Shark SpeedStyle Pro Review: a fast, light dryer that actually feels like an upgrade

I’ve been using the Shark SpeedStyle Pro hair dryer at home for a few weeks now, and I’ll be honest: I didn’t expect that much from it. A hair dryer is usually just hot air in a plastic shell, right? But this one does feel a bit different in day-to-day use, especially if you’re used to heavier, noisy bricks that roast your scalp. I’ve mainly used it on shoulder-length, slightly wavy hair, and also tried it on my kid’s fine hair and on a friend with thick hair who came over before a night out.

The first thing that stood out was how fast it dries without feeling like my head is in an oven. My old basic dryer needed around 12–15 minutes to get my hair properly dry. With this Shark, I’m closer to 6–8 minutes on medium heat and high airflow. That might not sound life-changing on paper, but on weekday mornings when you’re half asleep and running late, it’s actually quite nice.

The other noticeable thing is the weight and balance. At around 340 g, it’s way lighter than most full‑size dryers I’ve owned. If you’re used to your arm getting tired halfway through blow-drying, this feels like a relief. I could do a full blow-dry with a round brush without my wrist complaining, which wasn’t the case with my old GHD-style dryer. It’s not toy-light, but it’s light enough that you notice it right away.

It’s not perfect though. The version I’m talking about here is the one with basically one main attachment (Turbo Concentrator). A lot of the glowing Amazon reviews are clearly for bundles with more attachments (brush, diffuser, frizz-control tool). So keep that in mind: the core dryer is good, but out of the box with just the concentrator, it’s more of a solid, fast dryer than a full styling kit. I’ll break down what actually works well and what’s a bit meh for the price.

On value, this is where things get a bit more nuanced. At around £120–£130 range (based on the user review mentioning £125), this is not a budget dryer. It sits in that mid-to-high bracket, below Dyson prices but clearly above basic Philips/Babyliss models. For that money, the core dryer is strong: light, fast, comfortable, and feels well built. If you blow-dry several times a week and care about speed and comfort, you’ll probably feel the difference versus a £30–£40 dryer.

Where the value feels slightly off is the bundle content. This listing/version only includes the Turbo Concentrator. Meanwhile, some people on Amazon talk about getting 3 or even 5 attachments plus a bag for similar prices when there are deals. So if you buy this exact one at full price, you’re paying a decent chunk of money for basically one high-end dryer and one nozzle. For straight or slightly wavy hair that you mostly want to smooth, that might still be fine. But if you have curls, want diffusing, or rely on a built-in brush attachment, you’ll likely end up buying extra accessories or a bigger kit.

Compared to something like GHD dryers, several users say this Shark dries faster and feels lighter, which matches my experience: you’re getting better ergonomics and similar or better performance for about the same or slightly less money. Compared to a Dyson, you’re spending less but also getting fewer accessories and a less premium design, but in pure drying power, it holds its own pretty well.

So for me: if you dry your hair often, share the dryer with family, and want something that doesn’t roast your scalp and doesn’t weigh a ton, the price can be justified. If you only blow-dry occasionally or already have a decent dryer, it’s more of a nice upgrade than a necessity. There are cheaper options that get the job done, but they won’t feel as comfortable or as quick. I’d call it good value for regular users, average value if you’re a casual user who just needs hot air a couple of times a month.

Design-wise, the Shark SpeedStyle Pro goes for the slim, compact gun-style look rather than the big bulky salon dryer. It’s not as futuristic-looking as a Dyson, but it’s also not ugly. Black plastic, relatively narrow barrel, and a slightly chunky handle that actually feels good in the hand. The weight is well balanced towards the handle, so it doesn’t feel like it’s trying to tip forward while you’re aiming it at the back of your head.

The controls are simple: a slider for airflow, another for heat, and a Cool Shot button. After a couple of uses, my fingers automatically knew where each switch was without looking. That’s a small thing, but on my previous dryer the buttons were cheap and wobbly, and I kept hitting the wrong one. Here they click firmly into place and don’t feel like they’ll break in a month. You can manually use any combination of the 3 heat levels and 3 speed levels, or just stick to medium/medium like I mostly did.

