“I felt like a caveman on a spaceship” – our editor tries out the Hydrosonic PRO, here is his honest review

We gave the Hydrosonic PRO toothbrush to our tech-savvy editor and asked him to share his experience, as objectively and directly as possible.

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My name is Max. For the last six months I have been editing the articles about dental care here at Gently. To write about products, you have to try them for yourself. So when the chance came, I got myself a Hydrosonic PRO – the flagship electric toothbrush made by CURAPROX. I took it on the road and tested it in different conditions to see how it works and feels.

Full disclosure: I solicited the unit from CURAPROX through my work channels for free because, frankly, I was doubtful that it would suit me. However, after testing the unit for a week, I ordered a second one for my wife from our local online store, paying for it myself. To me, it turned out to be worth much more than the price tag.

First impressions

The box and the kit itself was much smaller than I expected. Based on my previous experience with electric brushes, I was expecting a box the size of a hair dryer. Instead, the box was the size of a book, and the kit itself was surprisingly small. It also feels about ⅓ lighter than a regular electric brush.

The box held no surprises: the brush itself – packed in a travel case, a USB charger and a handful of manuals which I made myself read because… well… health. If you get a Hydrosonic, make sure you read the manuals too, especially the parts regarding battery and cleaning techniques.

What really stood out was the number of brush heads that came with the kit. A typical electric brush comes packed with one, maybe two brush heads. This one came with three:

a soft brush head for gentle cleaning,
a ‘power’ head for a little more action,
a single brush for precise cleaning.

Setting up

The USB charger is a nice touch. I was on the road as I tested this brush, so when I arrived at the hotel I just plugged the charger into my laptop and gave it a quick charge. It’s worth noting that even though these brushes come factory-charged, they can discharge over time, so don’t expect the brush to work right out of the box. You might need to charge it first.

Installing a brush head is straightforward: you just put it on. I started with a soft brush head.

The brush heads

The brush head is the most important part of the electric toothbrush. If it’s high quality and soft, it will work well. If it’s abrasive and cheap, it will damage your teeth more than it will clean them.

Over the last three years I think I tried all the electric brush heads that were on sale in my local market. And despite my eagerness to go all-electric, I still preferred the manual CS5460 brush – it was much softer and gentler than any of the electric brushes I had tried.

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The CURAPROX Hydrosonic PRO, however, comes with a completely different set of heads: these are specialised soft brush heads that feature Curen filaments. Curen is designed to be soft and non-abrasive – you can feel it when you touch the brush head. It’s pillowy-soft.

The sensation of an ultra-soft toothbrush is quite different compared to the regular medium brushes. I had experienced something similar with a manual ultrasoft brush from South Korea, but its shape and size was nowhere near as comfortable.

These ultrasoft filaments feel like they are hugging your gums, it’s something really special. And the size of the brush head was small enough to reach my gums without stretching out the cheeks. This was nice.

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I read the manual before my first brushing, and it suggested I apply no pressure and just move the brush around. It made no sense when I was reading it, but when I actually felt the bristles on my gums and teeth, it suddenly made perfect sense – the brush head felt silky and smooth, and with that sensation you don’t really want to force the brush head onto your teeth.

And that was before I even powered it up.

The electric brushing

Then I turned it on. Oh god. I’ve had three electric toothbrushes over the years, from relatively cheap to more top-end models, and from different manufacturers. The Hydrosonic felt completely different to all of them.

This is how I understand the hydrosonic process:

All sonic brushes have the brush head attached to a vibrating motor. The speed of that motor and the amplitude of its vibrations define the quality of brushing.

Typical sonic brushes run at roughly 40,000 movements per minute. That is much faster than any manual brushing, and it truly feels like something is vibrating in your mouth. Think “old Nokia with bristles”.

Hydrosonic brushes run at speeds up to 84,000 per minute. This is crazy fast.

At around 60,000, the fluids in your mouth form some kind of active mixture (something I read in the manual). CURAPROX claims that this mixture gets into more places and reaches more nooks and crannies than regular brushing. Including parts of the interdental spaces.

The result is a much more efficient brushing.

I was a little concerned with such brushing speeds, but when I used the brush the vibration was barely noticeable – possibly because of the low amplitude. The brush and all its movements felt super smooth and gentle, unlike many brushes I’d used before.

There was a high-pitched sound from the brush, possibly from the vibration. There was also a tickling sensation on some parts of the gums, but it was far more pleasant than the regular vibration. My teeth felt amazing.

The tilt of the brush head came in handy and I had no problem reaching as far as the back side of my back molars.

Thoughts

Brushing with the Hydrosonic PRO is a very pleasurable experience, and it feels much safer and more comfortable than a regular electric toothbrush.

A typical electric brush feels like a vibrating massager for your teeth – you have to be careful not to damage your enamel, and if your gums bleed after that, you’d be like, “Well, what did you expect? There’s a Nokia 3310 in your mouth!”.

The Hydrosonic feels like proper medical care: it’s very subtle, gentle and precise. In over a week of use, I haven’t had a single unpleasant moment with this brush, not a single case of gum bleeding. With such a sensation, you actually want to brush again and again.

The only thing that is a litte alarming is the price. Where I live, a couple of Hydrosonics is equivalent to renting out a single-bedroom apartment for a month. But for me, it was definitely a worthy investment.

Pros and cons

Pros

+ Compact and lightweight
+ Can be charged over USB
+ A selection of brush heads included in the box
+ Super-smooth and high-quality brush heads
+ Crazy fast motor and an otherworldly brushing experience