When it comes to travel friendly water flossers, Pansonic makes one of the smallest on the market. Being able to collapse to half it’s size, the water flosser is perfect for stashing away at the bottom of your bag or packing in your luggage.
When it comes to naming products, Panasonic is one of the least creative. Panasonic product names generally consist of jumbled bunch of letters and numbers .The same is true of their water flosser.
We present to you the EW-DJ10-A. Catchy.
Before we continue with the review let’s clear one thing up. Panasonic refers to the EW-DJ10-A as an oral irrigator, this is just a fancy word for “water flosser”.
Panasonic EW-DJ10-A Water Flosser
Unboxing the Panasonic EW-DJ10-A Water Flosser
If you were to tear open the box of your brand new EW-DJ10-A, this is what you would find inside:
Let’s break it down
- Panasonic EW-DJ10-A Water Flosser
- Water Flosser Nozzle
- AA Batteries
- Instruction manual
You will also find some sheets outlining individual replacement parts as well as the warranty terms and conditions. The EW-DJ10-A comes with two years warranty on parts and labor.
Examining the the Panasonic EW-DJ10-A Water Flosser
The EW-DJ10-A has a strong focus on portability. And one of the ways Panasonic has cut the size down is by designing the reservoir (water tank) to double as a carry case.
When not in use the waterflosser can collapse to half it’s original size:
This feature is unique to Panasonic and makes it one of the most compact water flossers on the market. In terms of size it just edges out the Philips Sonicare AirFloss to be crowned the smallest water flosser.
In order to use the Panasonic EW-DJ10-A you will need hold the blue part (the reservoir) in one hand and pull upwards on the white unit until the arrow marking lines up with the rim of the reservoir.
When the arrow lines up with the rim you will hear a click confirming that the unit is locked in place. If you do not pull the white unit high enough it will simple fall back down into the reservoir
We noticed on occasion the unit would be difficult to pull out of the reservoir, almost as if the reservoir was trying to suck it back in. To relieve the suction you simply pop open the reservoir cap. The unit will now smoothly slide up and down.
The hinged cap pops on and off with little effort. A seal on the cap helps prevent water from leaking when the reservoir is full.
While we would have liked to see a larger sized opening to pour water in, this is a pretty small complaint. After all, this water flosser is designed to be compact and a larger opening would need a larger cap.
Underneath the reservoir you will find some basic stats including the model number, power source and country of manufacture:
Given the low price, we were not surprised to discover that while Panasonic is a Japanese company, they chose to manufacture the EW-DJ10-A in China.
located on the front of the Panasonic EW-DJ10-A is a switch that can slide into three different positions:
You will not only use this switch to turn the water flosser on and off but also select how fast the water streams out the nozzle. The switch positions are as follows:
- 0 – Off
- 1 – On/Low Pressure
- 2 – On/High pressure
Like most travel water flossers, the EW-DJ10-A only gives you two different pressure modes to swap with. For a battery operated model the high pressure stream has a kick, if you have sensitive gums you will want to try out the lower pressure mode first.
Moving around the rear of the Panasonic EW-DJ10-A will reveal this odd shaped gap:
This is actually your nozzle holder. While it may not look like it, there is just enough room for a single Panasonic nozzle to sit inside.
Simply squeeze the nozzle inside holder, collapse the unit and the nozzle will be unable to escape. With the nozzle inside, everything you need to floss your teeth is tucked away inside a small package.
While the flosser nozzle does sit loose in the holder, it didn’t jump out at as when we extended the unit.
Surprisingly most other portable water flossers require you to pack your nozzles separately. Even the much more expensive Waterpik Cordless Plus is guilty of this and we very impressed that Pasonic include a nozzle holder.
At the very top of the EW-DJ10-A is the battery compartment. In order to access it you will need to remove the cover.
This can be done with either a flat tipped screwdriver or a small coin. The cover was quite stiff and required a good amount of effort to be removed the first time. However, subsequent attempts to remove the cover were much smoother.
With the cover off you can now install the batteries:
The EW-DJ10-A is powered by two AA batteries. We were pleased to note that Panasonic had included a pair in the box and means you won’t have to raiud the TV remote for batteries.
We were able to empty the reservoir 35 times before the batteries would completely die on us. We preferred to use rechargeable AA batteries during our testing.
With the battery inside the only thing left to do is install the flosser nozzle.
