What the cleaning experience is like and how clean our teeth felt after brushing.
How well it cleans Score SummaryWhat the brush is like in-hand; how grippy it is, what the balance is like, how easy it is to remove brush heads.
How it feels Score SummaryDoes the brush have our recommended features of a timer, pacer & pressure sensor and how well do they perform?
Recommended features Score SummaryHow long does the battery last, how long does it take to charge and does the brush have a battery level indicator?
Battery performance Score SummaryApplies to smart toothbrushes only. How well does the smart technology work and how useful is the app?
Smart features Score SummaryWhat are the total ownership costs over the space of several years and how expensive are replacement brush heads?
Price Score SummaryHow easy is it to clean the brush, how noisy is it, does it come with a travel case or any other useful items?
Additional items & features Score SummaryHow long is the warranty, what is the manufacturer's reputation and how strong are its environmental efforts?
Support & reputation Score SummaryOur verdict
If you're looking for a good electric toothbrush without spending a fortune, the SURI Core 1.0 is definitely worth considering. In fact, I'd argue it's one of the best brushes in its class.
SURI's unique selling point is its push towards more sustainable dental health products. With its toothbrushes, this comes in the form of a brush head take-back scheme, repairable design and a feature set that isn't bloated.
It has other strong selling points as well, though. The brush is pleasant to use, it has fantastic battery life and thoughtful finishing touches. All of those have been carried over from SURI’s flagship, the Pro 2.0, into the Core 1.0.
The headline, then, is that SURI's core offerings (hence the name) are now available at a more wallet-friendly price. The Pro 2.0 is still a very good value toothbrush, but for those that don't want to spend that much or perhaps don't need the travel case, the Core is a more compelling purchase.
Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
Great value for money |
Force needed to activate pressure sensor |
|
Free brush head returns for recycling |
Brushing timer resets if brush is turned off |
|
Nice to use |
How does it compare to the Pro 2.0?
In some ways SURI Core feels like an unexciting update — it's less feature-rich than SURI 2.0 after all — but that would be a lazy way of thinking about it.
It has SURI’s main offerings at a lower price. Yes, it’s been stripped back and the motor is slightly less powerful, but it still cleans just as well, which is the main thing.
The metal handle has been replaced with bio-circular plastic (more on that below), so it doesn't feel quite as premium in the hand, but it's still nice to use. It’s 9g lighter as a result of the switch.
The charging travel case is no longer included, but a cap to protect the brush head during transit is, alongside a USB charging stand. The case that comes with SURI Pro 2.0 is the best we've come across, but you could do without it if you're looking to save money and don't travel much.
The battery life is still excellent — 33 days from our testing — and it uses the same heads as the Pro and comes with a magnetic wall mount.
We’ll publish a full comparison of the Pro 2.0 vs the Core 1.0 soon, but here’s a comparison of our category scores at a glance.
| Overall Score |
| How well it cleans |
| How it feels |
| Recommended features |
| Additional items & features |
| Battery performance |
| Smart features |
| Price |
| Buying options |
How well it cleans
SURI Core is more than capable. It compares well with most of the brushes around this price and even those that are more expensive.
Like the Pro 2.0 — and many of the brushes we test — it scores full marks in this category.
A slightly less powerful motor
The Core 1.0's motor is slightly less powerful than the one in the Pro 2.0. You get up to 28,000 vibrations per minute compared with 33,000 on the Pro 2.0. If I really concentrate on it, I can tell there's a difference. But honestly, for me, and I think for most people, it doesn't really matter.
If you're new to electric toothbrushes you're certainly not going to pick this up and think you're missing out on cleaning power. You can get a more powerful clean from something like the Sonicare 5300 or 5500 Series, which are rough equivalents in terms of price and features, but I don't think the Core 1.0 is lacking.
The cleaning results are very good, as shown by the photos from my plaque disclosing test.
Use it similarly to a manual brush
One thing that is slightly different with SURI compared to some other electric brushes is how you use it.
