Dyson Airwrap HS05 Review — The Most Complete Assessment We Could Write

The Dyson Airwrap HS05 is a $549 multi-styler that uses Coanda-effect aerodynamics — rather than clamps, pins, or direct heat — to wrap, volumize, and smooth hair. It is the most technologically sophisticated consumer hair tool available and, simultaneously, one of the most misunderstood. It is not a dryer, not a flat iron, and not a conventional curling iron. Understanding what it actually is — and what it cannot do — is the prerequisite for deciding whether it belongs in your bathroom. We have owned every generation of the Airwrap and used the HS05 on six hair types over four months. This is the assessment we wish had existed when the product launched.

What's in the Box

The HS05 Complete Long+Short is the flagship bundle and the version we are reviewing here. The box contains: two 30mm long Airwrap barrels, two 30mm short Airwrap barrels, one 40mm long Airwrap barrel, one 40mm short Airwrap barrel, a Coanda Smoothing Dryer, a Round Volumising Brush, a Paddle Brush, a pre-styling dryer attachment, a flyaway attachment, a filter cleaning brush, a Dyson-branded storage case, and a 2.7m swivel professional cord. All attachments except the cord are stored in the case, which is well-designed enough to use as a carry-on travel organizer.

The long barrels are designed for hair at or below shoulder length. The short barrels target bob-length and above. Including both barrel lengths in one package is the primary upgrade the HS05 Complete Long+Short offers over the standard Complete — and it is genuinely useful if your hair is shorter, or if you share the tool with someone who has shorter hair.

Build Quality and Ergonomics

The HS05 handle weighs 1.31 lbs (595g) without any attachment. With a long barrel attached, total weight is approximately 710g. Dyson places the motor inside the handle — not the head — specifically to balance the center of gravity toward the hand. In practice, this means the tool does not feel top-heavy during use, which matters over a 20-minute styling session. Cheaper alternatives with the motor in the head produce noticeably more wrist fatigue.

The handle uses a polycarbonate and aluminum construction. The surface finish has evolved across generations — the HS05 has a slightly softer grip texture than the HS01 and feels more secure in wet or damp hands. The magnetic attachment system requires a quarter-turn to lock and releases with a press. Attachment swap takes under 4 seconds once you are practiced. The cord has a 360-degree swivel at the handle junction, which eliminates the most common source of tangling.

One persistent build criticism is the filter cage at the handle base. The HS05 filter requires cleaning every month under regular use. Dyson includes a cleaning brush in the box, and the process takes 90 seconds. Ignoring filter cleaning degrades motor performance measurably — airflow drops as lint accumulates. This is a design trade-off for keeping the motor in the handle: it sits closer to the ambient air intake and accumulates more debris than a head-mounted motor.

The Motor

The Airwrap HS05 uses a variant of Dyson's V9 brushless digital motor, spinning at up to 110,000 RPM. The motor drives a 13-blade impeller that generates the high-velocity air needed for the Coanda effect. To understand why this matters: the Coanda effect requires air to exit the barrel annular gap at sufficient velocity to create a pressure differential that pulls hair toward the surface. Too slow, and the hair falls away. The V9 motor maintains target velocity even under load — when thick sections of hair are introduced into the airstream.

The Coanda effect itself is the core mechanism: air expelled through a narrow gap along the curved barrel surface creates a low-pressure region via the Bernoulli principle. Hair is drawn into this region and wraps around the barrel, setting into the curl or wave defined by the barrel diameter. No clamp needed. For the effect to work reliably, the motor must maintain consistent high-velocity output and the air must exit through precisely machined slots — which is why Dyson's manufacturing tolerances here are tighter than any competitor tool we have examined.

