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The Shark FlexStyle is greater than the Dyson Airwrap

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Revlon One-Step, your reign is over. There is a brand new Dyson Airwrap dupe on town, and or not it’s the finest we now occupy ever seen — the Shark FlexStyle.

You occupy doubtless seen the FlexStyle for your For You page, and observed that unlike pretty noteworthy each diversified dupe available, it in truth looks as if the Airwrap. It has a wand homely and numerous alternative interchangeable styling heads, including Coanda tech-powered curling barrels — , those that magically wrap your hair spherical the barrel with out a hitch.

The resemblances don’t appear to be valid in its appearance. I’ve throughly examined each merchandise, and at the cease of the day, the efficiency is virtually indistinguishable. If anything else, the Shark offers just a few new aspects that sort me attain for it more.

Factoring in its $270 tag point, the Shark goes previous being a gold-normal dupe. Or not it’s an exquisite reproduction for only half of the worth and it also outperforms the novel.

What is available in the sphere

The accumulate loves jog down of anything else neatly-liked, so I acquire you would even be potentially itching to peek me abominate on the Airwrap. But sooner than we acquire into any essential comparisons, let’s streak over what you would even be in truth getting with the Shark.

Of course, it’s some distance dependent on what configuration you score. Right here’s what’s on hand:

  • The most price-efficient two alternatives location you abet $269.ninety 9 will occupy to you store at Amazon and Easiest Aquire. The first option entails two 1.25-wander curling attachments, the oval brush, the hump brush, and the styling concentrator. For people with straight or a bit wavy hair, here’s a elephantine opt. While you happen to might perchance occupy wavier or curlier hair, the 2nd option entails all of the above, however swaps the hump brush for a diffuser. (These alternatives are also each on hand on Shark’s web sites, however for $300, so we recommend going for a Third-event retailer.)

  • On Shark’s web sites finest, you would also use $279.ninety 9 to customize your abilities and decide any three attachments out of the six on hand alternatives (the two curling barrels depend as one attachment).

I got the wavy hair machine, plus the hump brush to take a look at up on.
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Shark despatched me the wavy hair machine to take a look at, however also incorporated the hump brush on the aspect. The finest attachment I did not receive was once the newly-released extensive-teeth comb, however I contain not occupy the hair texture to properly test it anyway. Bought individually, each of the particular individual attachments will bustle you $29.95.

Shark also sends along a minute booklet of tricks on how to make use of every attachment, with ideas for the warmth and air settings.

No longer just like the Airwrap, you would also additionally use the FlexStyle attachment-free, due to homely’s skill to swivel and in most cases replicate the abilities of a standard hair dryer. I packed the homely by itself for a marriage I was once in, and it was once design less tubby in my earn than any jog hair dryer has ever been.

The price of the Shark FlexStyle versus the Dyson Airwrap

Now that the comparisons to the Dyson occupy begun in earnest, let’s acquire the whole design down to what in truth matters — the worth.

As a refresher, the Airwrap will bustle you $600 for six attachments, including two diversified sized curling barrels, a smoothing dryer attachment, two smoothing brushes, and a spherical volumizing brush. Any extra attachments will tag you $40 each, however Dyson does occupy more alternatives total.

Breaking it down completely by the desire of attachments, that is roughly $100 per attachment, and I will’t articulate each one justifies its field (having a seek at you, company smoothing brush and relaxed smoothing brush).

The FlexStyle, on the diversified hand, comes with four attachments, however as I talked about above, can characteristic as a dryer sans attachment. Therefore, that you should occupy 5 styling alternatives for $270, which breaks the whole design down to about $54 per attachment. Even with out the built-in drying, you would even be aloof paying about $67.50 per attachment, placing you design below the Dyson.

Minus just a few differences, the attachments offered are virtually a one-to-one.
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable

The discrepancy in tag would not translate to a discrepancy in quality, either. The attachments conducted practically identically, the whole design down to the curling attachment the utilization of Coanda air tech to score your hair for you. Both stylers occupy three warmth settings, three fan speeds, and a groovy shot button or switch.

The finest diversified edge the Dyson has is its like carrying case, which I carry out opt for storage over the sphere the Shark is available in. I valid don’t opt it for $330 more.

