A decent hair styler allows you to kiss goodbye to hoarding countless tools and simplify your hair routine.
With the Dyson Airwrap and Shark Flexstyle dominating beauty headlines since their respective launches in 2018 and 2022, we’re keen to know what really separates the premium all-in-one hair dryer and stylers.
We’ve dived into the specs of the Dyson Airwrap vs Shark Flexstyle, and highlighted the main differences (and any notable similarities) to help you decide between the two.
Or if you’d prefer to stick with a Dyson, visit our Dyson Airwrap vs Dyson Supersonic comparison guide instead.
Price and Availability
The Dyson Airwrap is the more expensive of the two styling tools, with an RRP of £399/$399. However, the Airwrap does come with an assortment of styling attachments and, depending on the bundle options, a travel case too.
With an RRP of £279.99, the Shark Flexstyle is much cheaper in comparison. Like the Dyson Airwrap, you can expect a selection of attachments and a travel case alongside the tool itself.
Both use Coanda technology for styling
The main reason to opt for a Dyson Airwrap or Shark Flexstyle is that, instead of relying on extreme heat which is damaging to hair, both use Coanda technology to achieve different styles.
Known as the Coanda effect, this technology is an “aerodynamic phenomenon” which uses air to pull hair towards the tool and shape it accordingly. The benefit of Coanda is that it not only offers better control when styling hair, but its reliance on air rather than heat means less damage occurs.
Both come with similar attachments
Another key similarity with the hair tools comes with their versatility. Not only can both the Dyson Airwrap and Shark Flexstyle be used as hair dryers, but they each come equipped with various attachments to create specific styles.
While as standard, the Dyson Airwrap comes with 30mm and 40mm-sized curling barrels, a smoothing dryer attachment, firm brush, diffuser and a volumising brush, you can buy additional attachments to personalise your tool further. For example, you can invest in a wide tooth comb attachment for stretched blow outs or choose different sized barrels for looser or tighter curls.
The Shark Flexstyle also comes equipped with five attachments as standard, including curling barrels, a paddle brush, styling concentrator, curl-defining diffuser and an oval brush. Similarly to the Dyson Airwrap, additional attachments can be purchased separately, like wide-tooth combs and the FrizzFighter tool which smooths hair while it dries.
There’s also an option to “pick and mix” your Shark Flexstyle, and select four attachments that best suit your hair. This option is particularly ideal for anyone with curly or coily hair, who wouldn’t need the curling barrels for example.
One slight issue with the Flexstyle is with its curling barrels. While the Airwrap allows you to create curls in both directions, with just a twist of the heat-protected cool tip, annoyingly the Flexstyle requires you to swap the barrels when you need to style the other side of your hair.
Shark Flexstyle has a higher wattage
Generally speaking, a higher wattage on a hair styling tool means it sports a stronger airflow and results in hair drying faster. With this in mind, it’s worth pointing out that the Shark Flexstyle has a wattage of 1400W while the Dyson Airwarp’s is slightly lower at 1300W.
Otherwise, both tools sport three airflow speeds which allows you to adjust how quickly your hair dries according to your desired style and three temperature settings too.
Shark Flexstyle measures heat up to 1000 times per second
To ensure it doesn’t get too hot over time, the Shark Flexstyle measures heat up to a whopping 1000 times per second. Shark explains this ensures the Flexstyle’s temperature remains consistent and offers gentle drying with “more smoothness and shine” when compared to air drying.
While the Dyson Airwrap measures heat too, it does this at just 40 times per second. Although 40 compared to 1000 may seem like an enormous difference, in reality this should be more than enough to ensure the hair tool doesn’t over heat.
Dyson Airwrap is lighter
When styling hair, you don’t want to be lumbered with a heavy tool that weighs you down. If you do struggle with holding heavier items, especially for a prolonged period of time, then the Dyson Airwrap might suit you better as it weighs just 611g. The Shark Flexstyle, on the other hand, weighs just under a heftier 700g.
Having said that, it’s worth noting that neither tool is particularly lightweight, so the newer Dyson Airwrap ID might be worth considering as it’s slightly lighter at 595g.
Verdict
As it’s the cheaper of two, includes the same number of attachments and uses Coanda technology, the Shark Flexstyle is a great option for anyone who wants a more affordable way to style their hair.
Having said that, the Dyson Airwrap is also packed with thoughtful features such as the ability to curl your hair in both directions without swapping attachments and is easier to hold as it’s slightly lighter.
