel with it as well or just don't have a lot of room for storing it. I highly recommend the K-9 Mini!

Of course there are other great brands of HV dryers available to choose from, I happen to have experience with the K-9 and am very happy with it.

My HV dryer is by far, hands down, no contest the BEST grooming and de-shedding tool that I have. A word of warning though, once you own an HV dryer you will not be able to imagine life without one.

I WANT IT!
That way I can blow out Ginger and Storm and then blow all the fur away so hubby won't be ragging on my a$$ about the fur in the backyard on the grass! (I was hoping the wind would blow it away and when hubby got home, he was upset and had to rake up all the fur that got snagged in the grass!)

I WANT IT!!
...I wonder if I could pass it off as one of those blowers to clean out the garage so hubby will be excited about it when it gets here...hmm...

LOL

Hey, my hubby hates all the husky hair in the house and the yard too and he wasn't thrilled about me wanting the dryer but he got it for me to make me happy.

When it finally arrived and both of us got to use it not only on the dog but on the cars, dusting off electronics like the PS3, keyboards, tower fans, etc he LOVED it! He loved it so much in fact that he said he wished he'd known how great it would be so we could have spent the extra $100 for the stronger K-9 II dryer!

And yes, it eliminates the large chunks of fur that you get from brushing. Instead you'll get a storm of fur floating through the air (might have to hold your breath a bit! lol) but it won't be in heavy clumps that will stick around in the yard like with brushing. Just be ready for the whirlwind of fur that erupts when blowing out a shedding sibe...words can't describe it...have those windows, garage, etc closed before you start!

I do self wash so when we use the dryers, ALL the hair - from Ginger and whatever is on the floor - ends up blowing all around! And that's in an enclosed room! Oye! The trouble with that is my allergies have a hay day because Sibes are one of the few I'm not allergic to, so having my own HV dryer I can use at home, outside will rock! Besides, walking in the rain won't be an issue anymore since I can just dry them off after!

HV dryers are great! Don't know how else I'd get all the hair out of my two. Mine hate it though! They talk the entire time!

Claudia, you sound like me!!!!
i have an early b-day present from REI coming on wed and i hope to god it gets to the house AFTER ken leaves so i can put it away and he will never know after all it is my money i used for it

i will come "test" your dryer out for you

Now that i've quit my job i'm crying for one of my own. I never noticed how much the HV drier really helped with the shedding! It's on my list of things I NEED.

Yesterday....

Me:
Honey, do you want one of those power blowers so you can clean out the garage by just blowing out the dirt?

Hubby:
I already have one of those, and it was cheap but it does the job OK.

Me:
Oh, but what's cool about this one is it doubles as a dog dryer and it'll just blow out all the loose undercoat fur! We wouldn't have to spend so much time brushing them anymore! And we could wash the kids ourselves - just hose 'em down, and dry them off...don't have to worry about going to self-wash places in the warmer months.

Hubby:
Well, Ok. If you want to buy it - go ahead. It's your money.

And that's all she wrote....I'll be ordering one like Val's sometime this week!

That's awesome Claudia! Score!

I just ordered my BURGUNDY K9 HV Dryer!

I can't wait to get it!
Woo Hoo!

i loved the its your money line, dam straight is my money and im gonna get what i want


so is this the one that is the step above the one Val has?

I am so happy for you! (Ok, and a bit jealous, too...) Can't wait to see it!!

I registered for the K9 Mini too! It's one of those gifts I'm totally getting if no one buys it for me!

tori, where are you registered at?

Amazon.com and Bed, Bath, and Beyond Amazon has this great feature called a "universal registry." You can link to products on other sites and it keeps track of them for you along with the other stuff. We're registered for some camping gear through REI that way too! It works out for our guests too because then we can link to some products that might have cheaper prices elsewhere

Universal Registry ROCKS. I wish it existed when we got married. ;-P

We registered at REI, too - got some totally beyond awesome gear we have enjoyed *SO* much over the years. I love that place.