Waterpik WP-70/WP-70W Family Dental Water Jet
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List Price: Category: Health Care See more product details |
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Customer Reviews of Waterpik WP-70/WP-70W Family Dental Water Jet
Customer Review: Badly engineered with inferior materials
Summary: 1 Stars
When my family first bought a Water Pik irrigation appliance back in the sixties, it was a very well crafted piece of equipment. It lasted for years and years.
I bought one of these WP-70s and noticed off the bat the dramatic change in quality from the original product. Flimsier, lighter, and noisier.
But considering that I used it only once or twice a week, it didn't take long for the product to fail. In about a year, the hose sprung a small leak. And because of the pressure in the hose, the leak created a tiny stream that sprayed all over the bathroom .
Within days, the leak increased, and then became a crack, and then simply broke into two separate pieces. Now the machine - with total flight hours of, what?, maybe a few hours worth of use?, the product is kaput.
It's been sitting on the counter taking up space while I search for replacement parts, but the hose seems integral to the handle, and I haven't been able to find a replacement hose for this model.
My advice, based on my experience is to steer clear of this one.
While I think the product concept is a good one, and it really provides a superior oral cleaning, it's a piece of junque that reeks of manufacturing corner cutting.
And environmentally, the idea of building this half way around the planet and shipping it to the US only to drop it into already overburdened landfills seems somewhat absurd.
Customer Review: Cleans well, cheaply built
Summary: 3 Stars
I must say that it is impressive, and gratifying, to give your teeth the best brushing you know how, then turn on the water jet and watch all the hidden bits of detritus get chased out of their hiding places. It really does clean in places the brush can't reach, and if your teeth are tightly packed (like mine), it is much easier than flossing. The basic idea of cleaning with a pulsed water jet seems sound to me.
That said, I really think there's room left in the market (the aging-boomer-healthcare market that is) for a quality, well-made dental irrigator. My Water Pik sounds like a little jackhammer running, the tubing to the handpiece is stiff and tangles easily, and... mine sprang a leak where the tubing enters the handpiece after about four months. A leak that sprays water all the way across the room, mind you. The handpiece is cheaply molded onto the tubing and can't be disassembled for repair, and the parts don't seem to be available.
I'm here on Amazon shopping for an alternate brand, but it seems that they have similar shortcomings -- short life heading the list. So I repeat my remark, and hope that someone from Bosch or Panasonic or somewhere were they value quality stuff is reading... what this country (USA) needs is an irrigator that works well, stays together, and doesn't wake up the house!
Customer Review: Works, but needs a design update
Summary: 3 Stars
This was my first dental water jet and while the water jet works fine, the control to change the pressure of the water jet is on the handle used to clean your teeth. The control is a hair-trigger of sorts, and you can end up slicing your gums if you accidentally bump the control, causing the pressure to be turned up. I solved that problem by fixing the control in place with a strip of clear duct tape.
My friend has a different model and her pressure control is on the unit body instead of the handle, which is a better choice, but I did not know this when I purchased mine.
In the description of this appliance, it said:
Comes with four color-coded jet tips so each person knows which one is his or hers, perfect for the entire family. Also included is a tongue cleaner to freshen breath.
I should have looked at the picture. It does come with 4 color coded jets, 2 are pink, 2 are blue. There is a regular jet and a tongue cleaner for each color, so while there are 4 jet tips, the description is a little misleading. It says a tongue cleaner, not two tongue cleaners.
I'll use it till it quits, but next time, I'll know more about what to look for in a dental water jet.
Customer Review: No user installed parts available
Summary: 3 Stars
I have owned and used Waterpik oral irrigator products for many years. As with anything mechanical, certain parts wear out and the manufacturer used to sell those commonly replaced parts such as hoses and handles on its website. No more; now they tell you that there are no user replaceable parts and one must send off the entire unit to an "authorized repair facility." BY the time you pay for shipping and the repair facility's charges, you could buy a new machine! When I asked the customer service rep from Waterpik why I couldn't repair the machine myself as I had done many times in the past, I was told "special tools are needed." Yeah right! The "special tools" needed are screwdrivers! When I called the authorized repair center and tried to purchase a new hose, they wouldn't sell it to me and wanted me to send in the entire machine so they could relace the hose - a 5 minute job. When I told them it wasn't worth the cost they suggested that I buy a new machine - for about $60.00. I asked the repair guy "Hey mister, if you had a two year old car that needed a new radiator hose, would you junk the car and buy a new one? He had no answer.Customer Review: Works Great While It Works
Summary: 3 Stars
I've had this unit for several years and up until this week it has worked great. Good and easily adjustable pressure, easy to clean and easy to use. I never found the extra attachments very useful as I just use the water pick if I have something under the gum-line that I can't otherwise get to. This means often going weeks or months without use.
The last time I used it was probably several months ago and all was well. I needed it this week and it started pouring water from inside the handle. I tried several times to remove and re-seat the tip to no avail. The pressure of course dropped to a useless level even at the highest setting. All increasing the pressure setting does is increase the amount of water pouring from the handle.
I don't remember what my original purchase price was but I don't think $35 is too bad of a deal. If I paid the listed retail of $50, I feel like it should have certainly lasted longer. I wouldn't call it a piece of junk as others have because it works great when it works. Its apparently short service life does leave much to be desired though.