When the Dyson Airwrap launched in 2018, it created a hair tool phenomenon that has seen brands try to recreate the innovative styler in their own image. Revolution have launched the ‘hair wrap’, while there’s also a popular BaByliss styler and £30 Revlon dupe, but none of them have held a candle to the Dyson, really.
That is until the Shark Flexstyle came along in early Autumn, becoming the closest rival for the Airwrap for £200 less. Dyson’s coveted device comes in at £499.99, while Shark’s version is priced at £399.99 - but are either of them actually any good?
To help you work out where best to spend your money this Christmas, I’ve tested out both of the top-rated air stylers and there’s one for me that wins hands down.
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I pitted the Dyson Airwrap against the Shark Flexstyle in one of the biggest beauty head-to-heads - using both devices to curl either side of my hair with their Coanda technology, comparing them on appearance, price, performance and of course, the all important final results.
Before I get into the testing, here’s a little bit of background on both of the devices.
Dyson
Just two years after the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer hit the shelves, Dyson revealed the Dyson Airwrap styler, which once again adapted the format of traditional styling tools.
It took approximately 500 prototypes to perfect the curling barrels featured on the Dyson Airwrap styler. The innovative tool uses the Coanda effect by creating a spinning vortex of air around the cylindrical shaped barrels of the tool to curl the hair.
The barrels attract the hair through the airflow, encouraging hair to wrap itself around the barrel and curling it through the use of the air vortex.
Shark
Launched in 2022, the Shark Flexstyle acts as a versatile multi-styling tool which, with a single twist rotates between a powerful hair dryer and a 5-in-1 styling wand. It uses that same Coanda Technology that wraps, curls and sets automatically, using air power to wrap hair around the barrel.
Shark's launch comes as Shark Beauty embarks on a wider brand mission to champion hair diversity through the company's first global brand campaign, For All Hairkind. The campaign will spotlight all hair types and the unique stories they tell, with the goal of helping consumers embrace their hair – regardless of length, colour, thickness or texture – and explore its possibilities without compromising on hair health.
Prices
It’s no secret that these hair tools come as a pretty big investment. The Shark tool retails at £299.99 and is available in one colour, while the Dyson ranges from £479.99 for fuchsia, nickel and copper designs, or £499.99 for the brand new Vinca Blue and Rose, which was released just in time for Christmas.
Shoppers can save up to £200 by opting for the Shark - but do you get what you pay for? That’s something only a side-by-side comparison will find out.
Presentation and appearance
The Shark Flexstyle arrives in a sleek black case which zips around the centre to reveal the contents. Inside the stylish storage case, you’ll find the FlexStyle device , as well as a paddle brush, oval brush, styling concentrator, curl-defining diffuser and two curling barrels - one left and one right. It also comes with a handy style guide to offer tips and tricks to getting those curls to hold. It also features a handle making it easy to carry and transport.
But by comparison the Dyson Airwrap comes in a Beautiful Vinca Blue box that’s extremely tactile, although the lack of a handle makes it a bit clunky to carry around. The lid lifts off to reveal the device and attachments, which include the Coanda smoothing dryer, soft and firm smoothing brushes, 30mm and 40mm curling barrels, round volumising brush, filter cleaning brush and handy travel pouch.
Using the Dyson and Shark Devices
To test out the Shark and Dyson devices, I dried my hair to roughly 80 per cent, letting the curlers work the rest of the magic.
I selected the 30mm barrel for the Dyson, as it seemed to be the most similar in size to that of the Shark.Setting them both up was quick and easy - the attachments just slot into the opening at the top and release at the push of a button.
The first noticeable difference was the weight of the devices. Even without the barrel attached, the Shark is a lot heavier than the Dyson fully assembled. It makes you wonder how they pack so much technology into something that weighs the same as a box of Cornflakes.
I used the Shark on the left side of my hair, and the Dyson on the right, and using them is really like watching magic happen as small sections of hair wrap around the barrel.
I noticed that the Shark picks up the hair a fraction faster than the Dyson, however, you have to hold it for longer to get it to curl and set, meaning it’s marginally faster to use the Dyson product. I had both tools on their highest heat settings, and felt that Shark’s was just that bit too hot, so had to turn it down half way through.
With the Dyson, I really like the ergonomic design, which has better access to the cool shot button, with all of the settings in one place on the handle. With the Shark, you have to do a lot of stretching and feeling about for the cool shot, which is situated higher up the handle than all of the other settings.
Results
The winner was clear the second I looked at the finished results in the mirror. One side of my hair had dropped quite dramatically already, while the other was light, smooth and bouncy.
The left side - completed by the Shark - didn’t look half as smooth as the right side created by the Dyson Airwrap, and the Dyson curls were much tighter, looking and feeling like a real salon blow out.
Final verdict
For me, the Dyson wins for a number of reasons. Aesthetically, it’s a very pretty device and really looks the part. It’s lightweight, and has a seamless and well thought out design that makes switching from hot to cool a breeze, if you’ll pardon the pun.
It creates beautiful salon-worthy curls in minutes, leaving my hair looking smooth and bouncy. Had I left the salon with my hair looking as it did on the right, I’d have been very pleased.
What’s more is that there’s no need to faff around swapping barrels for different curl directions, like you do with the Shark. There’s a little toggle on the top of the barrel that will change the direction of the airflow, so you only need to use one.
Of course, Shark’s FlexStyle does have the benefit of a much lower price and offers similar results. However, I found that my hair still looked quite frizzy and the curls dropped quickly. I’m sure with the help of styling products a smoother look that holds better could be achieved, but I can’t help but feel that when you spend hundreds of pounds on a device, it should do all that heavy lifting for you.
What I do like about the Shark that the Dyson doesn’t have is that you can twist the handle to be on an angle, which makes it ideal for drying. It’s got an extremely powerful hairdryer which I’ve been using frequently, but unfortunately the curling attachments just aren’t as good as the ones from Dyson, I’ve found.
Where to buy?
These hair tools go out of stock as quickly as the hit the shelves. But here are a few places you can try in the lead up to Christmas.
These are the retailers that currently have the Airwrap in stock.
And here's where you can pick up the Shark:
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