Colgate ProClinical 250R review

Design, usability, clean & general use

The 250R is the successor to the 250+ and on first glance, it is definitely an improvement.

Whilst I can’t criticise either for their function, the older 250+ was, well a bit dull and uninspiring to look at.

The 250R rectifies this with a new sleeker, much more current design.

This hasn’t got the finish and finesse of a premium DiamondClean model from Sonicare, but then again it is a fraction of the price.

Not only has the brush handle itself had a refresh, but the box has also.

The iconic red and white colours so often associated with Colgate are present, but there is more to catch the eye and generally help sell the 250R.

It is the usual story on the box, a large image of the brush and the key features called out on the sides and back of the box.

The brush, charging stand and brush head are all mounted within a plastic tray inside the box. It is made from polypropylene (recycling code 5), which isn’t accepted by most kerbside recycling programmes. Come on Colgate! We have all seen the stories. Is there not more sustainable packaging you could use?! You even operate a recycling programme, so this should be high up your priority list.

So, with the brush out of the box, let's take a closer look.

The handle tapered design. The top (not including the brush head) is widest, thinning toward the base of the handle.

I have the charcoal coloured unit, which looks very nice, particularly with the strong contrasting red oval panel that sits towards the top of the handle and contains the power button.

There is a white and red coloured handle option also. The difference is the brush head supplied.

This panel sits ever so slightly recessed into the body of the handle. The power button is at the bottom of the panel and is ever so slightly raised, with a white power icon on it. This design makes it quite obvious where to press, to power the brush on.

You would be hard pushed to tell, but between the red panel and the main handle body is a small panel that allows the LED light to shine through. This LED light refers to the charging of and the remaining power in the toothbrush.

When illuminated, this light fills the very bottom third around the red panel and is quite noticeable.

Within the bottom third of the handle, is the Colgate logo, in this instance white in colour, contrasting with the charcoal body.

The sides and back of the handle are free of any notable grips or design cues, aside from a slight ring that runs around the whole handle, in the very top third. It is hard to explain, but you should see it in the hands-on pictures throughout this review.

The handle is rounded with no harsh edges. The brush also stands upright.

You might think the cylindrical design would mean it would roll all over the place if laid flat, but the addition of a small plastic ridge on the back of the handle (towards the bottom) stops this.

The base of the handle has a small recess into which the prong on the top of the charging stand fits.

Of course, at the top of the handle is the point at which the brush head fits.

The head keeps the fairly sleek and stylish look of the handle and tapers to the tinner brush head. More on the heads in just a moment.

The handle is all plastic construction, smooth to the touch. It looks good enough and feels solid enough in hand. It is light also.

Make no mistakes, it does not look nor feel as good as premium brushes you can get. Given the price, I can’t really grumble.

I will have a slight moan about the power button though. It is one of the most rigid power buttons I have ever used on a toothbrush. It gives barely any feedback to the fingertip. You have to give it quite a firm push.

Children, the elderly and particularly those with arthritis might find this a bit more of a challenge. Don’t get me wrong, it works, but it took more force and gave less feedback than I would have ever imagined.

A single brush head is included with the 250R. This is a Deep Clean brush head, in charcoal colour to match the handle.

Essentially the 250R variants differ in colour and the brush head supplied. Although the charcoal 250R and the 250R Deep Clean have the same brush head. To me it would have made more sense to call it the ProClinical 250R Deep Clean, then just offered colour options.

Colgate have a range of brush heads, which I explain in depth in my guide to Colgate brush heads.

I won’t explain the configuration of bristles on the head in this review, because the guide (linked above) does just that.

What I will point out here though is, a small nice touch. On the back of the head is a tongue cleaner. There are a number of small silicone bristles. Run this along the surface of your tongue to refresh the mouth and remove bacteria build-up.

I particularly like the smaller size of this brush head, it makes it easy to position and manipulate the brush within the mouth. It is particularly easy to access the harder to reach areas at the back of the mouth. It is a fraction larger than the round Oral-B brush head, but smaller than a Sonicare head.

Any of the Colgate range of heads will fit on the 250R handle. You don’t have to stick to the brush head style supplied, you can change if you like. That said, the charcoal coloured heads tend not to be as widely stocked as the white colour, so bear that in mind.

