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The Philips Sonicare toothbrush has been on the market for over a decade. The most elaborate kinds of philips sonicare toothbrushes are  "Advance" "Essence" and "Elite".

The current reviews (found on the Amazon page where the toothbrush is sold at a discount) indicate that the slightly cheaper "Essence" Sonicare toothbrush provides a better price to value measurement, compared to  the Elite or Advance phillips sonicare toothbrush. Elite is slightly more advanced because it makes a beeping sound every 30 seconds and it has a life battery indicator. Apart from those features, these models are pretty much the same since Essence also has the:

• 2 minute timer (indicated when you should stop the tooth brushing)
• 2 week battery life (good if you travel with it)
• Produces 31 thousand strokes a minute
• Guarantees that it will remove 80% of coffee and tobacco stains in 28 days time
• Universal philips sonicare toothbrush head which is interchangeable with the Elite model
• Charger base and travel case

The Sonicare takes a little bit of getting used to: during the first couple of days of usage people touch their teeth with the plastic part of the toothbrush which produces a funny vibration sound, it is not painful and doesn't happen when people get used to the toothbrush. The heads are replaced approximately once every 6 months, which comes out to be cheaper than buying new non electric toothbrushes every 2 months.

Overall the philips sonicare toothbrush is superior to other models such as the Oral-b 950TX and it's even compared on Amazon page (where it's sold at a discount price). Sonicaire is superior because it needs less maintenance, has longer lasting replacement heads and produces less noise than it's Oral-B counterpart.

User reviews:

After  my  $30 Oral-B AdvancePower 950 TX, Model D9535 died (after only 2 months of use!), we wanted to make sure that our next powered toothbrush was going to  be of a higher quality. So my husband researched thoroughly all recent,  powered toothbrush models and brands. The end result was our purchase of the Sonicare Essence 5300.

This toothbrush is absolutely AMAZING! It deeply cleanses  your teeth, while gently stimulating gums. It leaves your mouth feeling like you just had a professional teeth-cleaning done!! It is such a pleasure to use, that my husband and I , found that we brush twice as long! The 2 minute timer will shut off the toothbrush, but we will turn it back on and end up brushing until it goes off again. We opted to get a model without the Quad timer, but I can see how it would be useful, as it would notify you when to go to a new section of your mouth! It is also fairly quiet when operating, compared to the Oral-B model we were using before. The overall design of the toothbrush,
base and brush head holder is simple, minimal and will  not clutter up your counter . The brush head holder holds 2 replacement heads and works perfectly for couples. Sonicare also comes with color coded replacement heads. So when you buy a pack, one will have a grey ring and one a blue ring, so you never confuse your brush-head with your spouse`s. Very convenient and helpful!

K. Diyaljee

I consider Sonicare one of those appliances that are a great investment and which will pay you dividends over the long haul. Highly recommended.

Update Summer 2008:
Over 2 years of use on this appliance my satisfaction level remains high. Regarding head replacements, I do want to add one observation. If you go 6 months like before swapping heads, the firmness of the new head will feel especially pronounced, which might cause gum tenderness. In that case, decrease the hand pressure you apply, and in about a week, your gums should acclimate. Enjoy!

Todd Thorne

Company profile:

It is a little known fact that Philips has existed since 1891, where it launched its first invention. This makes the company one of the oldest registered trademarks, and an uncontested pioneer in the appliance market.
Philips health care division is one of its main components. It's currently working on futuristic projects such as advanced imagery (Virtual colonoscopy, perfusion imagery etc) and controlled drug delivery - electronic pill.