We’re making the most of our time while  we await our upcoming manufacturing window by doing extended durability  testing. Here’s a look at just a couple of the more interesting tests  we’re running and the results we’ve gotten so far:

Hose Memory Test

With any flexible material, the material is set in shape, but may lose its shape due to a number of factors, including:

• Temperature change
• Pressure
• Or simply repeated use

In our case, it was important to test for all three! First, we needed to test for temperature change because our  hose design is using two separate hoses which are joined together. One  is for the water to flow through while the other contains the wiring for  the power button.

Note:  The hose for our testing units is black, but in the production run it  will be white. Colors have little to no impact on material performance,  so the production units should perform identically in use.

We’ll digress for a moment here to say that having a power button on  our handle was an important convenience feature for our team, as all of  us have used water flossers and it can be annoying to reach for a power  switch on the main unit when you’re done. Flicking  a switch itself is more difficult than simply releasing a button, so  stopping water flow will be much easier with Instafloss.

This  is also a hidden safety precaution, as if you hit a sensitive part of  your gums, your first reaction is to let go of the button, preventing  any further pain and allowing you to find the cause of that sensitivity  before proceeding.

Back  to the testing… because our hose is actually two in one, there’s the  potential that each hose changes shape at different temperatures.

So  we’ve taken multiple hose samples testing them both for lower  temperatures and higher temperatures to ensure that the shape was not  lost.

On  top of that, we understand that the hose may be occasionally and  accidentally pinched or smushed. This pressure was tested for as well.

Finally,  there’s just the element of losing shape after prolonged usage. This is  similar to how your car’s springs eventually wear out and fail to  provide the same level of comfort during your ride.

The Results?

This  is one of the few areas where our testing highlighted the need for a  change. Originally, we had an external wrap, not the aforementioned (and  pictured) 2 hose system. The outer wrap would cause inconsistent  twisting of the inner hose when temperature variations were applied.

The new double hose setup however has passed our temperature testing.

Both  the pressure test and the repeated use test were a pass, with normal  usage not causing any deformation. Of course, extreme stresses can still  cause the hose to lose its shape, but this is true of all materials.

Hard Water Buildup

Being  a product that will be primarily used with unfiltered tap water, a big  question on our minds was how water hardness may impact the product’s  performance over time.

Our  office and where we do much of our testing, is located in Miami  Florida, which for the purpose of this testing is lucky because our  water hardness is fairly high. It’s not the highest in the States (as  you can see below), nor the world, but it is certainly sufficient for  our tests.

We’ve  tested by running water through the entire system for an extended  period of time as well as soaking certain parts, such as mouthpieces  inside of water for the last 3 months.

The Results?

We’ve  found that the bulk of Instafloss’ components are not subject to  decreased performance due to hard water build up, but our mouthpieces,  which feature very precisely sized and placed jets, eventually do.

This  is similar to how your shower head may start out with strong and  straight beams of water but over time those beams begin to weaken and  shoot in directions they weren’t supposed to.

This  is one of the reasons why we recommend replacing your mouthpiece every 3  months. The other is for cleanliness as bacteria will build up on the  mouthpieces, just like your toothbrush.

Thanksgiving

2021 hasn’t gone the way that anyone hoped it would. The pandemic continues  to rage on, and the supply shortage is continuing to affect people at  all levels!

That  being said, as we look back at the year, there’s one constant for us,  that keeps it bright: That’s you! Your support is incredibly meaningful  to us, helping us bring this dream into reality. Thanks to you, we’ve  been able to avoid taking traditional investment, allowing us to  maintain our independence and to pursue goals that are important beyond  simple return on investment, such as eco-friendly manufacturing.

And for that, we’re incredibly grateful. We hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving (for  those not in the USA, we wish you the best possible regular Thursday  full of appreciation) and we look forward to sharing exciting updates  with you as we continue to move forward towards delivery.