Most people, given the choice, will buy from a well-established manufacturer with a reputation for quality products and an extensive customer support network. If you’re willing to look around, however, you can often find real bargains that perform as well or better than brand-name options.
Like the Waterpik Aquarius, this iTeknic comes with seven interchangeable tips, of which three are normal water picks. This allows several different people to share the same machine. Instead of a toothbrush attachment, however, iTeknic has opted to go with a tongue washer, which is arguably a better choice especially for anyone who’s concerned about bad breath. On the flipside, this water flosser does not give you the option of switching between a massage mode and a continuous stream. Since it always operates in pulses, the water in the 600 ml tank does take quite a while to run out.
How It Stacks up Against the Competition
One nice feature of the iTeknic is that the main unit sticks to the countertop with rubber suction cups; this keeps careless elbows from dumping it onto floor, and also dampens the noise somewhat. If you want similar soundproofing with the Aquarius, you’ll have to put it down on a towel or mat of some kind.
Another improvement is that the switch on the handle is a rocker type and physically separate from the nozzle eject button, which seems like a much better arrangement. Also on the subject of little things that matter, the water tank has gradations you can use to mix mouthwash and water more accurately, while there’s space in the lid to store all of the included tips, not just the three you’ll be using most often.
Not Apples and Oranges
As with the Aquarius, the nozzle tips rotate and the water reservoir can be detached for cleaning and filling. The power cord and hose are also approximately the same length as those on the Aquarius. This flosser is a little larger: the base occupies about 6½ by 4½ inches (16 by 11½ cm), and the manufacturer offers only a 1-year warranty (which you can extend to 24 months just by emailing your purchase details to customer support).
The iTeknic is dual voltage for international use, though a cordless model will obviously be more suitable for traveling. No doubt due to the suction cups on the base, this unit seems to run a little more quietly when set to full power. Neither, however, is likely to bother anyone as long as you close the bathroom door while using it.
One thing that does distinguish the two is that the iTeknic always emits water as separate pulses instead of a steady stream. Actually, all water flossers use a pulsating stream to create some turbulence at the teeth’s surface for more efficient cleaning; the frequency is just too high to be noticeable. With this model, however, you can actually see it spit, stop, and then continue. The Aquarius gives you the option of doing so using its “Massage” function, but normally produces a constant spray. Either approach seems to get the job done, but people who’ve owned a water flosser before might want to stick with what they know works.
Six of One, Half a Dozen of the Other
Overall, in terms of performance, there’s very little to make us choose one over the other. We would recommend that, if you don’t mind spending quite a bit more for the quality and peace of mind that comes from going with the acknowledged water flosser experts, you choose the more expensive Waterpik. Even so, most people will be perfectly satisfied with this product, which could in many ways be called a copy of the more expensive Waterpik Aquarius.
- Inexpensive but capable
- Long flossing time due to pulsed operation
- Attaches to countertop with suction cups
- Not a premium brand
- Lacks a sonic toothbrush
