The electric toothbrushes in this section weren’t my favorites, but they have some qualities worth mentioning. One of these might be the right choice for you, so we felt it was worthwhile to include them.
Oral-B iO2
Since I love the Oral-B iO Series 5 so much (it’s been my main toothbrush for over two years now), I was sent the new Oral-B iO2 electric toothbrush to test. It has the same brushing power and feel as the Series 5. It has three cleaning modes, a pressure sensor and a two-minute timer.
My main concern, however, is that you can’t see the pressure light when you’re brushing; you can’t even see it if you’re looking in the mirror. Unless you have the front of the toothbrush flipped, you can’t see the green or red light on the power button telling you if you’re brushing just right or too hard. I had to brush my teeth completely in the dark in order to watch the LED light change. But if this isn’t a drawback for you, the price is much nicer than the Series 5.
Oclean X Ultra S
When I first started testing this brush, I skipped over the instructions (which I don’t recommend). I must have pressed too hard while brushing because I suddenly heard a child’s voice come out of the device. To say it startled me would be an understatement. If I had read the instructions, I would have known that the Oclean X Ultra toothbrush has a pressure sensor that alerts you when you’re pushing down on the device too hard. An AI child-like voice really does speak to you, but it’s muffled, and you can’t hear what “the brush” says.
It also has an LED screen that shows you which quadrant of your mouth needs more attention or doesn’t get as clean as other areas. However, I tested just brushing one side of my mouth and the screen told me that I cleaned that area well, as well as another section of my teeth that I didn’t touch. It’s easy to see why the Oral-B iO Series 5 beats the Oclean X Ultra as the best smart electric toothbrush.
Burst Pro Sonic
Burst Pro Sonic is a popular electric toothbrush on Amazon. It has just over 7,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. However, I was very disappointed with the feel of this brush. While the bristles are very soft, it has a piece of silicone in the middle of the brush head that I assume is used to scrap plaque and stuck-on food (the website doesn’t explain). This tiny piece felt too strange on my teeth.
I think I could let this unfortunate design slide if the brush came in at a good price, but the Burst Pro Sonic retails for a little over $50. If you’re already going to spend that much on an electric toothbrush, I recommend the Phillips Sonicare 4100.
Philips Sonicare for Kids Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush
For ages 3 and up, the Philips Sonicare for Kids is just as great as Philips’ other Sonicare models. The electric brush has two different modes and a brush timer and comes in two different colors. Plus, each box contains stickers to decorate the handle. It functions very similarly to the Oral-B Kid’s Electric Toothbrush, although the brush head vibrates instead of oscillating.
The handle is heavier and about an inch longer than that of the Oral-B Kid’s Color Changing toothbrush. The brush head is a smaller version of the Philips Sonicare Prestige but is still almost three times longer than the Oral-B Kid’s brush head. What makes the Sonicare for Kids brush unique is that it has Bluetooth capabilities that connect to a smartphone app. I think the app is one of the best; it has educational videos and a tracking system that parents can use to see their kids’ brushing behavior.
Quip Electric Toothbrush
The Quip brush head is very close to the size of a manual toothbrush head. The Quip is simple in every aspect: It has one speed and a two-minute timer that buzzes every 30 seconds and turns off once the time is up. That’s it. There’s no app, charger or wires. This electric toothbrush is powered by an AAA battery located in the handle and the charge lasts three months.
I gave the Hum by Colgate the “best battery-powered electric toothbrush” title and not the Quip because I didn’t like the brush head of the toothbrush. Yes, it’s similar to a manual toothbrush but I found it hard to use to reach around my mouth. I also noticed that Quip’s motor isn’t very powerful compared with models from Sonicare or Oral-B. To me, it felt just like a manual cleaning. I didn’t like that, but others may not mind. If you’re looking for a smart electric toothbrush without Bluetooth or an app, the Quip may be the one.
CariPro Electric Toothbrush
The CariPro is a good brush, it just didn’t compare to the others on this list. The brush head vibrates and the top and bottom of the brush flare outward.
My gums and teeth felt sensitive after using the CariPro, but I tend to experience dental sensitivity. It’s hard to say if it was due to the brush bristles or the way the brush head flared out. If you have sensitive gums, note that the brush has five settings and one of which is a sensitive one. There’s some good in this: I feel like the CariPro did a good job of cleaning my mouth.
Y-Brush
The Y-Brush turned heads and piqued interest at CES in 2017 and has come back to CES year after year. The strange, Y-shaped brush claims that it can brush all of your teeth in just 10 seconds. After applying toothpaste directly on the brush, the entire Y-Brush goes into your mouth. You then must bite down and press the button to activate the gentle vibrations. After five seconds, you can move to your lower set of teeth.
I not only found that the Y-Brush didn’t clean my teeth but that the vibrations hurt my head. It was an uncomfortable experience that simply left my teeth coated in toothpaste. But the concept of this brush is fun and interesting and it might be for you if you’re tired of ordinary electric toothbrushes.
Oral-B Pro 500 Precision Clean
My experience with the Oral-B Pro 500 Precision Clean brush compared with some others in the same price range. It has one cleaning mode and the brush head oscillates and rotates on a two-minute timer. The brush alerts you when you’re finished, too. This simple Oral-B brush is basic and doesn’t have any special technology or paired apps.
Out of all the Oral-B brushes I tested with rotating spin heads, I liked this one the least. It wasn’t as powerful as the others and after a few uses, I found myself wondering if I needed a new brush head. I think this brush is perfect for someone testing out an electric toothbrush for the first time. It is simple and very reasonably priced. I would personally choose the Oral-B Pro 1000, but this Pro 500 is a good budget option.
Feno Smartbrush
Similar to the Y-Brush above, the Feno Smartbrush is also a mouthpiece-like brush that uses vibrating bristles to clean your teeth. It’s basically the Y-Brush with added AI features and a larger range to clean all your teeth — top and bottom — all at once. It’s also more personalized. You upload a picture of your mouth to the Feno app and then receive personal molds designed to reach all your teeth. A corresponding app connects to the device to show you areas where you might be missing and offer dental advice.
I have a very tight and small jaw, so this brush was uncomfortable for me to use. I also couldn’t justify the price when a less expensive brush could clean my teeth better. However, a CNET contributor had a different experience. She found it “a mouthful… in a good way.”
Hum by Colgate
This brush has three modes: normal, sensitive and deep clean, and it buzzes every 30 seconds to let you know when to move on to another quadrant of your mouth. The charger is small and easy to travel with, as is the carrying case, which can hold two brush heads. One of the best features this brush offers is the guided brushing feature within the app, which tells you how good (or bad) a job you’re doing. It offers encouragement and reminds you that you can earn rewards for brushing better. It might sound silly, but the experience really did make me want to brush better.
While it originally made our list, this brush has been discontinued. You can still buy it on Amazon, but the replacement heads are unavailable.
