Oral-B Vitality vs Pro 1000

Detailed comparison: what’s the difference between the Oral-B Pro 1000 and Vitality?

As the name somewhat implies, the Pro 1000 is the more premium model of these 2 brushes being compared here.

Although both models are at the lower end of the Oral-B product range in terms of features and price.

More features don’t necessarily mean a toothbrush is better, but there are a couple of features the Vitality lacks which in all reality are pretty important when it comes to daily use.

I want to stress that the Vitality isn’t terrible.  It is satisfactory. But satisfactory isn’t really enough when there are many better brushes available, the Pro 1000 is a perfect example.

The first and most obvious difference between the 2 is the handle design.

Both have a cylindrical handle and a removable brush head.

However, the Vitality has a tapered design to the handle, wider at the top than the bottom, compared to the consistent cylindrical shape of the Pro 1000.

From a size and weight perspective, here is how they compare:

Pro 1000:

• Height (without head) – 19.5cm/7.68 inches
• Height (with head) – 23.2cm/9.13 inches
• Width – 2.5cm/0.98 inches
• Thickness – 2.9cm/1.14 inches
• Weight (without head) – 118g/4.1oz
• Weight (with head) – 123g/4.3oz

Vitality:

• Height (without head) – 18cm
• Height (with head) – 22cm
• Width – 3.2~2.5cm
• Thickness – 3.2~2.5cm
• Weight (without head) – 99g
• Weight (with head) – 105g

The Vitality is the more grippy toothbrush and feels more secure in the hand.  It has a grip that covers approximately two thirds of the brush handle, with only the lower third of the handle not covered, exposing gloss white plastic body.  

This grip wraps 360 degrees around the handle, it isn’t limited to just the front or just the back of the handle.

The 1000 on the other hand has an all plastic body with little in the way of grip on the front of the handle.  There is a small silicone/rubber panel around the power button, but this is not significant enough to make a big difference.

The back of the handle does have a dimpled texture running top to bottom which is better than being completely smooth, but if wet the 100 definitely feels less secure in the hand.

The pro or con, depending on how you look at it, is that the Pro 1000 is easier to keep clean.  A simple wipe or rinse of the plastic bodied 1000 washes away a lot of the grime that otherwise builds up within the textured grip of the Vitality.

Linked to the design is the handle colours.  

The grip on the handle of the Vitality is typically a white/grey colour or black or pink.  There are 3 main color choices essentially.

The Pro 1000 is available in 4 colors, white, black, pink and green, although white and black are most common.

Depending on the color variant, the rubber panel around the power button does differ in color slightly.  

It is worth noting that the black, green and pink variants of the 1000 actually have a white colored base to them. Therefore the whole unit is not black or pink. The images best demonstrate this.

A more significant difference is the cleaning action of the 2 brushes.  Although similar, there is a difference.

The Vitality has 2D cleaning action compared to the 3D cleaning action of the 1000.

What this means is that the 1000 benefits from pulsations, another word for vibrations that aid in the cleaning of the teeth and gums.

A form of ‘non contact’ brushing. the high frequency pulsations generated by the Pro 1000 agitate fluids that surround the teeth and can loosen and remove dental plaque in locations that are beyond the physical touch of the toothbrush.

In addition, the available movements from the brushes motor is a little different. The Vitality enjoys 7,800 oscillations per minute, but that 1000 has an extra 1000 oscillations, so 8,800 in total. 

There is then the 20,000 pulsations which are not present on the Vitality.

Both models use Oral-B’s small round brush heads, which have been clinically proven.

Typically, both come with 1 brush head in the box.

The style included does differ.  More often than not the 1000 comes with a CrossAction brush head, whilst the Vitality will come with a FlossAction head.

There are a few variants of the Vitality, which does mean, it is potentially possible that in the box is a Sensitive, Precision Clean or 3D White brush head, rather than FlossAction.  Normally it is just 1, but it may be possible to obtain packages that include 2.

I won’t go into the exact differences here, you can refer to our Oral-B brush heads article for more information on the differences.

Although they may come with different brush heads in the box, the heads are interchangeable, so you can use any of those in the brush head range, with the Vitality or the Pro 1000.  So don’t worry too much about the specific head provided.

One of the most significant differences between these models is the lack of pacer in the Vitality.

Both brushes have a 2 minute timer built-in. This means that 2 minutes after the brush is powered on, the motor pauses briefly 3 times to change the brushing sensation and sound to alert you that the dentist recommended brushing time is up.

