I have been on a long journey to find an eco-friendly electric toothbrush that not only cleans effectively but also stands the test of time. After all, what’s the point of an ