Oral-B Pro 500 vs Philips Sonicare 1100
Over three years, with heads at each maker's own pack price, the Philips Sonicare 1100 costs about $93 to the Oral-B Pro 500's $95. The Oral-B Pro 500 has an ADA Seal listing; none was found for the Philips Sonicare 1100. They also move differently: see the oscillating-versus-sonic explainer for what the evidence does and doesn't say about that. Every other published figure for both is in the table, with the rows where they differ tinted.
Oral-B
Oral-B Pro 500
~$40
The cheapest rechargeable handle Oral-B sells on its own US store, and the simplest: a 2D oscillating-rotating action, a quadrant timer and a Precision Clean head.
Best for: A basic rechargeable for a second bathroom or a teenager
Philips Sonicare
Philips Sonicare 1100
~$20
Twenty dollars buys a genuine Sonicare handle here: 31,000 brush strokes a minute by Philips' count, a QuadPacer and SmarTimer, and a two-week battery.
Best for: The cheapest way onto Sonicare's click-on heads
| Specification | Oral-B Pro 500 | Philips Sonicare 1100 |
|---|---|---|
| Approx. price | ~$40 | ~$20 |
| 3-year cost | ~$95 ($40 handle + 11 heads at $5) | ~$93 ($20 handle + 11 heads at $6.66) |
| Type | Oscillating-rotating | Sonic |
| Motion | Oscillating-rotating (round head) | Sonic (vibrating head) |
| Speed (maker's figure) | not published | 31,000 brush strokes per minute |
| Motor | 2D cleaning action | not published |
| Pressure sensor | Not listed by the maker | No pressure sensor |
| ADA Seal | Listed: Oral-B Oscillating-Rotating-Pulsating (model list includes Oral-B Pro 500) | No listing found |
| Timer | 2-minute timer | 2-minute timer |
| Quadrant pacer | Yes, every 30 seconds | Yes, every 30 seconds |
| Modes | not published | 1: Clean |
| Screen | None | None |
| App | not published | No |
| Battery | not published | 14-day battery (Philips spec: operating time 14 days) |
| Charging | charging stand | not published |
| Travel case | No | No |
| Heads in the box | 1 | 1 |
| Head family | Oral-B round click-on (non-iO) | Sonicare click-on |
| Head compatibility | Takes every Oral-B rechargeable head except iO and Sonic | Any Philips Sonicare click-on head (C1 SimplyClean, C2, C3, G3, A3, W); not Philips One heads |
| Price per head | $5 (Oral-B Daily Clean 8-count, $39.99 on oralb.com) | $6.66 (Sonicare SimplyClean 6-pack (HX6016/77), $39.96 on usa.philips.com) |
| Replace heads every | 3 months (maker) | 3 months (maker) |
| Minimum age | 3+ (maker) | not published |
| Warranty | 2 years | 2 years |
| First listed | not published | 2021 |
Oral-B Pro 500: what it gives up
- No pressure sensor listed; $10 more buys the Pro 1000, which has one and takes the same $5 heads
- Oral-B's page contradicts itself on the number of modes
- 2D action rather than the Pro 1000's pulsating 3D action
Philips Sonicare 1100: what it gives up
- No pressure sensor: the 3100 adds a vibrating one for $20 more and takes the same heads
- Single mode and no intensity settings; the 4100 adds two intensities for $30 more
- No travel case; the cheapest adult Sonicare with one is the $130 Series 6500
- Philips' spec lists "1 charger" without saying what kind
- No BrushSync head-change reminder, which the 4100 has
Full pages: Oral-B Pro 500 · Philips Sonicare 1100