Quip toothbrush review & comparison

A detailed review and comparison of Quip's brush range

Quip is still considered one of the newer players in the oral care market. 

They are what some might consider a ‘challenger’ brand as they look to disrupt the status quo and do things a little differently.

The first product they brought to market was their battery operated toothbrush. Since then they have added several other toothbrushes to their range.

They've also added the Quip floss pick and the Quip water flosser.

One of the big differentiators compared to existing brands is their subscription service. This allows you to get the supplies you need, at the right time, delivered direct to your door. It also cuts out the middle-man, by going direct. Another difference is their product design.

Convenient and simple are words that come to mind for me when thinking about Quip and their product range.

Initially, they launched 1 electric toothbrush powered by an AAA battery. It was available in 2 finishes, plastic and metal. 

In recent years, the range has extended to include a smart toothbrush, a rechargeable toothbrush and a smart rechargeable toothbrush.

There is then the kids range, which includes a child's electric toothbrush and a child's smart electric brush. The main difference here is that the brush head provided is smaller. To help simplify things we will limit the discussion about the kid's brush in this comparison.

And despite the multiple variants, there are more similarities than there are differences.

The design of the toothbrush hasn’t really changed, it is the functionality that has.

All models come with these features

• Sonic vibrations
• 2 minute timer
• 30 second pacer
• 1 cleaning mode
• Soft nylon bristles
• Tongue cleaner on the back of the brush head
• Minimalist and clean design
• Use the same brush head (excluding kids)
• Come with a mirror mount cum travel case
• Up to 3 months battery life
• 1 year warranty or the lifetime of your subscription

With this covered, let’s take a look at the main differences.

Removable batteries vs built-in batteries

The first major difference is the power source for Quip's brushes.

Quip offers brushes with removable/replaceable AAA batteries as well as brushes with a built-in rechargeable battery.

All are technically ‘electric’ toothbrushes. But, to help categorize products and minimize confusion, we and most others would usually group brushes powered by removable batteries differently from those with rechargeable ones.

In other words, those with removable AA or AAA batteries would be classed as a 'battery toothbrush'. And those with rechargeable would be considered an electric toothbrush.

So for clarity here is a list of the brush names and their power sources.

• Quip Electric toothbrush (powered by AAA battery)
• Quip Smart electric toothbrush (powered by AAA battery)
• Quip Rechargeable electric toothbrush (built-in rechargeable battery)
• Quip Smart rechargeable electric toothbrush (built-in rechargeable battery)

The clue is essentially in the name of the brush. If it has ‘rechargeable’ in the name, then the battery is built into the brush.

Their original electric toothbrush has a removable AAA battery.

The option of a removable AAA battery is certainly convenient for those who want something easy to use and don’t want to worry about having to recharge. Travelers backpacking come to mind.

That said, the model with a built-in rechargeable battery lasts for just as long as the removable AAA battery variant so there isn’t much in it.

My testing has confirmed that both models should easily surpass 3 months, assuming twice daily brushing for 2 minutes each time.

The rechargeable model lasted 236 brushing sessions. That is equivalent to 118 days or nearly 17 weeks.

The magnetic charging cable is different to other toothbrush chargers

To replenish the rechargeable models a magnetic USB cable is included with the first delivery.

The handle has been modified with a magnetic attachment at the base of the handle, which the cable easily snaps to. It can even attach to the brush when in the cover/case.

White in color the flat cable measures about 90cm/3 feet. 

There is a male USB Type A connector at one end and a proprietary magnetic charging pin style connector at the other.

The brush can stand upright on the charging cable, but it is far from sturdy. Expect to lie the brush on a countertop when charging.

You then need to connect the USB connector at the other end to a power source and give it about 8 hours to charge fully.

The cable is a neat and compact solution. It is far less bulky than the charging stands provided with traditional toothbrushes.

However, it isn’t perfect.

Being a custom connector for Quip means sourcing replacement cables are more difficult. You can’t get one from your local electronics store for example.

You get no feedback on the remaining battery power

None of the brushes have LED indicators on the handle to give you feedback on the charge status of the battery. You don’t know if the remaining power is low or high.

This isn’t uncommon for AAA brushes, but many rechargeable models do give some feedback. Sadly this Quip brush doesn’t.

The brush simply won't power on when the battery is too low. It will vibrate 8 times.

