QUIP SKIP REFILL MANUAL

Pretty, for a price: the $25 Gleem (at left) and the $45, metal-handled Quip electric toothbrushes Photos: Rozette Rago The $45 metal-handled Quip, in particular, is especially beautiful. By contrast, Quip, Gleem, Sonicare, and Smile Direct Club’s The AA- or AAA-battery–powered brushes are much sleeker. These bulky, brash brushes were already dated-looking when they were first sold, their neon plastic bodies clashing with tasteful bathroom backsplashes worldwide. The AA- or AAA-battery–powered Colgate, Arm & Hammer, and Oral-B brushes found on nearly every drugstore shelf are garish and clunky. Yet there are some key differences between the $25 subscription brushes and the sub-$10 brushes, and not just in price. The takeaway: Brushing with the $25+ Quip and a popular, $6 Colgate brush feels roughly the same. We decided to compare the trendy Quip with three similarly priced competitors (from Gleem, Smile Direct Club, and Philips Sonicare), as well as with three drugstore cheapies (from Arm & Hammer, Colgate, and Oral-B), to find the best of the AA- and AAA-battery–powered bunch. And this brush could make sense for travel, should you wish to leave a bulkier Oral-B or Philips Sonicare (and its charger) at home.

QUIP SKIP REFILL MANUAL

Still, lots of people love the Quip, particularly because of its streamlined handle, which makes it feel more like a manual brush to hold and store. (We do, however, think the company’s smaller version is a great choice for kids.) For this and other reasons, we don’t recommend the Quip (that sleek, shiny brush, third from the right, above) as an everyday electric toothbrush for most adults.

Compared with the rechargeable electric toothbrushes Wirecutter recommends, the AAA-battery–powered Quip produces much weaker vibrations.

Quip skip refill