"Waterproof" is the most freely used word in product listings and one of the least informative. There is a proper scale for water resistance, and knowing it makes listings easy to read. This guide explains the scale, why a word without a number is not a rating, and how we treat the products on this store.
The IP scale
Water resistance is described by an IP code. The letter X in "IPX7" means the dust figure was not rated; the final digit is the water figure, from 0 to 9. The digits that matter for pleasure products are:
IPX4: splashes from any direction. The product survives being rinsed or splashed but not being put under water.
IPX5 and IPX6: jets of water. Still not immersion, but a tap running over it is fine.
IPX7: immersion to one metre for thirty minutes. This is the figure that means a product can be used in a bath or shower and washed under water.
IPX8: immersion beyond IPX7 under conditions the maker specifies.
A rating applies to the whole product as sold, including the charging port or contacts, and it assumes the product is intact. A cracked seal or a damaged port voids it in practice.
Why a word is not a rating
"Waterproof", "life waterproof", "splash-proof" and "100% waterproof" appear on listing images without a number. They might mean IPX4 or IPX7, or nothing measured at all. On this store the waterproof line in the specifications shows a rating only when the maker publishes one, and the product's bullets say plainly when the maker uses the word without a number. Today, no product in the range has a published rating, so every waterproof line is blank and every bullet recommends rinsing rather than submerging.
Why ratings are rare on inexpensive products
A rating costs the maker a laboratory assessment and a certificate, and the small factories that make most inexpensive products skip both. The absence of a figure does not mean the product leaks; it means nobody has checked under controlled conditions, so the store cannot say either way. That is the whole reason this store's waterproof line is blank rather than filled in from the listing's images.
How to treat an unrated product
Rinse under a tap with the charging contacts or port facing away from the water, then dry the product and especially the contacts before charging. Do not submerge it, do not use it in the bath or shower, and do not charge it while damp. Products with magnetic charging contacts, such as the bullet here, have no port to flood, which makes them more forgiving, but a missing rating is still a missing rating.
Charging contacts and corrosion
The weak point on any rechargeable product is where current enters. A pin socket holds a drop of water and corrodes if charged while wet; magnetic contacts sit on the surface and dry in seconds. Whatever the rating, dry the contacts before charging, and if a product has been in water, leave it an hour before plugging it in.
How to treat a rated product
IPX4 to IPX6: rinse and wash under a tap, no immersion. IPX7: wash under water and use in the bath, keeping to the thirty-minute, one-metre limit in spirit. Always dry before charging, whatever the rating, because the rating covers water on the product, not water inside a charging socket while current flows.
What to look for when buying elsewhere
A number. If a listing says waterproof and does not give an IPX figure, assume splash resistance at best and treat the product as unrated. If the figure is given, check it applies to the whole product and not just the body.
The short version
A number is a rating; a word is not. With no number, rinse, do not submerge, and dry the contacts before charging. With IPX7, washing under water and bath use are within the rating.
