Philips Sonicare Easy Clean Sonic Electric Toothbrush, HX6511/50

It's on its last leg battery doesn't last very long only a few days before having to recharge but it lasted me over 10 years

About a year ago my parents sent me an electric toothbrush (<$20) because they were impressed with new ones that had recently tried. I was favorably impressed with the cleaning, but found that replacing the batteries always resulted in the waterproof seal being damaged and the batteries would flood. I went through about 4 of them, with at least a couple different types, and the story was always the same. Occasionally the heads would work their way apart too, even though they were within their regular use period.You have 2 types to choose from if you step up in quality: Oral-B (with the round spinning heads) and Philips (with the more traditional up and down stroke head). My personal preference is the Philips type of head. After much research, I found that the older Philips models, with the much bigger base to the replaceable brush end, were getting reports of significant material (toothpaste, saliva, etc.) remaining under the bigger base. For this reason I chose the least expensive of the smaller head toothbrushes, the Easy Clean, which had reviews as high as their most expensive models.Cleaning under the head is very easy, as I imagine it would be under the larger heads, but there is simply very little there to clean. The brush heads do a great job, and i have no doubt my teeth have never been cleaner. The design allows me to reach anywhere in my mouth, and after a little getting used to it, I am fine with the 'quadrant' system it uses. This way, you brush upper or bottom, left or right teeth for 30 seconds, then the toothbrush gives a slight beep, encouraging you to move to the next quadrant. In 2 minutes, you are done and it shuts off. This forces you to focus on exactly where you are brushing, to make sure you don't 'run out of time'. I used to brush longer, but now with the stroke speed and the strict timing, my teeth are much cleaner in a guaranteed 2 minutes. Of course you could turn the brush on again, but if you pay attention, there is no need to to do this.Since stroke speed is very fast, there apparently is an initial 14 day break in period, whereby the brush moves slower to start, but increases in speed over each of those uses. This can be reset if ever needed. I didn't really notice this change over time, but I guess that is part of the intent.The charging base is miniscule, with a simple structure, but very effective and requires virtually no effort to insert the toothbrush.The toothbrush itself is not cheap, but is well priced through Amazon. The individual heads are quite pricey $8-$10 each, but can be bought in packs of 2-4 to save a little bit. If this cost were to drop somewhat, I'm sure the number of users would increase dramatically.Great product that exceeded my expectations! I wish I had bought one years earlier, and probably would have if the cost wasn't such an issue.

I’ve used a Phillips Sonicare for over 30 years. Great product. This is my third replacement. The first two had all the bells and whistles but like everything else the motor or battery eventually developed problems. Buying the first unit was expensive and the second one had gone up exponentially. That one would have cost me almost $300 including tax. Even with inflation taken into account, that became a reach!So I searched other manufacturers for an alternative and also found this, Phillips Sonicare. It is their cheapest model, under $50 with tax. It does not have all the extra settings, stuff I did not use much anyway. Plus I knew I could return it if it proved to be unsatisfactory.This model does a decent cleaning with the C2 plaque brush that comes with it. If I used the faster of the two power settings it felt more substantial. Then I bought their more expensive Diamond Clean brush heads. An upgrade on their C2 head. A two pack on Amazon added another $30 to the overall purchase, but it is became much closer in feel and performance to my two previous units. Net net, a savings of $200. I can live with that!

I have been using electronic toothbrushes for nearly 20 years now. Most of the models I have used have performed to a high enough standard to leave me not wishing to use a regular manual toothbrush anymore.Philips' Sonicare however, is a considerable improvement in a few ways over the Oral B models I have used. What I like most of all is the how much fresher my mouth feels after the toothbrush does it's job. The effort required by the user is very minimal. As the manual suggests; guiding the toothbrush slowly, instead of actual scrubbing is all that is required for desired results in only two minutes.I also like the slimness the body of the motor unit. Previous models have been wide enough to result in occasional collisions with front teeth when reaching rear teeth.The stock bristles are very comfortable. As good as I have encountered over the years.The charge time isn't much of an improvement over what I am used to. Up to 24 hours is normal for a full charge from an almost completely drained battery. The good news is, I went three weeks before I needed to recharge the HX6511/50. I have found the battery on almost everything rechargeable does do better in the long run when a full, uninterrupted charge is provided every time.Very low maintenance is required. Keeping the brush, the replaceable head and the charging station clean is easy. A rinse of the head and motor body after every use is worthwhile. Wiping-down the charging base whenever it appears anything less than clean with a multipurpose cleaner has always worked well for me.Pros:1. Very minimal motor vibration.2. Teeth-hugging bristles3. Impressive ergonomics. Good fit in the palm and easy to guide.4. Green LED instead of blue. Much more subtle in the dark at night.5. Leaves mouth feeling very fresh.6. Price.7. Convenient when traveling - dual voltage and 50/60Hz. Charges just about anywhere offering electricity (socket fitment adapter may still be required).8. On/off button is easy to access, but not where you are likely to keep accidentally switching it off.Cons:1. Charge time no worse than the competition, but it doesn't seem to have improved in 20 years.2. Power cord takes a couple of weeks to soften. Results in the base requiring basic support during charging to avoid falling-over.3. Open with care to avoid packaging cuts.Overall, I am very pleased with my purchase. Philips are offering a very well thought-out design here which works very effectively. Not many bells and whistles are on board (quite normal at it's price point), but it has everything to get your mouth feeling fresh within two minutes. And it does so without feeling as though it is applying too much pressure or excess scrubbing to teeth and gums.

Lasts and lasts