Rather than simply moving the brush from tooth to tooth like you might with an Oral-B, SURI recommends using small circular movements. This is similar to how you use a manual brush. The difference compared to a manual is that the vibrations from the motor cause more plaque to fall away from your teeth.
So, for me, using SURI does require a little more effort and technique, but that’s not a bad thing.
We’ve had feedback from some users to say they enjoy the mechanical action required for a manual toothbrush and have missed it when switching to an electric brush.
If you like the act of physically moving a toothbrush, SURI is a good choice. If you struggle with this technique, you may be better off with a brush that doesn’t require it.
A single brush head style
The Core 1.0 uses exactly the same heads as the Pro 2.0. Unlike with the Pro 2.0, the head shipped in the box (a white one) is not matched to the colour of the handle, but you could choose different coloured heads from the Pro 2.0 range when you buy replacements — they are interchangeable.
SURI only makes one style of brush head, which is nice in that it keeps things simple and avoids the choice overload you get with some other brands.
The heads use plant-based bristles and bio-based materials, which work as well as the petroleum based alternatives from some other brands. And SURI also has a take-back scheme for used brush heads.
At the moment, some of the returned heads are being turned into products such as soap dishes.
It's not a perfect system, but compared with what most of the competition offers, SURI is doing a much better job from a sustainability perspective.
It certainly feels better to be able to send a head back and hope that it is re-used for something, rather than just throwing it in the bin.
How it feels
Despite a material change from metal to bio-circular ABS, the Core still feels great in the hand.
A pleasure to use
The biggest difference between the Core 1.0 and Pro 2.0 is the handle.
The Pro 2.0 has an aluminium handle, whereas the Core 1.0 uses a lighter bio-based plastic.
Now, it doesn't feel quite as premium as the metal handle on the Pro 2.0, but I really like using it.
It's slim, it's lightweight and it has this nice matte finish that gives you a good grip without covering the handle in lots of textured surfaces.
For me, it's a real pleasure to use. It’s about a centimetre shorter, but that’s not a good or bad thing, just something I noticed having used both. If anything, it makes the Core slightly more nimble.
It is worth pointing out that SURI brushes are on the slim side. If you have trouble gripping, because of arthritis, for example, you may be better off looking at a chunkier brush.
Plastic instead of aluminium
The Core’s handle is made from 90% mass-balanced bio-circular ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene).
The bio-circular part of this means that the feedstock (raw material) used to make the plastic is made up of organic waste, such as used cooking oil, rather than virgin fossil fuels.
If regular ABS was used, it would be made of 100% virgin fossil fuels. This is bad for the planet because it means more oil needs to be extracted and used. It’s better to use an existing resource, like an organic waste product, than create a new one.
“Mass-balanced” means that the bio-circular feedstock is mixed in with regular feedstock. In this case, because the Core is using 90% bio-circular ABS, it means 90% of the mix is bio-circular ABS and 10% is regular ABS. Another notable example of a product made of mass-balanced ABS is LEGO’s toy bricks.
When a product made of bio-circular ABS reaches the end of its life, the plastic can in-theory be melted down and re-used, as long as it has been put into the correct recycling stream. In the case of an electric toothbrush like the Core, you would need to dispose of it as e-waste at your local recycling centre, rather than putting it in regular household recycling.
Which is less impactful?
If you’re interested in SURI, it may be that you’re interested in reducing the environmental impact of your dental care. Given this, you may wonder which is less impactful, a metal or plastic handle?
It’s a complicated question to answer because there are many factors to consider, some of which are beyond just the material of the handle.
On its materials page, SURI says of aluminium, which the Pro 2.0 is made of: “Taking a long-term view and comparing it with plastic we currently believe it’s the best material choice and we’re making efforts to move towards only using fully-recycled aluminium.”
All things considered, recycled aluminium is probably better than bio-circular ABS, but it would be a closer call between virgin aluminium and bio-circular ABS.
