Customer Reviews

Philips Sonicare Crest i8500 IntelliClean System Integrated Power Toothbrush

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

My friend has been using a Sonicare Elite for years now and constantly tells me what a great job it does on his teeth. Honestly, I thought Sonicare was just an overpriced electric tooth brush. Then, I finally did some research of my own. It turns out that there is a study on the National Institute of Health web site proving that the Sonicare brush really does improves dental hygiene and that it is superior to its leading competitor. That plus a gift card finally spurred me into ordering and trying out the brush.

I am so thankful that I ordered this! It really does make your teeth and gums feel so much cleaner and healthier. And yes, I've even noticed that my teeth are slightly whiter after only a week's use. This makes your teeth feel like they do when you come out of a dental cleaning... Nothing short of absolutely amazing results.... Purchase one; you won't regret it.

The only thing I wish I had done differently is order the 8300 instead-- it's almost identical and $20 cheaper. There are 2 extra features on the 8500 that I don't use-- programmable quadpacer and dual speed control. (Both the 8300 and 8500 have the quadpacer; the one on the 8500 can be set to values other than 4 thirty second intervals.)

On a side note, I noticed that I was hitting the toothpaste dispenser a bit too often and using up toothpaste really fast. If you hit it once for every quarter of your mouth, you'll run out fast!!!

FOLLOW UP NOTE: I recently visited my dentist after a year of using the Sonicare Intelliclean system. For the first time in my life, the dentist reported NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF PLAQUE. I floss on and use the Intelliclean religiously.

I have a receding gum line, so I decided to invest in the i8500 IntelliClean toothbrush. The performance is phenomenal, leaving my teeth feeling cleaner and smoother than any manual toothbrush ever had. The toothbrush bristles seem gentle enough to clean along the gum line without causing any harm to my gums. In fact, my gums look and feel healthier than ever before. Sonicare claims the i8500 IntelliClean System even cleans below the surface of the gum line with it's ultrasonic cleaning action of 32,000 brush strokes per minute.

My only complaint is that the toothpaste packets only last 10 to 14 days, and they cost about $8 for a three-pack. If Sonicare would increase the size of the toothpaste packets, or reduce the price of the toothpaste, I would consider this a perfect toothbrush.

I purchased this toothbrush for performance, however, not cost. This toothbrush is doing exactly what I purchased it for, cleaning my teeth, improving the health of my gums, and preventing me from requiring gum surgery. On the merit of exemplary performance, I give this product a score of 5 stars.

I have used electric toothrbrushes for over 10 years. I started with the Oral-B, but last Christmas, I decided to buy a SonicCare Intelliclean. DO NOT BUY THIS MODEL. Take the time and use a toothpaste tube.

I have no complaints about the ability of the brush to clean teeth (although I have reverted to the Oral-B brand).

My complaint with this model is with the built in toothpaste dispenser.

1. The toothpaste is not sold everywhere. Not a big deal if you're an Amazon junkie like me.

2. The device holding the toothpaste packet in the brush does not always seal properly. This causes toothpaste to seep out of the packet and make a mess inside the handle.

3. Your choices of toothpaste are very limited. Last I checked there are only 2 flavors, and only one of which is a whitening toothpaste.

4. The toothpaste packet is so small that you spend just as much time changing packets every week or two as you would simply applying toothpaste to the brush daily.

5. MY BIGGEST COMPLAINT... It is very difficult to keep the brush clean. Since there is an elaborate design to deliver the toothpaste to the brush head, there are many crevices in which water can remain after use. I would rinse the entire brush once a week and I would still get stinky mold on the inside of the brush. Not very pleasant given the device is used inches from your nose.

Once again this is not a knock on the method in which SonicCare as a whole makes their brushes, just this particular model.

This is our third Sonicare. The first generation suffered from premature battery failures (replaced by the company twice at no charge). The second seemed to remedy that problem and worked quite well but disappeared one day. This model was purchased to replace the one that went MIA and to take advantage of the integrated toothpaste dispenser.

It seems to work as well as the second generation, though I must say I like the dual speed option--faster for her, slower for me (the older models came with a metal ring that could be dropped into the chamber before the brush was attached. It deadened the vibration somewhat but it was too clumsy to change for each user's preference).

Anyway, what I'm not too crazy about is the larger size of the handle (of course it has to accommodate the toothpaste) and the seemingly cheaper plastic it's made from. Also, the color scheme looks less elegant than the pure ivory. In addition, as the handle has to be removed to change the toothpaste cartridges quite frequently, they could have made the mechanism for opening and closing it a lot more sturdy than it is. I'm pretty sure one of the tabs is going to break off one day and that'll be the end of that.

Lastly, as other reviewers have noted, the toothpaste cartridges don't last too long (we used 3 on a recent 2 week vacation), they are pretty expensive and not readily available. It looks like Sonicare has discovered the cell phone companies' secret of financial success: lock in the customer and keep selling him stuff.

