Since its 2018 launch, the Dyson Airwrap has been the go-to sizzling air multi-styler – if you happen to might afford it. However in 2022, Shark launched a (considerably) extra budget-friendly different, the FlexStyle.
The FlexStyle comes with an analogous variety of equipment – together with the well-known, and famously easy-to-use hot-air curlers, which Shark phrases auto-wrap curlers and Dyson, after all, calls its airwrap know-how.
Each stylers may give you an analogous vary of hair styling choices. However the best way they work and the equipment they arrive with are barely totally different. So, must you save your cash and go for the FlexStyle, or spend money on the Airwrap?
We examined each side-by-side to see how they examine. You possibly can learn our evaluations of the Airwrap and the FlexStyle for extra detailed ideas on each however for a comparability between the 2, learn on.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
What do you get if you purchase?
The very first thing to determine is, if you purchase certainly one of these multi-stylers, what do you truly get? Your hair sort might play a job in selecting between the 2 instruments.
Airwrap equipment
There are two choices if you purchase the Airwrap. You possibly can decide for the standard equipment – and we’ll inform you what’s in that in a second. Or, you may customise the instruments you need so that you get a set of equipment that can work along with your hair sort.
The way in which to do that is to go to the Dyson web site and take its quiz. After you’ve answered a collection of questions in your hair – its sort, size, thickness and talent to retain a method – Dyson will counsel a set of hair instruments.
It’s significantly vital to do that in case you have curly or coily hair, by which case among the commonplace instruments might not work properly for you.
Take the quiz at Dyson US or Dyson UK.
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However if you happen to go for the standard-issue equipment, that is what you’ll get:
- Corded deal with
- 30mm Airwrap barrel
- 40mm Airwrap barrel
- Agency smoothing brush
- Tender smoothing brush
- Spherical volumising brush
- Coanda smoothing dryer
- Filter cleansing brush
- Storage case
The Airwrap is available in plenty of color choices. These will change over time and you’ll have to buy round – and even wait round – to get the colourway you need.
FlexStyle equipment
The FlexStyle choices are a bit totally different and embrace methods to customize your equipment, but it surely varies relying on whether or not you’re within the UK or the US.
Within the US, patrons can select a straight and wavy set or a curly and coily set. These include an ordinary 4 equipment every. Or, for $20 much less, you may select the three styling equipment that greatest fit your hair sort. In addition to the equipment listed under, you may go for a large tooth comb, a spherical brush and two 0.95in curlers. All choices can be found from Shark.
UK patrons have the choice of a complete 5-in-1 equipment or a extra specialised (and £20 cheaper) 4 accent equipment for both straight and wavy or curly and coily hair. You possibly can see all of the choices on the Shark website.
The opposite possibility is to customise your FlexStyle kit. You’ll get to decide on 4 equipment and it additionally prices £20 lower than the 5 accent equipment. Nonetheless, there are not any quick and lengthy barrel choices for various hair lengths like there are for the Airwrap.
If you happen to go for the usual 5-in-1 equipment, these are the equipment you’ll get:
- Styling deal with/ hairdryer
- Two 1.25in auto-wrap curlers (every rotates in numerous instructions, for both facet of your face)
- Oval brush
- Paddle brush
- Diffuser
- Styling concentrator
The diffuser is a win for Shark, as Dyson doesn’t embrace this as an optionally available accent.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
There are solely two color choices: black and rose gold, or beige and gold. The black and rose gold colourway is the one one which comes with a storage case.
If you wish to purchase it individually, the case prices $49.99/ £39.99.
Which has the most effective options?
One of many key causes to purchase both styler is the new air curling tech. The rollers are far simpler to make use of than a conventional curling iron, as they use the Coanda airflow impact to attract a strand of hair across the roller. This implies they received’t burn both your fingers or your hair.
The button placement on the Dyson is extra intuitive, with the chilly shot positioned on the ability button, moderately than as a separate button that you must hunt for as on the FlexStyle. It additionally doesn’t assist that the buttons are proper on the backside of the FlexStyle’s deal with, as this isn’t the place you’d usually maintain the comb.
