Editor's note
This is not a full review of the Pro 800, like you might be expecting.
This is because the Pro 800 is almost identical to the Oral-B Pro 700, which I have reviewed in great detail.
I will explain in the following paragraphs what the differences are, but if you are considering the Pro 800, I seriously urge you to consider the Oral-B Pro 700 in Midnight Black colour option.
You will save money by doing so.
Pro 800 - explained
At the time of writing, it is my understanding that the Oral-B Pro 800 electric toothbrush is sold exclusively via Woolworths in Australia.
I have not seen it for sale with other retailers be that online or offline.
Most Oral-B products are sold by multiple retailers, but on occasions exclusivity arrangements are agreed.
I have no issue with this and I see the benefit for all involved.
However, unfortunately in this instance, the looser is you and me as the buyer.
The current selling price and box contents do not represent the value that the likes of the Pro 700 offers.
There is nothing that is so unique or worthwhile in this package that you should pay the premium commanded of it, in my opinion.
It has a $100 retail price and for that you get in the box:
- 1 x Oral-B Pro 800 electric toothbrush handle in black
- 2 x CrossAction brush heads in black colour
- 1 x Travel case
- 1 x Charging stand
- Documentation
The key features of the brush are:
- 1 cleaning mode
- 3D cleaning action
- Built-in timer and pacer
- Rechargeable battery
- Up to 10 day battery life
- Pressure sensor (not visible)
- Water resistant handle
All well and good, but here is a list of how the 2 brushes differ:
- Pro 800 has a battery life of up to 10 days compared to the 7 days of the Pro 700.
- The Pro 800 comes with 2 brush heads included in the box compared to the 1 with the 700.
So as you can see the differences are limited.
Now I will be the first to agree there is some value in the extra battery life and brush head.
But....
The typical selling price of the 700 is $50 compared to the $100 of the Pro 800.
$50 premium? I think not.
The extra brush head would cost you $7.
You can't improve the built-in battery, but you could buy the Pro 2 2000 for about $80-90 and that has a battery life of up to 16 days.
So as is probably become clear, I am trying to show how the 700 is better value.
I have nothing to gain here other than to save you some money.
Now in fairness to Oral-B, Woolworths and you, the recommended retail price of the Pro 700 is $99.99. That is the same as the Pro 800.
If they were both sold at this price, then yes, the Pro 800 would be the better buy. However, the reality is that the Pro 700 sells for much less. This is simply a fact I cannot ignore and why I suggest going for that over the 800.
You can buy 2 x Pro 700 for the same cost as the 800.
If you follow my advice and opt for the 700, do be aware that there are 2 black colour options with the 700.
You can get the Midnight Black colour (black rubber grip and black brush head) if you want the closest equivalent to the 800, but there is also a black coloured 700 where the included brush head is white in colour.
So, there we have it. I hope you find this useful.
Your information about differences in features between Pro 800 and Pro 700 is not correct. 800 has 4×30 seconds quadrant timers and pressure alert, which you don't mention: https://oralb.com.au/electric-toothbrushes/pro-series/pro-800-black/ Neither are features of 700, see here: https://oralb.com.au/electric-toothbrushes/pro-series/pro-700-black/
Hi. We do mention that the Pro 800 has a pacer. We haven't been explicit in this overview that it is a 4 x 30 second quadrant timer. We also mention it has a pressure sensor (not visible). We don't detail this as a difference between the Pro 700 and 800 because we actually think it is a poor implementation. It is nigh on impossible to tell the sensor is even active. Unless Oral-B has recently changed the specifications, we are under the impression that Oral-B's own website isn't actually accurate in terms of the specification. As crazy as this sound this isn't the first time we have come across this. Our own hands-on testing has found the 30 second pacer to be present in the Pro 700.
Thank you for your considered review and recommendation on the 700 instead of the 800. While "value" is subjective, I would also agree that the $$ difference is not worth the extra head or battery capacity (at the time of your review in October 2020). At the time of my comment (September 2021), this model was sold by Coles at a discounted price of $50 as potential Father's Day gift idea. The economics, as you mentioned towards the end of your review, with near price parity, would be that it would now be worth the 'upgrade' to Pro 800. BTW: Happy Father's Day (to human or furbabies).
Most of the models, even the expensive ones, do not have a compartment to store the 2 toothbrushes. :(
This is true Helen. However, you could look at the likes of these holders here, which can be purchased cost effectively and added to the toothbrush charger to give a place to store brush heads.