A wicked buzz...
Written: Feb 02 '07 (Updated Feb 05 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great cleaning, no moving parts, long battery life
Cons: Takes some getting used to, uncomfortable if plastic touches your teeth, not for traveling.
The Bottom Line: Works great. Careful not to drop it, though, or you will be out $120. We have bought them as gifts for friends and family.
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| theostrich's Full Review: Sonicare The Elite 7300 Toothbrush Philips |
Two months ago my wife's dentist gave her a sample SoniCare toothbrush and she was immediately hooked on the thing. The catch was that there was no charger so once the battery died, she would have to buy herself one if she liked it enough.
After a week, she had made up her mind (and worn out the battery of the sample unit), and we picked up a set of these from the store.
I was skeptical at first, hesitant to pay $120 for a toothbrush. I had always thought my $4 drugstore toothbrushes had worked just fine, thank you very much. Now I must admit that I, too, am hooked on the thing.
Construction: The most impressive thing, I think, is that there are no moving parts. The head attaches to the body with a screw-on ring, but there are no gears or moving parts between the two. Instead, power is transferred from the body to the head and brush magnetically - hence, no wear and tear on the body. Also, there is no power adapter on the bottom of the body; power is transferred right through the plastic. The plastic itself feels somewhat thin. I've dropped it once from about 4 feet onto a tile floor and it still works, but I'm afraid that it wouldn't survive many more such drops.
The brush heads cost in the neighborhood of $10 to replace and last 6 months. To me, this is about comparable to my current rate, since I spend $4 every 3 months to replace my manual toothbrush. The slight increase in price is worth it to me.
Function: This thing takes a while to get used to, and prepare to drool all over yourself in the process. Gross, but true. It works great as long as you keep the brush head in your mouth, and the plastic away from your teeth. Take the brush out of your mouth while it's running, and you'll treat your face, your mirror, and everyone within 3 feet of you to an ultrasonic toothpaste shower. Also, if the plastic touches your teeth, it makes a very uncomfortable BZZZZZZZZZZZZ sound that you feel all the way to your skull.
Battery: The battery on my unit, brushing twice a day, lasts a week on average. It is built right into the body so don't expect to replace it when it can no longer hold a charge.
Criticisms aside, this toothbrush gets my teeth cleaner and whiter than any other toothbrush I've ever used. I can't use my $4 brush anymore except when I'm traveling because it feels as though there is still a layer of scum on my teeth.
It seems to do really well at getting between your teeth. I am a daily flosser, and I have noticed that since I've been using this thing, I don't feel the compulsive need to floss every few hours like I did before. Also, I've found that pressing too hard is counter-productive. It actually reduces the movement of the brush across your tooth surface. Hold it lightly against your teeth and let it do all the work.
The units we purchased come with a built-in timer that beeps every 30 seconds, one for each quadrant of your mouth, and shuts off after 2 minutes. Personally, I think 2 minutes is a little short so I usually run it for 3. I don't find the 30 second notifications very useful but my wife loves it.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
theostrich
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Member: Aaron W
Location: Canton, MI USA
Reviews written: 8
Trusted by: 5 members
About Me:
Software developer, wanna-be chef, part-time student, full-time dad
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