I like to think of myself as a rather responsible and hygienic person, but remembering to replace my toothbrush is not one of my strong suits. The bristles on my toothbrush will often be frayed and bent in all different directions by the time I finally remember to pick up a new one.
It's a problem I had never thought much about until I started noticing tons of ads for Quip on my morning commute. I'm typically fairly skeptical of any new-fangled millennial-targeted product plastered all over the subway, but for some reason the posters for these sleek and colorful toothbrushes kept catching my eye — especially the ones that touted the brand's $5 brush head refill subscription service.
Quip Plastic Electric Toothbrush
After caving and finally visiting the Quip website during my daily commute, I checked out the brand's refill plan. For just $5 every three months, a new brush head and replacement battery could be sent right to your door. This sounded like a perfect solution for my forgetful toothbrush habits, so I immediately added to cart despite my initial reservations.
I opted for the $25 plastic version, but the brand also offers $40 metallic options if you're looking for something more robust. There's also a $25 rubberized version with a smaller brush head made specifically for kids.
When my plastic blue Quip arrived, I was surprised by how lightweight and unassuming it was. It takes up no more room than a normal toothbrush, and it thankfully doesn't require any bulky charging base since it runs on a single AAA battery.
Once I finally used it for the first time, I was also surprised by how gentle the vibration was. If you're looking for a super-powered electric toothbrush that spins and swirls at the speed of light, Quip might not be what you're looking for. However, as someone with extremely sensitive gums, I appreciated the ability to easily control how hard I was brushing.
I also immediately fell in love with Quip's staggered timer feature. The brush base vibrates for two minutes once you turn it on, with a slight pause in the vibration every 30 seconds to remind you to switch to a new quadrant of your mouth. I'm pretty sure I used to zone out while brushing my teeth before Quip, so I love the added reminder to give each section of my mouth equal attention.
As for the refill subscription service, it's the main reason I will never switch back to regular toothbrush again. I never have to worry about the state of my brush's bristles, and $5 every three months is certainly not a lot to pay for such a convenience.
Plus, both my gum and teeth sensitivity seem to have decreased over the past year, and I fully believe it's all due to the brush's timer function reminding me to keep going for a full two minutes.
Quip definitely costs more than your average toothbrush, but this is one purchase where the convenience factor feels more than worth than the extra expense.
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