I used an electric toothbrush before this, and so I assumed that the transition would be easy. Surprise! I at first found that the Triumph was shockingly rough! For the first week I had to use it on the gentle setting, but after a week I got used to it and switched to the normal setting. I found that that the monitor is useful to time the session and I think that it is worth the extra money.
For what it is worth:
Normally when I visit the dentists office, the technician spends considerable time scraping off the plaque from my teeth. I went 2 weeks ago, and there wasn't any plaque for her to remove. None. Additionally, I have rather poor flossing habits, and the technician usually causes my gums to bleed. This time she commented on how healthy my gums were - even between my teeth (I did not admit that I had not flossed in a month). Note: I am not advocating that you don't floss, just admitting that I don't.