March 27, 2006 More than two thirds of the world population uses a toothbrush, with half those users replacing their toothbrush at least once annually. No wonder then that the global toothbrush market is worth US$5 billion annually and there’s a constant search for an edge which might garner a few percentage points. Market leader Oral-B has been pushing the boundaries recently with its disposable battery-operated “manual” Pulsar and now it has gone several steps better with electric toothbrushes by adding a microprocessor and a bunch of extra functionality. As such, being the first toothbrush with a microprocessor, the Oral-B Triumph is arguably the world’s most advanced toothbrush.
Now having an on-board computer doesn’t offer a staggering improvement in performance, but it does offer functionality that’s handy and previously unavailable, like telling you how long you brushed your teeth for – and presumably helping one achieve the optimum two minutes, twice a day. The Smart Technology also recommends when you need to replace the brush head, and the best part…you can customize your every brush with a choice from four brushing modes - clean, soft, massage, and polish modes.
There are also two brush heads with each brush, with the new FlossAction brush head capable of reaching between teeth and producing floss-like cleaning. The micropulse bristles surround each tooth and deliver a superior floss-like clean of the teeth and gums like never before.
And for those who want stunning pearly-whites, there’s a ProBright Brush head to naturally whiten and polish teeth in only 21 days.
Other features of the Oral-B Triumph include interactive feedback in 13 languages on the brush’s LCD screen, a portable SmartPlug charger convenient for when traveling, and it has an attractive base so it looks fabulous on display in the bathroom and reminds you each day that you’re one of the very few people on the planet using the world’s most advanced toothbrush.
Does it work better? Yes, it does! We tried it for the last month and it offers a better clean than anything we’ve ever tried and the adjustability and choice of heads just add to a feeling of having something exclusive and better than anything else – one doesn’t normally feel privileged when brushing one’s teeth.
Exclusivity comes at a cost - US$139 to be exact, which seems like a bargain to obtain the world’s most advanced anything. The upside is that since the Triumph has been sitting on the bathroom shelf, yours truly’s tooffypegs have had much more attention than ever before.
The bonus is that we remain as impressed as all get-out with the Pulsar though, and although it sits in the manual section of the Oral B offerings, it runs on batteries, works unbelievably well and if you’re prepared to work a bit harder at your oral care, can be obtained for less than 5% of the cost of the Triumph.
