The Shark FlexStyle is healthier than the Dyson Airwrap

Revlon One-Step, your reign is over. There is a new Dyson Airwrap dupe on the town, and it is the perfect we have ever seen — the Shark FlexStyle.

You’ve got doubtless seen the FlexStyle in your For You web page, and seen that not like just about each different dupe on the market, it really appears to be like just like the Airwrap. It has a wand base and several other interchangeable styling heads, together with Coanda tech-powered curling barrels — you understand, those that magically wrap your hair across the barrel with out a hitch.

What comes within the field

The web loves a very good tear down of something common, so I get you are most likely itching to see me hate on the Airwrap. However earlier than we get into any main comparisons, let’s go over what you are really getting with the Shark.

Actually, it depends upon what configuration you choose up. This is what’s obtainable:

The most affordable two choices set you again $269.99 when you store at Amazon and Greatest Purchase. The primary choice contains two 1.25-inch curling attachments, the oval brush, the paddle brush, and the styling concentrator. For individuals with straight or barely wavy hair, this can be a nice choose. When you’ve got wavier or curlier hair, the second choice contains all the above, however swaps the paddle brush for a diffuser. (These choices are additionally each obtainable on Shark’s web site, however for $300, so we advocate going for a third-party retailer.)
On Shark’s web site solely, you’ll be able to spend $279.99 to customise your expertise and select any three attachments out of the six obtainable choices (the 2 curling barrels rely as one attachment).

I acquired the wavy hair system, plus the paddle brush to check out.
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Shark despatched me the wavy hair system to check, but additionally included the paddle brush on the aspect. The one attachment I did not obtain was the newly-released wide-tooth comb, however I haven’t got the hair texture to correctly check it anyway. Purchased individually, every of the person attachments will run you $29.95.

Shark additionally sends alongside just a little booklet of methods to use every attachment, with suggestions for the warmth and air settings.

Not like the Airwrap, you can even use the FlexStyle attachment-free, because of the bottom’s capability to swivel and mainly replicate the expertise of a normal hair dryer. I packed the bottom by itself for a marriage I used to be in, and it was means much less cumbersome in my bag than any journey hair dryer has ever been.

The worth of the Shark FlexStyle versus the Dyson Airwrap

Now that the comparisons to the Dyson have begun in earnest, let’s get right down to what actually issues — the worth.

As a refresher, the Airwrap will run you $600 for six attachments, together with two totally different sized curling barrels, a smoothing dryer attachment, two smoothing brushes, and a spherical volumizing brush. Any further attachments will price you $40 every, however Dyson does have extra choices total.

Breaking it down solely by the variety of attachments, that is roughly $100 per attachment, and I am unable to say each justifies its spot (taking a look at you, agency smoothing brush and mushy smoothing brush).

The FlexStyle, then again, comes with 4 attachments, however as I discussed above, can perform as a dryer sans attachment. Due to this fact, you’ve gotten 5 styling choices for $270, which breaks right down to about $54 per attachment. Even with out the built-in drying, you are still paying about $67.50 per attachment, placing you means beneath the Dyson.

all of the shark flexstyle attachments next to the dyson airwrap attachments

Minus a couple of variations, the attachments provided are practically a one-to-one.
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable

The discrepancy in price would not translate to a discrepancy in high quality, both. The attachments carried out virtually identically, right down to the curling attachment utilizing Coanda air tech to select up your hair for you. Each stylers have three warmth settings, three fan speeds, and a cool shot button or change.

The one different edge the Dyson has is its fancy carrying case, which I do desire for storage over the field the Shark is available in. I simply do not desire it for $330 extra.

shark flexstyle box next to dark blue dyson airwrap case

The Dyson case feels extra polished, however not $330 extra polished.
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Attachments breakdown

Once I was initially despatched my pattern of the FlexStyle, I examined it for a couple of weeks and used every attachment no less than as soon as, if not a couple of occasions.