The FlexStyle can be louder than the Airwrap, which is surprisingly quiet.
Hannah Cowton & Henry Burrell / Foundry
Past that, the FlexStyle’s greatest function is its hair dryer transformation. A twist of the deal with turns it from a protracted styler into an easy-to-use, 7-shaped dryer. Nonetheless, the hinge signifies that the machine feels much less sturdy than the Airwrap.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
When it comes to equipment, the FlexStyle’s diffuser is adjustable for various lengths of hair, which is a pleasant contact.
Among the many Airwrap’s greatest options – and solely out there in newer fashions – are the curlers themselves. As an alternative of getting one which rotates clockwise and one anti-clockwise, because the FlexStyle does (and which may be simple to muddle up), you may change the path of rotation on the Airwrap’s curlers.
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
The Airwrap additionally wins hands-down in relation to the storage case. It’s a lot sleeker and better high quality than the one which’s appropriate with the FlexStyle – and it comes with each mannequin.
Weight and dimensions
The Dyson Airwrap measures 27 x 4 x 4.8cm (10.6 x 1.6 x 1.9in) and weighs 611g (1.3lbs) with the twine included.
The FlexStyle is a little more difficult to measure due to its twist design. Prolonged, it’s nearly 44cm (17.3in) with a diameter of 14.5cm (5.7in). In hair dryer type, it’s a compact 22cm (8.7in) lengthy. It weighs nearly 700g (1.5lbs), together with the twine and plug.
The Airwrap comes with a 2.62m (103in) swivel twine. The FlexStyle additionally has a swivel-set twine, which is 2.44m (96in).
Which performs greatest?
For the head-to-head, we pitted all of the attachments that each units have towards one another: the dryer attachments, the curling barrels (the 30mm model for Dyson), the straightening brushes (the delicate smoothing model for Dyson) and the blow-drying brushes.
Most individuals spend money on a sizzling air styler like these for the curling attachments. Dyson’s field consists of two measurement choices as commonplace, 30mm and 40mm. Nonetheless, Shark solely consists of one measurement possibility (clocking in at 31.75mm), which suggests much less versatility.
There are nonetheless two barrels, however it is because you must swap them out to vary the airflow path. The older Airwrap mannequin is like this – so bear that in thoughts if you happen to’re shopping for refurbished or sceondhand – however the model we examined has a brand new progressive construct that permits you to swap the airflow mid type. That’s a giant tick for Dyson.
Regardless of Shark’s device feeling hotter, the more practical airflow on the Dyson coaxed extra hair onto the barrel than the FlexStyle did. I used each instruments on excessive warmth and medium airflow, however I needed to whack up Shark’s machine to full, as I used to be not getting as a lot hair wrapped round it as I might have appreciated.
The left-hand facet of my head as you’re wanting on the picture under was styled utilizing the Airwrap, while the right-hand facet was achieved utilizing the FlexStyle. This was on hair that had been dampened to 80% dry, with warmth safety spray and a few salt spray for maintain.
Hair styled by the Dyson Airwrap (left facet of the picture) Vs Shark FlexStyle (proper facet of the picture)
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
The outcomes are largely comparable right here. Each give an honest stage of quantity and definition. Because of the barely larger measurement of the Shark barrel, the curls are ever so barely looser – however we’re fairly actually splitting hairs over how small the variations are.
For the stress take a look at, I went out and about on a sizzling night in London, and did a (comparatively sweaty) pilates class, for which I put my hair in a free ponytail. Listed here are the outcomes in spite of everything these actions, round 5 hours after initially styling:
Submit exercise – Hair styled by the Dyson Airwrap (left facet of the picture) Vs Shark FlexStyle (proper facet of the picture)
Hannah Cowton / Foundry
As you may see, my hair has dropped fairly a bit with each, as I’d anticipated. Nonetheless, there may be barely extra definition from the Dyson – though the smaller barrel might have helped with that.
