Oral-B Pro 1000

Brand: Oral-B Water Flosser Advanced

The plain workhorse of the Oral-B catalogue and the model most often recommended when someone asks for an electric brush that just works. One mode, daily clean, with the familiar 3D action that oscillates, rotates and pulsates on a small round head. A pressure sensor cuts the pulsation if the hand presses too hard, and the timer buzzes every 30 seconds to move to the next quadrant. Street price hovers around 40 dollars at Walmart, and the handle takes every CrossAction, Sensitive Clean and Precision Clean head Oral-B makes.

The sensible pick for a first electric brush, a spare for the guest bathroom or a household that gets through handles quickly. Not for travellers: there is no case, no cover for the head, and the battery runs about a week before it needs the charging stand again.