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

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 travel a lot on 3 wheels now but 2 wheels in the past. Size is important when packing for a trip.

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.

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.

This is the best travel Waterpik that I have owned. I'm a dental hygienist and this Waterpik can do the full mouth in one tank compared to all the others that can only do one arch at a time. It is a lot more compact than the others so will fit well in a suitcase.