The Super Sonic Toothbrush (Braun Oral B Sonic Complete)

Member Name: Nar2

Product:	Braun Oral B Sonic Complete
Date:	02/11/08 (1339 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Well designed, easy to use, fast and efficient, does what it says

Disadvantages: No battery indicator, hard to find on the high street, naff plastic travel case

When the first Sonic toothbrush came to my attention it was around 1998 that the company Ultrasonex seemed to have the perfect brush on the market. However as a student I staved off buying one because I never saw any replacement brushes anywhere else other than at Argos. Instead I went for a mass company name in the UK such as Philips and during that time amidst other reviews of the same brush, I was lucky to have a brush model that didn't lose power after a week's use.


Philips Sonicare ranges have improved over the years and up until now its only been recently that my old brush unit has started to lose power. Therefore a new one had to be sought and bought whilst still using from time to time my battery powered Braun "standard" cordless toothbrush reserved for traveling and term time addresses on contract supply jobs away from home.


The advent of Sonic brushes are slightly different to the turning power of a normal standard cordless toothbrush, and unless you have had a Sonic brush for many years in tandem with a standard cordless brush, most consumers won't know the difference but believe the hype that follows each brush. In use, my Sonic brush has been a god send, not only able to move the hardest of dirt around my teeth and gums but also ruling out any eventual visits to the hygienist. My dentist has also remarked many times the improvement of my gums following the use of a Sonic brush, so to the best of my experience this is one of the reasons to why I prefer a Sonic brush over the cordless standard brushes available on the market. Sonic brushes are slightly different to the oscillating types you can normally buy; they vibrate at a higher frequency than those without the Sonic technology, therefore able to remove more dirt cleanly and freely without disturbing gums or sensitive and fragile dental treatment.


After some research I decided that since I was the owner of a battery powered Braun toothbrush I would stick to this company rather than Philips. The reason being purely for the fact that spare brush heads are available on a far wider national scale at newsagents, pharmacies, and anywhere in fact that sells ranges of toothbrushes and toothpastes. The problem however was finding a model that Oral B & Braun that produces which is additionally Sonic compared to my battery powered standard Oral B toothbrush.


The Professional Care 9000 however is particularly pricey. At many stockists such as Boots who sell this model I was shocked to discover that it is priced around £100 and for what you are getting with this model there are a wealth of features plus three extra replacement heads. Perhaps then it is worth the price that Oral B & Braun have suggested although I'm aware that some dentists have been able to sell this at their businesses between £40 and £60. I wanted to be one of those clients! On EBay however I managed to find such a seller who was selling a couple of these units, brand new at the £60 asking price and with postage included in this price, who I was to argue over the high street price with £40 reserved for my pockets as a saving? Braun have now brought out another model so this original model has dropped in price - so its well worth checking the prices online as well as the high street.


When the Sonic brush arrived, I was really surprised to find that I received three extra heads with the unit and they can be colour coded just like the thin Oral B heads I get with my Braun battery model and in turn means that one Sonic brush can be used by four people in a family thanks to the green, blue red and yellow rings which can be clipped to the bottom of each replacement head. Nothing new there - if you're the owner of any Braun Oral B unit. If you're not then the coloured rings are simple but effective, reminding me of the simplicity of Braun as a company rather than Oral B.


Each Sonic head however has a ribbed underside that suggests some tongue scraping action although in general use the brush does feel very comfortable and smooth and unlike the standard round type of the "Advanced" design, the Professional Care series has a proper oval sized head that looks like a normal brush with more spread out bristles and a softer feel compared to the hard compactness the round heads offer. Generally a brush should last between 3 to 5 months but they will start to change their colour on the top filaments of the brush just to let you know they are on their way out - which is very handy - and mirrors the round brush heads you can buy for Braun's other ranges of electric toothbrushes.

Included with the three extra heads is a rather nifty stand that acts as the battery charger. There is also a flap which can be pushed on at the back that allows the stand to be wall mounted and Oral B/Braun go to the bother of including two Plasplugs and two cross head screws for this very purpose. Built into the design of the brush holder and battery charger, a spring loaded flap reveals three separate cubicles where the spare heads can be stored; how times move on; I never got this with my Sonicare Philips toothbrush!

Another added extra or convenience depending on how you look at it, is a frosted plastic travel case that houses both the hand unit and a spare replacement brush head. Whilst it has the company logo on it I must stress that this plastic box is nothing new and it isn't made of the toughest plastic. Already I've travelled with it and found it hard to store the toothbrush and one spare head in it. By the luck of God and a short prayer, the box lid did manage to curve over and snap shut locking both the brush unit and the spare head in - but Braun can afford to make this case bigger and with extra plastic quality.

