Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 3rd Generation Review
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 3rd Generation
Excellent value and quality cleaning
Verdict
Pros
- Very quiet
- Lots of brushing modes
- Excellent travel case
Cons
- DiamondClean brush heads comparatively expensive
- Travel case doesn't fit toothbrush head protectors
Key Specifications
- Hard USB charging case
- Two-minute timer with 30-second pulses
- Up to three-weeks battery life
- Five cleaning modes
What is the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 3rd Generation?
Designed for excellent cleaning performance, the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean toothbrush is also built for portability thanks to its bundled USB charging case.
Now going end-of-life, the DiamondClean 3rd Generation is something of a bargain, with the last units available at heavily discounted prices. As such, this is a product that you can snap up now for a great deal.
With multiple cleaning modes, powerful performance and quiet operation, this electric toothbrush is a great choice for most people.
Related: Best electric toothbrushes
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean 3rd Generation – Design and features
The Philips Sonicare DiamondClean is available in white and gold, but it’s the black model I had in for review that’s the stand-out of the three. Its matte-black body certainly gives it that “means business” look.
The toothbrush is operated by a single button on its front. A single push starts the regular clean, but you can press again for different modes. Whitening is designed to polish up your teeth; Sensitive gives you a more gentle clean; Gum Care helps keep your gums healthy by adding a one-minute gentle clean to the end of a regular brush; and Deep Clean gives a more intensive three-minute clean.
By default, the toothbrush comes in Easy-start mode, which offers 14 cleaning cycles, gently increasing power as time goes on, allowing you to get used to the brush. This mode can be deactivated (or reactivated) by holding down the power button for two seconds while the brush is in its charger.
As with most other models, the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean has a built-in timer. For standard cleans, the toothbrush will pulse every 30 seconds, nudging you to move onto the next quadrant of your mouth. After two minutes the toothbrush turns off automatically, unless you’ve selected a longer cleaning mode.
The toothbrush ships with a neat perspex stand that sits on top of a metal wireless charger. It’s a cool-looking charger that will suit a high-end bathroom. For travel, there’s a USB-powered charging case, which can hold the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean and two toothbrush heads. It’s a shame that the plastic toothbrush protectors don’t fit into the case, though.
Philips provides a two-pin USB adapter in the box and a mini-USB cable, but any USB charger will do the job. Once charged, the toothbrush should last around three weeks before requiring a top up. A charge light at the bottom of the brush warns you when the battery is running low, so you can avoid running out of juice mid-clean.
Philips provides a single AdaptiveClean brush head, which has a combination of bristles for cleaning in and around your teeth, and a more compact core for whitening and polishing. Replacement heads are quite expensive at around £35 for a pack of four. Indicator bristles slowly lose their colour, prompting you to change a head. Around every three months should be average.
Philips Sonicare DiamondClean – Brush performance
With the test teeth loaded up with beetroot and spinach, I tested the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean to see how well it cleans. This model can produce up to 62,000 brush movements per minute.
I was impressed with the results, with theAdaptiveClean head, powered by the Sonic toothbrush, gently lifting out food debris from between the teeth, polishing away the stains. At the end, there was no trace of my test food left behind.
Using the toothbrush on myself, I found it easy to manoeuvre, with the mid-sized brush head fitting around my teeth and able to reach to the back of the mouth easily enough. At the end of cleaning, my teeth looked clean and felt fresh. Impressively, I measured the toothbrush’s high-pitched buzz at just 68.2dB, which shows how quiet it is.
Having the other programmes to choose from provides a wider range of cleaning options than available with many other toothbrushes. In particular, the Sensitive and Gum modes drop the brush’s power down, making it easier to tackle more sensitive areas and still get them clean.
Why buy the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean?
Although this model is being phased out, currently it’s an absolute bargain. While this model lacks the pressure sensor and smart brush heads of newer models, which automatically set the toothbrush to the best mode and power setting, you still get excellent cleaning performance and a brilliant USB travel case.
Verdict
Excellent cleaning performance at a bargain – snap this model up while you can.
Trusted Score
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
