Our verdict
Buy the Shark FlexStyle — it delivers the same core Coandă-effect curling, holds a 4.2-star average across thousands of reviews, and costs roughly a third of the Dyson's price. The Dyson Airwrap Complete Long is still the gentler, better-built premium tool — it runs cooler and styles long hair more smoothly — but unless you style daily and price is no object, the Shark gives you the overwhelming majority of the result for far less money.
Check Shark FlexStyle price on AmazonOur top picks
#1Best Overall
Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System (HD430)
The same Coandă curling trick as the Dyson at a fraction of the price — and it twists into a real hair dryer the Airwrap can't match.
Check price on Amazon#2Premium Pick
Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler Complete Long
The original and still the gentlest — lower heat, longer barrels, and a more refined finish for long hair. The price is the entire argument against it.
Check price on Amazon#3Best Budget
Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus
Not a true multi-styler, but the budget escape hatch: a 4.4-star daily blowout for roughly a tenth of the Dyson's price.
Check price on AmazonThe Shark FlexStyle vs Dyson Airwrap debate is the defining question in premium hair styling right now. Both are air stylers that dry damp hair and wrap it around a barrel with airflow — the Coandă effect — so no hot clamp ever touches your hair. And both cost real money: the Dyson sits around $600–650, while the Shark typically runs $200–300 on sale.
The honest question isn’t whether the Dyson is better. It’s whether it’s roughly three times the price better. Here’s what aggregated verified buyer reviews, spec comparisons, and independent side-by-side testing actually say.
This comparison is drawn from aggregated verified buyer reviews, bestseller data, and spec comparisons — not hands-on testing. Scores are our editorial ratings, informed by verified buyer-review averages.
1. Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System — Best Overall
The FlexStyle’s headline trick is a 180-degree twist: the body rotates from a straight styling wand into an L-shaped hair dryer. Attach one of the 1.25-inch auto-wrap curlers and the Coandă effect pulls hair around the barrel the same way the Dyson’s does. Swap to the oval brush, paddle brush, or concentrator and it dries, smooths, and volumizes. Shark says the tool measures and regulates temperature 1,000 times per second to hold a consistent air temperature — the practical result, per buyers, is fast drying at lower heat than a conventional dryer.
At ~1.5 pounds with four heat settings and three airflow settings, buyers with straight, wavy, curly, and coily hair report solid results — it holds a 4.2-star average across several thousand ratings on review trackers. The number-one thing buyers say: it replaced two or three tools on their counter. Deal coverage regularly notes it hits ~$200 on sale — less than a third of the Dyson.
✅ Pros
- Coandă curling genuinely close to the Dyson’s, per buyer comparisons
- Twists into a real hair dryer — the single biggest practical edge over the Dyson
- 4 heat / 3 airflow settings across all hair types
- Regularly ~$200 on sale; 4.2-star average across thousands of reviews
❌ Cons
- Runs hotter overall than the Dyson; fine or damaged hair needs the lower settings
- Auto-wrap curlers have a learning curve — expect a few practice sessions
- Two curlers curl opposite directions, which some buyers find fiddlier than the Dyson’s bidirectional barrel
Best for: Anyone who wants Coandă curls plus a real dryer in one tool, at a sane price.
2. Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler Complete Long — Premium Pick
The original air styler, and still the benchmark. The Airwrap’s Coandă effect wraps hair around the barrel using airflow at controlled moderate temperatures — measurably gentler than the heated brush pressed against your hair in a traditional dryer brush, and, per buyer comparisons, cooler-running than the Shark too. The “Complete Long” kit includes longer barrels designed for hair past the chest, plus smoothing and volumizing brushes, so one tool covers curls, waves, sleek blowouts, and root volume.
Buyers rate it strongly — a 4.6 synthesized average across 60,000+ aggregated reviews, 4.7 at Best Buy — and the most consistent praise is the same thing every time: it’s the gentlest way to get curls and blowouts at home. The most consistent complaint is also the same: the price.
✅ Pros
- Lowest heat exposure of any air styler — the key reason buyers upgrade
- Longer barrels purpose-built for long hair; smoother results on longer lengths
- Six attachments cover curls, smoothing, volumizing, and drying
- Strong long-term reviews; buyers report it holds up for years
❌ Cons
- ~$600–650 — the single biggest objection in every review thread
- Never becomes a true hair dryer; the Fast Dryer is an attachment, not a dryer
- Curling barrels have a real learning curve, same as the Shark’s
- Replacement attachments are expensive if you lose or break one
Best for: Long hair, daily stylers, and heat-damage worriers for whom price is secondary.
3. Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus — Best Budget
The budget escape hatch. The One-Step is an oval-headed dryer brush that smooths and volumizes in a single pass — not a Coandă multi-styler, so it can’t do what either headliner does with curls. But for the everyday “dried and presentable” blowout, it holds a 4.4-star average across a huge verified review base at roughly a tenth of the Dyson’s price. We covered it in depth in our Dyson Airwrap vs Revlon One-Step breakdown.
