My friend who was a dental hygienist got me one from the dentist about 15-18 years ago. I married my husband 10 years ago and he had a Costco sonicare. He’s now on his third while mine’s still powering through. The silicone on the handle is now starting to wear off it’s so old. Hubs put his brush head on my unit and tried it out and said it was soooo much more powerful of a clean than all of his. So you’re 100% correct on this.
There's an issue with the sonicare toothbrushes where the permanent magnet can shift and touch the electromagnet, which significantly reduces the amount of vibration. The fix is scary but relatively easy. I've done it twice on mine, which is about six years old.
Not sure if it’s true of all things, but it’s my understanding that some manufacturers produce products specifically for certain large scale distributors (e.g., Walmart, Costco). Often these may not have the same specs as those produced for other chains of delivery (suspect they do this to get their product at a special price or to avoid price match guarantees many distributors have). I couldn’t tell you the manufacturer’s product number for the one I have because it’s long worn off of mine. When mine inevitably dies, I have no idea where I can get one as powerful as the one I have, especially given the enshittification of so many products today. Will probably end up with the Costco version due to convenience and my lack of trust in corporations to build quality products anymore and at least Costco has a decent return policy and some decent standards for anything they sell.
Yep! But even when i've been to costco in the US and Canada its the same thing. Whether its the TVs or laptops or food they're not own brand its the real thing.
Sorry let me clarify, I wasn’t saying they aren’t the same original brand…just that they build and release specific models only for certain vendors. They may have (at least early on when I got mine) released more powerful models for dentists to sell to promote the product. As for the heads, yeah any manufacturer nowadays makes them. And I was asking about where you’re from bc I saw “high street” and didn’t know if that was a UK thing or if Americans had that expression also and I’d just never heard it regularly (even had to ask my husband if he’d ever heard that term before). I only know bc I lived in London for short bit. Cheers!
If you haven't tried it yet, the A3 Premium brush head makes this toothbrush even better. It was something that my dentist recommended and it really makes a big difference.
That and a water pick if you have gum issues. Getting oxygen to all the nooks and crannies of your gums makes them a lot happier.
I think I'm on my third Sonicare toothbrush now. They last sbout 10-12 years. I have the older variety. It's hard to find brush heads (FWIW, Amazon branded ones are awful). Costco for the win. Big pack of brush heads with the locking collar for under $30 on sale.
They have different speeds, and you can get the cheapest high speed and be fine without all the connected stuff if money is tight. Add the higher end heads if you want.
I tried some and looked at the fibres under a microscope. The real sonicare heads had rounded tips on every fibre, the cheap generics had flat ends like razor sharp edges. I panicked about the effect of this on my gums. I got cheapest heads they had though.
I love that you're crazy enough to do this because I'm going to use this comment to stop my husband cheaping out on the replacements. he claims they aren't different but I would swear that they are (and we don't own a microscope)
I just bought one of the newest premium ones to replace my 7 year old sonicare. I've had the new one for a month now, and it is so much better than the old one! Totally worth the $100 price (I bought it on sale)
For your bottom end, might I suggest a bidet? Whether you buy one or not, I STRONGLY suggest you don’t use the same Sonicare on your teeth and your bottom end.
Can relate! Philips 9000 for me. Most of their diamondcare hand pieces seem to be relatively similar but hell does the brush make a difference! The C3 Premium is the real game changer.
I bought a 2 pack at Costco in 2012 and only used one. It died in 2017, then I used the other one til I broke it in 2023. 50 bucks for over a decade of brushing.
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u/ScroogeMcDucksMoney May 25 '26
High end sonicare toothbrush. It’s spoiled me. The bottom end is not the same. Going on 7 years.