Electric Toothbrushes - recommendations?

[M4cruiser]

I'm finding it difficult to search out the good from the bad when it comes to buying an electric toothbrush.

Plenty of on-line reviews, but no real consensus.

Keen to hear of real-world experiences. What was good / bad about the one you bought?

Is there a real winner?

Examples: (not a complete list)

Suri 2.0 £105

Spotlight Sonic £64

Osmo Max Clean

Oral B Pro / IO2, IO3, IO6, IO10 (£100 - £800).

Philips Sonicare 7900 - 9900 £140 - £200

Curaprox Hydrosonic £190

Ordo Sonic £40

Silk'n Sonic

Foreo issa3 £89

Waterpik 9.0

[grumbledoak]

I have had several Oral B and two Philips Sonicare toothbrushes. Currently one of each.

They each do a very good job. Both are better than a manual brush. They are slightly different in "feel". The Oral B rotates, the Sonicare buzzes side-to-side and makes your nose tingle.

In my view, forget the bells and whistles and get the base model of either for £40 or £50 respectively.

Oral B also do a cheap 2x AA powered one that accepts rechargeable batteries. Great for taking on holiday without the charger.

[DoctorX]

grumbledoak said:

I have had several Oral B and two Philips Sonicare toothbrushes. Currently one of each.

They each do a very good job. Both are better than a manual brush. They are slightly different in "feel". The Oral B rotates, the Sonicare buzzes side-to-side and makes your nose tingle.

In my view, forget the bells and whistles and get the base model of either for £40 or £50 respectively.

Oral B also do a cheap 2x AA powered one that accepts rechargeable batteries. Great for taking on holiday without the charger.

I agree, at least with Oral B. They have a standard model then fancy ones with features nobody needs like Bluetooth. They all use the same heads anyway so get one low range.

[untakenname]

I can recommend the Phillips Sonicare, I used to have bleeding gums when using a previous rotating head toothbrush but the phillips uses sound waves to vibrate the brush head which is kinder on the gums and it's a lot better at cleaning imo.

If you do get the phillips then it's worth filling out the extended warranty which comes with the toothbrush for piece of mind as they can't be repaired, they will just swap it out for a new one (mine died after 3 years of daily use).

[Actual]

I have always used Oral B.

Now I have the Oral-B iO10 which is quite invigorating to use.

The Oral-B iO10 does use Bluetooth and an App which might be useful but it doesn't have to be used.

The brushes on the Oral-B iO10 are NOT the same as the bog standard twisty Oral B brushes.

Never pay full price for Oral B as there always seems to be a 50% off offer.

[silentbrown]

Have used philip sonicare for years. Works well, but they don't last - the shaft seal seems to die after a couple of years. I've had several replaced under warranty.

As suggested, Ignore the ridiculous bluetooth-connected nonsense and just get an entry level one.

[BiggestVern]

Another vote for the Oral-B, I've had the black version for three years, works flawlessly, was a winner of a Gadget Show test too.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DNFZ4PPQ?ref_=ppx_hz...

[Sheetmaself]

I have a Suri, I have had probably 3-4 before this (sonicares and decent oral b ones).

So far it is my favourite after about a year, nice and sumple just works.

The only issue i have is it feels like a small downturn and woth it being a newish independent company it would be rendered obsolete with no new heads available to buy.

The case is really good as well and makes travelling woth it easy

[dontlookdown]

Switched.to an Ordo Sonic after years of Oral B.

It is a significant improvement, and my dentist agrees. Had a check up yesterday and she complemented me on how clean my teeth were;)

Battery lasts a month and head are cheaper than Oral B. Big downside of all the main brands is that you cannot easily change the rechargeable battery when it eventually does. Same for electric razors etc. Drives me nuts.

[Sheets Tabuer]

Oral B IO 10 here too, it's like a car wash for your mouth.

Cheaper version is probably the same without the screens and app stuff and much cheaper.

[nickfrog]

We have the Oral B iO2, so the entry level. It was £60 for 2 direct a couple of weeks ago and I got £5 off too.

The battery lasts forever and it does everything you need, including pressure sensor and timer.

My partner is a dentist and she doesn't quite see the point of spending more...

[GordonL]

Dentist here. Most of us use Oral B, the cheapest ones are fine unless you like gimmicks like Bluetooth :-)

[Callerton]

Upvote here for the travelling version that uses 2 X AA batteries.
Much more convenient than using the "home" version with charger, etc.

As it uses the same brush head, I reckon it's pretty close to as effective.
Only downside is that it doesn't have the 30 second "buzz" that it claimed.

[craig1912]

silentbrown said:

Have used philip sonicare for years. Works well, but they don't last - the shaft seal seems to die after a couple of years. I've had several replaced under warranty.

As suggested, Ignore the ridiculous bluetooth-connected nonsense and just get an entry level one.

We’ve been through two (both failed) so switched to Oral B and currently lasted twice as long as the sonicare.

[silentbrown]

craig1912 said:

We ve been through two (both failed) so switched to Oral B and currently lasted twice as long as the sonicare.

Understood. I just don't like the 'feel' of the Oral B vs. Sonicare. Feels like taking an angle grinder to your teeth. I keep replacing the sonicare in the (so far unfulfilled) hope that they've finally sorted the problems....

[M4cruiser]

silentbrown said:

Understood. I just don't like the 'feel' of the Oral B vs. Sonicare. Feels like taking an angle grinder to your teeth. I keep replacing the sonicare in the (so far unfulfilled) hope that they've finally sorted the problems....

Thank you for all the comments so far, keep them coming.

I was waiting for a comment such as from silentbrown "Feels like taking an angle grinder to your teeth".

I didn't want to influence the comments at the start, but I shall now reveal that I bought an Oral-B "IO6" on my dentist's recommendation, and I absolutely hate it.

Yes, you've put into words the feeling I get; it resonates through my whole skull, and I simply can't use it.
The "head" of the brush is also quite large, and it's difficult to get to the back teeth with it.
Complete waste of £125. I'm hoping for someone to suggest one that feels better, and it seems that the sonics are better than the rotaries?

[grumbledoak]

M4cruiser said:

... I'm hoping for someone to suggest one that feels better, and it seems that the sonics are better than the rotaries?

Not "better" so much as "different". The heads are smaller and they buzz way faster. Try one. No need to spend £125.

[nickfrog]

silentbrown said:

Understood. I just don't like the 'feel' of the Oral B vs. Sonicare. Feels like taking an angle grinder to your teeth. I keep replacing the sonicare in the (so far unfulfilled) hope that they've finally sorted the problems....

Mine doesn't feel like that but I use low speed, very little pressure and super slow movement as per my (home) dentist's recommendation. She thinks that flossing twice a day is as, if not more, important anyway.

[craig1912]

M4cruiser said:

I'm hoping for someone to suggest one that feels better, and it seems that the sonics are better than the rotaries?

They are not….but that is just my opinion, we are all different. Rotaries make me teeth feel cleaner and do a better job than the sonics (particularly in the gaps between teeth)- as well as being more reliable.

And as above flossing and cleaning between the teeth using a Tepe brush is probably more important

[Richard-390a0]

M4cruiser said:

Yes, you've put into words the feeling I get; it resonates through my whole skull, and I simply can't use it.

I have an Oral B Pro series 3 & I don't use it on the first of the three cleaning modes it has for the reason you describe.