Personally, I'd suggest the previous model. You'll save a little up front and a lot down the road.

Before this I had the Sonicare Advance. The i8500 is bulky and the power seems the same as the Advance, so I am trying to justify the $150 retail price. Well, the toothpaste in a toothbrush gimmick sold me.

So far I'm as happy with this as I was with the old one. It meets my expectations - nothing special. However, I would highly reccomend only using the Crest toothpaste inside the toothbrush when you need to.

For instance, that feature's great when I'm at work and want to brush quickly - no tubes/no mess. But when I have more time like at home, it's most efficient to use toothpaste from a tube.

For one, it gives more options than Crest. I'm a Colgate person. Also, you won't go through $8 6-pack refills in no time flat if you brush several times/day like I do.

I bought this before it actually hit the market and thought I would be getting the latest and greatest Sonicare had to offer. I agree with everyone here that their toothbrushes do a superior job in oral hygiene however, the Intelliclean series has a fatal flaw and I see that I am not the only one who has noticed this. If you do not disassemble the toothbrush and run scalding hot water over its interior after EVERY use then let is dry before reassembling it begins to mildew and smell very bad. And this mildew is what your breath smells like if you don't. I wish I had bought a Sonicare that was watertight. I wish I hadn't bought one of these models!

I've been using this for about a year now and am very happy with it. I like the two minute timer option a lot because I find myself "rushed" sometimes and only brush a little, this forces me to finish. My teeth are a lot cleaner now.

Ok, the only complaint I have is with regards to the cleaning of this. Disclaimer - I consider myself a typical guy. I'm used to washing my toothbrush off and sitting it by the sink and that's about it. You can't do that with this toothbrush. I have to clean it off and dry it out before storing it on the charger. Why? Because the water and any residual toothpaste caught in the little crevices on this thing will start to stink in about a day. Ain't nothing fun about going to use your toothbrush and it smells like, well, I'll just leave that area of the body off this post.

I've had it for a while now and I'm going back to the older model that I had before it. Because this version opens up in the front where the toothpaste goes, the water leaks into there and into the entire area where you replace the head. So all of your backwash and suds from the toothpaste goes in and causes bacteria. You have to constantly keep opening it up to clean it. You can smell it after a while and no matter how much cleaning you do, it doesn't help. I am not that lazy, I can take an extra second to put the toothpaste on my toothbrush. Trust me, you're better off. I got it when it first came out, so I didn't have the luxury of looking at the reviews. I hope this helps someone out there. I would suggest the older version, or maybe even the newer version. Any version except this one.

I have to admit, my teeth and gums feel great after using this. My frustrations is with the design of this "IntelliClean" system. First of all, the liquid toothpaste that comes with this doesn't feel like it cleans as well as traditional "paste." The refills are very expensive and the toothbrush dispenser system never lets you use it all, almost half of it stays stuck inside the refill cartridge because it can't all get sucked up the tubing in the head. It's just a waste of time trying to push the button until it all comes out, it's easier just putting your own paste on the brush like normally. My biggest problem with this toothbrush is that the insides get filled with gunk so easily! It is not watertight so everytime you brush your teeth, toothpaste and water always gets inside. After just one day, it will start to get moldy and mildewy. It turns yellowish green and STINKS BAD!! I'm now always self conscious that this is what my mouth smells like. I don't know if it's worth that feeling. The mildewy residue will get stuck in all the small tiny crevices inside... and oh boy there are a lot of crevices... the cartridge reservoir, the slot where the head sits inside the body, and even inside the toothbrush head. I spend more time cleaning my toothbrush than I do brushing my teeth! This is the only model I have ever tried, so I don't know if the older models leak inside or not. I think the flaw might just be in the fancy-schmancy dispenser system, it was made to be opened often. The intelligence behind this toothbrush is really just the vibrating bristles... so I would just recommend that you get the simple older models. I wish I could trade mine in!

I've my Intelliclean for about two months now and couldn't be happier with it. My teeth have gotten whiter (I use the cool mint intelliclean + whitening catridge), but more important, my gums are in MUCH better condition than they were. My dentist told me a couple months ago that I have gingivitis and that I would have to be extremely diligent with my oral hygiene or it could progress further.

I know some here have said that it's unwieldy and hard to use, but I haven't had any problems at all. I have a fairly small mouth and I'm able to *easily* reach my back teeth and navigate along the inside of my teeth & gums without a mess. I know from using Red-Cote tablets that I'm getting rid of more plaque along the gumline - a significant amount more than I brushed off with a manual brush or even my old spin-pro. Another bonus: the intelliclean is gentle on your gums (mine are very sensitive and it hasn't hurt at all) and makes it so much easier to brush (it's even kind of fun now). I love the clean feeling I have afterward. I would definitely recommend this to anyone and after seeing my results, so would my dentist. :-)