K-9 Dryers Home Buyer's Guide

K-9 Dryers
Home Buyer’s Guide

How to choose the best dog dryer for your home

Whether you're a DIY groomer, or you just need a powerful tool to blow out your husky's undercoat and reduce shedding in your home, we've got you covered. Read on to learn a little bit more about the world of dog hair dryers!

While this guide is centered around the K-9 Dryers line of products, the facts and topics can be applied to any potential dog dryer purchase.

What’s in this guide?

Different types and use cases for Dog Dryers

Service, Support & Ongoing Maintenance

Buyer Beware - What to Watch For

Stats for Nerds

Dog Dryers: Types & Uses

Fluffers & Minis (Single Motor)

Fluffer and Mini Dog Dryers tend to be physically the smallest types of dog dryers available. The smaller size tends to make them flexible and portable.

If you're a hobby groomer and are learning or practicing at home on a smaller dog pal, a Mini or Fluffer is a perfect place to start. You'll have reduced drying times, but these units are designed for grooming the small breeds, not trying to blow dry a whole golden retriever.

At K-9 Dryers has developed the Mini K-9 and K-9 Fluffer to be small, portable, and effective. Performance is about 40% less that of our high-volume large breed models. And with a variable speed knob, you can easily set the correct air flow for your dry or fluff to perfectly style your pup.

Another benefit is lower power draw. Low power means less chance of a power drain or tripped breaker, and in our experience Minis and Fluffers have worked well in pretty much every home instance we've seen.

Learn more about the Mini K-9 and the K-9 Fluffer.

Dual Motor, Low Amperage

The next step up for the home groomer is a "dual inline" motor model. Dual inline motors have less amperage needs, and similar to the Mini/Fluffer models are less likely to create issues with your cirtuit breaker. Low amp dryers in particular draw about 15% less power from the outlet, while pushing out a higher volume of air.

Dual motor, low amp dryers are going to be your most flexible option. While they may take slightly longer for a larger dogger pal, it'll work great for them AND flex to a smaller breed. If you want flexibility and have dogs of different sizes, dual motor is a great way to go..

K-9 Dryers model K-9 I is a great example of a dual motor, low amp dryer. It'll give you great flexibility, more power than the Mini/Fluffer style, and you'll be able to get a great dry on dogs of various sizes.

Dual Motor, High Power

On the other hand, if you have the option to draw more power (or perhaps you have a more modern home that's been wired for higher power needs), a high power, dual motor dryer is just awesome. You're getting into the pro level, where you'll push a ton of air at the highest temperature when compared to other options.

The K-9 II and K-9 II Variable is great for pros and home alike, especially if you have a husky, german shepherd, or another breed with thick undercoat. You'll make short work of a dryoff or blowout with a dual motor, high power unit.

Buyer Beware: Watch for This

False Advertising in Dog Dryers

It's time for us to get a bit nerdy with the details. We've seen competitors mis-advertising their products, or exaggerating the
results possible based on airflow and wattage - which it's good to learn a little bit more about as you shop for your dog hair dryer. Follow these tips to avoid being taken advantage of.

Horsepower vs Wattage

If you see a dog dryer with a HP or Peak HP label pause to do a little math or compare it to our charts below.

HP = Horse power which is roughly 746 watts.

Peak HP = The highest HP spike a motor can physically perform - but not necessarily able to sustain.

Calculating Actual Power

The calculations below are for typical outlets found throughout the world:

USA 120 volts x 15 amps = 1,800 watts (2.4 HP)

USA 120 volts x 20 amps = 2,400 watts (3.2 HP)

EU/World 220 volts x 16 amps = 3,520 watts (4.7 HP)

3+ HP Dog Dryers

When you see any HP rating greater than 3 on a product label - particularly in the USA, that claim is misleading.

There is no regulation on labeling requirements, and motors do not work at 100% efficiency. Due to the wattage required, a 3 HP labeled can’t possibly sustain 3 HP in actual use. Be skeptical of dog dryers claiming “Peak HP” or “HP,” as their sustained HP is likely much lower than advertised.

For dog dryer advertising 3 HP or more, review their voltage and amperage, and you can do the math for yourself to uncover actual wattage and HP ratings.

It’s for this reason we’ve chosen not to put HP ratings on our machines - just watts consumed. It’s a more honest representation of performance.

Max Speed Claims

Measuring max speed in Feet per Minute (FPM) rather than the more correct Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM) is also another confusing label that dog dryer manufacturers use to mislead customers.

Advertising that ONLY addresses feet per minute lacks the true capacity of air- volume - because airflow has depth. FPM claims ignore this and misrepresent the true amount of airflow possible.

It’s easy to push a small amount of air quickly, but it’s ineffective when drying a dog. Pay close attention to FPM claims and read deeper to see if they share true airflow data using CFM.