Setting up the brush to use is no problem and those with an Oral B/Braun brush already will recognise putting on a head onto the unit with no problems. All it takes is to put the brush head onto the spindle, pushing it down and lock into place; no twisting involved and no need to worry that the brush will snap off in the roughest of hands.

The controls on the unit consist of a metal chrome touch sensitive button that controls the activation. Push once and the brush will activate its normal high brushed program accompanied by a green light on a three light traffic light style vertical design; click twice and it will lower its speed into a soft and gentle mode with its corresponding light shining in light blue. Click again and it goes into its slowest mode, the "gentle massaging," function and its light shines correspondingly in red. I must point out however that in use, although the third low powered function may well offer an expected "gentle" action according to its program, I find the massage speed to have the worst grating effect ever from the motor. Yet whilst Braun offer this program, it would be better to offer something a lot quieter, particularly for people who may be scared of an electric brush as opposed to traditional means -and it doesn't exactly give a gentle massage either, but more of a slower jarring effect as the softer bristles hunt about teeth and gums seeking out dirt. At least receding gums - which is not an effect caused or helped by an electrical or traditional toothbrush - are kept minimally receding with very little blood emerging on any one of these speeds, but the slowest speed is softer out of all three, only putting me off its use because of the louder grating noise coming off the motor.

The high and middle brush programs are to say the least, extremely effective however. The first time I used this, I got the same effect as I had done with my Philips Sonicare; all the gums tingle and each tooth feels like it has been properly scrubbed. Access around my mouth is generally small but the Braun had no problem due perhaps to its longer neck and angled head which gets into tight crevices between teeth and interdental work. The softer brush is therefore welcome around fillings and crowns in my mouth although generally even on the highest setting and leaving my gums tingling and feeling as if they are sparkling and fresh, the Braun is never abrasive even if you apply pressure on the handle. Unlike my Philips which had the option to change the quad timer when set in the charger and changed at the time, the Braun doesn't offer the option to change down. Instead I still receive a slight vibration different to the one that is in built to give it its Sonic technology that reminds me to change the four quarters of my mouth in use.


Maintaining the brush is just as easy as it is to holding and using it. Braun have suitably dressed this model in a sea blue and white colouring and on the body of the unit itself it is sheathed in a permanent clear soft feel wrapping, similar to cellophane even though the latter can be removed. This allows the hand unit to be washed down completely, even if you fear that you drop it in the water of the sink when rinsing out your mouth - the hand unit can still be used. However thanks to its smooth texture, there are times when I have dropped the brush accidently because there are no actual grips set into the unit that you can grip your hand onto. This also provides problems in terms of its overall design; I find that when I'm using the brush my finger accidently brushes past the chrome ON button only for the 9000 to go into a different motor brush mode and this can be off putting thanks to the very little design thought put into the actual handle when holding the brush in your mouth.

The weight of the 9000 is however better than the 2 AA battery powered Braun I have. Lightweight and with a thin body, the 9000 provides a very comfortable and easy to use brush, both on using and maintaining; as with most Oral B brush heads, the Sonic brush heads have water perforation holes set into the neck and the water can flow through those holes when washing or when taking the head off. And typically as with most Oral B products, the heads also have a built in indicator on the top line of brushes, turning white and leaning out when it is time to replace against their uniform line and dark blue colour when the brushes are new. Since bought a couple of months ago, I find that my 9000 will happily last between a 2 to 3 week charge.

The downside to the 9000 is the charging time after it loses power; it takes 16 hours from the first time you use it, to completely charge up the battery but thereafter takes 8 to 12 hours of charging thereafter. I find that a bit too long for a brush unit which is priced at a premium level regardless of the fact that there is no actual battery indicator to show when the brush is loosing power, therefore you're a loss to be able to really tell after a long duration when its starting to go.


Is it worth £100 though? For the three speeds, three extra cleaning heads that fit safely into the same battery charger and all in one toothbrush holder not to mention the quick and efficient Sonic brush cleaning action built into a wet protected slim and easy to control unit, I'd say £100 is a good deal particularly when each brush head costs around £12-99 for a pack of two from Boots and other Pharmacies and in the box you get three free heads to get you started. Aside from some minor problems, the Sonic Professional 9000 deserves to do well from Braun and Oral B. The brushes have an average time of 3 to 5 months on their own and the pack of 2 therefore provides a good option for yearly replacement. The only problem you may find is being able to find one! Thanks for reading. © Nar2 2008

www.oralb.com
www.braun.co.uk

** UPDATE NOVEMBER 2008 **

John Lewis are selling 2 replacement heads at a cost of £6-99.

Summary: Over Philips, a better designed Sonic toothbrush

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