By Christine Frietchen on November 11, 2010 in
Maybe an electric toothbrush isn't the most exciting gift, but if you've been eyeballing one for yourself, you know that the good ones are pretty pricey. The top-rated Oral-B and Sonicare models in our electric toothbrush report each cost $100. The recently leaked Target Black Friday ad includes the Oral-B ProfessionalCare 1000, which normally retails for about $75, on sale for $35. How does this model compare to the top-rated powered brushes in our report?
The Oral-B ProfessionalCare series of toothbrushes includes four models. All four have the same pulsating/oscillating brush head that gets great professional reviews for everyday cleaning and plaque removal. The ProfessionalCare 1000 featured at Target is the most basic model in the series. While the higher-end versions include three brush modes (everyday, sensitive and "polish" modes) and LCD "status" screens, the 1000 has one speed (the 'everyday" speed) and no LCD screen. But mechanically, the ProfessionalCare 1000 is the same as the other three versions. All four share two important features -- they all have a two-minute timer (dentists say you should brush twice a day for two minutes), and all four have a pressure alert that tells you when you're brushing too hard.
User reviews for the ProfessionalCare 1000 at Amazon.com are great.
Oral-B does have a cheaper line of electric toothbrushes, the two models in the Oral-B Vitality series. But there's a big difference between the Vitality models and the ProfessionalCare series; the Vitality brush heads only oscillate -- they don't also pulsate, so tests say they don't perform as well when it comes to plaque removal. But if you want a very basic model, the Vitality brushes are very inexpensive -- about $20 each.
Bottom line: If you find yourself at Target on Black Friday, the Oral-B ProfessionalCare 1000 is a pretty good deal.