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

Attachments breakdown

When I was once in the initiate despatched my pattern of the FlexStyle, I examined it for just a few weeks and feeble each attachment no lower than once, if not just a few cases.

I articulate in the initiate because after I was once accomplished attempting out and in the center of of penning this evaluation, Shark educated me that they wished to send me a more moderen pattern with an updated ALCI jog that was once supposed to lengthen the lifespan and sturdiness of the FlexStyle. The one I had been despatched was once a pre-begin version despatched to a restricted desire of customers, and a Shark spokesperson reassured me that someone with the “extinct” model was once despatched the updated version.

I articulate this for the sake of transparency, not because I observed a difference the least bit in the FlexStyle’s efficiency. I retested each attachment with the brand new pattern, all any other time no lower than once if not multiple cases for the related timespan. No longer one among the attachments or the homely as a standalone dryer conducted in any other case, and all of the attachments clicked in to the homely and stayed locked in with out a hitch.

With all of that acknowledged, here is how I found out the abilities of the utilization of every attachment that was once despatched to me. As I illustrious earlier on this evaluation, I failed to receive the brand new extensive-teeth comb supposed for coily and curly hair, nor might perchance well I in truth occupy accurately examined it.

Auto-wrap curlers

When I reviewed the most contemporary version of the Dyson Airwrap, I went on and on about how grateful I was once to take a look at the curling attachment that failed to require switching barrels and was once pretty dramatic about how detrimental that might perchance well’ve been to my minimal hair-styling endurance.

Then, the FlexStyle arrived and I saw that Shark’s curlers are exactly like of the Airwrap’s first abilities, which require you to replace barrels to replace instructions of the curls. And that? That is a form of moments where I acquire to teach their non-public praises my maturity and admit that I was once faulty. It was once in truth not that massive of a deal to replace out the curling wands mid-styling.

Assemble not acquire me faulty, it supposed that I pretty noteworthy stuck to the watch of curls going one direction — some distance from my face — on either aspect of my head. On the replacement hand, what I observed with these curlers, and with hot air styled curls in normal, is that on my hair, they watch the finest and frustrate me the least after I lean in to a more very loosely curled blown-out watch. The more structured curl watch that I will with out issues manufacture with a curling wand merely would not closing when the utilization of a hot air styler. (Allegedly, there are techniques to acquire hot air styled curls to closing, however they’ve by no approach worked for me, and are frankly some distance too time ingesting to be worth it.)

lady in green robe with curled hair

The curls regarded decent incandescent after styling.
Credit score: Bethany Allard

But embracing more blown-out voluminous curls made me noteworthy happier with the implications.
Credit score: Bethany Allard

All this to articulate, I contain not mediate switch the direction of the curls makes that massive a difference whereas you would even be going for the free curl watch with the plan to add valid a bit dimension and quantity. Plus, my free curl design took less time and let me style on dry hair, which made me design more at risk of attain for these attachments.

OK, closing thing on the curlers after which we can circulation on — they accumulate not occupy a longer barrel version supposed for longer hair, like those I examined with the Airwrap. Eager on the ends of my hair are closer to the backside of my abet than my shoulders, I anticipated it will also pose a suppose, however once all any other time, Shark proved me faulty. Sure, the hair wrapped spherical itself more, however I in truth did not obtain myself having to alter allotment sizes. The wand was once valid at winning at grabbing my hair, and the style lasted for the related amount of time.

Styling concentrator

Whereas I will’t articulate the utilization of the concentrator gave a vastly difference abilities from the sans-attachment dry, it did acquire a form of moisture out of my hair in below quarter-hour. I aloof had some frizz, however I tough dried my hair, so as that was once to be anticipated. Whereas or not it’s potentially the most redundant attachment since you do not want it to tough dry your hair, I might perchance well see a more directed air hurry having a time and build, particularly will occupy to you pair it with a brush. It does acquire parts for being immense shrimp and straightforward to retailer or pack.