However, the switch from aluminium to plastic has enabled SURI to offer the Core at a more accessible price. People can now tap into the brush head return scheme without spending as much. It has also made the brush lighter, which reduces emissions.
Our advice is to not focus on the handle material too much. If you need a travel case, or prefer the idea of a more premium handle, go for the Pro 2.0. If you’re shopping on a budget but still like the idea of being able to return brush heads, go for the Core 1.0.
The power button is a bit fussy
The power button is one area where I'm not that impressed.
There's a tiny dimple in the centre, and you really need to press almost exactly in the middle to activate the brush.
If you press towards the top or bottom, it may not activate.
The Pro 2.0 was similar, but I feel the Core 1.0 is slightly more picky about exactly where you press.
It's not a major problem, but it's something I noticed during testing.
Like the Pro 2.0, the Core is a very easy brush to keep clean. There’s virtually nowhere for grime or toothpaste crust to build up, as long as you do give it a quick rinse under the tap after use.
Another difference between the power buttons is that the Core’s has a seamless design. It’s part of the same mould that forms the brush’s casing, although it has a different texture to help distinguish it from the rest of the handle. The Pro 2.0 has a dedicated button.
Not that we have found this to be a problem with the 2.0, but a dedicated button has a small seam that grime can build up in. It’s not something worth worrying about, but it’s a difference worth pointing out.
Recommended features
The three main features we recommend for an electric toothbrush are a timer, a pacer and a pressure sensor. The Core has all of them so it scores highly in this category.
It’s clear when the pressure sensor is activated
I am glad that SURI has kept the pressure sensor in the Core 1.0. It would have been easy to remove it in order to bring the price down further.
SURI’s first brush, the S1, did not have a pressure sensor and it felt like an incomplete offering as a result.
A pressure sensor is an important feature to stop you from brushing too hard and damaging your teeth and gums.
One minor criticism is that you need to apply more force than I'd ideally like before it activates. Most electric toothbrushes I've tested have more sensitive sensors.
But when it does activate, it's extremely obvious. For sake of comparison, Oral-B’s equivalent, the iO2, also has a pressure sensor, but it’s not so clear when it activates.
With SURI Core, the vibrations change, the sound changes and, most importantly, the bristles stop moving completely. There's no ambiguity about what's happened. Once you reduce the force, the brush resumes. This is a helpful implementation for people with sight or hearing loss, particularly compared to other brushes that only have a visual pressure sensor alert, such as Oral-B brushes.
I'd still prefer it if the sensor activated a little sooner, but I think SURI has done a really good job with the actual warning.
It’s worth noting that the pressure sensor can be turned off. It’s surprising how few brushes include this option. It’s arguably a bit of a niche requirement, but it doesn’t hurt to have the option there.
The timer resets if you power off the brush
As with nearly all brushes, SURI Core includes a two-minute timer and 30-second pacer, which help you brush for the dentist-recommended amount of time (2 minutes).
The Core (and the Pro 2.0) are a little different to other brushes in that if you press the power button during brushing, the timer resets.
On most electric toothbrushes, if you press the button to pause during a brushing cycle, the timer simply continues from where you left off.
It's a small thing, but it's worth knowing.
Additional items & features
This is one category where the Core scores slightly lower than the Pro, but that’s to be expected given its lower price tag. From a sustainability perspective, it’s actually a good thing.
No case, but travel is still accounted for
One of the things I love about SURI Pro 2.0 is its travel case. It really is best in class. Unsurprisingly, it’s not included with the Core.
If you do travel frequently, it’s worth paying for the Pro 2.0 to get the travel case included.
If you really are on a budget or don’t travel that often, the Core still has you covered. The combination of the USB charging stand and a protective cap for the brush head make for a lightweight travel configuration. Just make sure you keep the cap somewhere you will remember.
