Laifen Wave Electric Toothbrush Review: Ups and Downs

Worth When Reviewed

$69.99

Greatest Costs Right this moment: Laifen Wave

Once we reviewed the Swift hair dryer from progressive Chinese language model Laifen, we awarded it a comparatively uncommon 5 stars. Now we’re wanting on the Laifen Wave, the corporate’s first electrical toothbrush.

It comes fantastically packaged, in eco-friendly, recycled supplies, and Laifen isn’t shy about making claims for its progressive design and brushing know-how. However what’s it like to make use of?

Design & Construct

• Comes with three specialist toothbrush heads
• Vibrating and oscillating motion
• All settings modifications should be made within the app

The Laifen Wave is an electrical toothbrush that each sonically vibrates at 66,000 vibrations per minute – greater than a Philips Sonicare, and far more than the variety of vibrations have to class it as sonically efficient – and oscillates as nicely.

Nevertheless, swap it on and also you’ll see an enormous distinction in its movement from rival brushes. With a large, 60^o diploma vary, its oscillation is clearly seen, and you may regulate it to your liking.

The Wave is a compact brush with a chunky, shiny deal with. It’s wider and shorter than competing fashions. The deal with is simply 12cm lengthy, in comparison with the Oral-B iO’s 16cm, and it doesn’t taper.

Its dimensions imply it may well really feel a bit odd within the hand and its end means it may well get slippery when moist. Nonetheless, its compact dimension means it’s a great possibility for journey.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Within the field, you’ll get the comb deal with, a magnetic charging cable and three toothbrush heads with totally different bristle formations. The charging cable doesn’t include a plug, so that you’ll want your individual sort C energy adapter to have the ability to cost it.

The comb heads are labelled as ‘gum care’ (high quality, comfortable bristles), ‘super-clean’ (with a concave formation) and ‘ultra-whitening’ (a ‘W’ formed design). Offering all three choices is a pleasant contact nevertheless it does imply that when you favour one design, you’ll have to restock after simply three months.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

The larger drawback is that the comb heads don’t appear to be of the very best high quality. First off, their shiny end begins to point out scratches after a interval of use, and so they don’t match notably nicely onto the comb deal with.

Laifen says that there needs to be a small hole between brush head and deal with (in response to the consumer handbook, “a spot of <1mm is important for operation”, which appears unlikely) however in observe, the heads are troublesome to connect. Solely one of many three offered was simple to place into place and take away. One other jammed, and once I lastly wrenched it off, the central fixing was nonetheless connected. That was much more troublesome to take away, and I didn’t handle it with out tearing the pores and skin on my finger.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

This alone makes me barely nervous about recommending the Wave. I sometimes don’t prefer to suggests merchandise that will injure our readers.

Brush head replacements value $9.99 for a three-pack and $16.99 for a six-pack (we will’t but see UK costs). Once more, these are combined packs, which isn’t perfect.

Nevertheless, when you actually just like the Wave, there’s a workaround. It does appear to be completely suitable with Philips Sonicare brush heads. These are nicely made and have the substantial benefit of not slicing bits from folks’s fingers.

The Wave prices in simply 2.5 hours, which could be very quick for an electrical toothbrush and, in response to Laifen, its battery will final for a formidable thirty days. This was borne out in our testing.  

On the comb deal with, there are two units of indicator lights and a single button. Oddly, Laifen considers this one of many brush’s promoting factors. In line with the blurb on its web site, it’s a “pressure-sensitive button”. To my thoughts, that’s what any previous widespread or backyard button does: it responds to stress. I did repeatedly press it to attempt to detect some sort of particular engineering – however typically a button is only a button.

Lengthy urgent the additional particular button takes you into and out of flight mode.

The highest indicator mild lets which of 4 brushing modes you’re in – however there’s a catch. You possibly can solely swap between modes and regulate brushing energy and oscillation within the app, which implies that you received’t have the ability to abandon the app altogether, even when you’re not eager on linked units.