It lowkey looks as if a vacuum attachment, however the styling concentrator gets the job accomplished.
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Oval brush

My reliable tier rating of hot air oval brushes I’ve tried is as follows: the Revlon One-Step, the 2nd abilities Airwrap, after which the Shark FlexStyle. Or not it’s not that the FlexStyler’s brush was once negative — I in truth in truth loved the design my hair came out, and I’m in most cases not an mountainous fan of my hair with out some defined waves or curls in it. I also loved that the barrel was once greater than that of the Airwrap, as it felt like I might perchance well acquire more quantity and prance in my hair.

My favourite fragment of my job is taking photos of myself (however seriously, my hair looks good).
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable

What got me was once the design it felt the utilization of this attachment with the swivel fragment of the homely. Working with a spherical brush to style your hair requires little bit of stress, and I might perchance well see and feel the homely on the Shark transferring ever so a bit. It was once by no approach ample to trigger ache, on the replacement hand it was once noticeable. Easy, I in truth can’t complain that noteworthy. Working in sections from 80 percent dry hair, it finest took me about 25 minutes to fully style my hair, and I cherished the implications.

Gallop brush

This was once my non-public least favourite attachment, mostly because all any other time, not so noteworthy partial to my hair straight. While you happen to shall be not in truth shopping for a ton of quantity, and opt gentle swish hair better than the relaxation, the hump brush will be your finest pal.

It was once immense easy to make use of, and did not yank or tug, which particularly impressed me because I in truth occupy forever knotty hair. I began from about 80 percent dry hair, though some sections had been more damp than others, and was once in a position to acquire perfectly 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 elephantine job.

Veritably, I could use a diffuser to give an total dry to my hair, then pixie diffuse — a approach where you let minute sections of hair fall into the bowl of the diffuser, scrunch upward, and preserve it into build for 15 to 30 seconds.

Although Dyson does offer a comb attachment for curly hair, there’s no diffuser for the Airwrap. This gave the Shark an mountainous edge, and was once one among the greatest factors in figuring out that it outperformed the product it was once made to dupe.

I’m not immense valid, and I in most cases finest streak for no subject percent dry hides that reality that I washed my hair valid sooner than I went out in public in the center of the afternoon. Although my course of can lean on the haphazard aspect, I cherished how noteworthy alter this diffuser gave me in styling my hair. I might perchance well alter the prongs to be long (Shark recommends this for roots/longer hair) or quick (for shorter hair or ends). The long prongs sort grabbing sections and of course retaining it for pixie diffusing so easy.

The Shark FlexStyle versus my normal diffusing machine.
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Having that alter not finest made the course of of styling more satisfying, however I mediate it in truth gave me greater results. For a fun, very un-scientific experiment, on one test I dried half of my hair with the FlexStyle and the diversified half of with my normal blow dryer and diffuser combo (a BabylissPro Nano Titanium and its matching diffuser). When I feeble the Shark, I had less anxiety retaining sections in the bowl of the diffuser, which led to more defined waves. I observed the longer prongs when entering into my root to dry with some take. Most of all, I loved I might perchance well carry out the total dry in dryer mode after which switch to wand mode for pixie diffusing.

No wand mode for the BabylissPro.
Credit score: Bethany Allard

The timing was once about the related, and all any other time the implications weren’t that diversified, on the replacement hand it made me, a devout air dryee, in truth are attempting to drag out a blow dryer more. Although Dyson does offer a comb attachment for curly hair, there’s no diffuser for the Airwrap. This gave the Shark an mountainous edge, and was once one among the greatest factors in figuring out that it outperformed the product it was once made to dupe.

Although I aloof foremost to circulation in with a hair oil to aloof the frizz, the left aspect (styled by the FlexStyle) had noticeably more defined waves than the incandescent (styled by my customary dryer).
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable

More reward for the total compose

The Shark’s homely is a bit bigger than the Dyson’s, however of course each are form of surprisingly vast whereas you first pull them out of the sphere. Eager on you would also twist the Shark, the additional wander and a half of or so made sense.

Weight-wise, the Dyson is ever so a bit lighter, with finest 24 oz on Shark’s 24.64 oz. I might perchance well tell a difference after I held each wands in either hand, however after I was once styling, I did not mediate twice about it.

One smaller replace that Shark made that I particularly preferred was once knocking down the barrel of the homely where the energy switch, air, and temperature buttons had been positioned. It made it immense easy to hit the cool shot button with out having a seek, or replace the air tempo after I was once diffusing my hair.