That being said, the Core can go for 4+ weeks on a full charge, so unless you're going away for longer than a few weeks, you could also make do without the charging stand.
The absence of the travel case also brings down the overall weight of the Core’s packaging. At scale, this makes a big difference to shipping emissions.
The travel case for the Pro also includes a UV light for sterilising the brush head, which to us feels like an unnecessary component in the grand scheme of things, so losing this is another plus for reducing the impact of the brush.
A travel lock is included
Given the lack of a travel case, it’s good that SURI has included a travel lock to prevent the brush from accidentally activating in your bag.
As with the option to turn the pressure sensor off, it’s a nice piece of attention to detail and something few other brushes include.
To turn the lock on and off, you simply hold the power button whilst the brush is switched off. The LED will flash orange and then the brush will give a beep once the travel lock has been activated / deactivated.
The wall mount is simple yet pleasing
One of my favourite features of the Core 1.0 is actually something you might not expect: the magnetic wall mount.
It comes included in the box and I really like it.
It gets the toothbrush off the countertop, keeps everything looking tidy and gives the brush somewhere to live between uses.
It’s another item that could easily have been excluded given the cost-cutting required for the Core, but it’s a nice touch that helps to distinguish it from other brushes in this price range.
A quiet brush
If the Core had gotten noisier as a result of its lower price tag it would have been understandable, but it would have made it less impressive.
Thankfully, it’s a very quiet brush. I've measured it at around 54 decibels, although that varies slightly depending on the mode.
In fact, it’s quieter than the Pro 2.0, which I measured at around 58 decibels.
That makes it one of the quieter electric toothbrushes I've tested, and it's something I appreciate when I'm using it first thing in the morning, or if I don't want to disturb others.
Battery performance
Battery life for the Core is quoted at up to 28 days. In my hands-on testing I achieved 33. I've got no complaints here – that’s an impressive battery life.
Like the Pro 2.0, the Core charges using inductive charging.
The charging stand is slightly different from the one supplied with the Pro 2.0, and unfortunately, the two brushes can't use each other's stands.
On the plus side, the Core 1.0 charging stand uses a USB-C connector, so it's easy to charge internationally. You could plug it into the same plug adapter as a phone that charges via USB-C, which is most of them these days.
With the Pro 2.0 the travel case is an additional charging method, but that’s obviously not an option with the Core. It’s worth noting that if you happen to have both brushes, the case for the Pro 2.0 cannot be used to charge the Core 1.0.
|
SURI Core 1.0
|
|
SURI Pro 2.0
|
|
Philips Sonicare 4100 Series
|
|
Oral-B iO Series 2 (iO2) + travel case
|
Price & buying advice
The Core 1.0 costs £65 in the UK and $75 in the USA, although I wouldn't be surprised to see it discounted to around £45 in the UK from time to time.
At that sort of price, it's competing directly with brushes like the Oral-B iO2 and Philips Sonicare 4100 and 5300 Series.
And I think it gives them a serious run for their money, particularly when you consider the total ownership costs over the space of 3 years, which are around £140 or $120.
Personally, I'd choose the Core 1.0 over the iO2 and 4100. I would pick the 5300 over the SURI, just. The more powerful motor and range of brush heads are marginally more appealing. That being said, Sonicare and Oral-B don’t offer brush head take-back schemes.
If you're buying your first electric toothbrush, the Core 1.0 is very easy to recommend.
If you've already got a perfectly functional electric toothbrush, though, I wouldn't tell you to throw it away and replace it with this. That's not good for the environment, and it's simply not necessary.
But if you genuinely need a new toothbrush and you're looking to spend somewhere around £45 to £65, I think the SURI Core 1.0 absolutely deserves to be on your shortlist.
