()I also own an Oral-B Pulsonic and a Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite so I am familiar with and used to using an electric toothbrush. Newcomers will probably have an adjustment period but the transitions isn't that hard. The Oral-B 3000 is a definite step up from a manual toothbrush and falls between my other two brushes. It is more like a dentist's cleaning brush than the other two and it employs a purely a physical cleaning methodology while the other two brushes rely on sonic technology. The 3000 is a bit more effective than the Pulsonic but the latter is more of a travel toothbrush. Comparatively, the Pulsonic is weaker and the user is instructed to brush as well as let the sonic action take place. The Philips Sonicare HealthyWhite is more powerful than either and the user is just supposed to move it over the surface of the teeth rather than exert force when brushing. I find it to be the most effective.The Oral-B 3000 is a good brush and it gets my teeth "squeaky clean". It has good power and a lot of movement of the bristles on the head. If you prefer a longer bristled head as opposed to a round one, then this brush is not for you. But it is very effective in any case. You have to apply more pressure and move the brush more than with a pure sonic brush, but it works. There are 3 cleaning mode and I find the first to be the best. The second is a "gentle" cycle and the third oscillates between slow and fast. Every 30 seconds you get a remind to clean a different tooth area and at two minutes you get a 3 pulse reminder that you've done enough brushing. Battery life is good and the brush comes with an initial charge to let you brush once before having to re-charge.The base is rather large with a section for 4 brush heads so it takes up a bit of space on your countertop. The overall brush design is decent but middle of the road quality-wise. It feels more plasticy than my other two electric toothbrushes. The contrasty blue and white colors seem more suited to a kid's brush, as does the red light that flashes when you press too hard. A neat feature I suppose, if a bit gimmicky.
I like the Oral-B 3000 but at its current price point think there may be better options. You could do worse, but you could also do better.
Update: 09/03/2010 This has become my go-to brush for a good clean. I like my sonic ones, but this one is more "fun", though that is hard to quantify. And it does a good job of cleaning. The charge lasts a while too. Some other things I've noticed is that it takes more work to clean than my other power brushes. Not terrible, but a bit more time. Also, it is loud. I don't find it annoying, but if you don't want to wake someone in the next room while doing your teeth, you probably will want to close the bathroom door.
()I have been an Oral-B electric toothbrush user for the last 15 years. I have written Amazon reviews for Oral-B products dating back to 2002. I have had very few dental issues in this time although, in fairness, I must also report that I began daily flossing during this time as well, and that may be just as important.
This new model is a definite step up from the ancient "Plak Control Plus" model that I had been using. It's full name is "Professional Care 3000" and it definitely feels and sounds like aprofessional dental instrument. The head oscillates at a much higher rate than my old one. Please note that this is not an ultrasonic toothbrush. Cleaning is accomplished here purely by mechanical brushing action. The small, rotating brush head and slender handle allow you to get at and clean each surface of each tooth very quickly.
The 3000 offers three modes of operation which are available by successive presses of the on/off button. The first is "Daily Clean" which is what you are most likely to use on a regular basis. The second is "Sensitive" which reduces the head speed for sensitive areas or for those with sensitive teeth. The third is "Whitening" which is an odd repetitive increase/decrease of speed for "Exceptional whitening for occasional or everyday use."
The instructions that come with the 3000 recommend that you brush for 2 minutes no less and no more. To assist you with this, once you turn the brush on it will pulse twice every 30 seconds. If you use each interval to clean one quadrant of your mouth, you'll be done in the recommended 2 minutes at which time the brush will pulse 4 times. To turn the brush off from any mode, just press and hold the on/off button.
Built into the 3000 is a "Hard Brushing Alert" which is an LED on the handle that lights up if you are pressing too hard. Brushing is most effective when the brush is pressed lightly against the teeth. Pressing too hard not only is less effective but will cause your brush heads to break down too quickly. The instructions say that the LED is, "Helping protect your teeth and gums from hard brushing," so apparently there's a dental health issue here as well. The brush is very powerful, so it's not difficult to see how too much pressure would be destructive to the surfaces of your teeth.
The brush comes with a charging stand and covered storage tray that can accommodate 4 brush heads. The storage tray is dishwasher-safe, the charging stand is not.
()I have used Oral-B electric toothbrush for over 10 years. At a first glance, not much has changed. Other than orange pressure and improved battery/charging indicators, it feels and looks largely the same as predecessors.
This new 3000 series packaging replaces older Oral-B Professional Care Deluxe Electric Toothbrush - with improved charging base design, which lies flat, easier to clean, and sturdier to boot. This newly designed base may slow down yucky mildew developing on the bottom of the base, but I suspect mildews will still develop around the brush mount.
