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

Water piks have made such a difference to my oral health (and dental bills!) - I have been SEARCHING for a travel option so I can maintain my good habits. I tried the handheld water pik and unfortunately it was useless. Not enough pressure to get between my teeth, and had to refill the reservoir like five times in a single session, so I sent it back. I tried a sonicare air flosser and that was OK, but I still got food bits out of my teeth when I use my Aquarius afterward. I hoped the sidekick would be the answer, and it totally is. Most important: the pressure is comparable to the Aquarius, I would estimate level 7 out of 10 (I use my Aquarius at eight). It leaves my teeth feeling flossed and clean. For those who care about noise, it is as quiet if not quieter than the Aquarius. Even though wouldn’t mind refilling the reservoir once, I can actually do my whole mouth with one tank of water. I was curious to see if it made a mess because a lot of reviews mention splashing, but even when I filled the reservoir to the very top edge, not a drop went anywhere. The vibration just makes a gentle ripple in the surface. Personally, I am not at all bothered that it doesn’t have a lid. It’s not like a lid creates a hermetic seal, plus its not going to be sitting on my counter for months…and if I DID think dust etc had gotten in there, I would just rinse the reservoir before filling it. The device is smaller than I expected which is amazing for travel. I love the luxury feel of the flosser (the black and copper is gorgeous) - it makes me excited to use it, which is another pus for anyone struggling to establish new routines. Overall, the sidekick totally lives up to the price tag. I’m so happy with it. Now I just wish my countertop Aquarius had the same elegant aesthetic!

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.

I'm getting old and that means more and more physical maintenance. I now brush 2-3 times a day with a Sonicare, irrigate with a Waterpik twice a day, and use traditional floss nightly. When traveling by air, I've had to compromise by foregoing the Waterpik, but no longer with the Sidekick.It's pricey, so very pricey, but that is the premium I am willing to pay by not having to compromise on the dental hygeine (and also to avoid more expensive and painful outcomes).The power is almost as strong as my regular Aquarius model and the reservoir capacity is roughly 2/3 of the Aquarius. I usually empty the Aquarius with a full pass, so I expect I will need to refill the water once per use. Pressure setting has five marked settings, but control is actually a continuously variable slide without detents. I usually set the Aquarius at 8 (out of 10) and with the Sidekick setting it between the 4th and 5th dot feels roughly comparable.The wand, as others have mentioned combines the tube, handle, and tip into one unit that detaches from the main body of the unit (there is a button you depress to release the wand). The handle of the wand swivels as does the tube that attaches to the unit body. Its fairly maneuverable, but the handle feels pretty slim to me as I'm very familiar with the chunkier Aquarius handle. I'll get use to the slimness, but I do have to say that I have less of a sense of the orientation compared to the full-size model. The has a diagonal slit in it that I believe is intended to allow you to hang the wand from the edge of the water reservoir.The power adapter slots into a space on the bottom of the main body and seems to have some magnets to help retain it. The power cord (which has identical connectors on each end, so orientation is not important) in a bit on the thin side, but allows it to be more compact/lighter. It includes a velcro strap to help pack the cord for travel.The unit also comes with a grey vinyl travel case. It has fabric weave pattern printed onto it. The unit body is designed to fit into the water reservoir for packing. There is a side pocket on the interior of the case, which I think is intended for both the power cord and wand, but I think the wand is better protected by placing it on the bottom of the case and placing the body/reservoir on top of it (upside-down so that the curvature of the reservoir follows the curve of the zipper. It's a pretty tight fit, which can be an advantage if you don't have much luggage space. That said, if you have more luggage space, I can see the appeal of an aftermarket case with more room and better protection.Overall, I'm pleased with this even though it is a premium price. If irrigation is an important part of your dental routine, then it might be a premium worth paying for travel.