Soopa Store News, Reviews & Opinion
I used to think a toothbrush was a toothbrush was a toothbrush until I bought my first electric toothbrush and then of course I used to think an electric toothbrush was an electric toothbrush was an electric toothbrush. Don’t get me wrong, as far as I can gather millions of people the world over still think a [simpleazon-link asin=”B000VI7K9A” locale=”uk”]Philips Sonicare Rechargeable Toothbrush[/simpleazon-link] is fantastic and I do too but move over Philips, there’s a new kid in the bathroom!
The guys over at Bzzagent.co.uk sent me a Colgate ProClinical A1500 toothbrush to try a month or so ago and I pondered how to make room for 2 electric toothbrushes in the bathroom, with trepidation I packed away the trusty Sonicare and replaced it with the A1500. The first thing I noticed was it’s a more compact unit. This pleased and displeased me in equal measures.
With it’s small base unit the A1500 often looks likes it’s going to fall over when I place it back in it’s stand after using but equally, it’s small base unit means it balances on top of the bathroom light easily. It doesn’t half have an ugly plug tho, the bathroom light has a shaver style plug built in and the A1500 plug unit sticks out quite a bit, I’m not sure what they have hidden in there but it’s a minor quibble I guess.
What we’re really interested in here is how the ProClinical A1500 functions as a tooth brush and I have no quibbles here in saying it’s like a turbo charged F1 compared to the Audi Quattro Sonicare. Why do I say that? Let me explain. The first thing that is most noticeable about the ProClinical A1500 is it adjusts speed and intensity automatically, smart sensors in the unit detect the angle you are holding it as you brush which allow it to deduce which part of your mouth is being cleaned. This means that that when you’re doing side to side strokes it operates ate a fairly low speed but it picks up when you’re doing your gum line, massaging them almost however when you’re reaching for your molars the ProClinical A1500 shifts into gear and really whizzes away at high speed.
The alternating speeds combined with the triple action brush heads ensure a clean and invigorated mouth. I was sent a regular brush head which has spiral bristles to help remove surface stains, inner bristles to remove plaque from teeth surfaces and tapered outer bristles to clean deep along the gum line. If you are of a more sensitive disposition the gentler brush head has ultra soft tapered bristles which clean gently along the gum line and extra fine inner bristles that gently clean tooth surfaces.
After just one use my gums were tingling, in a pleasant way and I really felt that my teeth had been properly cleaned, a bit like when you make that bi-annual trip to the sadist dentist. After a few weeks I really noticed the different, there was a noticeable reduction in plaque on the back of my teeth and in-between, always a problem for me. This in turn meant a reduction in flossing, not that I was ever that regular but come on, who likes flossing??
As you’d expect from a toothbrush in this price range it has all the features you’d demand. A two minute program split into 30 seconds units, the unit judders to alert you that it’s time to work another area of your mouth and it too has a sonic wave cleaning action, the bristles move at around 32,500 strokes per minute. I didn’t count them but I trust Colgate not to lie about it. If you don’t like the alternating speed you can set it to manual over-ride tho personally I’d question why anyone would buy this unit just to use it like a regular electric toothbrush, perhaps if you have younger kids sharing the unit?
Now, I mentioned price and this may be the killer for some people. This beautiful little beast retails at £165 and currently is only available from the Colgate Store or Boots. If you buy from the Colgate Store they’ll sweeten the deal with £10 of toothpaste and free delivery whereas if you buy from Boots you’ll get £6.76 in Boots points, tho if you use one of the regular ‘double points’ vouchers you’ll turn that into £13.52!
I was fortunate enough to get my unit for free but having experienced it I would most probably have shelled out close to the asking price as it’s a totally different clean I get than my old Sonicare, which is now resigned to being the one packed in the suitcase wash bag Yes, the A1500 comes with a travel case but hey, I’m now a two electric toothbrush household! Keep an eye on Boots for offers and I guess it’s only a matter of time before Amazon get’s it’s mitts on it and discounts it heavily.