The flat aspect of the wand makes it easy to uncover the buttons with out having a seek.
Credit score: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Is the Shark FlexStyle worth it?

Very just like the Airwrap, the FlexStyle is just not an absolute a must occupy hair styling instrument, particularly will occupy to you already accumulate a blow dryer and a few hot instruments.

On the replacement hand, will occupy to you would even be having a seek to replace to hot air styling to abet your hair out for frequent styling, the FlexStyle is 100% worth it. Admittedly, I am any individual who would noteworthy rather accumulate more effort into their makeup than hair, however I found out myself attempting to style my hair more in most cases with the FlexStyle.

Although it has some minor flaws, at $270, those are noteworthy more uncomplicated to observe previous than those of the Airwrap. Between the FlexStyle and the Airwrap, or not it’s laborious for me to mediate a the explanation why you would opt for the latter unless you would even be into vast purchases for the sake of vast purchases, or will occupy to you would even be particularly true to Dyson. But if neither of those apply to you, then there’s a greater vacuum company making hair tech to throw an awfully much smaller amount of you money unhurried.

You might perchance well know Shark for their vacuums and not their hair merchandise, however clearly it’s some distance rarely very unlikely for a tag to efficiently sort that pivot. If any other tag is going to forge down Dyson’s course, we are going to apply and trace what they’re doing — particularly in the event that they’re offering this form of transparent Airwrap replacement.

I examined the FlexStyle for numerous weeks, so I might perchance well use each attachment no lower than once. After those numerous weeks, Shark requested to send me a brand new pattern, because the test pattern that they had despatched me sooner than begin did not near with an improved ALCI jog that was once supposed to lengthen the lifespan and sturdiness of the FlexStyle.

I retested each attachment on the more moderen pattern, and observed no difference in day-to-day efficiency. I also by no approach skilled any factors with the novel pattern, and a Shark spokesperson reassured me that the restricted desire of customers that did receive the older version of the product had their devices changed.

Finally, a quick profile of my hair, which persevered your whole attempting out: My hair is long, supreme, with waves that take a seat between a 2A and 2B pattern. Or not it’s inclined to dryness at the ends, and in most cases can preserve curled kinds for just a few day and straight kinds for one to two days, equipped that no water or humidity touches my hair.

  • Styling time: It is not crucial if or not it’s a groovy knowing, if curling your hair with hot air in preference to hot wands takes very much longer, we are going to wager it acquired’t take long sooner than you opt for the less healthy and more convenient design. Reckoning on the attachment, the FlexStyle took wherever from 10 to forty five minutes to style hair, retaining it fixed with diversified hot air stylers, timing-wise.

  • Heat settings: Every person’s hair is diversified, meaning they’ll withstand diversified temperatures. With that acknowledged, no one will occupy to aloof be blasting their hair with 400 diploma plus temps on the reg, unless they ask to take on some destroy. The FlexStyle measures and regulates temperature 1,000 cases per 2nd to sort sure the air temp is fixed and not overly negative to the hair. Handiest at its freshest surroundings did it initiate to feel in truth hot, however even then, not virtually as hot as any normal curling wand or straightener. The heart warmth surroundings was once in most cases better than ample to lock in kinds.

  • Range of attachments: A versatile hair instrument is finest beautiful noteworthy as good as its attachments. Although the Coanda air curling barrels are what draw many to this make of hot air styler, Shark in truth has a solid vary of styling instruments, from the conventional spherical brush, concentrated dryer, the diffuser, and the hump brush. It might perchance perchance well even be nice to peek some wider and narrower curling attachments in due course, however for their first iteration, one size is just not a negative build to initiate.

  • Storage: An all-in-one hair instrument loses out on its ease component if it turns precise into a anxiety to retailer. Like the Dyson Airwrap, the Flex Styler is sure to take in amount of plight. No longer just like the Airwrap, it would not near with a dedicated carrying case, which makes your whole storage course of loads less organized.

Bethany Allard is a having a seek reporter at Mashable covering beauty tech, dating, and sex and relationships. She graduated from Novel York College with a B.A. in Journalism and English Literature. You might perchance also apply her on Twitter @betallard and attain her by electronic mail at [email protected]

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