The toothbrush, though rechargeable, does not have a battery replacement methods and you will need to really hack it to change the battery:
As my toothbrush sits with the battery life only lasting 2-3 days, I considered changing the battery myself, only to realize I have no tools, and decided I will just buy a new one.
At the time when I bought my first one in December 2009, not very many people had been using expensive electric toothbrushes, so there were not that many reviews on Amazon. At the time all reviews were glowing - including the one i provided: http://www.amazon.com/review/RTT4TBE7UN9BL/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm
At this point, in May 2013, there are a ton more reviews about the toothbrush now. So while I researched the prices, I started reading negative reviews on the toothbrush - things like the battery life sucks or the charger breaks easily. I got a bit worried and after digging into the issue more deeply by reading various consumer reviews on different sites (amazon.com, wal-mart.com and all their international counterparts), I discovered that there appears to be a voltage problem. The new Smartseries toothbrush no longer carried dual voltage adapters. People would basically blow their toothbrush, or not have it charged properly when they bring it to other countries. Nevertheless I thought to myself, that's okay, I can just buy the new toothbrush and use my old adapter....boy was I wrong.
So I bought my *new* toothbrush here:
Note that this seller posted a box that's in Spanish (which i didnt notice at the time i bought it), still calling the new model toothbrush Smartseries 5000. However, when I received it, the box looked like this:
The thing is, you have to give credit to the seller, who actually did sell the latest North American Model of the the toothbrush: Oral-B Healthy Clean + Floss Action Precision 5000. Basically, Oral-B is doing away with the old Smartseries 5000 and replacing it with the new Precision 5000.
However, I soon discovered that I wish she had just sold me the old one, because after "making some business decisions" they decided to really cut back on the quality of the product.
Old Oral-B Smartseries 5000
New Oral-B Healthy Clean Precision 5000
Charger and Voltage - Buyers Beware!
First off you might notice the adapter has changed.:- The old Smartseries charger has an adapter and the model is 3731
- The new Healthy Clean Precision charger does not have an adapter and the model is 3757
Secondly, note that
- the old 3731 adapter is dual voltage from 100-240v
- the new charger 3757 is single voltage
- either 110v-130v with American plug
- or 220v-240v with British 2-pin plug (looks like european but smaller in diameter)
Thirdly, you cannot use the old charger 3731 for the new toothbrush 3757. Some websites claim you can, but I have tested this and you cannot.
So, as you might already know, I live in Paris. The voltage output in paris is 220v. I currently have an American charger who can only take input of up to 130v. To use this would blow up my adapter and likely my toothbrush.
Easy, so buy a 220v British charger and use an adapter right? Well, to buy one will cost me about 30 GBP (like another $40) but it's not even about the price. The British 2-pin plug is not very universal at all. Even a lot of British homes don't have a 2-pin shaver socket in their bathrooms and must buy adapters for them, let alone homes in France. My only other option really is to buy a voltage converter, just so I can use my toothbrush.
So for the charging problem, the new toothbrush is:
- unfit for international travel (which is ironic because they give you a travel case)
- unfit for europeans in general (they only have british 2-pin)
At this point, I'm running out of steam so I'm not going to go into the smaller differences on the two toothbrush (there are some and negative ones for the new ones) but they are not detrimental to purchasing decision (I think). I did hear that it takes much longer to charge the new toothbrush than the old one and there are often battery and charging issues. Since it hasn't happened to me yet, I can't comment about that.
Let's just say that after a few uses, I prefer the old one much better than the new ones.
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8 comments:
Ugh! I just ran into this issue. Thank you for so clearly explaining the problem.
I just discovered a bit of a workaround. I have an older toothbrush - Precision 3000 that turns out can charge in a 3731 charger/adapter. The fit is not exact. That will now become my travel toothbrush.
Good luck in your toothbrush endeavours. :)
Thanks for the feedback! I use my old 5000 for travelling but im scared it might die.
I bought this giant voltage converter that i have yet to take with me while i travel, but i'll find out this xmas break.
Cheers!
No problem! If your voltage converter works let me know which one you used. Would love to have the option of bringing the 5000 if possible.
Regards.
I bought one in Toronto when I went home last Christmas. It's a pretty heavy duty one called International Converter Kit (no brand name). It only converts from European wattage to North American and not the other way around. It's heavy but comes with a bunch of adapters. I've been using it in Paris everyday, but when I travel i still bring my old one.
I bought this from ebay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/131162941808
It works with BOTH old and and the new slimmer Professional Care series 1000 and 3000.
I have not tried the other new high number series because the 3000 is the best value for money. The higher series just adds more useless features.
Ok, I think I found an interesting work around for using the old charger on the new toothbrush. If you just try to use the old charger (open ring) on the new toothbrush (with the hole in the bottom), nothing happens. Just for giggles, I turned the charger upside down and tried to use it, and it started to charge the toothbrush. No clue on how fast it will charge, only time will tell. Since the old charger is 100-240v, might try to use this internationally if it works.
David from California
Thanks Dave! I will definitely try this and see if it works!
Goomba - you are totally right - I recently purchased a 1000 for my boyfriend - it doesn't have the pressure sensor or the battery indication of how much battery is left (although that stops working after a while anyway). I think my next one will be a 3000 as well!
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