When Shock Doctor sent out its Power Dry High-Output Blower for me to test, I didn't think it was something I needed. Even while I was using it, I didn't fully appreciate what it was doing. Only when I needed the blower and it wasn't there did I realize how well it works and how nice it is to have dry things.
The Power Dry Blower is a portable, high-output dryer that is used to dry and deodorize equipment. Sold on its own with just a base, the unit itself runs $149.95-fairly expensive, but you certainly get what you pay for. Independent heat and ozone controls-as well as an auto-off, three-hour timer-give this unit a brain of its own. A host of accessories including an Octopus Attachment ($24.99), a vertically oriented Dual Port ($19.99) and even a couple of gear bags ($79.99-$119.99) are available to plug into the dryer so you can customize the nature of your airflow.
I initially used the Power Dry Blower to dry some random things out in the garage. First, I hooked it up to Shock Doctor's Power Dry Ultra Gear Bag, threw in a soaked T-shirt and left to go clean an air filter. Twenty minutes later, the shirt was nearly dry. Awesome! Next, I threw the clean, wet air filter on top of the Dual Port attachment and was equally stoked with how quickly that dried. I then dried everything in sight from tennis shoes and helmet liners to boots, gloves, kneepads and anything else I could think of-the little guy cranked out heat all day long! Overall, the Octopus hookup was my favorite, and the low-noise, odorless blower was great to use inside the house as well as out in the shop.
All told, this product really lives up to its title as a high-output blower. It is a well-built unit. A few of the attachments-namely the Octopus-felt slightly flimsy, but they all fit and work well with the blower. My chief complaints with the Power Dry are that its portability is limited by the cord, and even with the ionized hot air, sweaty, wet gear typically becomes crusty dry gear. Also, the three-hour timer prevented me from leaving the Power Dry on overnight on multi-day trail rides, so big jobs like thoroughly soaked boots required that I check up on the dryer every three hours until the job was done. The high price is a bit of a sticking point, but Shock Doctor offers some lower cost blowers and even more accessories on its website, so you definitely don't have to go all in.
It's more of a luxury than a necessity, but couldn't the same thing be said about seats, tear-offs and helmet visors?
-Chris Denison
| TOOLS |
82.0 |
| Function |
45/50 |
| Portability |
6/10 |
| Durability |
17/20 |
| Design |
7/10 |
| Price |
7/10 |