Oral-B Vitality Pro vs Pro 3

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

Having handled both brushes the most noticeable difference is the design.

The Vitality Pro is slightly shorter, by about 1cm, but has a tapered profile compared to the consistent cylindrical shape of the Pro 3.

At the top of the Vitality, it measures approximately 3.2cm thick, thinning to around 2.5cm at the base. Whereas the Pro 3 is approximately 2.5cm wide and 2.9cm deep.

The Vitality is also about 20 grams lighter too.

With a textured rubber grip wrapping around almost the entirety of the handle, I have found that the Vitality Pro is easier to hold and better suited to those who have arthritis or dexterity issues. The smooth gloss plastic finish of the Pro 3 isn’t overly slippy, but it isn’t as secure in hand as the Vitality.

The only notable downside to this design is that the Pro 3 is far easier to keep clean.

I speak first hand when I say that unless you keep on top of it, toothpaste and general gunk sticks to and dries in the pitted surface of the Vitality Pro’s grip. It doesn’t affect the function, but can look unsightly and be difficult to clean later.

In line with the design, a small difference are the colour options available. The Vitality comes in black, purple and blue whilst the Pro 3 is available in white, black, pink and blue. With both models, the brush heads are white. I like the variety and that we’re not restricted to the clinical white colour.

Both use the same interchangeable brush head system. Although the Vitality Pro comes with 2 in the box, whereas the Pro 3 comes with just 1. 

You normally get 1 x CrossAction and 1 x Sensitive Clean brush head with the Vitality Pro. The Pro 3 typically comes with a CrossAction head, but variants exist with other head styles supplied.

I’m not an advocate for lots of modes. The clean and sensitive modes both models have are perfectly sufficient for most users. Yet the Vitality has an additional sensitive plus mode whereas the Pro 3 has a whitening mode.

The supplied Sensitive brush head pairs nicely with the Snesitve and Sensitive Plus modes the Vitality Pro offers. As a combination, it’s the softest brushing experience you will get.

Both brushes have 2 features I recommend, that is a timer and a pacer. But only the Pro 3 has the third recommended feature, a pressure sensor.

This is a visible sensor that emits a red light around the neck of the brush handle. When I brush too hard it lights up to alert me that I am doing so. It turns off when I relieve the pressure.

As an experienced user myself, it is less valuable than it is to a new electric toothbrush owner. But, it still has a place. I am guilty of brushing too hard at times. I don’t believe it is an absolute necessity if you know not to brush with lots of force. 

Sealed inside the handles are rechargeable batteries.

The Vitality uses a Nickel Metal Hydride battery, whereas the Pro 3 has a Lithium-Ion.

Claimed usage time is 10 and 14 plus days respectively. I managed 17 from the Vitality and up to 20 from the Pro 3.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the amount of extra life I got from the Vitality. It’s not a deal breaker, but that extra time can be useful if you are away from power sources for a while or don’t want to take a charger with you when you go on holiday for example.

But there is another part to the battery that I think makes the Pro 3 the outright better brush.

It has an LED that illuminates red when the power is low, to let you know a top up is required. The Vitality Pro has no such LED. Thus you have no way of knowing the battery is running low. 

I’ve either had to keep a mental log of how long I’ve used the brush or simply wait for it to slow or stop because no power remains in the battery.

This has a knock-on effect on charging. Place the Vitality Pro on the stand and I have no way of knowing if it is charging or when it is charged. The Pro 3’s battery LED clearly shows me via a red or green light.

Despite using the same charging stand the Vitality takes 22 hours to charge fully whereas the Pro 3 is about half that at up to 12 hours.

In the scheme of things, it’s very much a first world problem and not an issue if you are happy to keep the Vitality topped up regularly. 

But I lose track of how many people I have heard from who have bought the Vitality not realising such an LED is missing and are quite disappointed by this. It just makes daily usability more irritating. There’s a real risk the brush dies mid-brushing session, which isn’t so likely with the Pro 3.

Does one clean better than the other?

Yes, the Pro 3 does and the difference is noticeable.

I’ve used both side by side you can see and feel the difference. The Pro 3 gives a more invigorating, deeper, dentist clean feeling. The Vitality feels much weaker in comparison.

Plaque removal with the Vitality Pro is more than satisfactory and you get good results with much less effort than a manual brush. 

However, when compared to the Pro 3 there is a difference. It’s small but over weeks and months of use, will help achieve better results, that should get the seal of approval from your dentist at the next checkup.

Whilst I will always say that brushing technique, time and frequency are more important the the power or number of bristle movements, the difference between these 2 does have some part to play in the subsequent cleaning results.

The Vitality Pro has a 2D cleaning action. This means it moves back and forth in a circular motion, known as oscillating and rotating. However, it doesn’t have the 3D motion like the Pro 3, which adds in pulsations. 

If you want to know the numbers, the Vitality offers 7,600 oscillations, whereas the Pro 3 offers 8,800, plus 40,000 pulsations.

Is one better priced than the other?

The Vitality is the winner here if you are on a budget.

It has a £50 retail price, but more often than not you can pick it up for far less at around £25. 

Compare this to the £90 retail and £45 average selling price of the Pro 3 and it’s a £20 premium. That’s almost enough to buy 2 Vitality Pro’s.

Accounting for replacement brush head costs, over 3 years it will cost around £55 to own the Vitality vs the £78 for the Pro 3.