Water flossers appear to be gaining popularity by the day. With a new era of technologically infused dental hygiene routines, the water flosser feels like the next logical step. After all, if your toothbrush is already vibrating or spinning to clean between the tougher crevices and gaps, why not make flossing a little easier too?
The Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser is admittedly the first one that I’ve ever used, and while I floss relatively regularly, I had never really considered one until this review. With a fresh perspective, I have a few thoughts.
Firstly, it’s a great alternative to physical flossing, which can be annoying and sometimes painful. It certainly gets between the teeth and leaves the mouth feeling clean. It has a few options to choose from, which are all easily accessible with the touch of a button.
While I’ll get into a few of my gripes later in this review, I simply can’t get past how pricey this is in the Australian market. At A$229.95, it’s certainly on the expensive end as far as water flossers go, but lacks some of those premium features like a larger water tank, primarily due to its portable nature.
Design
From a design perspective, the AirPump A10 is both stylish and compact. While I don’t consider it an issue, there really isn’t much to it. I like the green option, which we reviewed here, but the AirPump A10 is also available in grey. There isn’t much else apart from the power button on the side and the light-up ring on the front that changes colour based on your current flossing mode.
Set up is easy, too. In the box, you’ll find the main unit, two nozzle heads (a standard nozzle and a nozzle with a slimmer tip for orthodontics), and a USB-C charging cable. Simply choose your nozzle, pop it into the slot on top and press the power button around the side. Then open the small latch near the nozzle and fill it up with water. There’s even a clear strip on the bottom right of the unit indicating the water level. The water tank even doubles as a slot for the nozzle when you’re done, helping the unit feel much more compact.
Overall, it’s light and portable, and fits in the palm of your hand. It’s certainly the main selling point of the AirPump A10, as you’ll find most other water flossers get much bigger than this.
Performance
The AirPump A10 is a perfectly fine water flosser that does the job one way or another. After pressing the power button to begin flossing, you can hold the power button to change between one of three modes, being Standard (indicated by an orange light), Soft (indicated by a blue light) or Massage (indicated by a green light).
Out of the box, the Standard mode took me by surprise for a few reasons. It’s mainly too intense, and while it didn’t hurt much, it made a mess all over my mirror as it sprayed out of my mouth.
I found that after a couple of attempts, the Soft mode was a little too soft, and in turn settled for the Massage option that gave just the right amount of pressure and was a little easier to manage in the mouth and between each of the teeth.
You’re essentially moving the flosser between each of your teeth, as the AirPump A10 utilises bursts of air to pump water out in a pulsing motion. It might take a little while for some to get used to it, but I found that after a few days, it felt quite natural.
That being said, while I managed to get the mess down to a minimum, I could never eliminate it altogether. I understand we’re only talking about water here, but it does feel like a trade-off, as you want a water flosser to be powerful enough to shoot water between your teeth.
It’s also a little noisy, and while this can be minimised by closing your mouth, it then becomes impossible to gauge how well you’re flossing. It’s certainly these moments where you’ll question if it’s right for you, as regular flossing is undoubtedly much quieter.
While I feel it does a decent job at flossing around all areas of the mouth, I can say that it’s much better for the gumline as opposed to directly in between the teeth. It’s not to say the AirPump A10 can’t get between the teeth, but it usually takes a couple of attempts to clear through, depending on your positioning and angle, which causes you to refill that smaller 45 mL water tank a little sooner.
The AirPump A10 also comes with an IPX7 waterproof rating, meaning it’s easy to use in the shower, and you won’t have to stress about getting water all over it when you refill.
Finally, Oclean suggests the AirPump A10 lasts for a whopping 40 days on a single charge, which is seriously impressive. When testing the battery life of any device, I always charge it fully before using it. After using the AirPump A10 daily for almost three weeks now, I have yet to recharge it.
Verdict & Value
The Oclean AirPump A10 Water Flosser is a decent compact alternative to water flossing, based on some of the larger options out there. Along with its impressive battery life and multiple flossing modes, it’s a solid choice.
However, I left this particular issue until now because while it doesn’t have much to do with the product itself, it does affect the overall score and general impressions. I’ll give it credit, as at the time of writing, it is on sale.
But generally speaking, the AirPump A10 costs a whopping $229.95 here in Australia. There’s no other way around it; it’s an expensive option as far as water flossers are concerned. And with that, it opens itself up to more premium options that come with larger water tanks or more attachments, for example.
For the right price, it’s still a worthy option. But it may involve waiting for the right price for this to make its point.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Multiple flossing options; Easy to set up and use; Fantastic battery life
Lowlights: Standard flossing mode is a little too intense; RRP is steep in Australia
Manufacturer: Oclean
Price: $229.95
Available: Now
Review based on unit supplied by Oclean.
