Oral-B Pro 2 2000 vs Pro 3 3000

Detailed comparison: what’s the difference between the Oral-B Pro 2 2000 and Pro 3 3000?

The Pro 2 and Pro 3 are low mid-range electric toothbrushes from Oral-B.

Let me be clear that both are very good and I could happily use either on a daily basis.

Technically at least though, the Pro 3 – 3000 is the superior and arguably ‘better’ toothbrush.  However, in practice, the differences are subtle and don’t make the Pro 3 an absolute must buy over the Pro 2.

The most obvious difference, even to the untrained eye, is the design of these brushes.

With the 3000 you have a much cleaner and more minimal look compared to the 2000.  

It is designed this way to mimic their top of the line iO Series and does away with the large rubber grip on the front of the handle that you find on the 2000.

The power button on the Pro 3 does provide some texture and grip for the finger.  And although the 3000 is now all smooth touch plastic, it isn’t as slippy as you might expect.

The 2000 does feel marginally more secure in hand, but the benefit is that the Pro 3 is easier to keep clean.  Toothpaste residue doesn’t build up on the handle in quite the same way as the 2000 and a quick rinse or wipe rides the handle of this.

When you take a look at the back of the brush handles you come across another difference.  

The Pro 2 has a series of raised ridges to provide texture and gripping points for the fingers.  

With the Pro 3, there are a series of dimples running from the top to the bottom of the handle.  These dimples are far more subtle in appearance.  They do provide texture onto which the fingertips can grip, but they are not quite as effective as the raised ridges on the 2000.

Handle colour options have changed too.

With the 2000 it is the rubber grip in blue or pink that contrasts against the white plastic body of the brush. Although there is a white gripped variant too.

With the Pro 3 there isn’t the same 2 tone effect.  Instead, the plastic body of the handle is 1 solid colour be that alabaster white, pink, electric blue or black onyx.

An additional design change with the Pro 3, is the introduction of a LED light ring around the neck of the brush handle.  It wraps a full 360 degrees.

This is similar to the premium Genius and iO series brushes that Oral-B offers.

The light colour is not customisable, nor does it stay lit the whole time.  But, when the built-in pressure sensor is activated, the light ring is lit red.

The Pro 2 2000 has a visible pressure sensor, but unlike the Pro 3, this is positioned primarily on the back of the handle.  It has a red plastic panel compared to the white of the Pro 3.  Both light up and are visible, but the extra surface area of the Pro 3’s sensor makes it a slightly more practical implementation.  

Design aside, they do the same job.  When the sensor is activated they both light up red to alert you that you are brushing too hard.  Reduce the pressure and the lights go out.

The final technical difference between these 2 brushes is the cleaning modes available.

Both offer the standard daily clean mode and a more gentle sensitive mode.  But, the Pro 3 offers a third brushing mode, known as whitening.

Whitening is designed to assist with polishing the tooth surface and achieving a brighter and whiter smile, by more effectively cleaning away external surface stains on the teeth.

Whilst it may provide some benefit, particularly if used with a 3D White brush head, the differences are going to be extremely subtle, if not impossible to notice.  

Your brushing technique, routine and diet will have a bigger impact on your teeth and making them whiter than the brushing mode alone.

It should be noted, that the brush heads supplied with either the Pro 2 2000 or 3 – 3000 can differ.  Most common is the CrossAction or 3D White brush head. But there are a few different options.

I list them below, but you should know that all the heads are available to purchase separately and are interchangeable, should you have a preference.

The Pro 2 2000 range:

• Blue gripped handle – CrossAction brush head (white plastic shaft)
• Pink gripped handle – 3D White brush head  (white plastic shaft)
• White gripped handle – Sensi UltraThin brush head (white plastic shaft)

And the Pro 3 3000 range:

• White handle – CrossAction brush head (white plastic shaft)
• White handle – Sensi UltraThin brush head (white plastic shaft)
• Prink brush handle – 3D White brush head (white plastic shaft)
• Blue handle – CrossAction brush head (white plastic shaft)
• Black handle – CrossAction brush head (black plastic shaft)
• Black handle – Charcoal brush head (white plastic shaft)

Does one clean better than the other?

No.

Assuming you use either brush handle with the same style of brush head then there is no difference between the way in which these two brushes clean.

Use the Pro 2 2000 or the 3000 and you will achieve thorough cleaning results.

It can be argued that the additional whitening cleaning mode, offered on the Pro 3 can bring extra benefits. Potentially, it can do, particularly when paired with a 3D White brush head. However, in reality, any differences are going to be extremely small, if at all noticeable. 

Is one better priced than the other?

Yes.

There is a £20 difference in the retail price of these products.  

The Pro 3 3000 has a suggested price of £90 compared to the £70 of the Pro 2000.

If you have ever looked at the prices of electric brushes before, you might have realised that the actual selling prices tend to be quite a bit cheaper.

Oral-B prices are discounted on average to around 50% less than retail.  This makes the Pro 3 3000 £45 and the Pro 2 2000 just £35.

What was once a £20 price difference has shrunk to £10 when the discount is accounted for.  

£10 is still a fair difference in price when you consider the actual selling price, your talking of a premium of around 35% for the Pro 3 over the Pro 2.

Prices are always subject to change of course, but I do believe the Pro 2 is the better buy, even if the Pro 3 offers subtle benefits.

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.