Panasonic EW-DJ10-A Flosser Nozzle
Unlike Waterpik who make a many different types of flosser tips, Panasonic only makes one. And for most people, one is all that will be needed.
The nozzle is entirely made from white plastic. While other water flosser use nozzles made from clear plastic, you cannot see through the EW-DJ10-A flosser nozzle.
You will have to ensure the nozzle is thoroughly rinsed and dried after each use. This is important since you will be unable to tell if any mold, dust or grime has been caught inside the nozzle (these nasties would be visible on a clear nozzle).
The neck of the nozzle is much narrower than those of the waterpik and makes it easy to reach tight areas of your mouth. While the tip of the nozzle is rounded, we still found it a little on the sharp side and care isn’t taken you risk giving your gums a painful poke.
When in use, the nozzle sits in the socket located on the top of the EW-DJ10-A.
To install the nozzle you simply line the base up with the socket and push it in. You will hear a click to confirm the nozzle is locked into position.
With the nozzle in place you are now be rotated 360 degrees, facing the tip of the nozzle in different directions. Depending on where in your mouth you are trying to reach, rotating the nozzle can help you aim the stream of water with more precision.
To remove the nozzle you will need to press and hold the button just below the socket with your thumb while pulling up on the nozzle at the same time.
A single nozzle head is included in the box and should be replaced once every 6 months. Replacement nozzles are sold in packs of two.
Unlike other water flossers, the nozzles only come in white. This means that if you plan on sharing your water flosser you will need a way to determine which nozzle belongs to who. We suggest a permanent marker.
Testing the EW-DJ10-A Water Flosser
With the water tank filled it is time to turn the EW-DJ10 for a test drive.
The first thing you will notice as you hold the water flosser in your hand that the shape makes it a little awkward to comfortably grip, especially if you have larger sized hands.
Many of our testers commented that they had to keep repositioning their grip during use.
Before you hit that power button be sure to check that no one is sleeping nearby. The EW-DJ10-A is loud, even for a water flosser.
We were impressed at just how powerful the high pressure mode was considering the unit was only running off two AA batteries. While it won’t compete with a plug-in countertop water flosser in terms of power, it will be more than a strong enough substitute away from the home.
Usage the EW-DJ10-A is very simple. Put the nozzle in your mouth and aim the tip 90 degrees to the teeth, just above the gum line. The nozzle tip should not touch your teeth or gums.
Turn the power on and trace along the edge of your gumline, repeating for both your upper and lower teeth. Be sure to tilt your head over a sink, that stream of water has to drain out somewhere!
We would like to point out that the EW-DJ10-A is not designed to be aimed directly at periodontal pockets, the pressure could cause further damage to your gums.
The 5.5 oz water capacity lasts 40 seconds on the high pressure setting which is about standard for a portable water flosser.
When starting out testers found that this was not enough time to completely floss their mouth and needed a second refill to complete the job. However, as their technique improved, they soon found themselves able to complete their entire mouth on a single tank.
You will have to hold the EW-DJ10-A vertically during use. This is because water is pumped through the flosser via a suction tube that hangs inside the water tank. If you tilt the water flosser, the tube can come out of the water, causing the stream to stop.
This was particularly a problem when the water in the tank was running low. Holding the flosser vertically did take some getting used to as testers had a natural inclination to tilt the flosser towards the area of the mouth they were working on.
After use you will have to thoroughly clean your EW-DJ10-A to avoid bacteria building up. This is as easy as opening up the water tank cap and running water through the device for a few seconds.
If you need to give a more thorough was you can remove the water tank from the main unit to give each piece a more thorough clean.
If you live in a damp environment we recommend taking the EW-DJ10-A apart when not in use. Doing so will allow the water flosser to properly dry, reducing risk of mold or mildew from forming.
Related: Best Water Flossers for Braces
Final Thoughts
While it isn’t perfect, Panasonic'[s EW-DJ10-A is our favorite portable water flosser. For the price you get an affordable water flosser that is capable of competing with higher end models.
The small size is what blows us away. While it may not be as comfortable to hold as larger water flossers, it easily hides away in the bottom of your bag or luggage.
Highly Recommended.
Looking for more water flosser reviews? Read our detailed reviews of two great products: Zerhunt Water Flosser and Waterpik Aquarius Professional Water Flosser.