The Prettier, More Efficient Electric Toothbrush That Outlasts Sonicare’s Charge By Weeks

The Pures Electric Sonic Travel Toothbrush does the job for a fraction of the price, without the annoying charging base.

Brains and beauty. (Amazon)

I've gone through a couple rounds of Phillips Sonicare electric toothbrushes from Costco, the first of which didn't survive European outlets during study abroad, and the second went to the other party in a break up. As someone with a sweet tooth and a fear of cavities, I rest a lot easier with an electric toothbrush than a manual brushing by my own distracted hands. But with a more research-oriented approach (that is, not just impulse-buying my life at Costco), I found that there are many other fish in the sea. In particular, a remarkably aesthetically-pleasing one with five different settings by Pures for a mere $35.99.

The settings and battery indicator illuminate when in use, and go dark when turned off. (Amazon)

Whenever I've gone back to manual brushing between electric toothbrushes, I have a hard time getting used to the ticklish sensation. The regular 'clean' setting on the Pures gets my teeth totally clean with a more subtle buzz than Sonicare's run-of-the-mill starter model. There's a sensitive setting with an even milder buzz and gentler on gums, and the whitening/gum care settings alternate pulses at different speeds.


In your hand, it's lightweight and waterproof if you brush in the shower. It comes with 4 brush heads that just slide on and off the simple body of the toothbrush, at a narrow point that won't gather residual toothpaste and get gross.

The best part? No clunky stand for the charging base. A cord connects the base to a USB port when you need to charge, and six hours of charge supposedly lasts at least a hundred days. I bought it two weeks ago and haven't had to charge it yet. My teeth are undoubtedly healthier and I'm more relaxed knowing it won't matter if I forget to pack the cord for a trip.

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