In terms of drying your hair, the FlexStyle has the benefit. The progressive folding function makes navigating round your bonce a lot simpler, and there may be merely no denying that this machine feels hotter – and science dictates that extra warmth dries your hair sooner.
Science additionally tells us that extra warmth equals extra harm, so if the well being of your hair is a serious concern, the Airwrap is nearly actually the kinder device. The Airwrap can nonetheless dry my hair comparatively shortly, simply not fairly as speedily as Shark’s device.
The straightening brushes produced very comparable outcomes, though they don’t replicate the identical stage of sleekness as a flat iron. Shark’s brush head took much less time to run by means of my hair as a consequence of its bigger measurement, although the inclusion of the prickly bristles signifies that it isn’t fairly nearly as good at gliding by means of knots as Dyson’s brush.
The blowout brushes are fairly totally different designs. Dyson’s is principally like a small barrel brush that you simply’d usually use for blowdrying, while Shark’s is far bigger and appears to take inspiration from the Revlon OneStep, with a mixture of totally different bristles.
Whereas each give a beautiful bouncy look to the hair, the general end will come all the way down to your desire. If you need extra management over your flicks and the choice so as to add a number of free blow-dried curls, then the Airwrap is the winner for its compact measurement. It’s additionally higher if you happen to type your fringe/bangs this manner.
Nonetheless, if you happen to’d desire a sleeker blowout that takes much less time, the FlexStyle is the higher possibility – though this brush does really feel barely harsher on the hair than the Airwrap.
Total, the Airwrap has the sting in relation to longevity and efficiency, however solely simply. You’ll nonetheless get glorious outcomes from the FlexStyle.
Pricing and equipment
After studying our comparability rundown, it’s possible you’ll already know which multi-styler to go for. However if you happen to’re nonetheless undecided, their worth factors might sway you.
Airwrap
The Dyson Airwrap prices $599.99 within the US and we’ve discovered it in inventory at Dyson, Finest Purchase and Kohl’s. The mannequin mostly out there is for lengthy hair, however you may take the quiz at Dyson to customize your styling equipment.
Within the UK, the Airwrap will set you again £479.99 and it’s out there from Dyson, Very and Boots. However you may take the hair diagnostic take a look at at Dyson to customize your equipment.
FlexStyle
The FlexStyle is obtainable within the US from $259.99 if you happen to select your personal three equipment from Shark. For $299.99, you’ll get 4 equipment, and you’ll go for both the straight and wavy or the curly and coily set. You should purchase the FlexStyle from different retailers but it surely tends to be dearer and you’ll’t at all times get your alternative of equipment.
Within the UK, the FlexStyle begins from £269.99 for the 4 accent straight or curly units or the build your own mannequin, and goes as much as £299.99 for the 5 accent set with a case. You possibly can see all of the choices on the Shark website. We’d advise shopping for from Shark to get extra alternative – plus, there are common gross sales on that may get you cash off.
Emma Rowley / Foundry
Which is healthier: the Dyson Airwrap or the Shark FlexStyle?
Taking all issues into consideration, the Dyson Airwrap has the sting.
Like different merchandise from the model, it comes with a premium construct high quality that’s sturdier and extra intuitive than the FlexStyle. The truth that it produces much less warmth means it ought to be much less damaging to your hair, with out sacrificing on the longevity of fashion. The 30mm and 40mm barrels additionally imply you’ll get versatility when creating curls.
That being mentioned, the Airwrap is nearly double the value of the FlexStyle, so it’s solely an possibility if you happen to’re ready to make an funding. You’ll nonetheless get spectacular outcomes from Shark’s sizzling air device – and it could even be a greater possibility if you happen to wish to protect your pure waves or curls because of the diffuser attachment.
Nonetheless can’t make up your thoughts? Try our evaluations of the Airwrap and the FlexStyle. Or, for suggestions for extra hair care know-how, take a look at our round-ups of the most effective hair dryers and greatest hair straighteners we’ve examined.