✅ Pros
- Around a tenth of the Dyson’s price for a comparable daily blowout
- Dead simple — no attachments, no learning curve
- 4.4-star average across a huge verified review base
❌ Cons
- Can’t produce the Coandă curls that define the Shark and Dyson
- Real heat styling — fine hair should stay on low settings
- One fixed brush head; no versatility
Best for: Buyers whose whole job is a fast daily blowout, not curls.
Category Verdicts
Curling → Tie. Both use the Coandă effect; both need damp hair and a learning curve. The Dyson’s bidirectional barrel is slicker for long hair, the Shark’s two curlers cover the same ground for less money.
Drying → Shark wins clearly. The FlexStyle twists into an actual dryer. The Airwrap never does — its Fast Dryer attachment works, but it’s not the same tool.
Heat damage → Dyson wins. This is the one category reviewers consistently hand to the Dyson: cooler running, more controlled heat. The Shark’s temperature regulation is good, but buyers with fine or damaged hair notice the difference.
Ease of use → Tie. Both frustrate first-timers. The auto-wrap mechanism takes several sessions to master on either tool — plan on practice before judging either one.
Versatility → Shark wins on paper. Both are multi-stylers, but only the Shark is also a proper dryer. One tool genuinely replaces three on your counter.
Value → Shark wins decisively. Buyers land here overwhelmingly: the Shark delivers the core of the Dyson experience at roughly a third of the price. The Dyson’s premium buys gentler heat, better long-hair results, and Dyson build — worth it for daily stylers, not for everyone else.
Who Should Buy Which
Buy the Shark FlexStyle if you want Coandă curls and a real dryer in one tool, you’re not styling daily, or you just can’t justify $600+ for a hair tool. It’s the sensible default for most buyers — and at ~$200 on sale, it’s the pick we recommend first.
Buy the Dyson Airwrap if you style almost daily, you have long or damage-prone hair and want the gentlest option available, or you genuinely use multiple styling tools that one Airwrap could replace. The price is real; so is the quality.
Buy the Revlon One-Step if curls aren’t the point. For a fast daily blowout at a budget price, reviewers say it’s genuinely hard to beat.
Prices and availability change frequently — click through to Amazon for current pricing. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Related: our Dyson Airwrap vs Revlon One-Step breakdown for the premium-vs-budget angle, our best hair dryer brushes for fine hair roundup if fine hair is your concern, and our 5 best heatless curlers that actually work if you’d rather skip heat entirely.
Compare all 3 picks
| Product | Our rating | Price tier | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shark FlexStyle Air Styling & Drying System (HD430) | $$$ | Best Overall | |
| Dyson Airwrap Multi-Styler Complete Long | $$$$ | Premium Pick | |
| Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus | $$ | Best Budget |
Frequently asked questions
Is the Shark FlexStyle as good as the Dyson Airwrap?
For curling and volumizing, buyer reviews say it's close: both use Coandă airflow to wrap hair without extreme heat. The Dyson edges ahead on lower heat exposure, longer barrels for long hair, and a more refined finish — but at roughly 3× the price. Most buyers comparing the two conclude the Shark is the better value, and the Dyson is the better tool if money is no object.
Can the Shark FlexStyle work as a regular hair dryer?
Yes — that's one of its clearest advantages over the Dyson. The FlexStyle's body twists into a full dryer shape with a styling concentrator attachment; the Dyson Airwrap needs its Fast Dryer attachment and never becomes a true dryer. If you want one tool that dries fast AND styles, the Shark is the more practical single-tool pick.
Does the Shark FlexStyle cause heat damage?
Less than traditional hot tools. Shark says the FlexStyle measures and regulates air temperature 1,000 times per second to keep heat consistent, and the curlers use airflow rather than hot plates. But it's still heat styling — reviewers with very fine or damaged hair note the Dyson runs cooler overall. Use heat protectant with either tool, and start on the lower heat settings.
Which is better for long hair: Shark FlexStyle or Dyson Airwrap?
The Dyson Airwrap Complete Long is the better long-hair tool — its extended barrels are specifically sized for hair past the chest, and reviewers with long hair report smoother results. The Shark's 1.25-inch auto-wrap curlers work on long hair but take more sections. If your hair is long and you curl regularly, this is the one category where the Dyson's premium genuinely shows.
Should I just buy a cheaper multi-styler instead of both?
If your budget is under $100, the honest answer is yes — sort of. The Revlon One-Step Volumizer Plus is a 4.4-star daily blowout at a budget price, but it's a dryer brush, not a true multi-styler: it can't produce the Coandă curls that define both the Shark and the Dyson. If curls matter to you, save for the Shark; if blowouts are the whole job, the Revlon covers it.