I really do like my mini K9 also....AND hubby uses it to blow out the garage!!
I got mine on PetEdge because I couldn't find any on eBay or anywhere else that was less than PetEdge and at the time, they had free shipping.

I hope Val has the eBay seller info for you!

The Bear Air II actually blows harder than the K-9 mini if you look at the specs. If you want a really, really strong one, go with the K-9 II like Kristina said.

PM'd you the seller Tori if you haven't already seen it. I did some poking around on various groomer forums real quick to get some input on B-Air Bear Power Dryers. It seems to have a lot of mixed reviews, plenty of people who love it and plenty of people who've had issues. Might be worth doing a bit of homework on, Tori. My biggest thing is that the K-9's don't have near as many complaints. It looks like the B-Air is ABS construction versus the K-9's metal construction. Due to the much lighter body material the B-Air II and K-9 Mini weigh the same yet the B-Air has dual turbines.

Sara, what is your opinion of the body construction of the two compared? Do you think the B-Air will last just as long term as the K-9 as far as the body is concerned? How about holding up to physical abuse? I'm still a huge K-9 fan and wouldn't dream of buying something else, but for the sake of education (mine and others) I'd like to hear thoughts on the construction of your B-Air as compared to the K-9 and Metro.

I've never seen a K-9 in person! So I don't know! Unless you drop the Bear Air, it seems pretty sturdy. Kristina saw it and she has the K-9, so she may be more helpful. Maybe she'll bring hers to camp and we can compare them side by side next year!
Seems like it's just as sturdy as a metro.

Oh, sorry I thought you'd tried a K-9 before.

My k9 feels hardy and powerful compared to any other blower I've seen or used. There's no doubt the II is on the heavier side but with amount of force it blows I'm not suprised and I don't count it as a negative. I have mine in the garage and pull it down when I need to blow them which I do in the driveway.

It doesn't feel cheap at all and comparing it to Sara's I would say the k9II is a better built, stronger, more heavy duty blower. Sara's blower wouldn't do much to Odins coat (although it was hooked up to a camper running on a generator not an outlet in a home) so immediately I knew that wouldn't work for us. Sara's needs are different than mine and size was more of a factor for her purchase. Overall I would do it all over again. its worth the money. ill post a video later.

I'm glad you brought this up! I was just asking about an HVD and would love to compare some. I don't know much about them so a lot of homework is definitely in my near future

K9 mini- http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002ZAGIO?linkCode=xm2&tag=invihand-20

Bear air- http://www.buy.com/prod/219361879.html This one is a refurb but check the warranty and you should be good to go.

I use "Invisible hand" often to track down my best deals. Check it out.

http://www.getinvisiblehand.com/

I've had a K9 Mini and II, and have a B-Air now, and I don't think the mini and B-air are very different.... My II was WAY better and I used a III at work which was way more powerful as well, but as for a portable dryer neither is really better than the other. I sold my K9's when I moved here to my work's groomer and bought my B-Air off Amazon for like 190 two day shipping and have no issues with it. Blows both my dogs out just fine.

Does the K-9 have variable speed on it like the Bear Air? That's one thing I really like about the Bear Air. That and it fits in my big tool box! lol.

Mine has a high and low. It doesn't have a super adjusting knob like yours. I really liked that.

My K-9 Mini also has 2 settings. The K-9 Fluffer DOES have a knob for variable adjustment however the fluffer is not as powerful as the Mini, I, II, or III. The fluffer would be good for show grooming rather than really blowing out undercoat.

I'm sorry this inst really a productive comment but reading this thread I couldn't help but think of Space balls and the giant hairdryer she had in her luggage.

So I surprised myself and went with a B-air II. John and I decided that we didn't want to spend $350+ on a K9 II and while we wanted the Mini, I just couldn't swallow spending $257 on it either when the B-air II was $70 less and the specs were identical if not more powerful. We realize that it's not going to be as quality was the K9 brand, but even if lasts half as long, we'll be happy. We also bought the refurbished version that Len posted so it was even cheaper at $140. Same warranty as the new model. So here's hoping

Heather-- we'd still love to see a video of you using it!!

Whoo! Finally getting your dryer! You'll have to share your thoughts on it (and pics!) when you get it and have a chance to try it out.

We received our B-Air II over the weekend (on Saturday actually!) and have used it 3-4 times already. All I can say is WOW. I LOVE HAVING A DRYER!

I'll post a video but only if ya'll watch Koda and not me Hailey barely had any hair left to blow so her video is pretty useless, lol. (Video is uploading so it will take a while)

But it's so much easier and gentler than brushing. For $140, I'm super stoked. I don't know if I would have liked the B-Air I, which was supposedly more comparable to the K9 Mini. I feel like while this is great power and perfect for us, the smaller version would not have been powerful enough.

More later though!

One thing I can add is how much water was left in the girls coats after bathing and towel drying them there was. Pre-drier I thought I got them pretty dry with just towels, but I can towel them off the same and then hit them with the HVD and see how wet they still are!

Oh and the very low setting of my drier is very helpful at shows to fluff out the coat and blow away any loose strands of hair sticking out of her coat.

Where's the video, Tori?

I need to take a shorter video... the one I had was too big to upload so I could edit it

It's raining today though, so it will have to wait until better weather!

Darn it! Just don't forget about us.

Here4thePics wrote:

I use "Invisible hand" often to track down my best deals. Check it out.

http://www.getinvisiblehand.com/

Thank you SO MUCH for posting that!! I LOVE saving money. I always use coupons and try to find the best deal! I use ebates.com too for cash back on participating websites.

(I hope I didn't thread jack).

I want to get a HVD, but I think I will wait a few more months lol. College is coming up in a few weeks and that's a good chunk of change for me.

Thread saved in my favs!

Anyone have opinions on the Master Blaster?

http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/for/3196079427.html

Megan sent this link, I have called the guy and he has it. Going to see it either tomorrow or tuesday.

thanks

kevo wrote:

Anyone have opinions on the Master Blaster?

Has 6 reviews on Amazon, 5 of 5 star, 1 of 4 star very favorable reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/Metro-Force-Master-Blaster-Dryer/product-reviews/B002EKAI5Q/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

I have commented on Metro brand dryers and what I have *heard* (not personally experienced) previously in this thread if you read through it.

Well I got my Metro Air master blaster tuesday. Megan found it on CL for 150, talked down to
$135. Everything works, hose is good, cord is good. The guy I bought it from runs a grooming store and he said it was just too noisy for him.