There are a lot of cool things out there that make us wonder, “Do they really work?” In our I Tried It series, we set out to use them in the real world and have determined that, in fact, they really do.
The Product on Trial
Philips One by Sonicare Rechargeable Toothbrush
The Tester
Brandon Carte, a guy who finally ended his search for the perfect travel toothbrush
The Brief
The Philips One by Sonicare is an intelligently designed rechargeable toothbrush that delivers better results than a manual brush, all without taking up as much room as a full-sized electric toothbrush.
Philips Philips One by Sonicare Rechargeable Toothbrush
Philips Philips One by Sonicare Rechargeable Toothbrush
Maybe I'm just an over-packer, but it seems as though the older I get, the harder it is to close the zipper of my toiletry bag. Between medication, body wash, hair products, and deodorant, my Dopp kit is always completely packed to the brim.
Depending on how much room there is to spare, sometimes I’ll take my electric toothbrush, but if space is tight, I just bring a cheap manual brush and a travel tube of toothpaste. My electric toothbrush came with a “travel case,” but I kid you not, it’s the size of a TI-84 calculator.
As dramatic as it may sound, Philips turned my world upside down with its latest travel toothbrush. It's called the Philips One by Sonicare, and folks, it's a game changer. Somehow Philips managed to squeeze the components of an electric toothbrush in a waterproof body that's the slim size of a manual toothbrush.
Not only that, it cleans my teeth better than a disposable brush, delivers a shockingly long battery life, and its replaceable heads are affordable and easy to find at stores and online.
I like that the Philips One comes in four different colors (black, off-white, peach, and forest green), so it won’t get mixed up with my significant other’s toothbrush. I also think the carrying case was extremely well thought out. It has two tiny holes to drain water, easy access to the USB-C port for recharging, and a convenient flip-close lid to keep the bristles clean and unexposed.
Its micro-vibrations are noticeable and help ensure a deeper clean than what a manual brush can offer. I also appreciate that every 30 seconds, it pulsates to let you know when it's time to switch quadrants. After 2 minutes, it'll turn off automatically. But speaking as someone who has experience using both full-sized Oral-B and Sonicare electric toothbrushes, the Philips One does leave some to be desired on the performance front.
Although I felt as though the toothbrush effectively cleaned my chompers, the brush is not super powerful. You just don't get the same extreme clean feeling as after brushing your teeth with a full-sized electric toothbrush. Having said that, you'll need to use some elbow grease to get a good clean, which is something I genuinely don't mind since I only use this toothbrush for traveling. Plus, I'm sure if the brush was more powerful, it'd require more frequent charging.
Speaking of the battery, the Philips One lasts 30 days on a single charge — the same amount of time after which you should replace its brush head. I would have liked to see the brush heads' bristles come in multiple firmness levels, but alas, the heads just come in seven different colors. The nylon bristles may be too soft for some, but I think they are quite good. They hold up well and are contoured, which helps remove plaque and reach those hard-to-reach areas.
I was also impressed with how lengthy the battery life is. I've stayed in three hotels over the last 6 months and have only had to recharge the toothbrush one time.
If you want to save some money, Philips sells a variant that's powered by a single AAA battery. That model, which only costs around $25, gets an estimated 90 days of use. Props to Philips for using a USB-C plug — so I don't have to pack an extra charging cable in the rare circumstance I need to recharge it while I'm on a trip!
The Closing Argument
The Philips One by Sonicare is a relatively inexpensive electric toothbrush with a slender build and sleek carrying case. Although the travel toothbrush doesn’t offer the power of a full-sized electric toothbrush, it still effectively cleans my teeth and is an excellent option for on-the-go use. I think it’s worth buying if you’re like me and want to keep your full-sized toothbrush at home and prefer electric toothbrushes to manual ones.
SHOP PHILIPS ONE BY SONICARE RECHARGEABLE TOOTHBRUSH
Brandon Carte has been covering technology at BestProducts.com since 2017, where he's been writing about the latest gadgets, appliances, and scouring the internet for the products that make life easier. His reporting has been featured on TopTenReviews.com, Good Housekeeping and USA Today. When he's not researching washing machines or testing robot vacuums, you can find him at concerts, swimming laps, or at the movies. He thinks smartphones are too big, prefers MP3s to Spotify, and misses his iPhone’s headphone jack.
