Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser Review: Good, but too expensive in Australia

The Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser did a great job of flossing without the mess and waste of physical floss, but it’s impossible to look past its too-hefty Australian asking price.

Score: 2.5/5

In this review

Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser Design
Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser Performance
Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser Conclusion

Flossing is one of those daily dental chores that many of us do indeed find to be a chore. It can be awkward, it can be painful, and it can lead to a whole lot of waste that feels distinctly environmentally unsound, whether you’re using straight string-type floss or dental floss picks.

I know I should floss more often, but it’s one of those tasks I do not look forward to, because I find using floss in my own mouth difficult and sometimes near impossible for upper molar work.

As such, I’ve been intrigued for a while about how well water flossers might work, because they do appear to get past much of the waste and indeed oral access/comfort issues of using classic floss types. The Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser does a solid job of cleaning my mouth for sure, and I do appreciate its portability and solid battery life – but the Australian asking price is more than a bit gobsmacking… pun very much intended.

Disclaimer: Oclean sent me the Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser for review, and I don’t expect that they’re going to ask for it back because, well… eww. That being said, Oclean has absolutely zero editorial input into this review and I’ll treat it like any other product, but I do feel that ethical disclosure is important.

Design

The Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser has a shape that reminds me vaguely of a 1950s era perfume or water bottle; it’s a rounded oval with an aperture at the top that houses the actual water flosser head, available either in a green or grey hue. It’s totally subjective, but I kind of like that retro feel that it has.

Sitting just behind that aperture is the opening for its water tank, which is where you can also store the flossing nozzle you’re using at the time. There’s a small clear area at the base of the unit that gives you some idea of its current water capacity, and a USB-C port at the base for charging.

Oclean supplies two nozzles in the box with the Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser, one “Standard” type and one specific “Orthodontic” nozzle for those with braces or other dental hardware in place.

Meeting multiple needs is great, but I suspect for a lot of users without the need of the orthodontic nozzle it’s going to go unused and vice versa. Maybe selling specific “standard” or “orthodontic” models with two of each would make more sense.

Oclean sent me the green model, and, like the similar Oclean X Ultra S toothbrush, I’m left with it feeling rather like it’s come out of a hospital in that hue – but that is a good thing, because it imbues it with something of a feeling of hygiene which is very much what you’re after with any kind of flossing exercise.

The Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser measures in at 105.4×69.65x~25mm; that last figure is a little rubbery as it’s my own measurement of the rounded sides, because Oclean only supplies the unit’s height and width in its specifications, which is an odd choice. Still, the idea here is portability, and this is indeed a unit that’s easy to hold in the hand or throw into a bag or suitcase for travel purposes.

Adding a googly eye (totally optional) to the Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser gives it a rather stern look — as though it’s wearing a monocle or something.

In the slender box for the Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser you also get a small USB-C charging cable – but no charger, an approach which is fast becoming the standard across a lot of devices these days and a roughly A5 sized manual.

A truly odd manual, this one, and that’s not something I’d usually pick up on were it not for the fact that it’s more than the typical tiny folding pamphlet that some devices come with, but Oclean’s made the weird decision to print all of its contents in a truly tiny font size. I’d challenge anyone to read this without squinting, which is downright annoying.

Performance

Thankfully actually using the Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser is a pretty simple affair, so you don’t have to squint at the tiny instructions for all that long. Fill the chamber with clean water, pop a nozzle on the top of the unit and press the sole button, located on what I’ll call the “front” side of the Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser, and it’ll kick into action immediately, delivering pulses of water and air at quite high velocity.

What you’re getting is actually mostly air, with the claim that it’s up to 98% air content depending on the mode used. The Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser supports three different cleaning modes; standard, soft or massage. You switch between these with a longer press on the on/off button, and a ring light on the side lights up either orange (Standard), Blue (Soft) or Green (Massage), each of which has its own intensity.

Dental needs will vary, but I found that Standard was way too intense for my mouth, and even Soft didn’t feel all that soft, so I quickly settled to using the Massage setting for my own testing. No, I’m not going to show you any shots of it in my mouth, because nobody – not even me – needs to see that.

Actually using the Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser basically involves pointing the nozzle at the areas where you’d floss, as well as moving it along your gumline to allow it to blast away some levels of detritus and maybe even a little plaque. This is understandably a somewhat messy process, because even though it’s “flossing” with what’s mostly air, there’s still quite a lot of water jostling around in your mouth, so it’s best done over a sink in privacy.

It’s also kind of noisy, with a sound that I can only describe as a kind of wet mechanical sneezing if you run the Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser outside your mouth; inside it that sound is muffled, but it’s definitely present if you wanted this as a portable unit to use, say, at the office. You’re going to get a few odd looks if someone can hear it operating without context for sure.

Trivia: If you switch it on outside your mouth, say, for a photo to show its in-use light as I’ve done here,  it will fling water… everywhere. As you can see.

