Review Dyson Airwrap vs Shark Flexstyle Hair Styler 2023

This article is part of our series Battle of brandswhere we compare category leaders with similar products to determine which products are truly worth your money.

The all-in-one styler technology has truly changed the game of at-home styling, and it’s coincidental that the two major vacuum cleaner brands are also leading the way in innovative hair tools. The Dyson Airwrap Complete Versatile Styling Kit and the Shark Flexstyle Air Styling & Drying System allow users to take salon-grade results home with a range of styling features and accessories. Both tools combine blow-drying and styling technology to streamline your routine, so you can dry, style, and fix your hair with just one device.

On the surface, Airwrap and Flexstyle have more similarities than differences — but let’s see how they measure up.

Dyson’s Airwrap uses enhanced Coanda airflow technology to make styling amazingly quick and easy, whether you’re looking for a straight and sleek look or a voluminous and bouncy look.

The all-in-one hair dryer, curler, volume and smoother, Shark Flexstyle also uses the Coanda effect for smart styling.

Airwrap and Flexstyle are versatile styling tools that offer similar features. Both advertise themselves as better hot tool alternatives for hair than traditional hair dryers, curlers or smoothing systems thanks to their thermometric technology. According to Dyson, Airwrap measures airflow temperature more than 40 times per second, ensuring that the unit stays below 302 degrees Fahrenheit. Flexstyle also continuously measures airflow temperature (Shark says 1,000 times per second) and has a setting set to no heat so you can use the appliance to speed up the air drying time.

In terms of interface, both are sleek and sophisticated. They take up the same amount of space; however, the Airwrap comes with a convenient carrying case to organize the accessories and included gear between uses. Before we start comparing attachments, let’s take a look at the respective device specs.

I tested the tools in parallel using the Shark Flexstyle on the left side of the head and the Dyson Airwrap on the right side of the head. Because my hair is naturally straight, thick, and very long, I’m usually lazy to style and choose to blow-dry most days because it takes a lot of time and effort to create a complete hairstyle. I find both tools easy to use and durable, and it’s very easy to switch from one attachment to the next, making it feel like a smooth process, rather than an involved one. with separate steps.

Airwap and Flexstyle both have a hair dryer feature, allowing you to cut down on the amount of hairdressing equipment in your routine. (These two brands also happen to make technology-controlled hair dryers, Dyson Ultrasonic Hair Dryer and Shark HyperAir Hair Dryer.) Airwrap has a Coanda smoothing dryer attachment, while Flexstyle’s dryer is built into the body of the device and then comes with dryer attachments of your choice based on your hair type (hair kit. straight and wavy hair comes with a blow dryer, while the set for curly and frizzy hair comes with a concentrator and diffuser but no smoothing brush). Both recommend starting with towel-dried hair, then drying your hair to 80% before using another styling accessory to complete your look. Each device dried my hair to that 80% state in about 5 minutes, using the maximum temperature and speed settings.

Between the two, the Flexstyle’s drying performance impressed me the most. To activate the hair dryer, the top part of the appliance rotates and is fixed at an angle. This gives more control over your hairstyle and is almost like holding a standard hair dryer.

Since my hair is straight, I often use the concentrator attached to my regular hair dryer to keep it soft. Having a concentrator attachment on Flexstyle gives it the same functionality and controllability.

On the other hand, Airwrap’s Coanda dryer attachment isn’t quite as intuitive. It has two modes, Drying and Smoothing, with the latter using Coanda technology. The Dry mode has a concentrated flow of air, but it doesn’t offer as much control as I’m used to with a regular hair dryer. According to Dyson, the Smoothing mode is for dry hair, is best for straight or naturally wavy hair and will help tame frizzy hair. However, with Airwrap’s other smoothing accessories, I didn’t find it necessary to use this on already dry hair, and tried the Smoothing mode instead to dry my hair. Although my hair looks straight and silky, I haven’t noticed any major difference from how it looks after using a standard blow dryer.

Flexstyle has one paddle brush attachment with short and long bristles, while Airwrap has two, the Soft smoothing brush and the Firm smoothing brush. I used these to finish my regular straight hairstyle on 80% dry hair, after using the dryer attachments.

On Dyson smoothing attachments, the airflow is more concentrated and uses Coanda technology to work through the hair, however, the Flexstyle’s dual long hairs hold my hair the tightest of any smoothing attachment. . Overall, there aren’t any major differences in the end result across devices — both deliver a clean, straight look.

To add volume to your work, Flexstyle offers an oval brush with a large barrel, while the Airwap has a round volume up brush. Flexstyle’s inflated attachments are more like fan-favorite attachments Revlon One-Step Volumizerwhile Airwap’s barrel is closer to the traditional round brush.

Again, I tested these on 80% dry hair. I’ve noticed that the Dyson’s smaller barrel produces more defined curls, making my hair look fuller and bouncier. Shark’s barrel did add some volume and a bit of curl to my ends, but not any super defined style. Since I have thick hair, I imagine Flexstyle will make more of a noticeable difference on fine hair.

For me, Dyson definitely won this round. The round brush is easy to use and creates a sleek contour without much effort — I really love the results every time. In the past, I’ve tried controlling the round brush with a traditional hair dryer and it’s always stuck. My hair would get tangled up in the comb and I would eventually give up and just keep my hair straight. Airwrap’s round drying brush combines two steps and my hair pulls out easily. I never thought I could blow my own haze in less than 15 minutes, but here we are!

The Coanda effect curler is what does the magic for these hair curlers. Both the Shark and Dyson have this technology, which automatically wraps hair around the curler’s barrel as the airflow dries and fixes the hair. Unlike my younger wand curlers (those that come with gloves to protect your hands when you hold your hair in the 400 degree tool), no worries about burning any digits with these tools. Flexstyle has two 1.25-inch barrels that direct the curls clockwise or counter-clockwise. Previous Airwrap models also had separate bins for redirecting curls, but the current version can redirect hair wraps in a single barrel (a knob can be turned on the top to select direction). The Airwrap now comes in two barrel sizes, 1.2 inch and 1.6 inch, both with this swivel head. Dyson also offers two lengths of curlers, including one made specifically for long hair. For this story, I tested the Airwrap’s 1.2-inch barrel with the Flexstyle’s flex barrel, as they are the closest in size.

As with other accessories, Flexstyle and Airwrap provide essentially the same functionality as curlers. However, I found that the Dyson handled my thick hair much better than the Shark. I can style my hair with Airwrap on medium speed, high heat, work in 1-inch sections, and it creates voluminous, bouncy curls. For the Flexstyle, I started with the same settings – medium speed, high heat, 1-inch sections – but had to switch to high speed because it had trouble wrapping my hair. Even then, the curls are not as defined as with Airwrap.

By the end of the day, the Airwrap-styled side had stretched into waves, while the Flexstyle-styled side had looked almost straight.

While the Flexstyle’s hair-drying feature is superior to the Airwrap, the Dyson’s device is far superior overall. Airwrap’s ability to create the next pro-level styles that last — in less than 20 minutes — is truly impressive.

Considering the hair type, I can see that Flexstyle will suit thinner and lighter hair. Since I have thick and heavy hair – and a lot of it – it usually takes more time and effort to style.

Of course, the budget comes into play. With the Airwap costing twice as much as the Flexstyle, I would still recommend Shark’s option for those looking for a more budget-friendly multi-style tool.