That said, if you have one of the smart models and you use the app, you can get feedback on the battery status. It displays it as a percentage (%). It is better than nothing, but it’s a bit of a faff to have to go into the app just to get an idea of how much power remains in the brush.

There is an LED on the rechargeable variants cable. When lit white, it is charging. When the light is off, it means the brush is fully charged.

The following table shows the battery configuration per model.

What the 'smart' features do

The next meaningful difference is the ‘smart’ functionality.

Some models within the Quip range have a Bluetooth enabled motor supplied.

What this means is that the toothbrush can wirelessly transfer data about your brushing habits to the Quip smartphone app, available for iOS and Android.

The setup process takes just a couple of minutes and it is simple to do. Quip has made it as easy as is possible really.

This app is in many ways complementary to your daily use of the brush.

If you have paired your toothbrush to the app on your phone, post brushing it will send the data back to your device.

Having the app open at the same time as you brush does not show any real-time brushing information or even a timer like some competing toothbrushes do.

As you use the brush Quip smart is tracking your:

• Brushing duration
  • Length of each brushing session
• The number of strokes
  • Back and forth brush strokes per minute
  • Typically 200+ can indicate you are moving the bristles in short strokes over one tooth at a time rather than long strokes that bounce over multiple teeth
• Brushing intensity
  • Average back & forth gravity acceleration (g’s)
  • Typically looking for a number between 1 & 3
• Coverage
  • How evenly you brush top and bottom teeth
  • Aim to brush each for 1 minute

Bluetooth connectivity

Quip Adult Electric Toothbrush - Battery	Quip Adult Electric Toothbrush - Rechargeable	Quip Adult Smart Electric Toothbrush - Battery	Quip Adult Smart Electric Toothbrush - Rechargeable
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You need to take corrective action

The ‘smart’ brushes transfer this data automatically to the app.

The non-smart models do not transfer such data. You can log your brushing sessions in the app manually, but you don’t get additional data such as how many movements per minute you are generating as nothing is collecting this data on a non-smart brush.

Over time you can review the logged data and get insight into your brushing habits. 

The theory being you can then take corrective action based on this.

I like the setup, it is simple and not too heavy and complicated to use. 

However, there is room for improvement. I think there could be greater use of charts and tables for presenting key data. In most instances, you need to dig down on a day by day basis to get this.

The main dashboard shows data from the last brushing session. So you see how long you brushed for, the coverage, strokes and intensity. I personally would prefer to see an average here. I think averages speak louder than the last session. Perhaps it could show the average for the last 7 days.

While the motor can track coverage approximately with top and bottom teeth, it doesn’t have the technology to track the exact position of the brush like some more premium alternatives.

It shows what it needs to, but like all of these things, it ultimately relies on you and me to really take action ourselves to make the improvement.

No amount of data can physically make someone pick up the brush more regularly and brush their teeth better. The data needs to encourage users to want to do this.

For those who are really serious about their oral care routine, Quip falls short, but for the majority, it will likely give some tips for improvement, or if nothing else reconfirm that a pretty good job is being done already.

But let me be clear, you don’t need a smart toothbrush to achieve clean teeth. We don’t actively promote smart brushes as being better, but for some, they might find these brushes do motivate them to do better than they do currently.

Out of interest, should you ever wish, you can buy a smart motor separately from Quip and insert this into an existing, non-smart Quip handle, thus making a non-smart brush smart.

Get paid to brush your teeth

Logging data in the app, be that automatically with a smart brush or manually, you are awarded points for your activities.

Smart brushes earn up to 10x the points of manually logged data.

You get 10 points for brushing in the morning, 20 points for your second 2 minute brush (preferably in the evening).

You can get additional points for flossing and mouth rinsing as well as and additional 50 points when you complete a 7 day brushing streak of 2 cleans per day.

Points equal prizes. The number of points and the prizes can and will likely change over time, but at the time of review, 4500 points are equal to a $5 credit towards the brush head subscription or $5 to spend in Target.

Excluding other points bonuses that might come along, you are looking at just shy of 1000 points per quarter.

Over 3 years you could earn around $45 in savings. 

Multiple app users

Interestingly, it is one of the only brushes/app’s I know of that allow you to connect multiple smart brushes to one account. You could have a brush in different locations or you share a mobile device with the app, you can switch between the brushes.

