Good Vibrations (Braun Oral-B 3D Solo Plaque Remover D15511 - 1)

Member Name: Modena

Product:	Braun Oral-B 3D Solo Plaque Remover D15511 - 1
Date:	26/06/01 (665 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Electric toothbrush that is recommended by dentists that has all the bells and whistles, and because it has been superceded is £15. It gives a brilliant brush.

Disadvantages: Has been superceded, long charging time (but that is the case with all brushes), shape of brush head, the plug

Electric toothbrushes come in all shapes and sizes, with every brand trying to differentiate themselves from the rest. Without knowing too much, I decided to read some reviews of electric toothbrushes and realised how good they are, and I had an idea what I wanted.

The reviews seem to point me to Braun’s range and because Braun have just launched a new model, the 3D Excel, the old models were being sold very cheap and I thought this was where I would start.

>>Electric Toothbrush Overview
Electric toothbrushes basically take 2 formats, rechargeable and non-rechargable.

Non-rechargable ones simply take batteries and heads can be replaced, and these cost from £5 upwards. These have replaceable heads that cost a few pounds for a few.

Then there are the rechargeable ones, these cost around £15 to £20 and are usually own brand or by toothpaste companies, they are just plain old electric toothbrushes that are rechargeable and do not claim to work any wonders.

Last but not least are the top brand ones, like Philips and Braun, these claim to be the best, with plenty of bells and whistles, and retail for anything between £20 to £100 for mega “family” ones.

>>The Claims By Braun
“Clinically proven effective
-Removes significantly more plaque than a manual toothbrush – AGREE
-Improves the health of gums by reversing gingivitis – ERR PROBABLY
-Whitens Teeth naturally by removing coffee, tea and tobacco stains – I DON’T DRINK COFFEE/TEA AND DON’T SMOKE
-Helps prevent gum disease, the leading cause of tooth loss – AGREE
-Helps prevent the build up of calculus – DIFFERENTIATION AND INTEGRATION, WHAT?
-As gentle on teeth and gums as manual toothbrush – DEFINITELY; LESS GENTLE ON TEETH THOUGH

Honestly teeth feel refreshing after brushing and definitely more healthy after first few brushes, then you get used to it.


>>Braun 3D Action
What differentiates the toothbrush I have is the 3D Action, as well as the head pivoting back and forth lots and lots of times a second, the brush head also pulsated forwards and backwards to remove plaque.

Is this any good or just a gimmick? I’ll try to answer that later, because I also managed to buy the standard Braun Plaque Remover electric toothbrush for my mother.

>>Other Features
One advantage of choosing Braun are the “indicator heads” these are brushes that are coloured so that when the colour fades, you know you need to replace it, and it is recommended that you change the brush heads every 3 months.

Also, you can put coloured rings around the head of the toothbrush to tell which member of the family uses which head. You get about 4 rings when you purchase the toothbrush. The model I purchased comes with one head and charger and wall mounting unit.

We also have “FlexiSoft” bristles which reach into gaps better and clean better. Please also note that heads for the non 3D model do not work on this but the heads for the 3D model work for the standard model.

There is also a pressure sensor, this allegedly stops the 3D pulsations if you apply too much pressure, I cannot confirm or deny that this works because naturally the pulsations will stop if you press hard.

There is also a two minute timer, so when you have brushed for 2 minutes, the movement stutters and then brushing carries on as usual, I think this is a must have feature and most good electric toothbrushes have this.

There are also strips for rubber along the side for more grip, the toothbrush is completely waterproof, there is no need to worry at all.

>>Some stats
Weight – about a quarter of a kilo
Charging time required – 16 hours
Battery lifetime – 45 minutes (30 on standard, non 3D, model)
Connection – 240V AC shaver plug (Adapt
or £1 needed unless you plug in the “earth”)
Replacement brushes – About £7-8 for 2, £1 cheaper than Philips ones!

Braun recommend you leave this fully charged all the time (i.e. placing it back on charger) and let the battery go flat every 3 months or so to maintain performance of the brush and the battery. I have not charged mine for over a week and it still runs, but not as strong, so I would recommend constant recharges and the odd running the battery flat.

>>The experience
It feels comfortable, the head is not too big and not too small and you are in full control all the time. The pulsations can get quite strong at times and I guess if you are made dizzy easily, then you may feel some pain in your head, the non 3D version is less painful. One minor complain is that some gaps are not reachable because of the rigidity of the brush head and the shape of it.

>>Price
The RRP of the toothbrush I got was £34, but you can get this with more heads and a case etc. As I said, this has been superceded by the 3D Excel which I don’t think is too different. This means that these are selling for about half price!!! I picked up mine for £15, that’s less than the bog standard ones!

>>Is it worth it?
Well for £15 of course. The non 3D one’s retail price is £20 (with timer), not I got these two for almost the same price so it won’t be a fair comparison. My opinion is that 3D it is worth more because you do get longer battery life and 3D gives stronger pulsations. It definitely feels better! I would be willing to pay £5-£10 more for a 3D one with longer battery life, also the 3D looks better and has larger rubber strips.

>>Braun isn’t the only one right?
Absolutely, but according to them Braun is recommended by more UK dentists than all other electric brands combined. The advantage of buying a Philips one for instance is that the Philips one has a flexible head, I don
217;t think that is of any use really, but it also has an end tip to reach the nooks and crannies, the Braun does not.

Definitely 5 stars because of the features and the value (if you can get it for £15 or less than £20). This product can only be significantly improved by changing the shape of the brush head and reducing the charge time.

Summary: