Clean but not that Green! (1 Braun Oral-B 3D Standard Plaque Remover D15525 - 1)

Member Name: grahamt

Product:	1 Braun Oral-B 3D Standard Plaque Remover D15525 - 1
Date:	29/06/04 (1337 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cleans teeth very effectively but...

Disadvantages: ...not cheap and..., high "running" costs and ..., ...not "green"

When it comes to teeth, I conform very much to the universal perception of Brits. Nice people, lousy teeth. Mind you, mine are not quite as bad as Austin Powers but, let?s just say that the genes I inherited in the oral department did me no favours.

Actually, it?s my Mother?s fault, God rest her soul. She had such problems with hers that she had them all taken out when she was 55 and wore false teeth for the rest of her life. I, fortunately, have managed to avoid that fate but, all except the front ones are filled and three have crowns.

So, you will guess that trying to keep them in good order is a major occupation. Like most, I have done so with the usual range of brushes and various toothpastes over the years. None seem to have been entirely successful but then, there is a significant challenge consequent upon my addiction to strong tea and liking for red wine. The regular Friday night curry doesn?t help either.

My dentist despairs of me. Actually, probably not, after all, he get plenty of money out of me (actually, out of my dental insurance) for all the treatment I need, including regular "dental hygiene" which translates as "sand" blasting off the stubborn stains that even brushing won?t shift.

Time came when yet another toothbrush finally reached the point where it really had to be binned, to review the options and an electric toothbrush seemed as though it might be the answer. Certainly it did appear to suggest that I could get more actual cleaning achieved in the same amount of time.

The dentist recommended the Braun range and especially the 3D Excel models. They?re not the most expensive around but they do seem to do a good job by all the accounts I read. In addition, with Christmas coming up, as it was then, a unit designed for two people seemed a good choic
e (You old romantic, Graham!)

Actually, it was not such a bad choice when you consider that my Wife will admit that one of the very best presents she has ever had is an automatic garage door opener! And that really was for her. Only her car will fit in the garage; mine?s too long (the car that is).

Argos had a good deal on the 3D Excel model for two users and, as I also had some points (predecessor to Nectar) with which to reduce the cost, it worked out very well.

The unit comes with a single handle, which is the power unit. It sits on a base that contains a short post that sticks up into the base of the handle. This clever arrangement is how the battery in the handle is recharged. The handle, when fitted over the post in the base, effectively forms a transformer. The primary coil is in the base, the secondary in the handle. There are no wires to the handle at all.

The base plugs into a standard two-pin shaver socket. Placing the handle on the base for 16 hours recharges the battery. Braun claims that this is sufficient for 45 minutes use. I never found that it ever delivered that length of usage.

The battery is Nickel Metal Hydride and so should last a long time though not as long as Lithium Ion batteries. It is also supposed to be far less susceptible to the decreasing capacity problems suffered by regular Nickel Cadmium rechargeable batteries. In practice I have found that within two and a half years the battery reduces to the point where it needs almost permanent recharging in order to retain a charge long enough to brush your teeth more than a couple of times.

Now, this wouldn?t be so bad if you could get the battery replaced. Braun makes great thing of the supposedly "green" practices, such as removing the old battery and disposing of it in an ecologically s
ound way. The handle can be twisted on the post in the base to release the end of the handle for access to the battery. The end springs out, retained only by the wires of the transformer circuit.

However, the fact that you can remove the old battery doesn?t, amazingly, mean that you can replace it with a new one. When the battery finally dies, as ours has, the only option available is to buy a replacement handle from one of Braun?s local service agents. The cost is £25, not much less than a brand-new simple single user model!

The base contains a storage space for four brush-heads. In principle you could use this as a four user unit but, as bought, the four brush-heads consist of two regular types plus two Interspatial heads for getting into all those nooks and crannies between the teeth.

The container for the brush-heads is removable for cleaning and there is a lid that can close over the top of the brush-heads although I don?t believe we have ever bothered to close ours!

The brush-heads are a simple push fit over the metal rod that sticks out of the top of the handle. This rod drives the brush-head so as to oscillate the bristles and to vibrate back and forwards the entire head. This combination of movement is what Braun claims makes the brush so effective compared with brush-heads that simply oscillate.

Having said that, Braun also make a battery version (which I also have, for stays away from home) that only oscillates so you have to ask just how effective the vibration action really is if it isn?t universal in all Braun models!

Actually, the 3D Excel comes with a carry case for the handle and a couple of brush-heads, for use away from home. However, with the state in which the battery is right now, there wouldn?t be much point. The charge would run out long before the return home, hence my battery model.
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There is a two-minute timer built into the handle, which warns you, by briefly interrupting the action a couple of times, not to be too enthusiastic and wear your teeth away. A regular twice a day clean for this length of time leave your teeth feeling noticeably free from the unpleasant coating that builds up on your teeth through "normal use".

The Interspatial heads also seem to be quite effective in digging out the debris which somehow always seems to find a way of sneaking into the gaps between your teeth. I don?t use these every day though perhaps I should at least once a day?

The brush-heads are colour coded. A push-on coloured ring fits around the base of the brush-head so that you tell which is yours and which is your partner?s. In addition, the bristles themselves are also colour-coded. Some of the bristles are blue. Over time, as they are used, the blue colour disappears. This is intended as an indicator as to when you should buy a replacement brush-head.

Replacements aren?t cheap. A pack of two new heads is around £8. You can buy them singly, in two or three head packs. Fortunately Boots come to the rescue with their permanent "3 for 2" promotion, which substantially reduces the effective cost. You can also buy them eight at a time for £25.

The only problem I?ve experienced is that the Interspatial heads can be very difficult to locate. Even Boots don?t always have them in stock. It is also possible to get Extra Soft versions if you have especially sensitive teeth.

We have been quite happy with the Braun. It seems to do a good job. I don?t know that I could, hand on heart, say that it?s the best around. If you are looking for an electric toothbrush then this will serve you well by my experiences.

The only really gripe I have is with the l
ack of the ability to replace the internal rechargeable battery when it dies. If our experience is anything to go by it does mean that if you decide on the 3D Excel you will be committing yourself to an outlay of £25 about every three years, to replace the handle. This does suggest that value for money is questionable.

Having said that, I don?t know of any manufacturer of rechargeable electric devices, such as shavers, for instance, who do enable the replacement of the battery. It seems to be an area where commercial interest outweighs ecological principals. In the case of the Braun, you could buy their simple battery brush at around £12 and a set of rechargeable AA batteries if you are concerned about it.

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