Attachment by Attachment

Long Barrels (1.2" / 30mm and 40mm)

The 30mm long barrels produce defined, medium-tight curls on hair at or below the shoulder. The 40mm long barrels produce looser waves. Both sizes auto-wrap hair in 10–15 seconds on a well-sectioned, slightly damp strand. The key variable is moisture level: hair that is too wet will not grip the Coanda airstream effectively; hair that is too dry may not hold the set. We found the sweet spot to be hair that is 60–70% dry — slightly damp to the touch but not dripping.

Short Barrels (0.8" / 30mm and 40mm)

The short barrels are functionally identical to the long barrels in mechanism but serve bob and pixie lengths more effectively. On shoulder-length or longer hair, the short barrel sometimes produces slightly less-defined results because the air column length is shorter. Our recommendation: if your hair is below the shoulder, always use the long barrels. The short barrels are a genuine quality-of-life addition for shorter hair, not a marketing distinction.

Coanda Smoothing Dryer

This is the attachment that most people overlook and most frequently produces life-changing results. The Coanda Smoothing Dryer uses Coanda-effect airflow across a wide curved surface to smooth and dry hair simultaneously. It is not a standard blow-dry concentrator — the air exits along a curved surface rather than through a narrow nozzle. The effect on straight and wavy hair is significantly smoother than a conventional dryer, with less frizz and more alignment of the cuticle. This is the attachment we reach for most often in real-world use.

Round Volumising Brush

The Round Volumising Brush combines nylon and natural boar bristle in a configuration designed to smooth the cuticle while adding tension for volume at the root. It works well for medium-density hair seeking a blowout finish. It is less effective for very thick hair — the bristle density is not sufficient to grip and control thick sections efficiently. For fine hair, it produces excellent volume with minimal heat exposure due to the Airwrap's 150°C temperature cap.

Paddle Brush

The Paddle Brush is the HS05's answer to straightening. It is not a flat iron replacement — it will not achieve the same degree of straightness as a ceramic plate under tension. What it does well is produce a smooth, naturally straight finish with volume intact, rather than the compressed flatness of a straightener. For hair that is naturally straight or wavy and simply needs taming, the Paddle Brush is excellent. For hair that is genuinely curly (Type 3+), it is inadequate as a sole straightening tool.

Real World Performance by Hair Type

Where the Airwrap Falls Short

The Airwrap is slower than a conventional hair dryer. Full drying of medium-density hair takes 20–30 minutes with the Airwrap versus 10–15 minutes with a 2000W concentrator dryer. This is a fundamental trade-off for the Coanda mechanism — you are exchanging drying speed for styling integration. Many users pre-dry to 60% with a conventional dryer, then switch to the Airwrap for the final styling phase.

For Type 3 and Type 4 curly hair, the Airwrap offers limited value. There is no diffuser attachment. The barrel wrapping mechanism does not replicate or enhance natural curl structure in the same way it works with straight and wavy hair. Curly hair users are better served by a quality dryer with a proper diffuser.

The learning curve is real. The Coanda wrapping mechanism requires practice — particularly for sectioning size, moisture level, and the rotation of the barrel. Most users report frustration in the first week before technique improves significantly. Dyson's tutorial videos are useful but they understate how much practice is required for consistently good results.

Is It Worth $549?

The honest answer is: it depends on what you are replacing. If you currently spend $549 on annual salon blowouts, a single Airwrap purchase breaks even in year one and delivers that investment indefinitely. If you use the Airwrap twice a week rather than going to a salon, the per-use cost drops below $2 within the first year — a genuine financial case for the price.

If you have fine, colour-treated, or heat-sensitive hair and style regularly, the Airwrap is not just a luxury — the 150°C temperature cap and precision heat regulation offer measurable hair health protection over years of use. Fine hair that is heat-damaged frequently is expensive to restore through treatments; avoiding that damage has real monetary value.

If you have thick, coarse, or Type 3+ curly hair, or if you simply need to dry your hair quickly every morning, the Airwrap is not the right tool. It is not designed for your use case and the $549 is better spent on a high-wattage dryer and quality brush set.