The Suri electric toothbrush was designed with sustainability at its core. The company highlighted that more than 4 billion toothbrushes end up in landfills and oceans every year, which motivated them to design an electric toothbrush that is easily recyclable and repairable. Suri’s disposable toothbrush heads are made from plant-based materials rather than plastic.
Each set of replacement brush heads includes a compostable stamped envelope for users to send their used brush heads back to Suri.
The brush heads feature corn starch tips and castor oil bristles. Once sent back to the Suri factory, the materials are repurposed into recycled parts for home appliances and furniture.
While other electric toothbrush brands offer brush head recycling programs, Suri is one of the first to do so.
With a repairable handle, aluminum body, and fully recyclable packaging, the Suri electric toothbrush demonstrates a true commitment to the environment and is B Corp certified.
While electric toothbrushes may not be the biggest environmental killer, if you’ve ever felt uneasy about throwing away a plastic brush head, Suri is a great choice.
Sustainability aside, does the Suri toothbrush really provide effective dental care? After using it as my primary toothbrush for six weeks, and carrying it in the optional travel case, I’ve had ample time to evaluate its cleaning performance and battery life.
Sustainable Design of the Suri Electric Toothbrush
The Suri electric toothbrush uses plant-based materials for its brush head and aluminum for its main unit, making it easier to disassemble, recycle, repair, and reuse at the end of its life.
While aluminum and batteries still have their own environmental costs, Suri is a more environmentally friendly choice of materials than traditional plastic toothbrushes, especially since the main unit can be used for many years before needing to be replaced.
Suri’s packaging also reflects this environmental concept, using simple recyclable cardboard packaging and even providing a recyclable mailing envelope for users to send back used brush heads. It can be said that every detail from the product to the packaging reflects the brand’s environmental care.
Although you can’t reverse climate change or save glaciers with a toothbrush, at least you can feel a little proud of no longer using plastic toothbrushes.
Of course, all environmental efforts will be meaningless if the toothbrush itself is not good enough. Fortunately, Suri’s performance is satisfactory.
Not only is it one of my top electric toothbrushes for its environmental mission to reduce plastic waste and its outstanding design, it also stands out for its practicality, stylish accessories, easy operation, and powerful cleaning ability.
Even if the manufacturing process of Suri really required the felling of an acre of Amazon rainforest, I would probably still put it on my list.
Design and accessories of Suri electric toothbrush
The Suri electric toothbrush is very attractive in appearance. Although its brush head is made of plant-based materials such as corn starch, it actually feels sturdy, similar to frosted plastic, and the bristles are medium-soft, which is suitable for sensitive gums.
There are also stone-like spots on the bristles, which complement the design of its USB stone-shaped charging base and travel box, and the overall style is simple and natural.
I personally prefer a small brush head, which makes it easier to clean the back molars. The Suri brush head is medium-sized and thick, and requires users to spend more time to ensure a thorough cleaning.
The aluminium body feels nice in the hand, with a soft matte finish, and is comfortable to hold, though a little chunky.
The optional travel case (£25, Trysuri.com) is also a good value, one of the thinnest I’ve seen, and has a built-in UV-C light that kills 99.9% of bacteria on the bristles in one minute.
Although I’m skeptical about the effectiveness of the weak UV light to kill germs (my Larq water bottle has a similar feature, which costs £89), this design is indeed a thoughtful little bonus in a sophisticated travel case.
I also particularly like that the case does not emit light while charging. Although it’s a small detail, it is very user-friendly for those who are sensitive to LED light and light sleepers.
Although the toothbrush can be charged in the travel case, it also comes with a simple charging base. It continues its “rock” aesthetic and uses a USB-A interface, so you may need to convert the plug to connect to the bathroom socket.
The toothbrush body can stand upright on its own, but the bottom is more rounded than that of ordinary toothbrushes, so it is easy to fall into the sink or fall if you accidentally touch it.
Suri also comes with a wall bracket, which is similar to the structure of a windproof stone. It can be fixed to a mirror or tile with adhesive stickers, and the toothbrush is suspended by magnets.
The bracket cannot be moved after being attached once, which is a little inconvenient for those who are hesitant, but the overall design is simple and does not look out of place in the bathroom.
Suri Functions and experience of electric toothbrushes
Suri uses one-button operation, which is extremely simple and far more direct than those high-end toothbrushes with more than 20 brushing modes and complex functions. It only provides two modes: “Daily Clean” and the more powerful “Polishing Mode”.
Although it is not the most vibrating electric toothbrush I have ever used (such as Oral-B iO9 or Philips Sonicare 9900), the cleaning power is still excellent, bringing a clean feeling similar to that after professional dental care.
Suri vibrates up to 33,000 times per minute, far beyond the minimum frequency standard for ultrasonic cleaning, and it also runs quietly.
However, one of the biggest shortcomings of Suri is the lack of pressure sensing function. Many electric toothbrushes will light up or automatically slow down when you use too much force to protect your gums.
But Suri will not remind you. If you have used a toothbrush with a sensor function and are familiar with the reasonable brushing force, this may not be a problem.
But for novices who use electric toothbrushes for the first time, they may brush too hard without realizing it.
In terms of battery life, Suri It performs well, lasting up to 40 days on a single charge, and only takes 4 hours to charge, making it perfect for everyday use and on the go.
In comparison, an entry-level model like Oral-B’s iO2 (£40, Boots.com) takes 24 hours to fully charge.
While the Oral-B design allows the toothbrush to be left on the charging dock for a long time (and the Suri can do the same), doing so for a long time will accelerate battery aging and increase the risk of electronic waste, which is exactly what the Suri is trying to avoid.
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