The Turbo Concentrator attachment rotates, which is actually useful. You can twist it to blow downwards while holding your arm in a more natural position. I used it to smooth the top layers and aim at the roots without contorting my wrist. It’s a small design detail that makes a difference when you’re doing a full blowout. It snaps on firmly and doesn’t wobble, which is more than I can say for some cheap dryers where the nozzle slowly spins on its own.

Noise-wise, it’s still a hair dryer, so don’t expect silence, but it has more of a high-pitched whoosh rather than the low, rattly roar of older dryers. It’s not the quietest I’ve used, but it’s less annoying than the cheap travel dryer I used before. I could still talk to someone in the bathroom without shouting. In short: the design is practical, not flashy. It feels like they focused more on ergonomics and airflow than on making it look fancy, and I’m fine with that.

Comfort is where this dryer actually stands out compared to the usual mid-range stuff. The low weight (around 340 g) makes a real difference when you’re doing a proper blow-dry with a brush. I can hold it above my head for several minutes without my arm starting to burn. With my previous GHD-style dryer, by minute 8 I was switching hands and getting sloppy. Here, I got through my whole head in one go, which made styling more consistent.

The heat is also more comfortable. Even on the higher setting, it doesn’t feel like it’s scorching your scalp. I mostly used medium heat with high airflow, and my hair dried quickly without that hot, dry, slightly burned feeling on the skin. On my kid’s hair, I dropped it to low heat and medium speed, and she didn’t complain once about it being too hot, which is usually the first thing kids shout about with hair dryers. So in practice, the whole “no heat damage” claim obviously can’t be fully proven by me, but at least it doesn’t feel like it’s cooking your hair.

Noise is acceptable. It’s not quiet, but it’s not that heavy, vibrating noise you get with older dryers. I’d put it somewhere in the middle: you can still listen to a podcast in the background and catch most of it. If you’re sensitive to noise, it’s better than some cheap 2000W monsters, but don’t expect miracles. The airflow is strong, so there’s naturally some whooshing sound.

One small downside: the handle can get a bit warm near the top after a long session on high heat, not burning hot, but slightly toasty. It didn’t bother me much, but if you have a long blow-dry routine on thick hair, you’ll notice it. Overall though, for everyday use, it’s comfortable. My main takeaway: lighter, less tiring, and less harsh on the scalp than most standard dryers I’ve owned.

Durability is always a bit of a guess early on, but there are a few signs that usually tell you if a product is going to fall apart quickly or not. After a few weeks of use, the Shark SpeedStyle Pro still feels tight and solid. The buttons haven’t loosened, the nozzle still clicks firmly into place, and there are no rattles or weird vibrations when it’s running on high speed. The plastic body doesn’t creak when you grip it firmly, which is something I’ve had with cheaper dryers.

Shark in general has a decent reputation for build quality on vacuums and other appliances, and this dryer gives off the same vibe: not luxury, but sturdy enough for daily use. The air filter at the back is easy to access and clean, which matters long term because clogged filters are what kill a lot of dryers. If you remember to clean it regularly, I don’t see any obvious reason this wouldn’t last several years under normal home use.

The cable feels robust enough, with a proper strain relief at the handle so it doesn’t start splitting or twisting too badly at the base. That’s usually the first failure point on cheap dryers. I’ve coiled it loosely after each use and tossed it in a drawer, and so far there’s no sign of damage. The finish on the plastic also seems resistant to small scratches; it still looks almost new after being banged around a bit in the bathroom cabinet.

Of course, I can’t tell you how it behaves after five years, but based on my hands-on use and the general feel, I’d say it’s built to handle regular, even daily use. If you’re rough with your gear or share it with the whole family, this seems like it will cope better than the typical cheap supermarket dryer. Not bulletproof, but definitely not flimsy.

On performance, this thing is pretty solid. With its 1750W motor and high airflow, it dries hair fast without needing to crank the heat to the max. On my shoulder-length, medium-thickness hair, I went from towel-damp to fully dry in about 6–8 minutes on medium heat and high speed. My old basic dryer took easily 12–15 minutes to do the same job and left my hair hotter and a bit puffier. With the Shark, my hair came out smoother and less frizzy, especially when I used the concentrator and a round brush.

