Expert's Rating
Pros
- Good battery life
- USB charger
- Subscription option
Cons
- No pressure sensor
- No battery warning light
- Expensive replacement brush heads
Our Verdict
The Ordo Sonic+ is a well designed brush that cleans effectively and has a choice of four brushing modes, although its other features are limited. You can use it in conjunction with a subscription service for replacement heads and dental care products.
Price When Reviewed
$64.99
Best Prices Today: Ordo Sonic+ toothbrush
The Ordo Sonic+ comes in three colours: charcoal, white & silver and rose gold. It’s beautifully packaged and has a high-quality feel for its price point. In the box, you’ll get the brush handle, a brush head complete with a travel cap and a co-ordinating USB charging base and cord.
As the name suggests, it’s a sonic brush. That means it removes plaque by vibrating, instead of rotating back and forth, as oscillating brushes do. With sonic brushes, strong vibrations break up plaque, working even on hard-to-reach parts of your mouth. The Ordo has 40,000 sonic pulses per minute, which measures up quite well against the industry leader, Philips Sonicare, with 62,000 sonic brush movements per minute.
It should provide effective at plaque removal and certainly feels as though it’s doing the job. One of its best features is its curious W shaped brush head, which provides good contact with all parts of the teeth. In the centre of the brush head is a silicone X designed for polishing. Altogether, it’s one of the best brush heads I’ve tested.
The only problem comes when it’s time to replace the brush head: replacements cost £5 each from the Ordo site or £4.50 each if you buy a 4-pack from Boots.
Although that’s about the same price as a replacement for a Philips Sonicare or an Oral-B brush head, those are stocked by a number of retailers and you can often get deals on multipacks that bring the cost down. Plus, other manufacturers will make compatible heads for the big brush brands, which are significantly cheaper.
Features
In terms of features, the Ordo Sonic+ has four brushing settings: clean, white, massage and sensitive. It also has a timer, which pauses every thirty seconds to let you know to move on to the next quadrant of your mouth. After the dentist-approved two minutes of brushing time, it switches off.
There are, however, a couple of missing features. The first is a pressure sensor. If you tend to press too hard when you brush (which is a common problem), the Ordo has no feedback system to let you know that you’re doing so.
This is a bit of a flaw. One of the best things about electric toothbrushes is the way they can help you to improve your brushing. The timer is one aspect of this and the pressure sensor is the other. Without it, you’ll have to do the brush head test. If your brush head starts to look mangled long before the end of a three month period (typically, the bristles will flatten and part in the middle), that’s a sign you’re brushing too hard.
The Ordo promises three weeks of battery life (brushing twice a day for two minutes) and it delivered more in our test – roughly four weeks of brushing time, which is very good.
There’s no battery warning light, however, which is the second feature we think it misses. You’ll only know that it needs recharging when you place it in the charging base and a red light in the stand illuminates.
Price, availability and subscription service
The Ordo is available from the Ordo site itself in all three colourways, as well as Boots in the UK, where you can buy it in charcoal or rose gold. It’s now also come to Sainsbury’s in charcoal and rose gold. It’s priced at £49.99 (or £50 at Sainsbury’s). At this stage – and unlike most electric toothbrushes – the price seems fixed at the RRP.
However, for better value, you can order an Ordo starter kit.
Ordo also makes other dental care products and for £59.99, you’ll get a brush in the colour of your choosing (plus the charger), 18 interdental brushes in three sizes, a regular and a travel toothpaste, a reusable mouthwash bottle, mouthwash concentrate and dental floss. The toothpaste is sensitive, whitening, cruelty-free and vegan-friendly.
This is a pretty decent value dental goody bag. I was able to test all of the products and I liked them all, especially the mouthwash. However, I think that toothpastes from established brands such as Colgate or Oral-B are more effective.
If the products work for you, you can opt to join the Ordo subscription service and you’ll be sent replacement heads and all the other oral care items you’ll need.
To subscribe, go to the Ordo website and choose a starter kit, with your choice of brush colour. Then decide between two refill options. The basic, which costs £10, gives you a large and a travel toothpaste and a replacement head. The recommended refill, at £15, gives you all of that plus three packs of interdental brushes, dental floss and a mouthwash refill. Finally, you choose a one, two or three month frequency.
The subscription is a good idea: it’s convenient, it’ll ensure that you replace your toothbrush head as often as you need to (every three months is recommended) and you won’t have to remember to buy toothpaste and floss.
Judging from a rough estimate of the products I buy regularly, it would save me money as well. But will you use all the products equally or end up with a stockpile of dental floss while still running out of toothpaste? You can’t switch up what you’re sent at each delivery, so this could be an annoyance.
If you’re interested in regular re-ordering, the Ordo is not your only option. That’s something you can set up if you have an app-enabled brush like the Philips DiamondClean 9000.
Verdict
The Ordo is an attractive, good quality brush at a decent price point. If you opt for the Starter Kit, it’s very good value.
We loved the design of the brush head and the three-week battery life. However, it’s missing a couple of handy features: a pressure sensor and a battery warning light.
If you’re looking for more buying options, check out our round-up of the best electric toothbrushes we’ve tested.
Best Prices Today: Ordo Sonic+ toothbrush
Author: Emma Rowley, Group Home Tech Editor
Emma is Group Home Tech Editor at Tech Advisor. She covers everything from kitchen appliances to smart home devices, from floor care to personal care to air care technology. She’s particularly interested in environmentally conscious brands and products that save people time and money.