The heads are interchangeable and simply push onto and pull off the handle. There is only 1 wat to attach them, so you can’t get the fitting wrong.

With any toothbrush, the head should be replaced every 3 months. The 250R is no exception.

The heads do have indicator bristles. These are bristles that fade to white. This is a gradual fading normally over 3 months. They act as a reminder to change your brush head. Replace the head sooner if the bristles are visibly worn, splayed or damaged.

At the time of writing, my daily toothbrush is an Oral-B brush, and in my opinion, it provides me with what I feel to be the better overall clean compared to the 250R.

Don’t get me wrong, the 250R offers a good standard of clean, but I don’t get that sensation of a powerful clean like I do with Oral-B.

The 250R uses a sonic cleaning action and the bristles complete 30,000 strokes per minute, compared to the oscillating-rotating action of Oral-B. I have met many who prefer sonic over the Oral-B cleaning action, so it is partly personal preference.

Studies that compare both, generally suggest the oscillating-rotating wins marginally, from a clinical perspective, but don’t worry too much about this. Sonic action is still great and is said to deliver up to 5 times more plaque removal at the gumline than a manual brush.

If you are not used to an electric toothbrush and you are thinking this could be your first, then I think it would be a solid option as you do not have this comparison to make.

A single press of the power button will turn the 250R on and launch the 2 minute long Clean mode. Another press of the button will turn the brush off.

When the brush is powered on, a 2 minute timer and 30 second pacer are activated.

At 30 second intervals, a pause in the motor (and a change in brush sound) alerts you to the need to change quadrant, for an even and effective clean.

After 120 seconds have passed the clean ends automatically and the brush turns itself off. This is a useful and clear sign that the 2 minutes are up.

Whilst dentists recommend a 2 minute clean if you want to clean for longer you can. Simply power the brush back on.

There is no pressure sensor built into the 250R. It is by no means a deal-breaker, but something I would have like to have seen. It is quite common for people to brush with too much force and a pressure sensor alerts a user when they are doing this.

The bristles of the brush need really only skim the surface of the teeth, you don’t need to scrub. Whilst there is no sensor built-in, you will notice the motor straining and the sound of the brush change slightly if you are brushing with too much force.

A point I note with the Colgate range, particularly compared to Oral-B, is the sound. The 250R produces an audible humming sound and a strong vibration through the brush handle. This is quieter than Oral-B brushes which produce more of a mechanical sound, but do not deliver as much vibration through the handle.

If you have used a Sonicare brush the sound of the motor and the vibration are very similar.

Supplied in the box is a charging stand that has a small prong on the top of it. It is that prong that fits into a recess on the base of the ProClincal 250R to charge the battery encased inside the handle. You can expect 10-12 days of battery life.

The brush itself is water-resistant rather than waterproof. This means it will survive life in a wet bathroom, a rinse under the tap and exposure to moisture from the mouth. Do avoid submerging the brush.

Unfortunately, aside from the brush head, handle, charger and manual there are no other items in the box. There is no travel cap or case like that provided with the 250+ that came before the 250R. This is a real shame as I liked this a lot.

If you particularly want a travel case, look at the Oral-B Pro 3 3500.

As you would expect, the brush comes with a warranty, a 2 year warranty. This covers mechanical faults like the battery no longer charging or the power button not working. It does not cover user damage.

A small but possibly powerful component to what is on offer here is a money-back guarantee. This is not well marketed and really only on studying the box or manual will you see this offer.

This essentially allows you to try the brush and return it for a full refund of the purchase price (excluding shipping) if you are not happy. You have 30 days from the date of purchase to try the brush. If you do not like it, send it back within 45 days from the date of purchase, providing you have all the original packaging as well as the original receipt.

Details of how to go about this are included in the manual that comes with the brush or you can speak to them on 0800 321 321 32.

A final word on the manual. It is fairly slim and not a lot of information included. Admittedly there isn’t a great deal to say, but a demonstration on how to clean the teeth correctly with a brush like the Colgate 250R would have been nice.

So overall, the 250R ProClinical from Colgate is a solid, entry level electric toothbrush. It has the essentials and no more. It does what it needs to do, but lacks the more complete package that the 250+ it supersedes offers.