Ergonomics
Juggernaut of French small household appliances, Rowenta wanted to modernize its range of hair dryers with the Maestria Ultimate Experience. The device adopts a redesigned and refined silhouette compared to other models, such as the Remington Ionic Dry 2200. The materials seem of quality and end up seducing us.
The Rowenta finishes are attractive; like here its filter, which must be regularly maintained.
If at its widest, the Rowenta measures more than 18 cm, it nevertheless remains a compact hair dryer and very easy to carry. Indeed, with only 363 g weighed in our laboratory, the Maestria Ultimate Experience is by far the lightest hair dryer in our comparison. And few competitors can match it. Drying is even more pleasant and Rowenta gains a few points in ergonomics. This advantage is reinforced by the finesse of its handle and its head, which are not very restrictive in a travel bag.
Its controls have also been modernized. Rowenta opts for an on/off button on the back of the hair dryer and a cold shortcut on the front. To select the desired blowing power and temperature – from the three levels offered for each – the Maestria Ultimate Experience is equipped with two discreet buttons which must be pressed until the desired level is reached. This configuration reminds us of that of the Dyson Supersonic. If it is understandable to everyone, we prefer the classic selectors which allow the settings to be adjusted blindly during use.
LEDs indicate the selected power and temperature.
More generally, the Maestria Ultimate Experience offers very well positioned controls that are very easy to operate. The buttons fall to hand easily and improve the drying experience.
All the buttons fall very well to hand, like the cold shortcut.
Obviously, the Rowenta can be used bare. But to better structure the hair, the Maestria Ultimate Experience comes with two concentrators: one 5 mm wide and a second 9 mm. A diffuser is also included for textured hair. On the other hand, if we are satisfied to receive these three accessories, it is their fixing system that disappoints us. The tips clip onto the hair dryer and you have to force to remove them, like on entry-level models such as the Babyliss Smooth Pro 2100. A locking system similar to that of the Calor Pro Expert would have been preferable.
The Rowenta comes with three drying tips.
Finally, a 175 cm electrical cord allows the user to easily move around the bathroom.
Drying efficiency
Bare, the Rowenta is a powerful hair dryer, even at low intensity, since its blowing power reaches 12.3 m/s, compared to 9.4 m/s for the Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1. On the other hand, it is outpaced by other competitors at maximum intensity: we record 15.9 m/s, compared to 19.2 m/s for the Dreame Hair Glory.
The Rowenta can dry hair very well without a nozzle.
In terms of temperature, the Rowenta heats up gradually depending on the level chosen, but displays on average 10°C more than the other models tested, and reaches 73°C at maximum.
Equipped with the thinnest concentrator, the Rowenta becomes one of the most powerful hair dryers in our comparison with 23 m/s. It also manages to control its temperature, which does not exceed 135°C.
The diffuser is part of the drying tips.
Finally, we also evaluate the performance of the Maestria Ultimate Experience with the broadcaster. If the ventilation is homogeneous in the center and at the end of the diffuser, this is not the case for the temperature: we note a homogeneity rate of only 63%, compared to 86.7% for the Dyson Airwrap Complete Long Diffuse . The hair may therefore not dry evenly.
The Rowenta diffuser seen by our thermal camera.
