The Gordon flash drying electric towel rail’s yesteryear sci-fi reference may elicit a knowing smile, but this stylish finned piece of hardware promises to be a welcome addition in almost any modern bathroom today. Its offering of relief during the teeth-chattering cold months makes a dry, heated towel feel less like a luxury and more like a necessity.
Hand assembled in Birmingham, England, the Gordon is offered in two sizes – 4 or 8 rails, and an alternative Loop edition with curved ends – capable of drying four to eight towels at once. Regardless of size, Gordon was designed following Eskimo’s original ethos devised in response to the eyesore necessity of on-wall radiators. In setting out to save “the world from the ugly and impractical saboteurs of interior design” they’ve extended their efforts into the bathroom.
Gordon is advertised to use one third of the energy consumed by a standard powered towel rail, with its vertical form factor drying the entire length of the towel, which eliminates damp pockets due to its larger surface area in contact or close proximity when a towel is hanging.
While you could install any Gordon towel rack to operate in a constant state (the rail needs to be hardwired professionally), ideally the fixture is paired with an Eskimo controller wall unit and timer switch to keep energy use at a minimum. The timer unit boosts output for durations of 30 minutes, 1 hour, and 2 hours before automatically shutting off – sufficient time to dry bath towels after use.
The Gordon’s contemporary fluted design is constructed from 100% aluminum and IP 44 Rated, and designated as splash-proof (but not fully waterproof). Eskimo recognizes that durability and dependability are priorities when homeowners are installing anything permanent. Thankfully, they guarantee the aluminum material construction of each Gordon with a lifelong no corrosion warranty. Paired with a 10-year warranty for the rail and 2-year warranty covering the heating element, the Gordon is engineered to keep towels warm and dry without the inclusion of any liquids inside its vertical housing.
Eskimo offers the Gordon in a palette of six different colors, with the options to color match their electric towel rail to any hue for an additional fee and a three week lead time.
Starting at around $375 USD for the smaller 4-towel edition, the Gordon is priced competitively as other standard, non-designer options, and Eskimo thankfully ships 110v internal component equipped towel rails compatible with US and Canadian standards.
