Top critical review
1.0 out of 5 starsGarbage
Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2023
TLDR; Its a bog standard electric toothbrush with nothing special about it at all. Save your money and get something more reliable.
The long version; It's unreliable charging on the base it comes with. It has been since I got it. Maybe there's a secret dance you're supposed to do to get the charger to work reliably as you place the toothbrush on it's charger? If there is, I don't know it and I find charging this toothbrush one of the most frustrating, unsatisfactory usages of my time. I'm literally to the point where I have to stand in front of the charger that I've placed the toothbrush on, and just wait. Is it going to start beeping at me eventually? How long do I have to stand here before I'm confident there'll be no issue with the brush charging? Who knows?? I haven't figured that out 100% yet and I've hovered over this toothbrush for a full minute before it finally indicated it wasn't charging right. How do I know? I recorded it! I feel like a lunatic having to say this stuff so I needed the data to prove to myself - I'm not imagining it. I'm not exaggerating. I will happily share the footage with anyone who asks.
I've been fussing with this toothbrush since April when I got it and it's now November. I told myself, "it's too expensive to just give up on! Surely it's just a matter of user error right??" Nah. This is a known issue by Philips. I searched for a solution thinking I must just be missing something. Their FAQ first frames it as user error, telling users not to charge with the wrong base. Philips charging bases aren't interchangeable. Really Philips? How is that cost effective or smart design in any fashion? Do better. But let's not get hung up on that. This base came with the brush at the time of purchase. Moving on.
They tell you things like "make sure your charger is not on a metal surface."
-_-
Is there a lot of metal in the average persons bathroom? I ask because I feel like I'm being gaslit by Philips into thinking I'm just incompetent as a toothbrush or tech user somehow. I know a lot of metal exists in some bathrooms. But I haven't seen a lot of people using those metal filled bathrooms to charge their toothbrush in. Those bathrooms are usually in gyms, military ships, convenience stores, or public restrooms that get high traffic. It starts to feel insulting when I'm working so diligently to get this very expensive item to work, to do a necessary task, twice a day, to have the maker say things like this when it's obviously a known issue if you do a 5 second internet search.
Heaven forbid you place it on the charger and you think it's charging so you walk away. Unbeknownst to you, there's a small faint beep that's started since you left. You go to pick it up to use it the next time you want to brush your teeth and you might notice it doesn't work. Guess what! Your toothbrush is dead as a doornail. It's not charged. I've taken to trying to brush my teeth additional times throughout my day, to try and avoid being caught out by a dead toothbrush, right before I go to bed or when I need to get out the door for work/life. How is that an efficient use of my time? But if I don't - I run the risk of not being able to properly care for my teeth and brush thoroughly twice a day. Does Philips know how stupid they make customers feel with their crappy product and apparent disinterest in making sure their tech has any sort of reliable quality standard. "I spent a lot of money on a well reviewed toothbrush that's supposed to be one of the best so I don't have to spend loads of extra money, time, pain or suffering over dental issues. Does it have charge yet? Can I use it yet? No? Dang." Sure, I can use it manually - but doesn't that defeat the point here???
I'm sick of companies not valuing customers time, money or shopping efforts to find and acquire products they need in their lives. I'm sick of companies producing the most minimal pieces of junk they can possibly spew out, slapping some proverbial lipstick on their frankenstein pig creation by making it pretty colors or shiny (seriously? a shiny charger? for a toothbrush? you've brushed your teeth before right Product Designers of Philips? I know you know toothbrushes drain. The stand you include has drainage. Why doesn't the charger? Why is the charger gold? Is that a good look to someone, with the way a toothbrush drains a sort of toothpaste tinted water?) Toothbrushes drain downwards onto chargers. Duh, right? I get that working chargers aren't really Philip's thing but it feels necessary to point this out because it seems like if you use your toothbrush and it indicates it needs charged, and you place it on the charger - Philips would understand, there's gonna be some water drainage. I find that if my toothbrush has any water in, on or around it - it freaks out and can't charge. I have to literally ~dry~ my toothbrush to try and charge it. I don't mean just wipe the base and sides of it with a microfiber cloth. I mean, make sure you flick every speck of water out of the head, then wipe down the sides and base, wipe down the charger, and take off the head. Wipe any water you might find that got under the head at the point where it connects, and then place it on the charger. Even then it's not guaranteed to work. Don't walk away, you're not done. You need to start a timer for yourself. At least 1 minute. You're gonna wanna wait to see if you missed even the tiniest bit of water that makes its way down to the charger so you can dry that too. You'll know because the charger will start making your toothbrush beep and flash like it's about to self-destruct. I don't remember any of this being included in it's advertising. I'm pretty sure if someone had told me the toothbrush I'm considering purchasing needs dried to the point of OCD - I'd have had 2nd thoughts about such a purchase. Especially for the price I paid. So no. I would not recommend this toothbrush. If someone knows of one that's better, hit me up. And if anyone from Philips actually takes the time to read this, you're welcome. Product ideas make bank. I've given you a lot here. A charger that drains. A charger that's not gold. A toothbrush that can handle being wet and still charge. A quality toothbrush that does what it's supposed to would ensure customer loyalty and lock them in to buying replacement heads for life. Get it together.