My wife has Oral-B Professional Care SmartSeries 5000 Rechargeable Toothbrush, which oddly enough, costs about the same.
My findings after using it for 2 weeks:
The battery needed charging after 10 days. Pretty impressive. Unfortunately, it seems to take forever to charge. Green charging indicator light is still blinking after overnight charging. I solely miss 5000's battery life indicator.
Oral-B claims it will naturally whitens teeth in 3 weeks. I drink coffee daily and I have a week to go, and my teeth aren't any whiter.
My teeth feels great and clean though.
Compared to my 3-year old Oral-B, there's significantly more vibration and strength (the company claims 40,000 pulsations and 8,800 oscillation per minute).
Brushing mode is triggered by a single button. I prefer more distinct toggle switch with 4 positions (off, daily clean, sensitive, and polish).
5000 has a "deep clean" mode that is rated to remove up to 99.7% of the plaque (compared to 3000's "daily clean" mode that can remove up to 97%).
Orange pressure indicator does light up if I put too much pressure against my teeth. But the indicator isn't always obvious. I would prefer audio feedback or 5000's separate wireless indicator unit.
The build quality seems have degraded over the years. My last Oral-B died after 9 months, needing a battery replacement. Ever since then, it just felt clunkier. This new model remains to be seen, but it doesn't seem any sturdier. Thankfully, included is 2-year warranty.
3000 is designed for kids and adults 4 years or older. Just for some kicks, I have tried it briefly on my 21 week son. It's too big and he didn't like it at all.
Included in the package is just 1 precision clean brush, which is fairly effective at brushing hard to reach places. Oral-B sells several other brushes, such as pro white (for better polish) and floss action. The base can hold 4 brushes.
In the end, 3000 is a great brush, as great as its predecessors were. But it is expensive, about the same as 5000 that has additional brush cleaning mode and better indicators (with wireless unit to boot).
()((Note: this appears to be the same product as: Oral-B Professional Care 3000 Electric Toothbrush, 1 Count which is actually listed with the list price of $96, but available for a lower price currently).
Compared side by side vs Philips Sonicare HX6711/02 HealthyWhite 710 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush.
I would say that both models are exceptionally good.The difference depends in what you are looking for in an electric toothbrush.The main difference would really be personal preference.I will reveal my choice at the end of this review.
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First difference: the oscillation of Oral B vs the vibration of the Sonicare.Dentists are split on these.Most will recommend whatever they conveniently have on hand to sell at full retail price while they have you captive in the chair.Oscillating heads tend to be better for gums, vibrating heads are all around good.If you have sensitive gums, then the oscillating head will probably be the best choice.Especially if the brush has speed settings.Also it seems that the oscillating heads are better at cleaning teeth while the sonic vibrating seems to polish and lighten better.These are marginal though, just a slight difference.
*Tie
A bonus with the Oral B is the three speed setting.You can put a slower setting on to hit gums with a gentler oscillation.There is also a 'whitening' setting, which polished the tooth more, but is a bit aggressive on gums.Having the ability to select a speed setting is really a plus.
*Advantage: Oral B
The Oral B has one of my favorite features, a sensitivity warning.Granted, this is a light up function, so you need to be brushing in front of a mirror to really get a good view of it.But this is a feature to tell you when you are applying too much pressure, which is oddly enough, a common mistake by most folks.The Sonicare model in this comparison does not have a sensitivity warning feature.
*Advantage: Oral B
The Sonicare has a quadrant 'pause' feature to let you know when you have sufficiently brushed one corner of your mouth.It is a 30 second timer.There is also a two minute timer which shuts off the brush when you should have sufficiently brushed.But if you are like me, you often go over the two minutes, so I would usually turn the brush back on and hit my tongue and a quick once over the gums again.It's not an important feature unless you tend to hurry through your brushing.But it's nice to have something to tell you when you've passed the recommended minimum brushing time.
*Advantage: Sonicare
Replacement brush heads are a pain.Amazon does have the subscribe and save, so you don't have to remember.But both brushes have the blue indicator.I typically go about a month or so between heads.Depending on the model you have, the replacement costs are similar.The Oral B costs $20 for 3 replacement heads (Amazon.com at time of writing).The Sonicare goes for $35 for 2 standard (old models), $25 for 3 compact (newer models) at time of writing.The Sonicare in this comparison has the compact heads.Though cost might fluctuate.
