Burst Water Flosser review

Design, usability, clean & general use

This water flosser or oral irrigator if you prefer, comes packaged in a simple cardboard box.  It is very similar to the Burst sonic toothbrush.  

It appears a bulky box, but it is by the very nature of the design of cordless water flossers.

Able to be held and used in 1 hand, water flossers are much larger than the likes of an electric toothbrush.  This is because of the water tank, pump etc that is all built into the handle.

This Burst option comes with the essentials you need to get up and running.

I have the black color option, but you have the choice of white and rose gold too.

The overall design is very similar to any other products of this type.  But, there are elements which are unique to Burst and tie in with their overall theme.

Most noticeable design accents include:

• The diamond textured grip around the top part of the handle
• The smiley face on the power button 
• The icons for the different modes 

I like these subtle touches.

The hands-on pictures best describe the way the unit looks.  There are 3 key pieces to the unit.

Part 1 ins the main cordless water flosser handle.  Part 2 is the water tank/reservoir that connects to the handle.

Part 3 is the detachable tip or nozzle positioned at the top of the handle.  The nozzle directs the water into the mouth, having been pumped from the tank by the handle.

The base of the flosser is flat, with 4 rubber feet so it stands upright and doesn’t slip about on a flat surface.

The handle itself is quite curved, but there is a bulbous design to the handle.  The deepest part is the base/back of the unit slimming towards the top.

On the front, you have the power/mode button in the upper third.  This has the Burst smiley face on it.  It also has a ring of white light that shines around it when switched on.

Below this is a thick strip of light grey silicone rubber that helps achieve a secure hold of the unit in hand.

In the lower third of the front, you have 4 icons to depict the 3 modes and the battery status.

On the rear at the top is the button to release the nozzle.  In approximately the middle is the small port into which you connect the charging cable.  Below this then sits the 110ml water tank.

You can unclip the water tank, by sliding a switch on the bottom of the unit.  You don’t need to unlock and completely remove the reservoir though to refill it.  There is a door on the back of the handle that allows you to fill it with water whilst it remains attached to the handle.

It is not small because of what it is.  If you travel with such it will take up a reasonable amount of room in a suitcase or holdall.  Burst do provide a drawstring pouch case to hold the flosser and its accessories.  This makes transportation a little more convenient.

I like that you get a travel pouch included, it is a small and useful inclusion.

To turn the water flosser on, you need only a single press on the power button.

It bursts (excuse the pun) into life immediately.  It takes its power from the built-in rechargeable battery.

The flosser will turn itself off automatically after 45 seconds.  This happens irrespective of the mode or what water remains in the tank.

There are 3 different modes or pressure settings if you like on this unit.

They are:

• Turbo
• Standard
• Pulse

To change the mode, you need to press and hold the power button.  It will then cycle through the modes illuminating the relevant icon with a white light. To lock in a mode, you just release the power button once the mode you want is selected.

The top icon, the full white circle is the Turbo mode.

The 2nd icon down, the ring icon is the standard mode.

The 3rd icon down, the dotted circle is the pulse mode.

The 4th icon, a + is for the battery and is not another clean setting.

I would suggest the names of the modes printed on the handle would be marginally more user friendly.  Though these icons are consistent with the Burst toothbrush.

The water flosser will remember the last mode used.  You do not have to change the mode each time you use the flosser, unless you are specifically wanting to change it.

Although referred to as modes these are essentially different pressure settings.

Turbo mode is the most powerful.  This will give you maximum effect for removing plaque. I was surprised at just how intense the power was.  It offers 160 PSI.  That definitely clears the plaque and debris away.

To put this into context, the market leading water flosser brand is Waterpik. Their units typically have pressure settings from 0-10.  These setting range from 10 PSI through to 100 PSI.  Burst offers an extra 60 PSI.

You, like me I suspect will prefer the standard mode.  I am not sure of the precise PSI here, but I would guess it is around the 100 on offer from comparable models.  It is still powerful but a little less intense to use.

Pulse mode is designed to act more like a massage for the gum tissues.  It still cleans well but is a little less powerful. As the name implies, there is a pulsing to the water flow. You get shorter more intense bursts followed by a moment of more gentle water flow.

