Philips Sonicare HX3351/02 Xtreme Battery Operated Toothbrush

Since I originally wrote this review, I bought 5 of them, over time. All are still working.I've used Sonicare since before they were bought out by Philips. One thing I hated in over 15 years of owning them is the battery dying out, it lasts about 5 years, and I've gone through 3 versions already. While a new brush will hold a charge for over a week, after 3 years, it will give about 3 days sometimes not, so if you travel with the brush you'll also have to lug the charger, otherwise you'll have a useless brush with no power sometime in your trip. The brushes still use NiCD, so you get a memory effect and to revive it you have to recharge best when the brush is dead; to do so you have to endure the increasingly weak brush stroking and it dying sometime while you brush. You can't just leave it on, all Sonicare's have a 2 minute timer, Quad Pacer or not.This AA powered Sonicare I've had for 1.5 years, and it works as good as the rechargeable versions except it doesn't have Quad Pacer, not a problem. As a brush, it has the vigor and thus, the benefits of what made Sonicare famous.I was concerned about Amazon reviews of water leaking into the battery compartment. I've tested the brush since then, and found what the weakness is; not cleaning the battery compartment O ring seal after each battery replacement.Like many items used for water, you should clean the battery compartment O ring and its sealing surfaces thoroughly before resealing it. The head usually has toothpaste on it that is abrasive and gritty and will break the O ring seal if not washed clean out. All a user need do is during a battery change, use an old manual toothbrush to brush clean the open end cap until its clean of all debris. Wash the O ring with soap and water. Let both air dry to avoid getting lint on the cap or ring. Use a clean finger to wipe clean the interior battery compartment to insure its clean or clear of residual toothpaste, as this is the other half of the sealing surface that contacts the O ring.When ready to seal, take a tiny dab of vasoline or silicone O ring lubricant between your thumb and forefinger, and pass the O ring through these fingers so it has a light coat of lubricant. This prevents the o ring from twisting as you insert the cap, and breaking the seal. Place the o ring on the cap, and push on the Sonicare. That's it!I use NiMH batteries, and a new set lasts over 2 months, brushing once a day. I can even use my old used NiMH cells on this brush, and I get about 1 month.The O ring should last over 5 years but if you know O rings, it AS568A size is -023, change them every 2-3 years. These rings typically cost 1c each, but the problem is finding them, usually they are sold in industrial supply houses.The toothbrush has held up, so it won't die because of leaking or bad battery. For $25, this unit is an ideal Sonicare. Now if only the brush heads were cheaper.

At first I thought this was going to be the solution to the problem of the original rechargeable Sonicare toothbrush with batteries that can't be replaced (my original Sonicare stopped holding a charge).However, after only four months (just long enough to waste money replacing the brush head!), the button began to only work erratically, and now it does not work at all (can't power the toothbrush on).The reviews that state that the battery compartment does not keep water out are completely true. The battery compartment is always moist, and the batteries will begin to rust.I was pleased that my Eneloop batteries worked well to power the toothbrush, so I could be using rechargeable batteries, however it doesn't matter if the toothbrush itself doesn't last past 6 months.The batteries that came with the toothbrush lasted around a month. The Eneloops needed charged only once in the next three months.Looks like the Sonicare brand just fails on too many levels, regardless of whether you are using the ultra-expensive rechargeable unit, or this unit with two AA batteries.[Update] Flashlights have had "screw on" caps for nearly one hundred hears. The Sonicare toothbrush is the same form factor. I have no idea why someone at Philips thought a "clip on" cap (vs. a screw on) would be better, ESPECIALLY for something you use with water. I am still COMPLETELY BAFFLED by why they would use this design. The battery compartment will ALWAYS be moist. Being able to use rechargeable batteries is clearly superior to being stuck with the Philips Soincare charging station. However, the fact that your batteries get wet means you will eventually ruin your batteries. That said, I am about to purchase another one. Being able to use your own batteries makes it a when, both for the fact that you can replace the batteries and also so that the (much more expensive) toothbrush isn't useless when the internal batteries fail after a year or so. Unfortunately there is no better alternative at this pricep oint.

Like others, mine worked for 6 weeks then broke. There was water in the battery compartment. Even after drying it out, it still didn't work. I am returning it to Philips and will be getting a new one.Why stay with this flawed device? Because it cleans better than any other toothbrush I've tried. I no longer need to floss when I use this device. It effectively cleans the spaces between teeth. I like the fact that it takes AA batteries, and it is much cheaper that other models in the model line.Note, if you have sensitive teeth, this toothbrush is a little painful at first because the vibrations are high frequency and amplitude.

My old Sonicare died after and few years and I had tried using several different brush types, manual and powered, attempting to find a cheap replacement. After a less than stellar annual check-up, I decided to just buy another Sonicare.I saw this model and could not believe how little it cost. My old one was over a hundred dollars. It worked great too. I saw no difference other than the lack of the quadpacer timer thing. Unfortunately, it died in less than two weeks. And no, it was not the batteries, the thing is just dead.I suggest you buy a rechargable 4100 for forty or fifty dollars. I have been using one for a few months now with no issues. It has the great cleaning action of a Sonicare at a reasonable price. Same as with the cheap battery powered model, the brush turns off after two minutes but does not have the quadpacer or any other fancy features.