Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links and the product featured was provided for review.Recently I reviewed the
SpeedStyle hair dryer from
Shark Beauty. So today I wanted to share with you another hair tool from the brand. Currently the best-selling product from Shark Beauty, the
Shark FlexStyle Hair Blow Dryer & Multi-Styler (C$349.99) is a multi-use hair dryer and hair styler that directly competes with the Dyson Airwrap. To read all about this innovative product, click......
The Design:With a sleek, satin champagne finish, the Shark Beauty Shark FlexStyle has a tubular wand shape similar to the Dyson Airwrap. The "flex" in the name comes from its unique feature, which allows the head of the device to twist and lock into a 90° angle, resembling a more traditional and ergonomic hair dryer design.
By unlocking and twisting the head into its original position, the Shark FlexStyle turns back into a straight wand, allowing the attachment of various stylers to smooth, volumize, or curl the hair. The overall design of Shark FlexStyle feels quite luxurious. It's fairly compact given its various functions and it's not very heavy. However, one of the few minor design flaws is the swivel feature. Although it's simple to switch between the two positions, once locked in either the wand or dryer orientation, the head still shifts ever so slightly in place. This proves to be a bit of a nuisance, especially when using the oval or paddle brush attachments, during which pressure would be applied onto the wand itself.
The device has four controls near the base of the wand: a cool shot button, a speed button, a heat button, and an on/off switch. Additionally, there are two lock switches near the top of the head: one for locking/unlocking attachments and one for switching between the wand and dryer positions. All the buttons and switches are appropriately placed, preventing accidental adjustments of any settings.
Lastly, the Shark FlexStyle has a filter at the base of the wand. I initially thought that the filter cover was not removable. However, you just have to grip and pull it down to clean the inner filter. It actually takes quite a bit of strength to do this so don't be surprised on your first try.
The Technology:As mentioned in my review of the Shark SpeedStyle, Shark doesn't clearly disclose the spin speed/air flow of its hair tools and the same is the case with the Shark FlexStyle. Therefore, judging based on my user experience, the Shark FlexStyle seems on par with the Shark SpeedStyle. This means that it's noticeably weaker than the
Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer and the
InfinitiPRO by Conair DigitalAIRE Hair Dryer. Similar to the Dyson Airwrap, the Shark FlexStyle is more geared towards those looking for a multi-purpose styling tool. So if you are looking for the strongest hair dryer, then you will probably be a bit disappointed.
The Shark FlexStyle does get fairly hot as compared to your average hair dryer but the device regulates its temperature 1000 times per second to prevent hair damage. Additionally, the flower-patterned grill prevents hot spots and ensures even heating. Lastly, what's worth noting is that unlike the SpeedStyle, the FlexStyle does not have a smart IQ feature. This means that when a different attachment is inserted, the device does not auto-adjust its speed or heat to complement that particular attachment. Manual adjustments are required and a little styling guide is included with the device.
Several attachments are available with the Shark FlexStyle and I have here a handful of them. First up is a pretty standard concentrator. Not much to say here. Next up is the paddle brush. This helps smooth and straighten the hair during styling.
Next, we have an oval brush. This attachment helps smooth and volumize the hair while adding a bit of bounce.
Last but certainly not least are the auto-wrap curlers. Utilizing the same Coanda airflow seen with the Dyson Airwrap, these curler attachments automatically wrap the hair around the barrel to create easy curls. However, unlike the Dyson Airwrap, the Shark FlexStyle cannot switch the direction of the airflow which means that to change the direction of your curls, you have to manually switch between the two auto-wrap curler attachments (they are denoted "right" and "left" as can be seen in the image below). This is a pretty big drawback in my opinion as changing the attachments constantly is a big hassle unless you decide to only do one direction on one side of the head and the other on the other side. Additionally, this attachment gets pretty darn hot so switching it even a few times proves to be a big nuisance.
Given that the curling feature is probably the biggest draw of the Shark FlexStyle, the lack of the ability to easily change airflow direction is a major flaw. Granted, the Shark Flexstyle is much more affordable at C$350 (and sometimes on sale for less) while the Dyson Airwrap is C$800. However, this is one of the few instances where I feel that investing in the higher-priced item (if you are able to) is worth it. Simply put, the Shark FlexStyle is certainly not the best hair dryer on the market and while the twisting feature makes the device more ergonomic than the Dyson Airwrap, the curling feature is severely lacking.
