Electric Toothbrush Reviews :
The Philips Sonicare Xtreme e3000 sonic toothbrush.

The Sonicare Xtreme e3000 is a very bare-bones sonic toothbrush. It offers just a single operating mode, which is Sonicare's hallmark, patented 31,000-brush-strokes-per-minute cleaning action.

This brush also features Sonicare's Smartimer. The Smartimer function is a brushing timer that automatically turns the Xtreme off at the end of two minutes of use. (Sonicare feels that most dental professionals suggest that a person should brush for two minutes.)

» Brush heads.

The Xtreme e3000 sonic toothbrush utilizes Sonicare's screw-on e-series brush heads. The e-series brush heads are Sonicare's older Elite-style head. They come in two sizes, Standard and Mini. Adults and older teens will typically favor the Standard size. The Mini size will probably be more appropriate for children, people with braces, or those with limited oral access or difficult to reach brushing locations. The Xtreme e3000 comes packaged with a single Standard-sized brush head with protective cap. Philips Sonicare recommends that brush heads should be replaced every three months.

» Xtreme e3000 battery use.

The Xtreme e3000 is different from all other Sonicare electric toothbrushes by way of the fact that it runs on two off-the-shelf (disposable) AA alkaline batteries. Depending upon the user's specific brushing needs and style, most people will find that they need to replace their Xtreme's batteries at an interval ranging from one to three months. Philips Sonicare suggests that in order to maintain optimal brushing efficiency, the batteries in a Xtreme should be replaced about every six weeks. Since no recharging is involved, the Sonicare Xtreme e3000 does not come with a stand, nor does it come with a charge gauge.

The fact that the Xtreme e3000 does not have a permanent rechargeable battery does offer some advantages. As an example, traveler's concerns about remembering to pack or keep track of their toothbrush's charger or being concerned about foreign country voltage variations becomes a moot point. Some users report creating their own "rechargeable" Xtreme Sonicare by way of using rechargeable AA batteries.

» Traveling with the Sonicare Xtreme sonic toothbrush.

As just mentioned, the fact that the Xtreme sonic toothbrush uses disposable AA batteries as a power source offers an advantage when traveling. AA batteries are widely available. Often a traveler is carrying extra AA-sized batteries anyway for use with other electronics such as a camera. While the Xtreme does not come with a travel case, e-series brush heads do come with a protective plastic cap.

» Sonicare warranties and guarantees.

The Sonicare Xtreme comes with a two-year warranty. Sonicare also offers it standard 90-day money-back satisfaction guarantee with this brush. This guarantee states that if you are not satisfied with your Sonicare electric toothbrush for any reason it may be returned for a refund. Of course, Philips Sonicare controls the precise terms and conditions of this guarantee. If the availability of this guarantee is important product feature for you, before you buy you should contact Philips Sonicare and/or evaluate the packing of the product you plan to purchase for current program details.

» Xtreme e3000 sonic toothbrush evaluation recap:

This is a very basic sonic toothbrush. It offers a single operating speed (it does not even offer Sonicare's reduced-power Sensitive mode or Easy-start feature). It does have a Sonicare Smartimer but not the QuadPacer function. It uses the older-styled e-series screw-on brush heads and comes packaged with just a single Standard-sized head. Different than all other Sonicare sonic brushes, the Xtreme runs on off-the-shelf disposable AA batteries. The Xtreme does not come with a stand or a travel case.