The ads for the Barbar Eco 8000 Blow Dryer say that it is “Eco friendly” because the ceramic heating element dries hair faster and uses less electricity than the normal heating coils. The ads also state that the ceramic element emits less radiation so it is easier on the hair. I don't understand that. I hadn't thought of blow dryers as emitting radiation, but I tested the dryer to see the physical evidence for myself. (see note below)

The Barbar Eco 8000 has an attractive sleek look with a handle that is ergonomically designed so that it is very comfortable in my hand. However, it is set up for a right handed person and would not be as useful for anyone using their left hand. While it is not an ultra-lightweight dryer, it is not at all heavy. This is important for professional use when I could be holding it all day long.

I like the placement of the on/off button and the temperature control button. Held in my right hand, the buttons are just past my finger tips and below my thumb so that I'm not likely to hit them by mistake while I'm using the blow dyer. (I have other blow dryers that are often turned off accidentally while in use.) The Barbar 8000 buttons are also set inside a little case so that, while still working easily, they demand your attention to turn them on and off. The cool shot button on the dryer is right at my index finger for easy use in styling.
There are 3 heat settings as well as the cool shot. The low heat is great for fragile hair. I would use the medium setting for drying most hair and the high heat setting will be useful for those times when a lot of heat is necessary. It has two air speed settings. The high speed setting is very powerful and great for long or thick hair.

I liked the eleven foot electrical cord. This makes the dryer easy to use almost anywhere but is especially important for professional use. The air filter on the dryer is easy to access and easy to remove for cleaning. I noticed that the Barbar Eco-8000 is fairly quiet. The sound that it does make is pleasant - not the high pitched unpleasant whine of some blow dryers and again important for continued use during the day.

I washed my hair and prepared it as I always do. When I used this blow dryer, my hair did dry faster than when using my own professional dryer. The finished style was somewhat softer and smoother than when using my old blow dryer and required less work with the flat iron. These results were repeated two days later after my next shampoo. Whether it was from less radiation or the faster drying time, I don't know, but I like the results.

Overall, this is a very nice blow dryer for professional use and for anyone with long or thick hair that takes longer than normal to dry. I recommend it!

note: The radiation question was explained to me in this way: Hair dryers emit 200-400 mG of harmful EMF radiation. (more than a microwave) The BarBar only emits 1.9 mG because it doesn't use a metal coil.

This dryer is available through HairFlix.com.
If you are considering purchasing this dryer, check out this forum post first.