If you’re looking for an electric toothbrush that works great, lasts a long time, and won’t break the bank, the Sonicare 4100 is a great option.
It uses sonic technology to clean and break up plaque, making it more effective than a traditional toothbrush. This toothbrush is also easy to use, with just one button to turn it on and off.
Here’s a video that I made reviewing my Sonicare 4100 toothbrush.
Features
I like the Sonicare 4100 because of its simplicity. There aren’t a ton of extraneous features to learn. That said, there are a few built-in features that are simple but are still very useful.
Zone Timer
The Sonicare 4100 has a timer that divides your mouth into four zones (upper left, lower left, lower right, and upper right).
Every 30 seconds it will give you a pulse to tell you to move to the next zone, helping you to evenly distribute your two minutes of recommended brushing time. It also has a pressure sensor that will pulse if you’re pushing too hard against the brush head, helping to protect your gums.
Easy to Replace Brush Head
When it’s time to change the brush head, the toothbrush will give you a pulse to indicate. There’s also an indicator light that will blink amber to indicate it’s time for a replacement.
Replacing the brush head is easy; simply pop it off the top and put a new one in facing upwards. Here’s our full tutorial on the process.
Battery and Durability
The Sonicare 4100 is waterproof, making it easy to clean if toothpaste or anything else gets on it. It also has an inductive charger, so you don’t have to worry about electrical contacts getting messed up.
A charge typically lasts about two weeks, so you don’t have to keep it plugged in unless you want to. This makes it easy to take with you when you’re traveling.
User Experience
The first time you use a Sonicare brush, it’s going to feel strange! The sonic vibration is unfamiliar, and I found that it took me about 2 weeks to get used to it.
If you’re weirded out by the vibrations, give the brush some time. I got used to the feeling, and now I rarely go back to using a traditional manual brush.
Overall, I find the Sonicare 4100 to be a great toothbrush. It’s simple to use, helps you to time your brushing properly, and has features that help protect your gums. The sonic technology takes a bit of getting used to at first, but once you get used to the somewhat strange feeling, it’s effective for cleaning.
Our Ratings
Ease of Use: 5/5
Cleaning Performance: 5/5
Durability: 4/5
Battery Life: 5/5
Price: 4/5
How We Tested it
I’ve used the Sonicare 4100 in my own home on a daily basis since April 30 of 2021. That means I’ve spent over a year testing this brush in a real-world setting!
In addition to the kind of normal, daily use you’d expect, I also timed the brush’s battery life, and experimented with replacing the brush heads and cleaning the brush itself.
Finally, I traveled with the brush approximately five times since I began using it. Before this brush, I had another Sonicare brush that lasted 7+ years, so I’ve quite familiar with the brand overall.
Where to Buy
The easiest place to buy the Sonicare 4100 is on Amazon. Here’s a link to the brush on Amazon.
You can also buy the brush directly from Philips.
FAQ
No, the Sonicare 4100 is designed for adults. Sonicare does make an electric toothbrush for kids, but the basic 4100 model is designed for adult use.
Yes, it’s fine to leave the brush on the charger all the time. The brush is intelligent enough to stop charging the battery once it’s full, and leaving the brush on your charger is a convenient way to store it upright in the bathroom.