How the different handle materials look and feel

As minimalist and simple design goes, it really doesn’t get much better than Quip.

I really must give them praise for the design.

The handle is light, slim and smooth to the touch with a lovely curved profile. Even the base of the brush is curved, like the bottom of a test tube. The downside here is that the brush does not stand upright on a flat surface.

The material used for the brush handle is a key differentiator between the models.

It is either plastic or metal.

The plastic is smooth to the touch but doesn’t actually feel slippery in the hand.

The metal variants do feel more premium and have a slight texture to the material.

Whilst the metal feels better they both serve the purpose well and are durable.

The material choice affects the color choices too. 

You don’t necessarily get the same color choices with the standard electric toothbrush as you do the rechargeable smart toothbrush for example.

The table below shows the color choices per model.

It should be noted that the kids brush handle has a slightly more textured and grippy feeling rubber grip to the handle rather than the metal and plastic options of the adult brushes.

Quip has a single, simple-to-use cleaning mode

All Quip models offer just 1 cleaning mode, irrespective of model, which is accessed via a single press of the power button.

That button, which requires quite a firm press is located where the head tapers from the handle to the brush head. It is here that you will see a ‘q’ icon, that's the power button.

As soon as the button is pressed the motor kicks in and the built-in timer and pacer are activated.

A large number of people fail to brush for the dentist recommended 2 minutes. The timer and pacer are present to help encourage you and me to do so.

At the 2 minute mark, the brush will automatically turn itself off to alert you the clean is over. It is also a very clear indicator that unless the brush turns off, you have not brushed for the recommended amount of time.

It doesn’t tell you if you are brushing too hard

Our in house dentists, strongly recommend a pressure sensor is present on an electric toothbrush. Sadly, Quip does not have this.

What you should remember, if you are not already aware, is that scrubbing the teeth with a lot of pressure does not normally equal cleaner teeth.

Brushing with too much force can be damaging and a brush with a pressure sensor would alert you.

You need to just ensure you brush with only a small amount of pressure. The bristles really need to skim the surface of the teeth.

15,000 vibrations, but they feel weak

Quip brushes are not quite like the electric toothbrushes many are used to. Existing sonic or oscillating rotating toothbrush owners might well be surprised by the power, or lack of power from the motor in a Quip toothbrush.

The motor produces up to 15,000 vibrations per minute. 

Whilst significantly more movements than a manual brush, it is not as much as larger and more powerful electric brushes. This difference is very noticeable in use.

Sonicare, for example, offers 31,000 brush strokes as standard on most models. That is twice that of Quip. Even if the extra movements result in no significantly better cleaning results, it feels like they do.

The Quip brush is essentially a crossover between manual and electric, in that you get many of the benefits, but the drawback is the cleaning power is not as high.

Existing electric toothbrush owners will likely be quite disappointed, whereas manual brush users may feel some benefit.

The overall cleaning results are perfectly satisfactory, but the post clean feel for me does not feel as good as when I use an Oral-B or Sonicare electric toothbrush. 

You need to use a manual brushing technique

A fairly important thing to note here at this point is that typically the technique used when brushing with an electric toothbrush can be different to a manual brush.

When using Quip, you need to use the same technique as you would a manual brush. This is documented with the printed guide that comes included.

That means small circular motions in the brush head as you move it manually.

Do be aware, perfecting your brushing technique and routine will likely bring more benefit than any particular toothbrush on its own, be that manual or electric.

Quip is American Dental Association approved

Despite the weaker intensity of the motor, Quips brushes have passed all the necessary independent tests required to achieve the American Dental Associations' seal of acceptance.

This means you can be assured the brush achieves what Quip claims and extra peace of mind such testing brings.

It is very quiet in use

Quip brushes produce around 54 decibels of sound in use. This is at least 10, if not 20 decibels less than a lot of the competition (see our list of the quietest electric toothbrushes for a comparison).

If noise is an issue, then Quip certainly takes the lead here.

Replacement brush heads

1 brush head comes supplied with the handle upon purchase and if you subscribe, for $5 you can get a new one delivered to your door every 3 months.

There is just 1 style of brush head which makes things nice and simple. No confusing ranges like you get with Sonicare and Oral-B. And the same head is used for all variants. The only exception is the kids heads which are smaller.

