An in-depth comparison of the two most popular hot air brushes on the market: is paying $100 more worth it?

The Drybar Double Shot is our top pick among hot air brushes, and the Revlon is a close second.
While Drybar is a luxury tool that satisfies us on every level, it comes with a cost of $150, and it’s a big investment. We know that not all of our readers are up for spending that much on a hair tool.
Revlon offers a much more budget-friendly option with great efficiency, and they recently released their second-generation hot air brush Revlon One Step Plus Volumizer. It has the same shape and size as Drybar Double Shot yet it’s much more affordable.
We just had to compare the two. Below, we share our experiences with “Drybar Double Shot and Revlon One Step Plus Volumizer”.
Quick Comparison
![]() | ![]() |
|
Model Name | 900-2225-4 | RVDR5298N/ULT |
Price | $155 | $70 |
Weight | 15.5oz | 15oz |
Cord Length | 9ft | 6ft |
Barrel Shape | Oval | Oval |
Barrel Width | 2.4″ | 2.4″ |
Heat Settings | Low: 180°F / High: 210°F | Low: 185°F / Med: 200°F / High: 225°F |
Ionic Technology | Yes | Yes |
Noise Level | 91dBA | 93dBA |
Barrel Material | Ceramic | Ceramic, Titanium and Tourmaline |
Wattage | 1170 | 1100 |
Voltage | 125volt (single) | 125volt (single) |
Warranty | 2 year | 4 year |
Drybar’s Advantages:
- The most important advantage of the Double Shot over Revlon is the quality of the bristles. The Drybar has longer and denser bristles compared to the Revlon. This means the Drybar grabs hair more tightly, offering better control and more effective styling.
- The Double Shot focuses on providing a gentler, more consistent styling experience.
- The Double Shot has a longer brush section, allowing it to handle more hair at once.
- The Double Shot has a significantly longer cord than the Revlon Plus, offering greater flexibility and freedom of movement while styling.
- The Double Shot has 1170 watts, while the Revlon Plus operates at 1100 watts, offering slightly more power for faster styling without causing heat damage.
- The Drybar Double Shot operates at a lower dBA compared to the Revlon, making it quieter during use for a more pleasant styling experience.
Revlon’s Advantages:
- The Revlon is about half the price of the Drybar, making it a more budget-friendly option.
- Revlon combines multiple materials for quicker styling and more heat control.
- The Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus has 3 heat settings, giving you more flexibility to customize your styling. On the other hand, the Drybar Double Shot offers 2 heat settings.
- The Revlon Plus offers a 4-year warranty, giving you longer peace of mind compared to the Drybar, which comes with a 2-year warranty.
- The Revlon One-Step Volumizer is detachable, making it easier to store and travel with. In contrast, the Drybar Double Shot is not detachable.

Drybar The Double Shot
Hair type/ texture: Suitable for all hair textures, from fine to thick/ neck length or longer
Pros: Durable, high-quality material, great grip, gentle heat settings, has a long cord
Cons: Overpriced, not detachable
How it stands out: It creates serious volume and ensures great grip for taming stubborn hair with its dense bristles. It is more effective for straightening curly hair.
Revlon One-Step Volumizer PLUS
Hair type/ texture: Suitable for all hair textures
Pros: Affordable, 4 heat settings, detachable design, will not snag or pull hair
Cons: Does not provide a strong grip and tension to stretch the hair for a smooth finish, not sturdy or durable, gives off a smell of burnt plastic, has a short cord
How it stands out: Reasonably priced and offers good value for money. It is a better detangler for long hair.
Design
– Barrel Size And Shape
Choosing the right barrel shape and size is key to achieving the best results. Both Revlon and Drybar feature oval-shaped barrels, measuring 2.4” in size.
The main difference lies in the barrel material and brush section length. Drybar has a longer brush section, allowing it to handle more hair at once. Additionally, while Drybar uses a ceramic barrel, Revlon combines ceramic, titanium, and tourmaline, offering a different styling experience. Drybar’s ceramic material tends to be gentler on the hair.


Oval brushes provide more stretch and tension compared to round brushes, due to the way they wrap hair around the brush at the base. Oval is superior at boosting volume and creating straight styles. Additionally, oval brushes are gentler tools than round brushes since they create less stress on the hair.
The 2.4” barrel is quite a large size and it can cover a big area in one go, making it faster and more efficient, especially for longer hair. It also creates less risk of hair damage since there will be less need to pass through your hair over and over again.
If you have short hair though, this size is not the best. It doesn’t do a great job coming close to the roots and it doesn’t have a strong grip. Fortunately, Drybar offers smaller-sized barrels for short hair. Drybar The Half Shot is a perfect hot air brush with its 1.5″ barrel even for the shortest hairstyles.
Revlon, on the other hand, doesn’t offer any slimmer barrels. As a matter of fact, this is the second generation of Revlon One-Step Volumizer which has a 2.8″ barrel, that is even bigger.
– Barrel Material
The Drybar Double Shot has a ceramic barrel that heats your hair evenly, reduces frizz, and gives you a smooth, shiny finish. The ceramic works well to style your hair gently and effectively, providing a more controlled, polished look.
The Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus uses a combination of ceramic, titanium, and tourmaline in its barrel, which helps with better heat distribution, frizz reduction, and added shine. The titanium allows the tool to reach higher heat quickly, offering more control over your styling.
So, while the Revlon uses more materials to improve heat and styling performance, the Drybar focuses on delivering a gentler, more consistent styling experience.
– Bristles
The most significant differences between Drybar’s The Double Shot and Revlon’s One-Step are the quality and quantity of the bristles. And they make a big difference in the tools’ detangling and styling capacities.
Drybar has the thickest and firmest bristles on our list. Drybar also has longer and denser bristles than Revlon.
Firm and dense bristles are very efficient at providing great grip and styling even the thickest hair perfectly. On the other hand, softer bristles are great detanglers for fine or fragile hair since they don’t get stuck and break the strands.
So, we can say that Revlon is superior at detangling fine to medium hair, and Drybar has a stronger grip for more efficient styling on medium to thick hair.