On thick hair, I tested it on a friend who usually fights with her dryer for 20 minutes. We timed it: with this Shark on high airflow and medium/high heat, she was done in roughly 10–12 minutes, and her hair looked more controlled at the roots. Not salon-level perfection, but good enough that she didn’t feel the need to go over everything again with straighteners. That matches what some Amazon reviews say: people with thick hair seem to like the power + lighter weight combo.

For kids’ or fine hair, dropping to low heat and medium speed still dries pretty quickly, but it doesn’t blast the hair all over the place. The ionic thing they advertise is hard to “see” directly, but in practice, my hair had fewer flyaways compared to just air drying or using my old dryer. I still needed a bit of product for frizz on humid days, but it was less of a mess.

The only limit is styling flexibility with this specific pack. With just the Turbo Concentrator, you can do straight or smooth blow-dries quite well, but if you’re into curls or you have very curly hair that needs a diffuser, you’re out of luck unless you buy extra attachments. So performance as a pure dryer is very good; performance as a full styling system depends a lot on whether you add more accessories.

In the box for this specific model (HD701UK), you basically get the Shark SpeedStyle Pro dryer in black and the Turbo Concentrator nozzle. No diffuser, no brush, no fancy frizz-control attachment here. So if you were expecting a full salon kit, check the listing carefully, because Shark sells different bundles and it’s easy to mix them up. The unit is corded (240V, 1750W), so it’s meant for home use, not travel abroad unless you’re in a 240V country.

The dryer itself is compact: roughly 16.5 x 4.8 x 20.1 cm and about 340 g. It’s all plastic, but it doesn’t feel like cheap, hollow plastic. The finish is matte-ish black, which hides fingerprints fairly well. You’ve got the usual controls on the handle: 3 airflow speeds, 3 heat levels, plus a Cool Shot button. The thing Shark pushes is this IQ-style feature where it auto-adjusts settings when you clip on certain attachments. On this version, with just the concentrator, that’s less magical, but the base idea is there.

The cable length is decent (not officially listed in the data but in real use it’s long enough to reach from a low wall socket to a mirror without doing yoga). That matters more than people think. With my old dryer I was always stuck standing at a weird angle because the cable was short. Here I could move around a bit and still see what I was doing.

Overall presentation is pretty standard: no fancy case, no massive manual, just the basics. If you’re used to Dyson-style unboxing with lots of accessories and storage stands, this will feel bare. But if you just want a dryer that plugs in and works, it’s straightforward. Personally, I would have liked at least a diffuser or a basic brush attachment in this pack, because at this price, one nozzle feels a bit stingy.

In terms of effectiveness, I judge it on three things: how my hair looks right after drying, how it looks a few hours later, and whether I feel like I’m frying it over time. After a few weeks of use, I’d say it’s very effective at quick, controlled drying, and reasonably good for reducing frizz, but not a miracle worker if your hair is naturally wild.

Right after drying with the concentrator and a basic round brush, my hair is noticeably smoother at the roots and along the lengths than with my old dryer. The airflow is strong but focused, so you can direct it down the hair shaft to help flatten the cuticle. That plus the ionic tech seems to help a bit with static. On days when I took 5 extra minutes to properly section my hair and work slowly, I could skip straighteners completely and still have a neat look for work. On rushed days, it still looked better than air drying, just less polished.

A few hours later, the style holds decently. It’s not as locked in as a full blowout done with a professional round brush and loads of product, but for a normal person routine, it’s good. The cool shot button does help set things slightly, especially on the fringe and around the face. I used it at the end of each section for a few seconds, and my fringe stayed in place longer than when I skipped that step.

On the heat damage side, it’s hard to give a scientific verdict, but compared to my old hotter dryer, my hair feels less dry at the ends. The fact that I can use medium heat with strong airflow instead of max heat all the time is probably the main reason. So I’d say: effective at fast, controlled drying with less aggressive heat, good but not magical for frizz control, and solid enough that I’m not worried about wrecking my hair as long as I don’t overdo it.