4 HN users recommended this demo5 months2017–2023score 5
Years with an HN recommendation, 2007–2026
HN points to it as a favorite teardown, usually when discussing Dyson or how products are engineered and built, with some noting the host was impressed by the engineering.
AvE tears down a roughly $500 Dyson hair dryer, examining how its motor, airflow and electronics fit into a small body. He runs tests along the way and ultimately decides whether the engineering justifies the price.
“He was expecting to ridicule it but was instead blown away by the engineering” (HN, 2021)
This might be slightly off-topic, but if you like this type of teardown content, I highly recommend checking out AVE's channel on Youtube [1]. He does plenty of tool teardown's, things like drills, all types of heavy industrial gear, and some electronics thrown in. I find is fascinating, because you start to learn about the manufacturing process, why mechanical engineers choose specific materials, how they cut corners, and generally how things are made at low cost and high volume. Here's some highlights: - Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer: [this video] - Hammer Drill Mechanism: [link] - Blendtec Blender: [link] - KitchenAid Mixer: [link] - $500 Mining Flashlight: [link] [1] [link]
Teardown showing how products are made at low cost and high volume
Watch AvE take stuff apart on Youtube. His disassembly of the Juicero would be a good place to start: [link] or this one disassembling an overpriced Dyson hairdryer: [this video]
Check out AvE’s tear down of a $500 Dyson hair dryer.[1] He was expecting to ridicule it but was instead blown away by the engineering - tiny high torque zinc cast brushless DC motor, CNC-milled impeller, etc. It’s a good watch, including FLIR performance analysis, Fourier analysis of bearing noise, and more. In summary it’s definitely more engineering porn / extreme overkill than marketing bs. [1] [this video]
Teardown that finds real engineering, with FLIR and bearing analysis
aVe did a great teardown[0] of a Dyson hairdryer. He was contemptuous in the beginning because of the ridiculous price, but totally nerded out over the motor. [0]: [this video]
There are a couple of YouTube videos from AvE (he takes a bit of getting used to, but he knows a fair bit about electronics) about a Dyson vacuum cleaner [1] and hair dryer [2]. Lots of moulded plastic and glue, little substance. On the other hand, Miele recently repaired an old vacuum cleaner [3] that worked for 30 years before breaking. [1] [link] [2] [this video] [3] [link]
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