WaterpikSidekick Portable Water Flosser, Perfect for Travel & Home, ADA Accepted, White/Chrome WF-04

After learning the hard way the cost of neglecting the highest degree of oral hygiene, in both economic and physical consequences, I became committed to using all the best tools and habits possible. So I use both a Phillips Sonicare and an Oral B electric toothbrush, floss, use a standard Waterpik unit and even "oil pulling" daily. But when I travel, which is weekly, I missed having my Waterpik unit and so did a search for something I could take with me, and discovered this unit. It seemed unreasonably expensive but I opted to give it a try. I'm so glad I did. I really love this little machine. It does consolidate into a very compact area, though I did opt for a hard sided transport case which did make the unit take up more suitcase space, though not overly so. There are several compromises and differences from the home sink top model. Most notably, the water holding tank holds maybe half what its larger bathroom counterpart provides. Not a big inconvenience, but it requires two tankfuls to do a thorough cleaning for me. Unlike it's larger sibling, the plastic end piece cannot be detached but is fused with the tubing that plugs into the unit. To eject the end of the tubing that plugs into the motor body, there is s small button you can push. There is a small hook-like area in the design of the handle that allows you to clip the piece onto the water tank when not in use. There is no swivel on the plastic injector end that goes in your mouth like it's larger counterpart, that allows you to move your fingertips to direct the water jet, but that's a minor inconvenience as you master a slightly altered technique. As for power, I found the water jet to be a bit more powerful that its larger sibling unit so I dial it only to about 8 out of 10. After each use and before packing up for travel, it is recommended that you make certain there is no water still trapped in the coiled hose to prevent bacteria from reproducing there, especially is a warm dark travel case. There are a few cheaper travel alternatives, one of which is also made by Waterpik. But as in most things, you get what you pay for. If you want the best results in a small compact footprint, with a powerful water stream, do yourself a favor and get this unit. You can also use it as your main unit especially if you have a smallish home bathroom sink area, but how the jet wand sits precariously on the rim of the water tank and also how the power cord inserts into the back of the unit requiring a larger footprint than you might expect from a small unit, made this an undesirable option for me. But if you only want to buy one Waterpik for travel and home, this is a viable option. Overall, I am extremely happy with my purchase and it works extremely well in terms of its compact size for travel as well as its strong stream and effectiveness. It is perhaps overpriced and should be a bit cheaper. But if you want to purchase the very best and don't mind paying the premium price, you should be extremely happy with it.

Long time user of Water Pik brand water flossers. I bought this one for travel because it is compact, but unlike the all-in-one battery type units, it offers a useful water capacity. I require enough water to floss top and bottom teeth both inside and outside along the gum line. Also I want to move slowly enough to allow debris to be fully flushed out. Otherwise what is the point? The water in the handle units provide only 40 seconds of flossing between refills. Really? Not for me. This one provides about a minute and a half, which most often I find adequate. Worst case is one refill and that is acceptable. Otherwise it is just as powerful as my regular unit. It does not have multiple tool options, but I only use the standard one anyway. Because the power cord plugs into the back, in use the footprint sink side is no smaller than a standard unit. So the compact feature is confined to portability only. It quickly assembles/disassembles and is a very intuitive design. Like all Water Pik products it seems well made and should provide years of life.

I use the waterpic on the left shown in the first picture at least once every day and have traveled with it. It takes up a good amount of space so I decided to check out a travel waterpic, which is the assembled smaller waterpic in that same picture. The second picture shows the four components and the third, the unit in the travel case.I know how to use a water flosser already and I did not want one that had the reservoir attached to it. I also did not want a battery operated one.I liked the reviews on the waterpic Sidekick and the size looked nice. When it arrived I was impressed by the packing and that says something about the company.Of course I wanted to see if and how it worked. It was super easy to put together. I had the setting on three and it was as powerful as the unit I’ve been using at home at the same setting. The quality is great and I was impressed by the weight of the unit. It’s not at all flimsy. The tubing is plenty long to reach from the counter to over the sink for flossing, which was one of my concerns.I absolutely love this Sidekick and highly recommend it. It is a bit pricey but the quality is there and I expect it will last.