I Tested the World’s First Dryer for Hair and Winter Gear. It Turned My Doubts to Slush

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The Hedgehog Go Hair dryer inside a hair of boots and in front of hair over an abstract pink and yellow background.

I Tested the World’s First Dryer for Hair and Winter Gear. It Turned My Doubts to Slush
It gets your gear 99% of the way dry
Hair: Comparing it to my hair dryer with a timed test
Did the Hedgehog Go live up to its promises?

In the matter of products with a dual purpose, I’m a “I’ll believe it when I see it” kind of person. This applied when I first heard about the Hedgehog Go, which the company says is the world’s first dual-purpose dryer for hair and gear.

Designed by the Scandinavian creators of the outdoor gear-drying Hedgehog Dryer, the Hedgehog Go is the compact, 0.77-pound version. It comes with two attachments for drying hair and outdoor gear like shoes, boots, gloves and hats -- perfect for winter adventures like skiing, snowboarding and hiking.

The company adds that the two-in-one device can reduce static, add shine and remove odor with its ionic technology. Using an engine that operates at 105,000 rpm (revolutions per minute), three speeds, airflow up to 60 miles per hour and a temperature up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, the Hedgehog Go says it can dry hair in 5 minutes or fewer and boots or gloves in 10 to 15 minutes.

To find out whether all of this is too good to be true, and if this $159 dryer is the key to living in a winter wonderland, I put it to the test.

It gets your gear 99% of the way dry

Since I live in Los Angeles, where it doesn’t snow, I grabbed a spray bottle to thoroughly wet my hiking boots, gloves and a knit hat. Then, I twisted on the Hedgehog Go’s extendable hose adapter for gear. It’s a funky-looking attachment with two hoses that can be twisted in whatever direction you need.

The Hedgehog Go dryer with its hoses twisted in different directions.

In the product manual, there’s a chart showing the recommended temperature and speed for different types of items. I used this as my guide.

Hiking boots

I started with my hiking boots, inserting each hose into a boot and turning on the device to the suggested temperature of 140 degrees Fahrenheit and speed 3. According to the instructions, you shouldn’t push the hose deep into the shoe’s toe area.

The dryer has a built-in timer up to 60 minutes, which I tested with my iPhone’s timer to ensure its accuracy. I checked it every 5 minutes, and at 15 minutes, the boot’s interior was completely dry. The upper part of the boot and the tongue, where the dryer didn’t reach, were still slightly damp, but not to the point where you’d notice it in long socks or with tucked-in pants.

Gloves

At this point, I didn’t know where to place the Go while it was inserted into my gloves, as I wasn’t sure whether it would be safe to leave it resting on a table or countertop. Then I found a photo in the press release showing the device resting on a wooden table, so I did the same -- though, in the future, I would put a towel down first.

As recommended in the manual, I set the device to 113 degrees Fahrenheit. It suggested using speed 2 or 3, so I went with 3 (I’m impatient). I checked the gloves every 5 minutes and quickly realized that I would need to move the dryer up the glove to get it fully dry, which I did every 5 minutes. After 15 minutes, it was done, but, as with the boots, the outer edges that the dryer couldn’t reach remained a tiny bit damp.

A knit hat

At 99 degrees Fahrenheit, I chose speed 2 (speed 1 is also recommended) and placed the device on the table where I dried the gloves. I checked every 5 minutes and, similar to the gloves, realized that moving the dryer up the inside of the hat would help it dry completely. Again, it was dry after 15 minutes, but the outer edge was also a smidge damp.

The The Hedgehog Go dryer inside a beige knit winter hat on a wood surface.

For safety reasons, and as advised in the manual, I kept a close eye on the dryer and never left it unattended. For leather, suede or other delicate materials, it’s advised that you don’t use the 140 degrees Fahrenheit temperature.

Hair: Comparing it to my hair dryer with a timed test

Turning the Hedgehog Go into a hair dryer is easy, as you simply need to twist on the hair dryer nozzle. For fine or damaged hair, a temperature of 99 degrees Fahrenheit and speed 1 or 2 is recommended, while 113 degrees Fahrenheit and speeds 2 or 3 is for normal or thick hair. I have fine hair, so I selected 99 degrees and speed 2.

The Hedgehog Go dryer with the hair nozzle attached.

To reduce frizz, the Go states that its built-in ionizer releases negative ions to neutralize static and leave your hair smooth. My other hair dryer, the BaBylissPRO Nano Titanium Dryer, uses the same technology and has three heat and two speed settings, so I thought it would make for a perfect test comparison. However, it doesn’t have any information about temperature.

Now, for the most important test subject: my 2a/2b wavy hair that is so fine that it can easily be straightened with just a hair dryer. I separated my wet hair, with no product, into two sections, using the BaBylissPRO on the right and the Hedgehog Go on the left. For the BaBylissPRO, I wasn’t sure what heat setting to use, so I went with medium on low speed and timed how long it took to dry my hair.

These are the results:

Side-by-side photos, with the right showing the results on my hair from the Hedgehog Go and the left from my BaBylissPRO dryer.

For the BaBylissPRO, it took 6 minutes and 27 seconds to dry the right side of my head. For the Hedgehog Go on the left, 7 minutes and 58 seconds. I didn’t find one better than the other when it came to sleekness or frizz -- both are equally great.

However, I would like to mention one major caveat: the temperature difference. On its 99-degree setting, the Hedgehog Go didn’t even feel warm to me, whereas the BaBylissPRO on medium did feel warm, so there was definitely a temperature discrepancy. On low, the BaBylissPRO felt closer to the Go's lowest heat setting.

A close-up photo of the temperature, speed, timer and power button settings on the Hedgehog Go dryer.

Still, the Hedgehog Go did take longer than 5 minutes on my hair, which is a few inches longer than shoulder length. But compared to the warmer temperature of the BaBylissPRO, it did a great job, taking only 91 seconds longer.

In terms of noise, the Go was quieter at speed 1, but equally as loud as the BaBylissPRO at speeds 2 and 3. The Go also had a nicer handfeel thanks to its sleek design.

Did the Hedgehog Go live up to its promises?

Overall, the Hedgehog Go did a decent job of drying my winter gear in 15 minutes, leaving only slight dampness on the outer edges and in areas where the dryer didn’t reach. I think it would also be great for warming up your gear before heading out into the cold.

The company says its Go dryer can freshen up boots and cleats after games and remove odor. I wasn’t able to test this feature, but I assume it works by drying sweat and preventing odor-causing bacteria from thriving in this type of moist environment.

As for my hair, I found the Hedgehog Go to be comparable to my one-purpose hair dryer. While it took longer than 5 minutes to dry my hair, it left my locks sleeker and with less frizz than if I’d let them air-dry.

The Hedgehog Go with the extendable hose attachment.

It’s lightweight, easy to use and relatively quiet for a dryer. In terms of noise, though, it did emit a slight ringing sound that made my ears ring for a few seconds after turning it off. If you’re sensitive to this type of noise, it may not be the hair/gear dryer for you.

The only other detail I would have liked is more information in the manual on where to put the dryer when it’s in hats or gloves. A brief note about whether it's safe to put on a table or counter would be helpful.

Lastly, is it worth the price? The Hedgehog Go costs $159, and I think it could be worth it for the right person. If you only go on the occasional snow-filled adventure and have enough time to let your gear dry by a heater or in the sun, then it’s probably not necessary. But if you often travel to wintry places and don’t have time or the ability to dry your winter gear in between adventures, then it could be helpful. Plus, if you typically travel with a hair dryer, then that makes one less tech tool you have to pack.

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