Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 4100 Electric Rechargeable Toothbrush, Plaque Control, Black

Product Information

It is only the black colored handles that tend to come provided with a color matched charging stand. More often than not, you get a package that includes 2 brush handles, rather than the more typical 1. Although it provides the same number of brush strokes, the motor has been tuned differently for better results.

Plus, the Tongue Cleaner setting is the perfect answer to those wondering whether you should brush your tongue. Despite what might be a personal desire to go for Philips because you trust the brand and like the quality etc, your only option is likely to be an Oral-B model. The Clean mode operates in the exact same way on the 3 models, as White and Gum Care do on the 51 and 6100.I’ve no reason to complain or be concerned about the 4100, the handle looks and feels well built, with no meaningful gaps between parts. If your toothbrush is 4 years old you likely have the ProtectiveClean 4100 which is a different model, the predecessor to the 4100 Series. The most premium range, the DiamondClean series is much more focused on design and whilst there is a white option there is a rose gold, pink and black too.

In recent years, Oral-B was the winner here, but since Sonicare have introduced BrushSync, I feel they now have more features available on some of their brush handles. For most, I think the travel case is most useful as it is one of those things we do not need every day, but when travelling it can be a great accessory to keep things together, protect the brush and the head and avoid accidental activation.With the main differences between each now explained, I think it is worth highlighting some of the ways in which they are similar that I have not already mentioned. Both brands feature electric toothbrushes with built in timers, rhythmic vibrations and sleek designs. Pressing the power button switches between these and gives the option of a more gentle or more intense setting. I do hope that this article has explained why some may favour Oral-B for reasons like budget, whilst Sonicare might be the best choice because of the battery life. However, you need to take a proprietory travel adapter, not the internationally accepted USB power cable.

This is good, but feels somewhat silly when the handle and charging stand still come wrapped unnecessarily in plastic.The sensor is running all the time and will activate every time you apply too much force, unless it is disabled. This is more than acceptable from the rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery, but the industry average does tend to be around 3-4 weeks.

However, despite being the base model the 4100 offers a lot of fantastic features and more than ticks the boxes for an everyday electric toothbrush. You might not desire more power and a deeper cleaning, but based on Sonicares data this does make somewhat of a meaningful difference to your oral health. The cut and configuration of the bristles are different on each of these heads to achieve different results.This does impact the usable battery life with most models offering just 2 weeks on a full charge, whereby the ProtectiveClean can offer a good couple of weeks extra life from the standard cleaning mode. These are just as important as the timer and pacer, but less common, providing the 4100 added value. To have this effect the waves actually need to be working at a much higher speed, in the ultrasonic range, greater than 20,000 Hz. However, navigating the market of toothbrushes out there can be a little dizzying, which is why we’ve outlined everything you need to know when it comes to Oral B vs Sonicare so that you’re one step closer to making your decision.