There are four colours available – Haze Green, Ember Orange, Nightfall Blue, Moonrise Grey. Whichever colour you go for, the brush head itself is Sea Mist (white).
| Overall Score |
| How well it cleans |
| How it feels |
| Recommended features |
| Additional items & features |
| Battery performance |
| Smart features |
| Price |
| Approximate 3 year cost |
| Buying options |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
85
|
88
|
83
|
74
|
83
|
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
100
|
|
85
|
97
|
88
|
88
|
88
|
|
82
|
82
|
82
|
63
|
82
|
|
52
|
68
|
38
|
13
|
42
|
|
83
|
83
|
60
|
67
|
87
|
|
0
|
- | - |
0
|
- |
|
87
|
57
|
43
|
43
|
57
|
| £120 | £160 | £111 | £133 | £125 |
Support & reputation
The Core 1.0 comes with a two-year warranty, but there's a little catch. By default, you actually get one year. You need to register the toothbrush online to get the second year.
That's not particularly difficult, but personally I think a two-year warranty should just be standard without requiring you to register the product.
As for the build quality of the brush, it feels just as good as the Pro 2.0, which has lasted well during our testing.
SURI is still relatively new as a manufacturer, but it has been around long enough to have proven its credentials. If there were major issues with its offerings, they would be known by now.
Environmental impact
Since we published our Pro 2.0 review, SURI has released its 2025 impact report and launched some interesting new products. One of these is a soap dish that is made from returned brush heads, another is a refillable toothpaste that comes in a compostable tube.
These are innovations that felt very far off even just a few years ago. It’s great to see a company really pushing what’s possible in that respect.
As a consumer it is difficult to judge how certain differences in products affect their environmental impact.
Some things you can at least assess using broad strokes. For example, the lighter a package is, the lower the emissions from its transportation will be. The Core package is the lightest yet from SURI. Whilst it’s not particularly light compared to rivals, it’s an example of where stripping back to the essentials can reduce impact.
Similarly, the fewer components a product uses, the lesser its impact will be. As long as it still does its job well, which the Core does, the more basic a product is the better.
A change like the switch from metal to plastic for the handle is more difficult to judge. For that, we need to rely on a Life Cycle Assessment of a product.
In its 2025 Impact Report, SURI says it is using the Pro 2.0 as the starting point for building full Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) with its suppliers. In that respect, is it possible that a future impact report will be able to share details on how aluminium compares to bio-circular ABS for the handle?
There are many factors that need to be considered for an LCA: the emissions from raw materials, the durability of a product, the shipping emissions, to name but a few. It’s a complicated process.
But, at the very least, SURI is willing to explore these questions and publish some of the details about its processes and its impact as a company. Historically, this is something that bigger companies have shied away from.
There’s no denying that an electric toothbrush is more impactful on the planet than a manual, but SURI is at least doing what it can to measure and reduce its impact, and explore ways to improve it.
Conclusion
What SURI has done here is take a lot of what I like about the more expensive Pro 2.0 and put it into a much more affordable package. This means it should reach more people. With fewer components and less overall weight, its sustainability should have improved, too.
There are a few compromises, but overall, I think they've got the balance pretty much right.
All in all, the Core 1.0 is:
Simple to use.
It cleans well.
It's comfortable in hand.
It's quiet.
It's got the features I think actually matter.
It’s not packed with unnecessary extras.
And it doesn't cost a fortune.
For me, that's a compelling combination.
Video review
See the video review below to find out more about my hands-on experience testing the SURI Core 1.0.
Size guide
- Toothbrush height with head - 21.5cm / 8.5 inches
- Toothbrush height without head - 16cm / 6.3 inches
- Width - 2cm / 0.8 inches
- Depth/thickness - 1.8cm / 0.7 inches
- Weight with head - 69g / 2.4oz
- Weight without head - 63g / 2.2oz
- Package weight - 407g / 14.4oz
Noise
- 54dB
Country of manufacture
- China
Disclaimer
The SURI Core 1.0 brushes spoken about in this review were provided by SURI ahead of release. Electric Teeth did not purchase this model. No financial reward was provided to conclude the review the way that we did and SURI had no editorial control over the content.
