Philips Sonicare Flexcare Platinum Connected Rechargeable Toothbrush

DISAPPOINTMENTS:It doesn't actually sense where you are in your mouth. With the app up, it tells you where to brush (one of 6 sections), and only senses whether you're on the inside our the outside of that section. ...That's it. And it doesn't even do that very reliably. The inside of my top left side of my mouth rarely detects properly, leaving the app to falsely report that I need to spend more time there.The "touch up" and the "modes" that it offers tweak nothing but how long it stays on. If you buy a brush that doesn't have these features, you can mimic them by just turning the brush on again after it shuts off.THINGS I ENDED UP LIKINGI didn't expect to want to be able to adjust the intensity. I've been an E-Series user for decades and never needed it. However, my gums started to get sore after using this new brush on high, so I switched it to medium. Now that they're healed, high is OK again. ...but it's nice to have the option.The app poorly detecting where I'm brushing is a gimmick at best. However, after I'm done brushing, the app asks "did you floss? did you rinse? did you scrape?" It's silly, but knowing that I'd have to press the "no" button has persuaded me to floss rinse and scrape far more often than I used to. I consider that a win.Also, the app yells at you if you move your brush too quickly–and this is by far my greatest offender. I have apparently been moving my brush far too much over the past decade, and the app is convincing me to slow it down. It's a tough habit to break, but I'm only aware of it because of this bluetooth model.Overall, I'm pleased, and expect to get 5-10 years of brushing out of it.UPDATE JANUARY 2017:The "brushing too quickly" detection that I thought was so helpful now seems kind of ridiculous. The brush is vibrating at 500+ strokes per second, but me adding 3 additional strokes per second is going to leave my teeth dirty? I get that I don't HAVE to stroke with this brush, but I can't see why someone should pay extra for a bluetooth model with an app just so they can curb the habit.I rarely use the app now. I get a notification every 2 weeks to tell me to brush with the app so that it can "sync" and track my brush life, and I do so, but the novelty of the bluetooth feature has worn off. I brush my teeth twice a day, I don't need an app to tell me that it's time to replace a head–I can just do the math. This is a solid brush and works great, but If I could do it again, I'd save my $$ and skip the bluetooth.UPDATE AUGUST 2019:I took it on a trip and didn't bring a charger. I got one brush out of it and it's dead. I haven't even had it 3 years. The battery is soldered in. I called Philips and they said I'm outside the warranty and sent me a voucher for their online store. I dropped this review to 2 stars due to longevity, and would no longer recommend any electric toothbrush without a replaceable battery.

After 1-3 weeks brush bristles begin falling out in small parts and large sections. This has happened with 5 brush heads already. I have contacted Sonicare who adamantly claims that the brush heads are not defective, however "We are dedicated to improving your experience. Before applying any toothpaste directly to the brush head, please make sure to check the ingredients to see whether your toothpaste contains any essential oils such as coconut oil, peppermint oil, or clove oil. These oils can damage your brush heads and cause bristles to fall out ."I have been using Sonicare electric toothbrushes with the same exact toothpaste since 2003. I have never had this problem. Not only is Sonicare not owning up to creating a faulty toothbrush/brusheads, they are trying to put the blame on the consumer.They offered me ONE replacement to compensate me for my trouble "as a good will gesture" (note: I purchased the toothbrush new to use these heads, and 2 additional packs of replacement heads, that’s at least 6 brush heads plus a new toothbrush - at around $300)"Philips values your business and to show our appreciation, I’d like to send you a new one-pack Sonicare diamondclean Standard sonic brush heads as a one-time courtesy. I will also include in the box a prepaid return label to send back your original defect brush head(s). It is important that you return the original defect brush head(s) so that we can further investigate your experience and see how we can improve the quality of our products. Please send the defect brush head(s) only and keep your handle, charger and other accessories. You can use the same packaging the replacement comes in, but be sure to cover or remove the label that comes on the box to avoid any shipping confusion. You will receive an email confirmation of the order from Encompass, our parts distributor, with your tracking number.”I asked to speak to a supervisor, and I got the same answer:“Thank you for patiently waiting. 3:30:36 p.m.I already reviewed your chat. 3:32:18 p.m.The best offer I can do here is send you a 1 pack brush head as good will gesture.”I have asked for an additional supervisor, and I got a brush off:“Right now, I'm the highest point of escalation. Rest assured I'm the best person to resolve your issue.”After pushing a bit more: “Here's what I'm going to do, I will check with our specialist to review your case and send you a follow up email.”I am not confident that I will get a happy resolution, and honestly I am not sure what to do if I have to change from Sonicare. But I guess I will be going back to the original brush heads. It is very frustrating because I didn’t need to buy a new toothbrush if I was going to keep using the old heads.