forced air blow dryer recommendations?

There are probably previous posts about this, so I am sorry if it has already been discussed. I am trying to figure out what forced air dryer to buy. I would like to spend less than $350.00. I have 2 Goldens and want one that has enough power to separate/straighten the coat and won't take me an hour each to dry.

Has anyone used the challengaire dryers? Other I am looking at are the K-9 II Blower & the Sahara Pro-HP TurboDryer. I have found varying prices as well. Anyone know where to get the best deal? Thanks in advance to the help!

At my sister's grooming shop and on our Newfoundland dogs we use the Challengair dryer's...we love them. The only problems we have run into is the hose cracks with lots of use...of course we use the dryer on about 14 dogs a day 6 days a week. If your just using them for your own dogs that shouldn't be a problem. We go through about 1 every 2 years due to the engine and bushings going. We found that the local vacuum repair shop can work on these dryers and they have fixed a few up for us.
We have the double motor variety with intense high double power 2 switches. We also have the normal variety with the high speed and turn the switch back for low speed for ears/facial area. I don't know which models each are as they are at the shop, not at home.
It's too bad you missed the sale on the Challengair dryers last month. I will get the name of the magazine that had the sale on...it may still be going on. They were going for dirt cheap in Canadian dollars, my Sister bought 3 of them (she employs 4 other groomers so she needs the dryers).

I am soooooo not a groomer.... so don't take this bad. I am just curious. I have heard about certain popular pet stores that have grooming facilities and a few dogs died because of the dryer. Can you educate me (us) on this issue? Is it really true, what are the pro and cons and what are guardians supposed to look out for if it is true? Can the dryers really hurt the dog under "weird" conditions?
Amy

The high velocity dryers pose no danger to dogs. A high velocity dryer has a long hose that the groomer HAS to hold onto and blow dry the dog. The dryers that are dangerous and have killed dogs in the past are cage dryers, a groomer takes the dog and towels dry, zaps with the high velocity then puts the dog in a crate with a cage dryer. The dryer is usually set on warm, so inside the crate that warm air turns hot. If the groomer forgets to turn to cool air or leaves the dryer on the dog too long in the crate the dog can die of heat exhaustion. The problem lays in the fact that the groomer is using a closed crate, when they should use a wire crate so the dog can get more air. Or, they leave it on the dog on warm too long. Just for the heck of it I put a cage dryer on a crate left it going for an hour and stuck my head in. I could barely breathe.
So, the dryers discussed in this topic are not the dangerous dryers. A high velocity dryer is very safe, the only danger would be having it on too high of a speed (too much air force) on a smaller dog, it could pop the patella.
Hope this helps you animalbiz

thanks!

I have a 4hp metro air force dryer,,paid around 125$ for it 5 or 6 years ago,,I can NOT live with it LOL..I've never had any problems with it, and I use it atleast twice a week on my 2 gsd's and 2 aussies.
Jynx

I like to use Metro force dryers myself at the shop and at home. I use the 4 hp aswell. They cost around $125.00 before shipping. If it is just a home use for two Golden's you might get away using a little 4hp. they cost around $95.00
Below is a link to get them at a good cost.

http://www.petedge.com/jump.jsp?itemType=INDEX&itemID=118