Of course, the bigger question here is whether or not water flossing is actually a good substitute for regular physical flossing in the first place. I can say that after a couple of weeks of testing – and once I’d switched it to the less brutal feeling Massage mode – that my teeth felt like they were cleaner, but that’s hardly an objective measure. In terms of actual scientific studies, it appears that there may be some merit to using a water flosser over using dental floss (source), though of course that’s with water flossers generally, not this specific one with its focus on portability.

It does strike me that while it feels quite effective on the accessible surface areas around gumlines and teeth, there’s likely to be less overall impact on the areas between teeth where you would normally use physical floss or a flossing pick.

That being said (and apologies, this is kind of gross but it does go with the territory), I was able to quite easily use the Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser to dislodge a food particle between two teeth after eating, so it’s not as though it’s having no effect there.

The Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser is battery powered, with a claim of up to 40 days of battery life. I’ve not quite tested it for that long, but so far it certainly hasn’t gone flat early in any way within a routine of water flossing twice a day.

Recharging is via USB-C with a port hidden under a rubber flap at the “base” of the unit. That’s slightly annoying because it does mean when you do need to recharge it you can’t do it with the unit standing, only lying on its side, though that’s a minor concern if you’re only doing so every 40 days or so.

Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser: Alex’s Verdict

The Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser is an effective alternative to using dental floss, and with my own personal preferences in mind, I’d normally say that it’s worth buying.

However, Oclean has taken the same route in Australia with the Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser as it did with the Oclean X Ultra S Toothbrush, by way of simply charging way too much for it relative to its international price.

In the US market, the Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser retails at $US59.99, or about $94 AUD. Even adding in a 10% GST, that would take it to a retail price of around $105, or maybe $110 if you wanted to take our smaller market into account.

The full RRP of the Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser in Australia is $229.95. No, really, that’s the claimed RRP for a device that that costs way less than that in the US.

That’s a frankly extortionate markup just for being Australian.

At the time of writing it’s being sold at $149, which is a lot closer to that US price, but unless Oclean/Shaver Shop wants to run foul of Australian consumer law to my understanding, at some point it’s going to have to go back up – and even that “discount” price is a little higher than it should be anyway, which just feels like a slimy sales tactic to me.

The technology in the Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser is pretty neat, but the pricing sure as heck isn’t.

Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser: Pricing and availability

The Oclean Airpump A10 Portable Water Flosser retails in Australia through Shaver Shop with an RRP of $229.95

Soundcore by Anker A20i True Wireless Earbuds, Bluetooth 5.3, App, Customized Sound, 28H Long Playtime, Water-Resistant, 2 Mics for AI Clear Calls, Single Earbud Mode (Black)

(9260)

$27.99 (as of January 23, 2025 18:10 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

ESR for Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Case, Compatible with MagSafe, Magnetic Case for Samsung S25 Ultra, Military-Grade Protection, Yellowing Resistant, Classic Series, Clear Black

$16.99 (as of January 23, 2025 18:10 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Kodak Super Heavy Duty AAA 10 Pack Zinc Batteries (30410589)

(1013)

$4.00 (as of January 23, 2025 18:10 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

HPM Standard 4 Outlet Powerboard White

(739)

$7.00 (as of January 23, 2025 18:10 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Metapen Pencil A8 for iPad 2018-2024, 4Min Fast Charge, Palm Rejection, Tilt Sensitivity Stylus Pen for iPad 10/9/8/7/6th Gen, iPad Pro 12.9/11/13 Inch, iPad Air 3-6, iPad Mini 5/6

(23812)

$11.99 (as of January 23, 2025 18:10 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 - Xbox Series X

$89.00 (as of January 23, 2025 18:10 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem (輸入版:北米) Xbox One & Xbox Series X

(9)

$84.06 (as of January 23, 2025 18:10 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Resident Evil 4 for for Xbox Series X S

(484)

$58.72 (as of January 23, 2025 18:10 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 - Xbox Series X

(7)

$89.00 (as of January 23, 2025 18:10 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Standard Edition - Xbox Series X|S [Digital Code]

$93.46 (as of January 23, 2025 18:10 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

iPhone 13 128GB - (Renewed)

(3)

$619.00 (as of January 23, 2025 18:08 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Samsung Galaxy A05s Smartphone, 4GB RAM, 128GB Storage, 50MP Camera, 5000 mAh Battery, Unlocked Android Phone, Black

(21)

$247.00 (as of January 23, 2025 18:08 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Samsung Galaxy A55 5G, Android Smartphone, 8GB RAM, 128GB Storage, 50MP Camera, Long Battery Life, Awesome Navy

(48)

$589.99 (as of January 23, 2025 18:08 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

MOTOROLA moto g04 - Concord Black

(32)

$147.00 (as of January 23, 2025 18:08 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, AI Smartphone, Galaxy AI, Android Smarphone, 12 GB Memory, 512 GB Storage, 200 MP Camera, S Pen, Long Battery Life, Titanium Grey

$2,137.00 (as of January 23, 2025 18:08 GMT +11:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)