Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 4100 Review

The Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 4100 earns a similar overall score to the Brio SmartClean. Our testing found that the Brio is a bit more comfortable to brush with and has a far superior battery life, but the ProtectiveClean cleaned more of our testers' teeth better and is a bit easier to use than the Brio. Additionally, the 4100 also is compatible with Sonicare's wide range of different brush heads, allowing you to try out a few and pick which one matches your needs best, compared to the relatively sparse selection offered by Brio.

To pick out which toothbrushes met the mark to win an award, we researched dozens of models, then bought the best ones to test out in a series of side-by-side assessments. We had a diverse panel of judges rate how comfortable each brush is to brush with and compare their cleaning performances, as well as comparing the convenience of using each brush on a daily basis and the battery life of each one.

Performance Comparison

Comfort

Comfort is the most significant metric of our testing process, accounting for 40% of the final score for each electric toothbrush. We had our panel of judges — including some with sensitive gums — rate how it felt to brush with each toothbrush. We also compared the tone and volume of each brush while in use and determined if there was an overpressure sensor.

Our testers had a bit of a mixed reaction. Half of them — including those with gums that are a bit more sensitive — really liked this toothbrush, finding it much more comfortable to brush with than some of the more aggressive rotation-oscillation brushes. However, the remaining half of our judges rated it slightly below average, finding the frequency of the vibration to be quite vexing. It wasn't that the toothbrush was too aggressive for them, more that it was too "buzzy".

Our testers did agree across the board that this electric toothbrush is quieter than most and lacks the high-pitched rattling whine that many of the other products have. This toothbrush also has a pressure sensor that will slow the brush down if you are pressing too hard.

Cleaning

Our cleaning assessment accounts for 30% of the score for each toothbrush. For this test, we had each judge refrain from brushing their teeth for around 18 hours, then use a tablet that stains the accumulated plaque a rather furious shade of fuschia. Each judge then brushed with the ProtectiveClean 4100 — using different brush heads, of course — and we compared the before and after photos to award points.

The 4100 removed almost all of the plaque for each one of our testers.

Even for the judges where the 4100 didn't remove all the plaque, it only left some small spots in the harder-to-reach areas of their mouths.

Ease of Use

Following our plaque removal cleaning test, our set of ease of use and convenience tests came next in terms of importance, accounting for 20% of the final score for each toothbrush. In this metric, we compared and ranked the ease of swapping between and the different cleaning modes available on each toothbrush, as well as how much effort it takes to clean toothpaste grime off the brush, if it had a timer with quadrant intervals, and if it offers a convenient way to store additional brush heads on the charging base.

The ProtectiveClean 4100 only has a single cleaning mode, giving it an extremely simple and easy to use interface

We also like that the single button appears to be well sealed and isn't prone to accumulating any toothpaste residue. We tested this by slathering each brush in a mixture of watered-down toothpaste, then timing how long it took to clean. This brush is water-resistant enough to use in the shower, making it very easy to clean.

Unfortunately, there isn't a place to store an additional brush on the charger, making it a little more difficult to keep track of extra brush heads than some of the other models.

This electric toothbrush does have an integrated two-minute timer and will notify you every 30 seconds that it is time to move to another quadrant of your mouth when brushing. It will also stop automatically when the two minutes have elapsed.

Battery Life

Our last metric — battery life — accounts for the remaining 10% of the score of each electric toothbrush. As some of the newer toothbrushes have a standby or phantom power draw even when they aren't in use, we ran each toothbrush every day for a full cleaning cycle in the morning and in the evening until they died.

The 4100 lasted for close to a month — 28 days! — on a single charge, comparing very favorably to the rest of the group.

This brush also has a low battery indicator that alerted us on the 23rd day of our test, letting you know that you only have 10 brushes or so remaining before you need to charge it.

Value

The ProtectiveClean 4100 is an excellent value, coupling top-of-the-line performance with an exceptionally reasonable price. It isn't the cheapest option out there if you are shopping on a budget, but only costs a little bit more than the most economical options while offering a big boost in performance.

Conclusion

The Sonicare ProtectiveClean 4100 by Philips is one of the best electric toothbrushes that we have tested to date. It is super simple and easy to use, all while offering impressive cleaning performance for a side-to-side toothbrush that isn't too aggressive for those with sensitive gums. It has an impressive battery life, though a few of our judges wished it was a tiny bit more comfortable to use. All in all, it's a fantastic toothbrush that we would highly recommend. Even better, it is very reasonably priced for a top-notch toothbrush.