Review (5/5): Oral B vs Sonicare
I have owned the Sonicare Flexcare sonic electric toothbrushes the last 3 years and they break about once a year. After this last time, i thought i would give Oral B a try to see how they hold up.
The toothbrush heads are very different. Sonicare uses a more oval shape that is smaller than a regular toothbrush(which i like because it can fit in your mouth easier) and Oral B uses a circular shape. I feel that the Oral B cleans your gums a bit better because it is more wide and can reach your gums, even when you're not trying to, just when you're normally brushing your teeth. The slimmer oval shape of the sonicares do not do this when you're doing a normal brushing. I feel as though this could be a plus or a con depending on the individual. some people have sensitive gums and may not like that you cannot control the Oral B to stay away from the gums, however it gets the job done all at once. Between the two, they both do a great job of getting your teeth feeling very clean, sonicare may do it very slightly better, but both are MUCH better than a regular toothbrush. I could never go back.
The vibrations of the sonicares are, i feel, more controlled. When i use the Oral B's i can feel the vibrating in my head and my vision gets a little weird while i'm brushing, the sonicares do not do this. This was the biggest issue for me when using the Oral B's. It's a bit annoying.
The brush heads are VERY expensive for the sonicares! I buy mine from costco, and i spend about $50 for 7 brush heads. For one person, thats not so bad, but when you have a family of four, thats $50+ every 6 months. So maintaining them is not cheap. Oral B is about $40 for 8. They're a little bit cheaper, not by too much, but enough to give you something to think about.
Overall i would say the Sonicares perform better, but often break. While the Oral B are cheaper, and last longer. If you are trying to decide between the two, i would look at how much you want to spend as the bottom line. They're both going to get your teeth exceptionally clean, and if you're going to have a metaphorical aneurism when your sonicare breaks, it might be a lesser disappoint to get a oral b. I've owned my oral b's for over a year now, and have not had one break-yet.