What the Pro 1000 has is a 30 second quadpacer.

I believe this is incredibly important and should be core to any electric toothbrush.

It works in conjunction with the 2 minute timer, to break the clean down into 4 sections.

A pause in the brushing sensation and change in sound at 30 second intervals gives you the alert you need to move from one quadrant of the mouth to another.

You have 4 quadrants, upper right, upper left, lower right, and lower left. Spend 30 seconds cleaning each and you should get a fairly balanced overall clean.

Because the Vitality does not have this, it is more difficult to get an even clean.  You absolutely can, but it relies on you to ensure your brushing technique and own pacing allow this.  At least the built-in pacer gives you that extra push to work to an even approach.

Dentists believe a 2 minute timer and 30 second pacer are essential in any good electric toothbrush.

Another nifty feature the Pro 1000 has, is a pressure sensor.

What happens is if the brush detects too much pressure, the speed of the motor and in turn, the number of movements the brush head makes is reduced.

Such a response by the brush limits the potential damage the brush can do to your teeth and gums. Full speed is resumed when the pressure is no longer detected.

The 1000 does not have a visible pressure sensor like some other models in the range.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to actually know when the sensor has been activated with the 1000 though, s it is not perfect in that regard.

The last difference between these 2 models is the battery.

You don’t necessarily need weeks of usage time from the built-in rechargeable battery, but the average is now about 2 if not 3 weeks.

Both these brushes fall below that, but the Vitality has 8 days or 16 brushing sessions compared to the 10 days or 20 brushing sessions of the Pro 1000.

Both use a Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery and will take 12-16 hours to recharge.

If you are a regular traveler, neither of these are ideal as you would likely need to take the charging stand with you.

However, what does make a difference is the inclusion of a battery status icon on the brush handle of the Pro 1000.

You will get a notification when power is low when the brush is charging and when charging is complete. 

The Vitality offers no LED to give feedback on the battery.  You don’t know the battery is low until such time as you hear, see and feel the movements in the brush head slowing, or it just stops working.

Because you don’t get a warning you need to remember to recharge regularly or hope it does not run out mid clean.

If you always leave your toothbrush on the charger after use, it might not be a big issue, but it is a frustration that can play out in real life for most people.

Does one clean better than the other?

Yes, the Pro 1000 is capable of cleaning the teeth better.

Where there is little difference between the cleaning abilities of most electric toothbrushes, the difference here is more significant.

Both brushes provide a more consistent cleaning action than a manual toothbrush and will be beneficial for your dental health if you use them correctly.

What sets these 2 brushes apart, is whilst they both use the clinically superior small round brush heads, the Vitality has only an oscillating-rotating (2D) cleaning action compared to the oscillating-rotating and pulsating (3D) cleaning action of the Pro 1000.

Pulsations offer a more sophisticated motion and give another dimension to the brushing.

Whereas the 2D cleaning requires the physical movement of the brush head against the teeth, pulsations are essentially a ‘non contact’ form of brushing.

It is a non contact brushing as the high frequency pulsations generated by the brush agitate fluids that surround the teeth and can loosen and remove dental plaque in locations that are beyond the physical touch of the toothbrush.

Pulsations are essentially Oral-B’s description for sonic technology.

The Vitality offers 7,800 oscillations per minute, whereas the 1000 is more powerful with 8,800.

0 pulsations are available on the Vitality, whereas the Pro 1000 offers 20,000.

If you brushed your teeth with each brush, it is possible to tell the difference.

Although the Vitality is perfectly usable as a daily toothbrush, the Pro 1000 will longer term help deliver a much better cleaning experience.

Given the whole point of a toothbrush is to clean the teeth, it is well worth benefit from the extra cleaning ability the 1000 offers, if you can.

Is one better priced than the other?

Yes, the Vitality is cheaper.

It has a retail price of around $30 compared to the $70 of the Pro 1000.

Both actually sell on average for less.

Expect to pay around $25 for the Vitality and $45 for the Pro 1000.

When you account for the average selling price, the difference between the 2 models is just $20 compared to the $40 difference in the retail price.

The ongoing cost to use these brushes is the same because both use the same Oral-B brush heads.

The Pro 1000 will still be more expensive over the long term, due to the initial purchase price, but the benefits will make the premium justifiable for most.

Please note that all prices quoted are approximates and will vary based on location, supplier and time of purchase.  These figures were correct at the time of writing and should not be relied upon as hard fact, but used as a guide during your decision process.