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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.
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.
(Cool Stuff is a new feature at Willamette Week where we feature product reviews, roundups, sales and other commerce and shopping-oriented content. All Cool Stuff reviews are editorially independent, meaning we provide honest reviews and aren't paid by the brands we write about. If you do choose to purchase something after following one of our links, Willamette Week may receive a commission, which helps fund our journalism.)