I say initially as a result of after I used to be accomplished testing and within the technique of penning this assessment, Shark knowledgeable me that they needed to ship me a more moderen pattern with an up to date ALCI plug that was meant to extend the lifespan and sturdiness of the FlexStyle. The one I had been despatched was a pre-release model despatched to a restricted variety of customers, and a Shark spokesperson reassured me that anybody with the “previous” mannequin was despatched the up to date model.

I say this for the sake of transparency, not as a result of I seen a distinction in any respect within the FlexStyle’s efficiency. I retested every attachment with the brand new pattern, once more no less than as soon as if not a number of occasions for a similar timespan. Not one of the attachments or the bottom as a standalone dryer carried out otherwise, and all the attachments clicked in to the bottom and stayed locked in with out a hitch.

With all of that mentioned, this is how I discovered the expertise of utilizing every attachment that was despatched to me. As I famous earlier on this assessment, I didn’t obtain the brand new wide-tooth comb meant for coily and curly hair, nor might I’ve precisely examined it.

Auto-wrap curlers

Once I reviewed the most recent model of the Dyson Airwrap, I went on and on about how grateful I used to be to check the curling attachment that didn’t require switching barrels and was fairly dramatic about how detrimental that may’ve been to my minimal hair-styling persistence.

Then, the FlexStyle arrived and I noticed that Shark’s curlers are precisely like of the Airwrap’s first technology, which require you to change barrels to change instructions of the curls. And you understand that? That is a type of moments the place I get to exhibit my maturity and admit that I used to be unsuitable. It was actually not that large of a deal to change out the curling wands mid-styling.

Do not get me unsuitable, it meant that I just about caught to the look of curls going one route — away from my face — on both aspect of my head. Nonetheless, what I noticed with these curlers, and with scorching air styled curls typically, is that on my hair, they give the impression of being the perfect and frustrate me the least after I lean in to a extra very loosely curled blown-out look. The extra structured curl look that I can simply obtain with a curling wand merely doesn’t final when utilizing a scorching air styler. (Allegedly, there are methods to get scorching air styled curls to final, however they’ve by no means labored for me, and are frankly far too time consuming to be value it.)

The curls appeared respectable proper after styling.
Credit score: Bethany Allard

However embracing extra blown-out voluminous curls made me a lot happier with the outcomes.
Credit score: Bethany Allard

All this to say, I do not suppose change the route of the curls makes that large a distinction if you’re going for the unfastened curl look so as to add only a little bit of dimension and quantity. Plus, my unfastened curl methodology took much less time and let me type on dry hair, which made me far more prone to attain for these attachments.

OK, last item on the curlers after which we are able to transfer on — they do not have an extended barrel model meant for longer hair, like these I examined with the Airwrap. Contemplating the ends of my hair are nearer to the underside of my again than my shoulders, I anticipated it would pose an issue, however as soon as once more, Shark proved me unsuitable. Certain, the hair wrapped round itself extra, however I actually did not discover myself having to regulate part sizes. The wand was simply at profitable at grabbing my hair, and the type lasted for a similar period of time.

Styling concentrator

Whereas I am unable to say utilizing the concentrator gave a vastly distinction expertise from the sans-attachment dry, it did get a variety of moisture out of my hair in underneath quarter-hour. I nonetheless had some frizz, however I tough dried my hair, in order that was to be anticipated. Whereas it is most likely essentially the most redundant attachment since you do not want it to tough dry your hair, I might see a extra directed air move having a time and place, particularly when you pair it with a brush. It does rating factors for being tremendous tiny and simple to retailer or pack.

shark flexstyle bent with concentrator attachment

It lowkey appears to be like like a vacuum attachment, however the styling concentrator will get the job accomplished.
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Oval brush

My official tier rating of scorching air oval brushes I’ve tried is as follows: the Revlon One-Step, the second technology Airwrap, after which the Shark FlexStyle. It is not that the FlexStyler’s brush was unhealthy — I really actually preferred the way in which my hair got here out, and I am often not an enormous fan of my hair with out some outlined waves or curls in it. I additionally preferred that the barrel was bigger than that of the Airwrap, because it felt like I might get extra quantity and motion in my hair.

