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If you have been brushing manually for years and fancy upgrading to an electric toothbrush, you may be surprised just how techy and expensive these things get.
Is a toothbrush worth £500? Is it better than a £25 option? I will let you decide.
Electric Toothbrush RRP Scam
If it wasn’t immediately obvious, the RRP listed for electric toothbrushes is a massive marketing con. I don’t know why they bother to do it because the initial prices are so high I can’t understand why anyone would take them seriously.
Examples include the Oral-B iO9, which was launched in late 2020 with an RRP of £499. Half a grand for a toothbrush. You could buy a OnePlus Nord 2 and still have £100 left over to spend on a decent toothbrush.
However, by Christmas, it was already available at Boots for £250. Looking on Amazon, the product page has only been live for around 90 days, and it was in fact sold for £499 for a whole month before it dropped down to £249.99
Philips Sonicare 9900 surprisingly hasn’t done this. It launched at £299 and still sells for £299, perhaps they realised that claiming an RRP of £600 was a bit ridiculous. However, the older DiamondClean 9000 launched at £340 and quickly dropped down to £170.
Black Friday 2021
I am writing this post because Black Friday is a month away, and if you want a toothbrush, it is a good time to buy. Writing this now allows me to highlight the current price, so it is hard to be misled when the discounts arrive. I suspect the discounts won’t be quite as impressive as the brands make out (thanks to that RRP).
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000
Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 Black Electric... | £174.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Approximately £130-170 (currently £170, £130 low in September 2021)
I refuse to recommend the flagship toothbrushes from the two biggest brands, I have no doubt that they are amazing, but you can pick up the older models for over £100 less.
The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 9000 is well-reviewed on Amazon and claims to offer whiter teeth in as little as one day, and you have four cleaning modes with clean, white+, gum health, deep clean+. It comes with a handy USB powered charging case, and it has Bluetooth with a companion app that will track your brushing progress. The more expensive 9900 model claims to have AI-powered SenseIQ, which senses pressure, motion, coverage, duration and frequency up to 100 times per second.
Currently, you can get a two-pack on this toothbrush for just £199.99
Battery life is 2 weeks
Oral B iO8
Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Oral-B iO8 Electric Toothbrush For Adults, App Connected... | £239.00 | Buy on Amazon |
Approximately £160-£250 (was £159.99 between 4-18th of October)
Currently, the price has been jacked up to £450, I would expect this is them gearing up for the big Black Friday discount. However, this older flagship toothbrush typically switches between £160 and £250. So I’d expect Black Friday to be at or just below the £160 price point.
There is not a great deal of difference between the iO9 to justify the cost. You have 3D Clean Track, 1 extra cleaning mode, and tongue cleaning.
The Oral B iO8 also has more favourable reviews on Amazon than its upgraded model
Both the Oral B iO8 and iO9 have a two-week battery life.
Oral-B Genius 9000 or twin pack Genius 9900
Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Oral-B Genius 9000 Electric Toothbrush, Pack of 1 | Buy on Amazon |
Approximately £100-135
Pricing is all over the place for this one, and it looks like the best thing to do is go for the twin pack, assuming you have two people wanting an electric toothbrush.
You can typically pick up the two-pack Genius 9900 for around £150. £75 each seems reasonable.
There is no artificial intelligence to help guide you on how to brush your teeth, I don’t know how you will cope without it. It does have Bluetooth connectivity for app pairing and 6 cleaning modes.
Again, two weeks battery life.
Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean Model 4300
Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean Model 4300 Electric... | £145.00 | Buy on Amazon |
Approximately £50-70
There is no app, AI, or other fancy features. It also only has one cleaning mode. Shocking. It is, however, affordable and well-reviewed, and it does have two intensities for brushing.
As for the battery, you guessed it, two weeks.
Oral-B Pro 650 CrossAction Electric Toothbrush
Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Oral-B Pro 650 CrossAction Electric Toothbrush Powered by... | £44.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Approximately £15-35
The price of this has increased recently, possibly lining it up for a discount on Black Friday. It regularly sells for £25, so about as basic as you get. It is, however, extremely well-reviewed on Amazon.
The worst thing about this is the 7-day battery.
Oclean Flow Sonic Electric Toothbrush
Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Oclean Flow, Sonic Electric Toothbrush, 5 Modes with... | £27.89 | Buy on Amazon |
Approximately £25-35
In recent years, numerous Chinese brands have entered the market, offering affordable electric toothbrushes. One such brand was Fairywill which was one of the most popular brands on Amazon for a while. Recently they have kicked off the site for manipulating reviews.
This has therefore opened up the market for some other brand names to succeed. The Oclean Flow Sonic Electric Toothbrush is one such option and what I have been personally using for the past few weeks.
Similar to Fairywill, this is incredibly affordable, being just £25, currently, and it has a 180-day battery life. Not sure how these brands get 6-months battery when the big brands can only do a couple of weeks.
Apart from the excellent cleaning performance, the stand out feature for me is the USB-C charging. I never have to worry about where the charger is, and I will always have a charger with me even if I am travelling.
Mitimi Electric Toothbrush
Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mitimi Electric Toothbrush, Rechargeable Power Sonic... | Buy on Amazon |
Approximately £20-25
This has more reviews on Amazon than the Oclean, it is cheaper, and you get 5-replacement heads.
However, it uses microUSB to charge, which is much less convenient for me and it only lasts 30 days. While the price is good, I think I’d sooner spend a touch more on the Oclean
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
Last update on 2024-10-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API