On the base of the deal with is a battery indicator mild which is able to glow inexperienced for 50%-100% battery life, yellow for 20%-50% battery life, crimson for 10%-20% and can blink crimson for lower than that. It glows blue when the comb is linked to the app, which it does by way of Bluetooth.

The one key function that the Wave doesn’t have is a stress sensor and that is one thing I missed whereas testing it. When you are inclined to press too arduous whenever you brush – and also you’ll know when you do, because the bristles in your brush will half within the center, palm-tree type, after a interval of use – this isn’t the comb for you.

Efficiency, Options & App

• Vibration pace, oscillation vary and pace adjustable
• App lacks superior options
• Greater brush settings too highly effective to make use of

When you purchase the Wave, the app is non-negotiable. You’ll want it to make use of it to do something besides swap the comb on and off, and activate flight mode.

The Laifen app is free to obtain and use, and obtainable for each Android and iOS. As soon as it’s in your telephone, you’ll have to make an account after which pair your brush, which you do by switching it on and holding it close by.

Design-wise, the app is freed from frills. Nor are there any secondary options, akin to monitoring your brushing efficiency or classes or suggesting methods to enhance your brushing method. As an alternative, it’s actually only a solution to get round having a mode button on the comb deal with, and shunt the related settings into the app. On the plus aspect, the deal with has a clear, minimalist type however there’s no getting away from the app if you wish to regulate something.

Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

While you first swap on the comb, the timer shall be set to the dentist-recommended two-minute brushing time, after which the comb will flip itself off. Within the app, you may change this, in increments of thirty seconds as much as 5 minutes (which looks as if overkill, except you wish to flay the pores and skin out of your gums each time you sweep), and activate a 30-second vibration alert that’ll let when to maneuver on to the following quadrant of your mouth.

You may as well select from one in every of 4 brushing settings and inside these settings, regulate vibration power, oscillation vary and oscillation pace. This lets you create 4 customised brushing modes. We simply want that you would swap between them on the deal with, as this is able to make life a lot less complicated.

It’s all the time troublesome to analyse precisely how nicely an electrical toothbrush performs however the Wave undoubtedly leaves tooth feeling clear and easy. There are recommended settings and that is the place it’s best to begin earlier than making changes. What I discovered is that the upper settings – particularly the upper vibration power – are virtually unusable as the comb simply bounces off your tooth. Even the third setting of ten is highly effective compared to rivals.

Utilizing the Wave for a month, I felt that it delivered superb brushing efficiency however as I are inclined to press too arduous once I brush, I missed having the security internet of a stress sensor and possibly wouldn’t use it long-term for that purpose.

Worth & Availability

The Wave shall be obtainable from 5 March within the US, UK and Europe. Within the US, you should buy it from Amazon and direct from Laifen, the place it can save you 10% when you purchase in March. There are three choices to select from, with totally different value factors. It prices $69 for the plastic model, $79 for aluminium alloy and $99 for the stainless-steel mannequin.

Within the UK and Europe, the plastic mannequin is offered for €79.99, the aluminium alloy for €89.99 and the stainless-steel mannequin for €99.99, direct from Laifen. Once more, you may presently save 10% when you purchase this month.

Though this isn’t a flawless electrical toothbrush, it’s superb worth at this value

Do you have to purchase the Laifen Wave?

The Wave has lots going for it, particularly its lengthy, 30-day battery life. I additionally favored the truth that its settings are so adjustable which you could exactly tailor the comb’s efficiency to your liking. However the truth that you’ll want to make use of the app to make these changes is an pointless complication.

I even have considerations concerning the high quality of the comb heads and the truth that three differing types are packaged collectively, which might get costly if you wish to stick to at least one sort.

However for its value, the Wave is certainly a contender, particularly when you’re on the lookout for a brush to take whereas travelling.

For extra shopping for recommendation and suggestions, take a look at our round-up of the very best electrical toothbrushes, the very best low cost electrical toothbrushes and the very best Oral-B brushes we’ve examined.