My favourite a part of my job is taking photos of myself (however critically, my hair appears to be like good).
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable

What acquired me was the way in which it felt utilizing this attachment with the swivel a part of the bottom. Working with a spherical brush to type your hair requires a good little bit of stress, and I might see and really feel the bottom on the Shark shifting ever so barely. It was by no means sufficient to trigger concern, but it surely was noticeable. Nonetheless, I actually cannot complain that a lot. Working in sections from 80 p.c dry hair, it solely took me about 25 minutes to completely type my hair, and I beloved the outcomes.

Paddle brush

This was my private least favourite attachment, largely as a result of once more, not a lot a fan of my hair straight. When you’re probably not in search of a ton of quantity, and need easy glossy hair greater than the rest, the paddle brush will probably be your greatest pal.

It was tremendous straightforward to make use of, and did not yank or tug, which particularly impressed me as a result of I’ve perpetually knotty hair. I began from about 80 p.c dry hair, although some sections had been extra damp than others, and was capable of get completely straight and dry hair in 10 minutes.

Curl defining diffuser

My wavy hair and I had been stoked to be despatched a diffuser, and the Shark one did a terrific job.

Sometimes, I will use a diffuser to provide an total dry to my hair, then pixie diffuse — a way the place you let small sections of hair fall into the bowl of the diffuser, scrunch upward, and maintain it into place for 15 to 30 seconds.

Although Dyson does supply a comb attachment for curly hair, there is no diffuser for the Airwrap. This gave the Shark an enormous edge, and was one of many largest components in figuring out that it outperformed the product it was made to dupe.

I am not tremendous exact, and I often solely go for no matter p.c dry hides that undeniable fact that I washed my hair simply earlier than I went out in public in the course of the afternoon. Although my course of can lean on the haphazard aspect, I beloved how a lot management this diffuser gave me in styling my hair. I might regulate the prongs to be lengthy (Shark recommends this for roots/longer hair) or brief (for shorter hair or ends). The lengthy prongs make grabbing sections and really holding it for pixie diffusing so easy.

Extra reward for the general design

The Shark’s base is a bit greater than the Dyson’s, however actually each are form of surprisingly large if you first pull them out of the field. Contemplating you’ll be able to twist the Shark, the additional inch and a half or so made sense.

Weight-wise, the Dyson is ever so barely lighter, with solely 24 ounces on Shark’s 24.64 ounces. I might inform a distinction after I held each wands in both hand, however after I was styling, I did not suppose twice about it.

One smaller change that Shark made that I particularly appreciated was flattening the barrel of the bottom the place the ability change, air, and temperature buttons had been situated. It made it tremendous straightforward to hit the chilly shot button with out trying, or change the air pace after I was diffusing my hair.

The flat aspect of the wand makes it straightforward to find the buttons with out trying.
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Is the Shark FlexStyle value it?

Very like the Airwrap, the FlexStyle isn’t an absolute important hair styling software, particularly when you already personal a blow dryer and a few scorching instruments.

Nonetheless, when you’re trying to change to scorching air styling to assist your hair out for normal styling, the FlexStyle is 100% value it. Admittedly, I’m somebody who would a lot fairly put extra effort into their make-up than hair, however I discovered myself eager to type my hair extra usually with the FlexStyle.

Although it has some minor flaws, at $270, these are a lot simpler to look previous than these of the Airwrap. Between the FlexStyle and the Airwrap, it is arduous for me to think about a motive why you’d go for the latter except you are into large purchases for the sake of huge purchases, or when you’re particularly loyal to Dyson. But when neither of these apply to you, then there’s a greater vacuum firm making hair tech to throw a considerably smaller quantity of your cash behind.