Service & Support

Who is standing behind your investment?

All too often we hear from our customers about how they bought two or more cheap dryers hoping it would just work-out before joining the K-9 Dryer family. Why?

Because overseas and cut-rate manufacturers lack decent support. Every dog dryer will need three things from time to time:

Parts, Support, and Service.

Before you buy, make sure your dog dryer has an easy way to locate parts, such as filters and hoses.

You may also want to see if they have a listing of serviceable parts and a network of repair shops who can make sure you’re never without your dryer (a critical factor when you’re running a dog grooming business!).

Finally, ensure they have support documentation and customer service. Nothing is worse than getting a dog dryer, and realizing you don’t know how to finish setting a part of it up. That’s wasted time you should be spending on your business instead of trying to make your dryer do what it should do out of the box.

That’s where we TRULY excel.

Here’s where we’ll take a minute to brag a bit, because the issues our new customers experience with their old vendors motivates our team BIG-TIME. Our leading support team takes great pride in providing the best dog dryer experience the world has to offer.

Whether that means making sure we answer all your questions or standing behind our quality guarantee by honoring our warranties, we are here to serve our dog groomer family.

(PS - make sure to sign up for our newsletter (bottom of page), where we have free giveaways, special discounts, and loop you in on some great charitable causes for dogs!)

Stats for Nerds

The moment you’ve been waiting for…

Data geeks, rejoice! We’ve shared statistics below for you to make your own comparisons about the models available. We hope you’ll agree that K-9 Dryers are the absolute best dog dryer available today - and we look forward to earning your business!

Physical dimensions

Name Length Width Height Weight Body Color
K-9 Fluffer 12 in / 30 cm 8.5 in / 21 cm 11 in / 28 cm 12 lbs / 5.5 kg All
Mini K-9 12 in / 30 cm 8.5 in / 21 cm 11 in / 28 cm 12 lbs / 5.5 kg All
K-9 I 20 in / 50 cm 8.5 in / 21 cm 11 in / 28 cm 20 lbs / 9 kg All
K-9 II 20 in / 50 cm 8.5 in / 21 cm 11 in / 28 cm 20 lbs / 9 kg All
K-9 II Variable 20 in / 50 cm 8.5 in / 21 cm 11 in / 28 cm 20 lbs / 9 kg Blue/Purple
K-9 III 17 in / 43 cm 16.5 in / 42 cm 11.5 in / 28 cm 25 lbs / 11.3 kg All
K-9 III Variable 17 in / 43 cm 16.5 in / 42 cm 11.5 in / 28 cm 25 lbs / 11.3 kg Blue/Purple

Accessories

Name Switch Type Outlet Hose Flat Blower Tip Flat Blower Tip
K-9 Fluffer Variable No 10 ft / 3 m Yes Yes
Mini K-9 Hi/Lo No 10 ft / 3 m Yes Yes
K-9 I Two On / Off Only 120 volt 10 ft / 3 m Yes Yes
K-9 II Two On / Off Only 120 volt 10 ft / 3 m Yes Yes
K-9 II Variable Variable No 10 ft / 3 m Yes Yes
K-9 III Two On / Off No 10 ft / 3 m Yes Yes
K-9 III Variable Variable No 10 ft / 3 m Yes Yes

Warranty and 0% financing

Name Manufacture Warranty Addon Warranty Financing
K-9 Fluffer 2 Year 4 Year Yes - 0% Interest
Mini K-9 2 Year 4 Year Yes - 0% Interest
K-9 I 2 Year 4 Year Yes - 0% Interest
K-9 II 2 Year 4 Year Yes - 0% Interest
K-9 II Variable 2 Year 4 Year Yes - 0% Interest
K-9 III 2 Year 4 Year Yes - 0% Interest
K-9 III Variable 2 Year 4 Year Yes - 0% Interest

Certifications and international options

Name Voltage 120 Voltage 220 CSA CE International Power Cord
K-9 Fluffer Yes No No No No
Mini K-9 Yes No No No No
K-9 I Yes No Yes No No
K-9 II Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes - 75 Options
K-9 II Variable Yes No No No No
K-9 III Yes Yes No No Yes - 75 Options
K-9 III Variable Yes No No No No

Performance specifications

Name Volume CFM Max Heat Watts Amps
K-9 Fluffer 20-120 cfm 95 F / 35 C 1140 9.5
Mini K-9 114 cfm 95 F / 35 C 1140 9.5
K-9 I 186 cfm 120 F / 49 C 1782 14.5
K-9 II 218 cfm 135 F / 57 C 2040 18
K-9 II Variable 20-218 cfm 135 F / 57 C 2040 18
K-9 III 245 cfm 120 F / 49 C 2098 18
K-9 III Variable 20-245 cfm 120 F / 49 C 2098 18