The Drybar Buttercup is the salon-style pick, a 1875W ionic dryer built around smooth, fast blowouts rather than gadgetry. TechGearLab scored it 76 out of 100, calling its high-setting airflow fast, and Drybar claims a 20%-faster dry than most pro dryers. It is light and quiet, but reliability is the asterisk: a notable share of owners report units failing or overheating over time. Best for people who want a professional blowout feel at a mid-tier price.
Full review
Real-World Drying Speed
The Buttercup is built around the salon blowout, and its speed comes from a strong 1875W ionic motor rather than a high-tech digital one. TechGearLab's lab test scored it 76 out of 100 and found that, like the Dyson, its airflow is 'quite fast, particularly at their higher settings.' Drybar's own claim is a dry in '20% less time than most pro dryers,' and editorial reviewers back the gist: womanandhome found 'it dries hair quickly while being surprisingly quiet.'
It is not as fast as the Dyson Supersonic or the high-velocity Shark HyperAIR, both of which move more air. But for a traditional-style dryer it is a strong performer, and the ionic output is tuned to smooth the cuticle as it dries, which is where the Buttercup's blowout finish comes from.
Build Quality and Design
The Buttercup is unmistakable: a sunny-yellow salon dryer that weighs just 1.78 pounds, making it one of the lighter full-size dryers here. Reviewers consistently call it easy to hold and comfortable over a long blowout, and it runs quieter than many salon-style competitors.
It is a deliberately simple tool. There are six heat/speed combinations, a cool-shot button, and narrow and wide concentrator attachments, with no sensors, presets, or app. For stylists and blowout devotees that simplicity is the point, the dryer gets out of the way and lets the technique do the work.
Blowout Performance
Where the Buttercup earns its following is the finish. Reviewers describe smooth, frizz-free, salon-quality results, and the Drybar brand pedigree, built on blow-dry bars, shows in how the dryer is voiced for styling. The ionic technology reduces static and flyaways, and the narrow concentrator gives the focused airflow needed for a proper round-brush blowout.
One womanandhome editor's bottom line, echoed widely, was that it produces 'nice smooth results' and is 'reasonably priced for its capabilities.' It is a stylist's dryer first and a speed dryer second.
Value and Pricing
At around $139 (and frequently discounted from a $199 list), the Buttercup sits in the mid-tier: far below the Dyson, well above bargain dryers. Reviewers split on whether that is worth it, with one summarizing the debate as 'Is it worth $104? 100% yes' for those who value the blowout finish. The argument in favor is that you are buying a salon-grade styling tool from a brand whose entire business is blowouts, and for people who do round-brush styling regularly that pedigree matters.
The honest counterpoint, raised in multiple reviews, is that 'there are comparable products at much more affordable prices.' If you only need fast drying and do not care about the salon finish, cheaper dryers get most of the way there, and the budget Conair InfinitiPro 1875W in particular delivers most of the drying speed for a quarter of the cost. The Buttercup's value is real but specific: it is for the blowout, not the bargain.
How It Compares to Alternatives
The Buttercup occupies an unusual middle ground. It is slower and less powerful than the Dyson Supersonic and the high-velocity Shark HyperAIR HD120, both of which simply move more air, so it will not win a pure drying-speed contest against them. And it lacks the integrated styling of the Shark FlexStyle HD440, which adds auto-wrap curlers and brushes the Buttercup cannot match. On paper, that makes it hard to place.
What the Buttercup offers instead is the salon blowout experience in a light, quiet, simple package. Where the Conair InfinitiPro 1875W is a no-frills value dryer, the Buttercup is voiced and tuned for styling, with ionic output dedicated to a smooth, frizz-free finish and a balance that makes round-brush work comfortable. It is the pick for someone whose priority is how the hair looks when they are done, not how few minutes it took, which is a genuinely different buyer than the speed-first shopper the other dryers target.
Where It Falls Short
Reliability is the Buttercup's real weakness. Across customer reviews, a meaningful number of owners report units that stop working, overheat, get loud, or in rare cases smoke after weeks or months of use. That long-tail of failure reports is the single most common complaint and the main reason it does not rank higher despite a good drying experience. Drybar's warranty covers many of these cases, but the frequency of the reports is a legitimate caution for a dryer at this price.
It also lacks any smart features, its heat can run strong for frizz-prone hair, and it is pricier than budget dryers that dry nearly as fast. You are buying the blowout finish and the brand, not durability or speed records. For shoppers who prize either outright speed or rock-solid reliability over the salon finish, the math tilts toward other options on this list.
Who It's Best For
The Buttercup is for blowout lovers: people who want a light, quiet, salon-style dryer that delivers smooth, frizz-free finishes and are willing to manage the reliability risk. Stylists and anyone who already does round-brush blowouts at home will appreciate its simplicity and balance.
It is the wrong pick for shoppers chasing the fastest possible drying, who should choose the Shark HyperAIR HD120 or Dyson Supersonic, and for bargain hunters, who can get adequate drying from the Conair InfinitiPro 1875W for a fraction of the price.
Strengths
- +Scored 76/100 in TechGearLab testing, with airflow rated 'quite fast, particularly at their higher settings'
- +1875W ionic motor delivers smooth, frizz-free blowouts that Drybar says take 20% less time than most pro dryers
- +Light in the hand at just over 500g, making long blowouts comfortable
- +Runs quietly compared with other salon-style dryers
- +Salon pedigree and a styling-focused design favored by professionals for smooth finishes
Watch-outs
- −A meaningful number of customer reviews report units failing, overheating, or getting loud after months of use
- −More expensive than budget dryers that dry nearly as fast
- −No smart sensors or auto presets; it is a straightforward manual dryer
- −Heat output can be strong, so frizz-prone users need to manage settings carefully
How it compares
Slower and less powerful than the Dyson Supersonic and Shark HyperAIR HD120, and without the styling versatility of the Shark FlexStyle HD440, but lighter and more blowout-focused than the budget Conair InfinitiPro 1875W with a more salon-style finish.
Who this is for
At a glance: Shoppers who want a lightweight, quiet salon-style blowout dryer and value smooth-finish styling over smart features or the absolute fastest drying.
Why you’d buy the Drybar Buttercup
- Scored 76/100 in TechGearLab testing, with airflow rated 'quite fast, particularly at their higher settings'.
- 1875W ionic motor delivers smooth, frizz-free blowouts that Drybar says take 20% less time than most pro dryers.
- Light in the hand at just over 500g, making long blowouts comfortable.
Why you’d skip it
- A meaningful number of customer reviews report units failing, overheating, or getting loud after months of use.
- More expensive than budget dryers that dry nearly as fast.
- No smart sensors or auto presets; it is a straightforward manual dryer.
Rating sources
“The DryBar Buttercup...are also quite fast, particularly at their higher settings”
“Less frizz in 20% less time than most pro dryers”
“It dries hair quickly while being surprisingly quiet, and it reduces frizz and makes hair look healthier and smoother.”
Our 4.4 score is the average of these published ratings. Ratings marked * were derived from the reviewer’s written analysis or video transcript — the publisher didn’t print an explicit numeric score, so we inferred one from their own words. Click through to verify. More about methodology.
