Review (5/5): Great quality brush, advanced features
I have been using the Oral-B Smartseries 4000 rechargeable toothbrush for several weeks now. In general I have been very pleased with its performance. Oral-B continues to advance their product development in both materials and performance features, though even their most basic products also tend to be good performers, and at bargain prices.
The Smartseries 4000 stands near the top of the product line, and offers all but one feature that is found only on the model 5000 toothbrush (namely, the "Wireless Smartguide"). The 4000 can use most of the replacement heads that Oral-B markets, but comes with their Floss Action brush head. This one is interesting with multiple levels of bristles (giving a 3D cleaning action), as well as 4 soft blade-like cleaners. Positioned on the outer edges, presumably they perform extra floss-like cleaning of that area at the gumline.
Another feature that distinguishes the 4000 from less expensive electric brushes is multiple brushing modes: a sensitive mode reduces speed/pressure and a polish mode for extra cleaning action (along with standard mode). Timers now provide audible beeps as well as the previously used pulse notification, and there is a visible red indicator LED to let you know to EASE UP on the pressure.
I have most recently been using the Oral-B Vitality electric toothbrush and a somewhat older Oral-B A348 ProCare. The 4000 is improves on pretty much every aspect of use of these 2 older brushes.
Here are the PROS and CONS I observed during use:
PROS:
Great cleaning action: I have used Oral-B electric brushes for many years now, and usually get pretty good reports at the dentist, though with several fixed bridges I tend to get about 1 small cavity each year. I started using the 4000 a couple of weeks before my latest cleaning/checkup, and this time the hygienist remarked on how good my teeth looked. She doesn't usually do that, and I attribute it to the improved cleaning action of the 4000.
Timer consistently resets after use: Both of my other brushes just never seem to reset themselves after use. I'll turn the brush on, and 20 seconds later it gives me the "end of cycle" pulse. Huh? The 4000 has never messed up the timing. After each use, it resets itself to a zero point for next brush session.
Selectable modes: I love this feature. Just love it. I tend to get a little distracted while brushing (replaying that argument with the boss this afternoon), and I sometimes bear down too hard. With the 4000, I can just set the mode to Sensitive (indicated by a feather LED ... so cute), and I don't tear up my gums. Along with standard mode, which presumably most people will use most of the time, there is also a polish mode that will help remove those tough coffee/tea/cola stains and help remove plaque. Might be worthwhile to use that mode once a week ....
Visible indicator for over-pressure: When you are getting too distracted and bearing down too hard, a red LED on the back of the handle lights. The brush automatically compensates by cutting off pulsing (the 3D cleaning effect) too.
NiMH batteries: All the Oral-B brushes I have had in the past used NiCad batteries. I hate NiCads. This is probably the single thing about Oral-B toothbrushes that I have disliked most. No matter how careful you are to fully discharge periodically, they always get that "memory effect" and you lost total charge capacity. Not an issue here. NiMH batteries are free of memory effect, can be charged generally hundreds of times without any loss of capacity, and are good long-lasting performers. I typically have been getting a little over 2 weeks per charge with the 4000, though that is at once/day use and usually on "sensitive" setting.
Storage/travel case included: This is cool if you like to take your Oral-B brush with you. A fitted plastic shell for storing the 4000 with room for 2 brushheads is included.
CONS:
Large footprint for storage/charging station: The charging station takes up a lot of counter space. The footprint is about 5.5 x 4 inches. You can lay 4 brushes in the brush station at the right, which has a pivoting lid to protect them from dust and sink splashes. The charging station is located on the left. I suspect that there is better drying with the flat-laying brush storage (better airflow storing them horizontally vs vertically in previous brush stations), but counter space is at a premium in my bathroom, so the large footprint is a detraction.
Brushheads are pricey: Well, they always have been. I tend to use mine a little longer than they recommend, and (shhhhh) sometimes I use generic alternatives, both of which help reduce costs. I just noticed that you can get brushheads via Amazon's Subscribe and Save program, so I think I'll check that out too as a possible money-saver.
Over-pressure LED is a little hard to see: I did have some trouble seeing the LED indicator for over-pressure. It could be brighter. And its location might use some tweaking. Sometimes my hand covered it as I held the toothbrush (maybe adding a LED on the front too would help). But the bright lights of the bathroom were the biggest challenge to seeing the red LED on the back. Half the time I only saw it in the mirror. It's a great feature, but they need to work on putting it in a better location and making it more visible in bright bathroom lighting.
BOTTOM LINE:
The Oral-B 4000 toothbrush is not inexpensive, but on the positive side, it does a simply fantastic job cleaning your teeth, and it is better than older/cheaper Oral-B electric toothbrushes in pretty much every aspect. While replacement brushheads are pricey too, taking great care of your teeth is critically important, both for overall health AND for saving the costs of needing to have dental problems fixed. And there are ways to save on brushheads, if you're resourceful. Winning features of the 4000 include a good timer, which has audible and pulse notifications for each quadrant of the mouth; NiMH batteries (SO much better than NiCads); selectable modes for sensitive, normal, and polish; and a handy travel case. On the downside, the charge/storage station has a pretty large counter footprint, and the over-pressure indicator LED is a bit hard to see in bright bathroom lighting. Overall, though, this is an excellent electric toothbrush, and if you can afford it and the ongoing replacement brush cost, I definitely recommend it. If you find the initial cost a little too high, the 3000 seems to provide most of the features, but at a lower cost.