T3 Featherweight Folding Hair Dryer Review

We purchased the T3 Featherweight Folding Hair Dryer so our reviewer could put it to the test. Keep reading for our full product review.

Travel hair dryers let you take your beauty routine on the road and their compact design aids in packing light—saving both your back and wallet. The best designs have folding handles that render the dryer both lightweight and space-saving, giving you extra room for necessities and souvenirs. More importantly, these little hair dryers get the job done fast, so you don’t have to sacrifice too much vacation time primping. All this in mind, we wanted to see how the high-end T3 Featherweight Folding Hair Dryer would hold up to the demands of travel. Read on for our verdict.   

Design: Beauty before function

If the T3 wins points for anything, it’s for sleek, minimalist design. The hair dryer is available in white and black color options—both which are accented with rose gold details. The handle folds in toward the body to make it compact for travel, but it measures 7.1 x 3.1 x 9.1 inches when fully extended. This isn’t the smallest hair dryer we’ve tested, but the size and weight aren’t bad. At just under 2 pounds, your wrist and arm won’t get fatigued when using it. 

The T3 has two power settings and two heat settings, but power is not this hair dryer’s strong suit. In fact, it’s quite the opposite—and a major disappointment given its sky-high price tag. Even set to high, the T3 provides feeble airflow, and on the low setting? Forget about it. Unfortunately, the same holds true with the heat settings. It’s got hot and cool options, but the cool setting powers down so drastically, it basically renders the hair dryer useless.  

Cords are often a problem with travel hair dryers because they’re long and difficult to manage. Retractable cords handle this issue best, but the T3 doesn’t go that route. The T3’s 9-foot cord has to be carefully folded and held tight with a Velcro strap when not in use. The owner’s manual states that the cord isn’t to be wound around the body of the hair dryer as it can cause the wires to eventually short circuit. However, the cord doesn’t pose an issue when traveling because this model also comes with a storage bag.

The T3 has dual voltage settings, making it suitable for travel outside of the United States. You can switch the voltage by using a screwdriver or other narrow tool to move the dial on the back of the hair dryer’s handle. Just make sure you do this before plugging it in and turning it on.  

This model includes a concentrator attachment that focuses the airstream and allows you to straighten and smooth your hair as you work. It’s not hard to attach and stays put during use. In fact, it can be hard to get off, but works well for taming flyaways. 

Performance: Mediocre—and for a premium price

Let’s get to the heart of the hairdryer: performance. Unfortunately, we found the T3 lacking in several areas. We wanted to like this model; it’s gorgeous, after all but looks only went so far. When you’re traveling, you want to look your best and spend your time enjoying the destination—not your hotel bathroom. A good travel hair dryer should help you cut down on the time it takes to get ready, not extend it. 

Sadly, the T3 doesn’t get the job done quickly. It gets hot enough—hotter than most models, even—but it seriously lacks power. The hair dryer has weak airflow to start, and it was made even weaker as we had to hold the tool far away from our heads to prevent scalp burns. Despite the fact that the T3 has 1800-watt output, it performed far superior to a 1200-watt model we also tested.  

All this considered, it takes a long time to blow dry your whole head—and that’s when it’s on the high speed setting. Using the concentrator nozzle helped a bit as it concentrated the airflow, but it’s a bit annoying to have to rely on the attachment—which makes the blow dryer larger—when traveling. 

We expected a travel hair dryer of this price to pack a powerful punch or at least have a few extra features like a retractable cord and more power settings. As is, it was a major disappointment, performing far worse than $15 models we tested.

Portability: Bag it and pack it

Performance may be lacking, but portability isn’t. The T3 comes with a storage bag that makes it easy to pack, especially if you’ll be taking the concentrator attachment. It also protects the hair dryer from other things in your suitcase. In our test run, the hair dryer experienced no scuffs or scratches thanks to the bag which acted as a buffer. Of all the perks and features, we liked the storage bag the most.

Price: Too much for too little

Given its $150 price tag, we expected premium performance. Unfortunately, it’s just not there. The T3 looks pretty, but when it comes down to it, looks aren’t going to dry your hair. 

Competition: Budget-friendly and more powerful 

JINRI Ceramic Travel Dryer: The JINRI comes at about one-third the price of the T3 and delivers impressive performance. The hair dryer offers great power, heat, and airflow, which means your hair is dry, smooth, and ready to go much faster than with the T3.

Conair Mini PRO Tourmaline Ceramic Hair Dryer: When it comes to portability, you really can’t beat Conair’s miniPRO. This tiny, $15 hair dryer blows away the competition when it comes to power, too. It does have to cut back on some features to do so, but if you want to go lightweight and bare minimum, this is the model. 

Andis Fold-n-Go Ionic Hair Dryer: The Andis is packed with features like a retractable cord, three power settings, and a cool setting that doesn’t lose power. It’s affordable, performs incredibly well, but is less compact and heavier than the T3. But for just one-fifth the price, we’d say that’s a worthwhile sacrifice.