REVIEW – Several years ago, my dentist recommended that I should seriously consider using a high-frequency electric toothbrush to help fight the buildup of plaque and tartar on my lower teeth. I’ve tried several inexpensive models of the years, but have never broken down and purchased one of the high-end name-brand bushes on the market and simply resorted to cleanings three times a year rather than my previous twice-a-year schedule. I’m hoping the BESTEK Sonic Electric Toothbrush will allow me to reduce the number of visits I make to my dentist’s office.
What is it?
The MRB402D Sonic Electric Toothbrush is a sealed, rechargeable electric toothbrush with replaceable heads. The toothbrush is recharged using either the inductive charging base in its travel box or using the separate disinfection box. The disinfection box (MRB402D-H) is a separate accessory for the toothbrush that provides charging as well as drying and UV disinfection. The box can live on your counter, but is designed to mounted on the wall.
What’s in the box?
The toothbrush itself arrives as the main unit and several accessories. The outer box provides basic information about the toothbrush.
Included in the box are
- Main toothbrush body
- 3 replaceable / interchangeable heads
- Travel box with integrated charger
- USB charging cable
- Instruction manual / warranty information card
The disinfection box is similarly packaged.
This package includes the main disinfection box and several accessories
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- Disinfection box with integrated drying fan and drip reservoir
- Wall mount
- Mounting screws
Hardware specs
The sonic toothbrush weighs in a hefty 122 grams and is 270 mm long. The handle cross-section is a slightly bulging rounded rectangle roughly 27 mm x 31 mm. The replaceable brush heads have a 30 mm long brush. The toothbrush is recharged (800 mAh battery) via a wireless charging system that run at 4.2V DC @ 80 mA from either the travel charger or the disinfection box. A complete charge should take less than 10 hours using the travel charger and is rated for up to 21 days of standby. The sonic toothbrush carries an IP67 waterproof rating.
The toothbrush supports both timed (2 min, 2.5 min, 3 min) and un-timed brushing cycles and varying intensities of oscillation for different types of brushing (standard, soft, whitening) all at 516 Hz (31000 oscillations / min).
The travel box / charger. as a cross-section of 32 mm x 37 mm and is 263 mm long. It required 5V DC through a micro-USB port to charge the toothbrush.
The disinfection box tips the scales at 410 grams (including the power cord). It measures 63 mm across, 265 mm tall, and 62 mm deep. The disinfection box runs on 110-250 VAC 50/60 Hz.
Design and features
The M-care toothbrush is operated by using the two buttons on the front. The button closer to the brush head turns the unit on/off and selects the brushing mode (standard, soft, whitening). The button further from the brush head cycles the timer among the three time settings (2 min, 2.5 min, 3 min). The indicators on the front of the toothbrush identify the mode and time settings. Below the indicator lights, there is a oblong LED that indicates charging status (blinking = charging, solid = charged).
The travel charge has a single LED that also indicates charging / power status.
The disinfection box has a flip top lid that contains the wireless charging base. The toothbrush in inserted brush head first into the box and when the lid is close the toothbrush is pushed slightly down into the center aperture which engages a switch that starts the charging cycle and the drying and disinfecting cycles.
When the charging cycle is active a green LED in the lid flashes until the cycle is complete and then it changes to solid green. During the disinfection and drying cycles the corresponding LEDs on the front of the disinfection box light up (see the photograph above for the LEDs in action).
The disinfection box has a filter on the air intake for the drying fan behind a removable cover on the back. This filter should be cleaned / changed on a regular, but infrequent basis. Also shown here is the cord management system.
The removable drip cup is accessible from the bottom of the unit. This cup should be checked and emptied on a regular basis and cleaned as needed.
Setup
Preparing the toothbrush for use involves removing one of the toothbrush heads from its sealed foil package and sliding it onto the exposed drive shaft on the top of the toothbrush and then charging the toothbrush. My toothbrush required approximately 3.5 hours to fully charge using the disinfection box.
Setting up the disinfection box involves deciding where to place the unit and using the integrated cable wrap to adjust the power cord length and then either placing the toothbrush on the counter or mounting it to the wall using the included mounting plate and screws (or using the included adhesive pad).
Performance
I have been using the M-Care sonic electric toothbrush for over a month now, and I’ve been very pleased with the results. I am not the most diligent tooth brusher in the world and usually only get one session in per day rather than the two or more sessions that my dentist would prefer that I perform. However, in spite of my semi-neglectful brushing habits, my teeth are now squeaky clean rather than just clean. I have not changed my toothpaste from that used for my historical controls.
I did find that I initially I would scrub my teeth using the same motions that I use with manual brushes rather than letting the toothbrush do the work. This caused great discomfort because it resulting in the non-bristle parts of the brush head making contact with my teeth. I deep roots on my upper teeth which transmit vibrations very well into my upper jaw. One I broke myself of this habit, my brushing experience improved immensely with no loss of effectiveness.
My toothbrush lives in the disinfection box. I have not had the opportunity to travel during the evaluation period, so I cannot directly comment on the effectiveness of the travel box for protecting the toothbrush. I did test the charging capabilities and found that works best with higher maximum current (2.4A) rather than traditional USB wall adapters. I don’t know if this was due to the age / quality of my basic adapters (one came with my iPhone 4, and the other was a generic “impulse buy” adapter). I normally travel with a 60W multiple USB power brick to charge my phone, iPad, flashlight, etc., so I will end up using that to drive the travel charger.
What I like
- The toothbrush is effective at cleaning teeth / maintaining clean teeth
- The drying and disinfection of the toothbrush is effective
- Timed brushing with variable levels of vibration
- Excellent value
What needs to be improved
- It would be nice to have a line-to-USB power supply included with the toothbrush
- It would be nice if the both the brush portion of the toothbrush heads was longer and wider to better hold the toothpaste and the neck was lengthened to accommodate those of us with large mouths.
- Longer cord on the disinfection box
Final thoughts
I cannot directly compare the M-Care system to the more expensive popular sonic toothbrushes, but I can say that I have not found a better sonic toothbrush at this price point, especially when you consider that $60 buys you not just a toothbrush but also the disinfecting box.
Price: $39.99 without the disinfection box, $59.99 with the disinfection box
Where to buy: BESTEK Direct
Source: The sample of this product was provided by BESTEK.
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couldn’t find on their website what’s the cost of replacement brushes.? That’s where the long term expense takes place.
Good point. They just started general shipments (after shipping to Indiegogo backers), so they may not have the heads available separately just yet. The unit comes with 3 brush heads, so at 90 days each, I won’t need to worry until the first of the year.
I’ll keep a look out for more information on the brush heads and add a comment when I find out more information.