Colgate Pulse Series 2 electric toothbrush (review)

Jul 29, 2023

The Colgate Pulse Series 2 electric toothbrush is a relatively low-cost electric toothbrush with the companion Bluetooth Colgate Connect App.

At $130 from Woolworths, Coles, Chemist Warehouse, Priceline, Blooms, Terry White, and many more, it is tempting (especially on special at $65, as seen in multiple stores). Why?

Bluetooth toothbrushes (prices before event and seasonal discounts) like the Oral B Pro IO series start at $389, and Philips Sonicare starts at $379. The questions we need to answer are a) Does it clean teeth well and b) what compromises, if any, are there for a $65 toothbrush?

We use Fail (below expectations), Passable (meets low expectations), Pass (meets expectations), Pass+ (near Exceed but not class-leading) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

As an Oral B IO and Philips Sonicare 9000 user, I was underwhelmed. The build quality is adequate; the brush connector is plastic, the brushes are oversized, the carry case is blown plastic, no wall charger, and the lack of an IP rating doesn’t instil confidence.

The handle is ABS; the head is polypropylene (PP) and thermoplastic elastomers (TPE); and the bristles are nylon, thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) and polybutylene terephthalate (PTE).

BUT, I remind myself that this is a $130/65 product and is fit for purpose – cleaning teeth. I suspect few will use the App for too long, and gamification does not appeal to baby boomers. However, if used, it trains you in better oral care.

Remember, you get what you pay for. I guess a $130/65 electric toothbrush does a better job than a manual one.

It has a 2-minute timer and 30-second pulse indicators to move on to a different quadrant. This is standard.

It has a pressure sensor that indicates if you are using too much force. Most electric toothbrushes have this, and I found it a tad too sensitive.

I use both an Oral B (round head, rotating pattern) and a Phillips Sonicare 9000 (oval head, sideways and vibrating movement).

The head shape is more like the Philips but does not move – vibration only hence the name Pulse.

I initially found the vibration sensation annoying. You need to get used to any electric toothbrush – start on the lowest setting and work up.

It has three modes (rotating control on the handle).

The Black handle comes with Deep Clean, and Sensitive heads. The Red substitutes the Sensitive for Whitening. The App uses a simple timer to indicate replacement. A 4-pack (one type) is $30 – reasonable but shop around as they are sometimes on special.

I found the Deep Clean head to be the best for me. Sensitive was like a very soft toothbrush. I presume that Whitening requires suitable toothpaste.

The handle can store up to 10 days of data you must connect to upload.

It shows clean, missed areas and duration. It uses an accelerometer/gyro chip to feed the X/Y angle coordinates to the App. It theoretically maps your mouth. Is it accurate? Approximately so.

The App supports multiple user profiles but does not discriminate between brushes used by them. It only connects to one smartphone, so that multi-user feature is fairly useless.

I dislike gamification, but it works with Gen Z and kids.

The App is a rebadged Kolibree modified for Colgate and AU use. It is a French company est. 2014 and partnered with Colgate in 2020 for its Hum smart toothbrush. It collects:

Mandatory data:

Non-mandatory data:

It uses that data for product development and monetises it via targeted advertising. As far as we can tell, the data is stored in US or EU servers, but there is no definite statement. There is an option to email for the data it has on you, but that link did not work.

While the App appears relatively benign, you don’t need it to use the device as a standard electric toothbrush. But then there are plenty of electric toothbrushes at lower-cost.

The claim 14 days x 2 times x 2 minutes = 56 minutes, and we confirm that it is fair. It comes with a USB-A pogo pin charge base – no charger. Charge time is about four hours using a 5V/2.5A/1.25W charger. It does not charge faster with a higher Amperage charger.

Both the Oral B IO and Philips Sonicare last much longer. In similar 2 x 2 tests, you get at least a month from these, and they come with a full charger – far more convenient.

Consumer Advice: We suspect this uses a Ni-Cad battery with at least 500 charge cycles. It is best to fully discharge and then charge for the longest life.

Colgate claims it is water resistant but cannot be submerged. Handle cleaning is with a damp cloth.

Oral B IO and Philips Sonicare are waterproof; the handle can be washed under running water or used in the shower.

The head has a three-position switch – Gentle, Daily and Deep settings. It has a large protruding ‘knob’ that collects toothpaste residue.

I understand the vibration pulse clean, but it is less effective than the Philips (terrific) or Oral B IO (very good).

Smile Points – 100 points are worth a $1 discount on Colgate products – not a real incentive to try to accumulate them.

You can use the free recycling program.

I have used electric toothbrushes for nearly 20 years. Oral B was the brush of choice until I discovered Philips Sonicare 9000. Yet despite all making the promise of incredible plaque removal, my Dentist charges a small fortune each year to remove what is left of it. Ouch, in more than one way.

Would I buy the Colgate? No. I would buy Philips Sonicare 9000 complete kit at $249 (best price from Harvey Norman).

Should you buy the Colgate? Yes. The App adds value (if you use it) if that is all you can afford.

If you don’t use the App, any electric toothbrush is better than none. Oral B and Philips also have economy models from around $30 sans the App.