Like my reciprocating saw, but for hair.
June 1, 2010 6:49 AM Subscribe
Do high-performance cordless hair appliances exist?
We have a very small bathroom. What makes the bathroom even smaller is the half dozen electric cords strewn about for all the various hair appliances my wife uses (straightener, roller, blower).
I would love to find her some hair appliances like my power tools with interchangeable rechargeable batteries. I cannot believe this wouldn't exist.
My wife insists that the cordless ones don't work as well. I think she is a liar and secretly loves getting tangled in wires, risking electrocution each morning.
Any ideas?
We have a very small bathroom. What makes the bathroom even smaller is the half dozen electric cords strewn about for all the various hair appliances my wife uses (straightener, roller, blower).
I would love to find her some hair appliances like my power tools with interchangeable rechargeable batteries. I cannot believe this wouldn't exist.
My wife insists that the cordless ones don't work as well. I think she is a liar and secretly loves getting tangled in wires, risking electrocution each morning.
Any ideas?
...like my power tools...
Have you noticed how heavy your power tools are? Do you think your wife wants to be waving something that heavy around near her head?
posted by jon1270 at 7:09 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Have you noticed how heavy your power tools are? Do you think your wife wants to be waving something that heavy around near her head?
posted by jon1270 at 7:09 AM on June 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
The cordless hair things don't use batteries; they use butane. Braun no longer makes theirs but looks like Conair does. No hair dryer option. Hair dryers use a ridiculous amount of power and would probably drain a battery pack in seconds.
posted by mkb at 7:11 AM on June 1, 2010
posted by mkb at 7:11 AM on June 1, 2010
What might work for you is creating another place she could do hair stuff. It would need big mirrors, wonderful lighting, convenient power sources, and ideally some kind of rack for the appliances. Bonus if you give it a floor that's both easy to clean and comfortable (squishy) for standing on, plus a radio or iPod station.
posted by amtho at 7:46 AM on June 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by amtho at 7:46 AM on June 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Your basic hairdryer consumes about 2,200 W when operating.
Your basic power tool battery supplies 18 volts and 2.4 amp-hours (You can get larger batteries at higher costs/weights but that's a fairly big battery already).
((2.4 amp hours) * (18 volts)) / (2200 watts) = 71 seconds.
How long do you want your hair dryer to operate for?
posted by Mike1024 at 8:44 AM on June 1, 2010
Your basic power tool battery supplies 18 volts and 2.4 amp-hours (You can get larger batteries at higher costs/weights but that's a fairly big battery already).
((2.4 amp hours) * (18 volts)) / (2200 watts) = 71 seconds.
How long do you want your hair dryer to operate for?
posted by Mike1024 at 8:44 AM on June 1, 2010
You could try a couple other solutions, like a wall-mount hair dryer (like they have in hotels) or one with a retractable cord (many other models available).
posted by Madamina at 9:27 AM on June 1, 2010
posted by Madamina at 9:27 AM on June 1, 2010
Maybe install an outlet in the ceiling. That'll keep the cords out from underfoot and might even make the implements easier to use. You might have to rig some sort of plug-retention device to make sure the cords don't pull out of their sockets. What might be really cool would be to mount a few cord retractors [maybe salvaged from vacuum cleaners] in the attic above the bathroom so her dryers and such could hang from above like a mechanic's air tools.
posted by chazlarson at 9:37 AM on June 1, 2010
posted by chazlarson at 9:37 AM on June 1, 2010
Yeah, nthing the advice above that there's a reason why cordless hair tools don't exist. If you go to a professional beauty supply and explain your problem they will undoubtedly have ideas/products to help you. Professional stylists have to manage all those cords somehow.
posted by corey flood at 8:37 PM on June 1, 2010
posted by corey flood at 8:37 PM on June 1, 2010
Expanding on my calculations above, you could get a large model plane/helicopter battery which would be good for over 3 minutes. They weight about 850 grams and take a little over an hour to charge on a good charger.
I don't know whether that battery would get worn out faster than the Dewalt ones; I've heard that some batteries lose their capacity the more times they're used.
posted by Mike1024 at 2:21 AM on June 2, 2010
I don't know whether that battery would get worn out faster than the Dewalt ones; I've heard that some batteries lose their capacity the more times they're used.
posted by Mike1024 at 2:21 AM on June 2, 2010
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posted by emilyw at 7:07 AM on June 1, 2010