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It has just as many bells and whistles
Dyson is known for producing high-quality, luxury hair tools — for example, our all-time favorite hair dryer, the Dyson Supersonic — and the brand’s products consistently have staggering price tags to match. One of Dyson’s priciest and most sought-after hairstyling tools is the Airwrap, a multi-styler that allows you to dry, straighten and curl your hair all with a single device.
Though there are lots of Airwrap dupes on the market that tout significantly lower price points than the item’s nearly $600 tag, one stands above the rest: the $300 Shark FlexStyle. The BestReviews Testing Lab put both products to the test and found the Shark FlexStyle offers nearly all the same features as the Dyson Airwrap for half the price.
Shop this article: Shark FlexStyle for Straight & Wavy Hair, Shark FlexStyle for Curly & Coily Hair and Dyson Airwrap
What is the Shark FlexStyle?
The Shark FlexStyle is a hairstyling tool that comes with five attachments, allowing you to create various hairstyles using a single device. Sans attachments, or with the smoothing concentrator attachment, it can be used as a fast, powerful hair dryer.
The Shark FlexStyle comes with two 1.25-inch barrel curling wands; one for the left side of your hair and one for the right side. These attachments use Coanda technology (the same as the Dyson Airwrap), which applies airflow to wrap your hair around the barrel. Rather than damaging heat plates, the FlexStyle uses hot air to style your tresses, and it claims to be non-damaging.
It also comes with a volumizing oval brush attachment, which can create a salon-like blowout. Depending on which attachment bundle you’ve chosen, there may be a diffuser attachment included (great for curly and coily hair types) or a straightening paddle brush.
The differences between the Shark FlexStyle and the Dyson Airwrap
Beyond the price, there are a few key differences between the Shark and Dyson products. While the FlexStyle comes with two curling attachments — one for the left side of your head and one for the right side — newer versions of the Airwrap include a single curling barrel that can curl hair in either direction thanks to the flip of a switch.
While some people prefer the convenience of a single curling barrel, in our tests, we actually found the dual barrels easier to use since it could be confusing to remember which way to flip the airflow for the desired look on the Airwrap.
While the Dyson Airwrap has three heat settings plus a cool shot, the Shark FlexStyle has four heat settings plus a cool shot. They both have three speed settings.
The Dyson Airwrap offers a greater selection and variety of attachments, most notably, various curling barrel sizes to help you create different types of curls.
Best Shark and Dyson hairstyling products:
Shark FlexStyle for Straight & Wavy Hair
This six-piece set allows you to dry, curl, volumize and straighten all hair types with a single tool. The FlexStyle is non-damaging to tresses because it maintains low heat while it styles hair. Attachments include a styling concentrator, two 1.25-inch curlers, a paddle brush and an oval brush.
Shark FlexStyle for Curly & Coily Hair
This FlexStyle bundle is designed with attachments tailored to curly and coily hair including a curl-defining diffuser. Beyond that, there is a styling concentrator, two curling attachments and a volumizing oval brush.
Dyson’s ultra-popular multi-styler allows you to dry, curl, shape and smooth hair, as well as hide flyaways, without causing heat damage to your strands. This bundle includes six attachments: a 1.2-inch-long curling barrel, a 1.6-inch-long curling barrel, a soft smoothing brush, a firm smoothing brush, a Coanda smoothing dryer and a round volumizing brush. A filter-cleaning brush and storage case are also included.
While the FlexStyle’s drying attachment is convenient, you may prefer a separate hair dryer that offers more features. This Shark HyperAir bundle includes three unique attachments — a styling concentrator, a diffuser and a styling brush — that are great for styling curly and coily hair types. The hair dryer uses intelligent heat control to measure heat up to 1,000 times per second so you never have to worry about extreme heat damage.
Shark FlexStyle Curl-Defining Diffuser
Various attachments for the Shark FlexStyle are also sold separately so you can create a custom attachment bundle tailored to your individual needs. This diffuser attachment is perfect for drying wavy, curly or coily hair without creating frizz or disrupting the curl pattern.
Shark SmoothStyle Heated Comb + Blow Dryer Brush
If you’re looking to create super-smooth and straight hairstyles, this heated brush will do the trick. It’s unique from other hot air brushes in that it contains heated smoothing combs (rather than solely using hot air) to straighten your strands. It can be used on wet or dry hair.
Prices listed reflect time and date of publication and are subject to change.
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