Braun Oral-B Triumph IQ 4000 Rechargeable Power Toothbrush

This is just an evolution of the Triumph 9500/9900, as far as I can see. I’ve been using a 9900 for the last two years, and swear by it. I haven’t needed a descale once, in those two years.

I like the new brush storage. It doesn’t look as impressive but is incomparably easier to clean.

There is an extra brushing mode, and a third brush type – massage – is supplied, to supplement floss-action and polish. The description says it has four brush heads in the box, but I only found the three that are pictured.

Actually, it’s annoying that there is only one of each type – I bet a lot of people will share this unit with someone else, and Braun should pack two heads of each type.

But that’s my only complaint. Ah, no, there is another – why on earth can’t they make the batteries user-replaceable? No, don’t tell me, I think I know the answer – they want people to buy new brushes every couple of years.

Ignoring that, and I do, I can’t recommend this brush too highly. The only decision you have to make is whether to pay extra for the IQ 5000 so that you get the Smartguide. Me? I’d pay the extra – Smartguide is a bit of a gimmick but I find it genuinely useful, telling me how much longer I have to keep brushing and advising when I press too hard, as well as providing a bathroom clock.

After eight weeks of use I now feel qualified to offer my opinion about this product. It’s much better than Philips Sonicare HX6731/02 Healthy White Deluxe Rechargeable Toothbrush that gave me a sensitive tooth, since if has not aggravated that tooth as I thought it might do. It works differently from the Philips, turning instead of vibrating. It also comes with three brush heads rather than just the one, which provides the user with nine months’ use. I think the brush heads are also cheaper than the Philips ones and there is a greater variety of them, i.e. flossing, polishing, sensitive, whitening etc. However, the Philips had a pretty little light that comes on when it’s charging, which this product lacks. Though it does have a nice LCD display.

However, having just sung its praises (relatively) I will say that it hasn’t really whitened my teeth. I think it cleans my teeth better than manual brushing, especially between and behind teeth, but my teeth only look cleaner immediately after brushing. Later on they’re as discoloured as they ever were. I’m supposed to be getting “superior whitening within three weeks”! I’m using this product in conjunction with a special whitening toothpaste too! However, I like the way that the power doesn’t cut out after the prescribed two minutes (as with the Philips) so you can continue brushing where you think needs extra attention. The vibrating signal every 30 seconds to tell you to move on to the next quadrant is, like the Philips, a good feature.

Now to the biggest flaw. The fatal flaw. The huge chasm of enormity that seems to have escaped the attention of the designers, developers and manufacturers at Braun, viz. that you can only select what mode you want to use (”daily clean”, “sensitive”, “polish”, “deep clean”) AFTER switching on the power. Duh! So you must squeeze on your toothpaste, then, holding it out of your mouth so you can choose which mode you want, switch the brush on (thus spraying yourself and your bathroom with toothpaste) and then click through the options to set it to the mode you want to use, then, presumably, you put it into your mouth to start brushing… minus the toothpaste, which by now has decorated your chest, face, arms and bathroom walls and mirror. Excellent thinking, guys at Braun!

Buy this if you have more money than sense or love products with huge, embarrassingly obvious design flaws. I can’t be bothered to memorise how many clicks it is to the mode I want or to wonder if I’ve pressed the mode button enough times. When I pay this much for a toothbrush I don’t expect to have compulsory brain-training games thrown in for free. To the nice people at Braun: where did you leave your brains when you overlooked such an elementary mistake? Oh, and the charging station looks and feels cheap and plasticky. But the travel case is OK and is `fit for purpose’, I suppose. How hard would if have been to get that wrong? Still, it is good as a labour-saving device. It now requires less effort to clean my teeth.

I’ve been using this toothbrush for a few weeks now and I am very impressed. It gives my teeth a really shiny clean feeling, like I have just been to the dentist!
It comes with a stand to charge the toothbrush on, which also holds the brush heads. This is a little flimsy, and I would like it better if it were a little sturdier, but it doesn’t fall over and it does the job. The brush only needs charging about every 2 weeks, which is great as I can’t be bothered to keep checking the amount of charge! The LCD display shows the amount of charge left very clearly.
There is a normal brush head, a sensitive one, and a deep clean. These just fit onto the brush easily and are easy to clean. The brush has different settings for different cleaning programs, and each makes a different vibration when it is time to clean a different section of your mouth – you are advised to clean it in 4 sections. And it makes a different vibration again when the time is up, to let you know.
My only real problem is, I can’t see the lcd display once the brush is in my mouth, and so I have to memorise the sequence of different programs – either that, or set it before putting it in my mouth – which results in toothpaste flying all over the place!
There is a carry case for the brush, made out of tough plastic. It closes securely and has space for 2 brush heads. I used it whilst travelling for a week and it was great for keeping everything clean and safe.
A great toothbrush – a bit pricey but definitely worth it, as I have never had such a clean mouth, and my teeth are already whiter .