Our Revlon vs Drybar hair dryer brush showdown - tested and compared by experts

During the search for a brilliant two-in-one hair dryer brush, a handful are almost guaranteed to come up. One is Revlon, makers of the iconic One-Step Volumiser, and another is Drybar, whose yellow tools are instantly recognisable. Torn between Revlon vs Drybar? I’ve put them through the ultimate head-to-head in this need-to-know guide.

Revlon’s tool is easily one of the most famous of the best hair dryer brushes, having taken social media by storm for its impressive results and reasonable price tag. Blow dry bar chain Drybar, on the other hand, only touched down on UK shores a few years ago, but has steadily grown in popularity since then and won over beauty editors and influencers alike.

Both tools feature a generous-sized brush head along with their drying and styling capabilities. But should you buy the Revlon One-Step Volumiser or save for the more expensive Drybar Double Shot Blow Dryer Brush? Having tested both tools, ahead I’ve shared a detailed breakdown of their capabilities to help you decide.

Drybar Double Shot vs Revlon One-Step Volumiser: a complete comparison by our contributing beauty editor

At a glance: the Drybar Double Shot vs Revlon One-Step Volumiser

How we tested the Drybar Double Shot vs Revlon One-Step Volumiser

As a beauty editor, I’m constantly reviewing products, and I cover hair tools a lot, meaning I’ve tried many of the hot brushes on the UK market. The Drybar Double Shot Brush is one of my go-to's that I’ve owned for a few years, while Revlon’s Volumiser was new to me for this testing process. I ensured that I tested it rigorously so that I could compare it to my experience with Drybar’s tool as well as possible. I’ve also used both tools on freshly washed damp hair, as well as on dry hair to refresh my style in the days that follow.

How do the specifications of the Drybar Double Shot and Revlon One-Step Volumiser compare?

Revlon One-Step Volumiser vs Drybar Double Shot design

Revlon One-Step Volumiser design
The One-Step Volumiser looks pretty classic; its colour scheme is predominantly black with hot pink accents. There are two different bristle types on the 2.5” brush head to smooth through hair, while the barrel itself is tourmaline-ceramic, for ionic conditioning and even heat distribution respectively. At two metres long, the cable is a decent length, meaning you won’t be too restricted wherever you’re drying and styling your hair.

Drybar Double Shot design
The colour scheme – the same as all of this brand’s tools, from the Drybar Buttercup Dryer to the brushes – is sunny yellow with grey accents. A little less classic, yes, but you can’t deny that it’s cheerful. Like the One-Step, the generous brush head (slightly smaller at 2.44”) features two types of bristles for easy and snag-free styling. Ionic technology also works to keep hair smooth, while its generous cable is 2.7m long.

Drybar vs Revlon Hot Brush: performance

Revlon One-Step Volumiser
This is the best blow dryer brush of this price tag that I’ve tested. It creates fairly decent smoothness and doesn’t take an age to dry each section of hair. My hair is medium-to-fine but there’s a lot of it, meaning it takes a few passes through a section to dry it completely. One thing I’ll shout out is the Volumiser’s ability to do exactly that. It yields an impressive amount of bounce and curves sections of hair incredibly easily. I like the voluminous blowout look – admittedly not every single time I style my hair – but for those who struggle to create volume in hair that likes to lay flat, its impressive ability to lift and boost every section will undoubtedly appeal.

Drybar The Double Shot
That this brush was my go-to styler for months for smoothing out my hair says a lot, I think. I get to test many, many hot styling tools on my hair, so when one becomes a regular part of my routine, you know it’s a good one. It packs a little more power and smooths hair with ease, tackling larger sections of hair thanks to the similarly large barrel, while the flatter edges lend themselves well to drying longer sections of hair. I do find that the results of Drybar’s model tend to last a little longer – my hair is naturally ringlet-y and very frizz-prone, so it likes to resist the smoothness of a DIY blow dry. It’s great for an easy smooth style.

Drybar Double Shot vs Revlon One-Step Volumiser: the W&H verdict

In the interest of fairness, I think it’s important to acknowledge that these brands sit in different price points and levels of 'luxury', making a direct comparison tricky. Both are easy-to-use, ergonomic tools that dry and style hair easily. Choosing comes down to budget and if you are someone who likes to really boost volume levels in their hair.

If you want something a bit more premium that creates longer-lasting smoothness, I think you’d get on well with Drybar’s – it’s a great match for my frizz-prone hair and a smaller, less expensive size (The Single Shot) is also available for those who don’t need the bumper barrel. But for smaller budgets, the Revlon is still a worthy purchase that creates bouncy blow dries with ease, and it’s hard to argue with its TikTok fame and more accessible price tag.