One small, but potentially confusing part about the head is that it comes in different colors to match some different handle colors. So you get a white head for the plastic handle and a black one to match the black handle.

The standard one supplied with many handles is a 2 tone grey color.

Unlike Oral-B’s round toothbrush heads, Quip has a brush head more similar to Sonicare and many manual brush heads. It is a stretched oval shape.

It contains 1,200 soft DuPoint nylon bristles in 34 separate tufts in the center of the brush head. On the outer edge are what appear to be silicone or possibly thermoplastic elastomer bristles. 

Spaced wide apart there are 16 that form the outer edge of the brush head. These are shorter than the nylon bristles.The soft bristles are designed to be gentle on the teeth and gums and not do any damage or aggravate like some harder bristles can.

It cleans the teeth well, but if used to the small round Oral-B brush head, it can feel a little trickier to clean effectively right at the back of the mouth.

On the back of the brush head is a tongue cleaner that also has the Quip named shaped into it.

The importance of cleaning the tongue and the inside of the cheeks is underrated. Scrape the back of the brush head along both to help remove additional plaque and bacteria that can contribute to bad breath.

Brush heads should be replaced every 3 months. There are no indicator bristles on this head to remind you, but the subscription service acts as this reminder. If you are not subscribed, you will need to remember to buy or replace the heads.

Quip has one of the best travel cases we've tested

Included with the Quip brush is a multi-purpose travel case. I say multi-purpose because it acts as a mirror/wall mount as well as a travel case.

Essentially a plastic tube with a reusable sticky pad on the back of it.

It sticks to flat surfaces like tiles, mirrors and shower screens. Just apply a little bit of pressure to make it stick.

The brush then sits within this. 

Just lift the handle out when you need it and place it back in when you’re done.

When you need to transport it, simply pull it off the surface to which it is stuck, and place the holder over the top of the brush head and now it acts as a travel case for the brush.

The handle part sticks out from the case part, but the likelihood of this being damaged is very low.

Part of why this works so well is because the brush is so light. There is very little weight on the pad that sticks to the wall. The minimalist design helps too. 

Even the magnetic charging cable for the rechargeable variant fits and works whilst it is sat inside the case, thanks to a recent adaptation to the case.

It is all too easy for a toothbrush to get knocked or splashed when in the bathroom, this holder allows you to mount the brush out of the way of any trouble and is particularly good if you are short of shelf space, as regular brushes can take up quite a lot of room.

Another neat touch is that the base of the holder has a screw insert that can be removed to clean it out and release any grime that might have built up. It does have holes in it to allow for airflow so the brush head can dry out.

Does one Quip brush clean better than the others?

No. They all clean as well as each other.

All 4 of the adult Quip toothbrush use the same brush motor with the same configuration. Therefore one isn’t more powerful than another.

You get the same single cleaning mode on each toothbrush too.

The Quip Smart and the Quip Smart rechargeable options do have Bluetooth connectivity, which allows you to connect these specific models to Quip’s smartphone application.

These brushes track some key metrics as you brush your teeth. This data is then transferred back to the iOS and Android applications after a brushing session.

The logging of this data allows for insight into your brushing habits to be gained over short and long periods of time.

For example, you will be able to see how long on average you brush for and how many movements you generate.

The logic is, you can then make adaptations to your brushing technique and routine to improve your oral care results.

For example, if you don’t brush for long enough, the data will alert you to this. You can then take corrective action and improve your oral health.

So, arguably there is potential that your overall dental health can be improved by using the smart, Bluetooth enabled brushes.

But, and it really is a big but, this relies on you tracking, reviewing, and taking action on the data obtained.

Fundamentally the smart brushes can’t deliver better results, all they can do is help alert you to where you are going wrong.

If considering the childrens/kids toothbrushes there is potentially a difference here, because the kid's brush head is smaller. 

It has 920 soft, end rounded DuPont nylon bristles arranged in 22 tufts compared to the 1,200 bristles and 34 tufts on the adult brush.

Theoretically used correctly, it can still deliver comparable cleaning results and we have little reason to believe that the brushing result differences would be clinically significant, but we don’t have the data to confirm this.

The obvious advantage of the kids brush head is that it is designed for small mouths and due to the smaller size can get into harder to reach areas.