You don’t get any more granular control on this cordless unit.  

If you want very precise control, you will need to look at a countertop unit.  These more often than not offer more pressure settings.  Most cordless options like this only offer 1 or 2 modes.

When switched on, this is quite noisy. It is essentially a water pump.   It produces noise at around the 78db.

As standard, it comes with 1 tip/nozzle.  This is called the classic tip.

This is suited to most users for everyday use.  It can work with any mode, although Burst suggests it is best suited to the standard mode.

There are 2 optional tips.  These are Perio and Ortho.

Perio is designed for those with sensitivity.  It has a soft silicone tip to the nozzle.  This is designed to help massage the gums and reach into the pockets between the teeth and gums. It will also clean in crevices and other problem areas.  Pulse mode is best matched to this tip, but of course, you can use any mode.

The Ortho tip is designed for those with braces and other dental work.  There is a cluster of bristles at the tip.  These help sweep around fittings such as brace attachments.  It is also suited to those with bridges and implants.  It is ideally paired with the turbo mode.

Each of the nozzles clips into the top of the water flosser and lock in place.  You need to press the button on the top of the unit to unclip the tip.

When fitted, they can rotate a full 360 degrees, although it is not that easy to rotate.  They have a tight fit and I couldn’t easily twist them whilst in use.  Really you need to rotate the nozzle when out of the mouth and the unit powered off.

Some Waterpik models offer this option.  I would argue twisting those when in use is a little easier.

Do refer to the ‘how to use’ section earlier in the review to see how best to clean in and around the mouth using Burst.

Water flossing by its very nature is a bit messy.  It can take some practice to get it right, so the first few days, do expect to be making a bit of a mess.  This happens irrespective of what brand or model you go for.

It is, in the long run, easier than most people than using floss, but it is less convenient and more expensive.  

Using a water flosser is better than nothing at all. Although, most dental professionals, advize using such in addition to regular flossing.

It is recommended to replace each nozzle every 6 months or 180 days.  If you subscribe to Burst, you will get a new one delivered to your door every 6 months at a cost of $6 a time.

You can cancel the subscription and make one-off purchases of nozzles at a cost of $7 each.

To fill the tank, you need to open the door on the rear of the unit.  This is a very secure fitting rubber seal.

I am a being a bit picky, but it can be a bit awkward to open. It is a tight fit and you need to get your nail/fingertip in under the edge to then grip it and pull it open.

You need to keep your finger on this to keep the door open whilst you fill it. The design is such that if you let go, it flips back closing, but not completely sealing the water tank.

Most others have a plastic hinged door that folds back against the water tank.  This means you don’t actually have to hold it open.

It is a small but noteworthy frustration I have with this.  But, in fairness, it looks smart and securely fastens.

Perhaps the biggest negative is the 110ml/3.9 ounce water tank is small. 

 The following list shows how long (approximately) it takes to empty the tank on each mode. 

• Turbo - 20 seconds
• Normal - 25 seconds
• Pulse - 30 seconds

For most people, this is not enough time to get the thorough clean/flossing that they want.  It is going to mean refilling the flosser at least once. 

You might not think this is an issue, but many will.  Even if you don’t need it to last as long as a minute, I think most need about 40 seconds or so to get the clean they want.

Waterpiks equivalent to Burst is the Cordless Advanced and this has a 210ml/7 ounces tank.  

If you go for a countertop option, this would offer up to 90 seconds of usage time. These have tanks of 600ml+.

You should fill the tank with room temperature water or warm water.  This is the advice from Burst.  They do not recommend filling it with mouthwash or even a diluted mix of mouthwash.

The whole unit is water resistant. Therefore if you like to floss in the shower you can do so.  You don’t need to worry about water running down the handle, it is protected.  It is not completely waterproof though, so a swim at the bottom of the tub is not what this is designed for.

The Burst flosser has been designed to last and gives no reason to be concerned about its, reliability.  If you remain subscribed to the nozzles, your warranty will last a lifetime which is great for peace of mind.