Performance
– Heat Settings
The right temperature is key to getting smooth, frizz-free hair without causing damage. Finding the right heat for your hair is essential, as too high a temperature can harm your strands, while too low might not give the desired results.
Thick and unruly hair can handle higher heat, while fine hair needs gentler settings.
Revlon offers four heat settings (high, medium, low, and cool), while Drybar has three (high, low, and cool).
Drybar’s maximum temperature is 210°F, making it a gentler option. Its low setting is 180°F, perfect for fine hair.
Revlon can reach 225°F on its high setting, which is 15°F higher than Drybar’s. Its low setting is 185°F, which is similar to Drybar’s low setting, and works well for fine hair.


While Drybar has lower temperatures compared to Revlon, don’t be fooled—it still packs a punch with its 1170-watt motor, compared to Revlon’s 1100 watts. The more powerful motor in the Drybar helps compensate for the slightly lower heat by delivering a stronger flow of hot air, which can actually reduce heat damage while still styling effectively.


– Ionic Technology
Both the Drybar Double Shot and the Revlon One-Step feature ionic technology, which helps reduce frizz and static. The negative ions released during styling smooth the hair, leaving it shiny and more manageable while minimizing heat damage. This makes both tools effective at providing a polished, frizz-free finish.
– Wattage
The Drybar Double Shot operates at 1170 watts, while the Revlon One-Step operates at 1100 watts. While the difference in wattage is minimal, the Drybar offers slightly more power, which leads to a faster styling experience.
Durability & Quality
There’s quite a large difference between the quality of their materials.
Drybar is a luxury product made of very high-quality and long-lasting material. It’s very sturdy and it will last you for many years. It just feels good when you hold it. But these qualities are also reflected in its price. With $150, it’s an investment that not everyone is ready to make on a hair tool.
Revlon ($70) on the other hand, is very affordable, almost half of the price of Drybar. It’s not the most durable hot air brush, and some users complain about its sturdiness. Its detachable design also makes it less sturdy. It also gives off a smell of burnt plastic during the first few uses. But it’s a great value-for-money product with its budget-friendly price and still a very effective styler.


Convenience
– Tool Length:
The Drybar Double Shot and Revlon Plus are both 13.75″ long. The shortest hot air brush we came across is 13″, so 14″ is a reasonable length.


– Weight:
The design of the tool also affects your styling experience immensely. A well-designed hot air brush should be lightweight, and its handle should be slim and comfortable to hold.
When we look at the weights of these two tools, we notice that they’re both quite lightweight. While Drybar is 15.4 oz, Revlon is even less with only 15 oz.
These numbers are both below average and provide a comfortable session without arm fatigue.


– Handle Size:
They both have slim handles. Revlon’s handle is 1.52” wide and Drybar is slightly larger with 1.56”.
Revlon is easier to hold than Drybar. This may be important for our users with small hands.


– Noise Level:
Hot air brushes can get really loud and frustrating for the ones with sensitive ears.
Drybar’s noise level is 91 dBA, which is below average. Revlon on the other hand, goes up to 93 dBA, which is one of the highest numbers on our list. A 2-dBA increase doubles the amount of noise and halves the recommended amount of exposure time.
Drybar is a quieter tool than Revlon.


– Cord Length:
They both have swivel cords but Drybar has a much longer cord with 9 ft (This is the longest size available in the market) and Revlon is only 6 ft. A long cord can be a lifesaver if you don’t have a plug right next to your mirror.
– Handle Temperature
Their handle temperatures are similar with 90°F for Drybar and 95°F for Revlon, both average and safe for hands to use.


Detachable Design And Attachment Options
It’s very important to mention that Revlon has a detachable head and Drybar doesn’t.
This is one of the biggest positive aspects of Revlon, making the tool much more compact and travel-friendly. After Revlon One-Step Volumizer which didn’t have a detachable design, it’s a great upgrade to offer this feature.
Users have been hoping for extra attachments from Revlon, but they haven’t released any yet.
Drybar, on the other hand, doesn’t have a detachable design. This is definitely a downside, but it also makes this tool sturdier. Drybar anyway is a durable tool that has very high-quality material, and the non-detachable design certainly makes it even stronger.

Price And Guarantee
The price aspect is the other important difference between Drybar and Revlon.
Drybar is a luxury tool and it has a luxury price tag. With a cost of $150, this tool is not for every budget. It does justify its price with its high-quality material, elegant design, and effective and damage-free styling.
But there are many others in the market with a much more affordable price such as Revlon. The upgraded version costs only $70 and it also provides very effective results. It’s true that the material less sturdy and durable and it’s less safe than Drybar for your strands. But it’s a perfect option for those who are looking for a budget-friendly alternative.
While Drybar has only a 2-year guarantee, Revlon offers a good 4-year, which is ambitious and a big plus.