*Advantage: Oral B (slightly)
Cleanliness of actual unit is important.Both of these models are fairly neat.The older Sonicare brushes had a terrible design where mold would form under the brush head area in the cavity where the magnet is.It was a pain to clean and would require a Q-tip most of the time.I would even disassemble and air dry the unit periodically with little result.Luckily both of these units have a more water tight design and don't seem to have this issue.
*Advantage: Tie
Counter space is important, and surprisingly the Oral B wins.It appears to have a bigger base, but you can take the round portion off and just use that on the counter.The Sonicare just has the one stand, which is compact, but without the ability to expand to a larger whole brushing area if you want.The bigger base of the Oral B is for holding spare brush heads.The Sonicare has a separate container for those.
*Advantage: Oral B (slightly)
Battery life is great for both units.I only plug them in once every other week or so.Both have an indicator to tell you when battery is getting low.They both also light up when actively charging, and dim when charging is complete.
*Advantage: Tie
Price is really the only difference.Since these units are built to last for many years (my previous Sonicare lasted 4+ years).I am not sure of the longevity of the new models, but I trust both brands in that respect.But the Oral B is currently $20 higher.But if you look at some of the extra features, such as the three speed setting and the sensitivity warning, then the price might be justifiable.
*Advantage: Tie (higher price Oral B with more features, great value for Sonicare).
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In the end I stuck with the Oral B.I really do like the speed settings and the oscillation feels like it is really cleaning around my teeth and getting in the grooves nicely.My gums have seemed healthier since switching as well.If you look at the cost over time, a rechargeable toothbrush makes a lot of sense.They are far superior to manual brushes in every regard.The only drawback is price.Even replacement heads are more than most manual toothbrushes.But dentists seem to all say that an electric toothbrush is far better than manual brushing.
If you are investing in a model for the long haul, I think the Oral B might have the edge, though slightly.I would really say these are both 5 star models in the end.Personal preference will determine in the end.
Oral-B Professional Healthy Clean + Sensitive Gum Care Precision 3000 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush
$96
Pros:
Oscillating round head
Speed settings
Pressure warning
Inexpensive brush replacements
Compact charging stand with optional larger base incl.
Cons:
More expensive
Philips Sonicare HX6711/02 HealthyWhite 710 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush
$77
Pros:
Sonic vibrating head
QUadrant timer and 2 minute finish timer
Compact charging stand
Ease of use
Inexpensive brush replacements
Value price vs other high end models
Cons:
No speed selection
No pressure warning
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UPDATE: (12/30/12)
Still working perfectly.I haven't even changed the brush head yet, it still works great, but I might put the new one on soon.
Cleaning is MUCH easier than the Sonicare.The Sonicare used to get gunk in the open area underneath the head screw on area.With the Oral B design (which I think Sonicare now resembles), the head comes off without taking the bigger base part off, so no more open chamber to fill with water and mildew underneath.Taking the head off is easy and then you can wipe the area where it connects to the base to get old gunk off.I really like the ease of cleaning this.The old Sonicare is recycling now!
I have read the research and know, firsthand, the benefits of an electric toothbrush over a manual toothbrush. I prefer the oral-b / braun non-sonic over the sonic models. I am a big fan of this style of toothbrush & have owned them for almost two decades. I have owned 5 different models of oral b electric toothbrushes, in that time, (they are very durable and have lasted me many years) and this one is my favorite. The main reason I like it over all the others (from the $20 model to the wireless $200 model/pack) is that this one has a "brake light" which illuminates when you put too much pressure on your gums. Before using this toothbrush, I was a vigorous brusher, it just felt good to "get all up in there", but often, that is unnecessary and can even be harmful. I buy the "extra sensitive" heads/tips to mediate this, but I still tended to brush harder than needed, especially when I'm not "paying attention". Even though the other models had an "indicator" (different vibration or noise or icon), it wasn't really enough to get my attention so I didn't reduce the pressure.
When I first got this model, I was annoyed by the light it's *really* bright, especially in a darker bathroom or shower stall. (I have a cool LED color-change light in my bathroom). But, the "brake light" was able to get my attention when i brushed too hard and after a week or so, I was brushing with a more healthy pressure and the light now only goes on every once in a while.
They say gum recession cannot be reversed and my hygienist told me that it is often caused by hard brushing. This toothbrush with its "brake light" feature, can be a great tool to help you save your gums & your teeth, and in turn, your health & well-being!
PS: if you like good oral care, clean teeth, & healthy gums, check out the oral breeze (here on amazon). I use the shower breeze model and have had consistently better reports from my hygienist since using this model of toothbrush and the shower breeze.
I rely on reviews to inform me of great products and help me make informed buying decisions, I hope this review helped you in the same manner :)
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