Is one Quip brush better priced than the others?

Yes. It is the standard AAA battery powered electric toothbrush, with a plastic handle that works out most cost-effective (this excludes the kids brushes).

It is the cheapest to buy with or without a subscription and costs the least over a 3 year period.

It costs $30 initially on subscription and $85 in total over 3 years, based on 1 user.

The retail price is naturally higher for the more capable models like the smart rechargeable variant. But we are talking tens of dollars between each rather than $50-100 like some brands.

The most expensive model is the Smart rechargeable variant. This costs $60 when subscribing and $115 over 3 years.

At $30 more expensive over a 3 year period it isn't a huge jump. This is arguably justifiable for the extras it brings.

With the potential savings you could gain by using a smart model, you might actually be better off.

For the most committed, there is the potential to gain around about $45 of savings via the app when using the smart toothbrush.

Over 3 years, if you keep up the logging of data you could potentially earn back the premium asked of the brush initially. It actually brings the cost down to $70, as opposed to the $85 of the basic model. Does it make it worth buying?

The cost of Quip compared to the alternatives

It is tricky to make a direct comparison to other brushes, due to the variation in the product range.

Our top recommended alternative is the Oral-B Smart 1500.

It has a different feature set, but is comparably priced. Expect to pay around $65 for it.

Brush heads cost about the same as Quip, at $5 per time.

Over 3 years, you are looking at a cost of $120.

Hum by Colgate is also another affordable alternative that boasts better smart features than Quip. It actually offers real-time tracking.

This will set you back about $130 over 3 years. And that doesn't account for the financial rewards you could earn from Colgate's application either.

Technically Quip works out the cheapest, but it does lack features the competition boast.

What differentiates Quip from the competition

Quip is really centered around the subscription model. This is what makes it different from most of the competition.

With a subscription, replacement brush heads are delivered to you on a regular basis (every 3 months, unless changed). There is less reliance on you to remember to buy replacement bristles etc. Thus you have a replacement head, right when you need it.

It is better value to subscribe. One-time purchases of the brush or the brush heads incur high shipping fees that make it more expensive.

You are given flexibility on the subscription plan. If needed you can cancel the subscription, skip deliveries, and so on.

I like the consistent brush head pricing

I do like the consistent brush head pricing. $5 for a replacement head irrespective of model. 

So, if you have the rechargeable variant, and you are subscribed, you pay $5 every 3 months to receive a new brush head.

Interestingly, though, if you have the non-rechargeable version, powered by a single AAA battery, your $5 brush head subscription also includes a replacement AAA battery.

It is best to buy direct from Quip as it is only they who offer the subscription.

You can pick up the brush and heads from some other sellers be that online and in store. Target and Best Buy are a couple of examples. However, don’t expect to find them in every pharmacy, grocery store and dental office like you might with Oral-B or Philips Sonicare.

You also benefit from an ongoing warranty when subscribed, rather than a 1 year warranty that comes with the brush if you make a one-time purchase.

Beware of subscription add-ons

Do just be aware that the subscription plan, although convenient is a little sneaky. 

When you first subscribe you get a $5 discount plus a tube of toothpaste included. But, by opting for this, you then commit (unless you change it) to a $10 charge every 3 months, to include a replacement brush head and a tube of paste.

If you want only a replacement head, you will need to amend the subscription plan and cancel the tube of toothpaste.

To be fair to Quip, the subscription plan is easily managed via their website. And even if you want to cancel you can do so without having to call up etc.

Quip brush price and ownership costs compared

The following table lists the prices for the various models along with an approximate ownership cost over 3 years. Prices are always subject to change, but it should give you a good idea of how they compare.

If you are looking specifically for a kids toothbrush, then it is the standard, non smart variant that is most cost effective and gets our recommendation.

*You get a free large tube of toothpaste included. It actually costs $5 more to not have the toothpaste in the same order. But, it then does automatically add a replacement tube of toothpaste to the subscription. This takes the 3 monthly subscription cost to $10 for a replacement head and tube of paste, rather than just $5 for replacement bristles only.

**Assumes you are subscribed and replacing the brush heads every 3 months. Also assumes you took advantage of the initial $5 saving by subscribing to toothpaste at the time of purchase, but then canceled that subscription so you do not receive a replacement tube of toothpaste at $5 every 3 months thereafter.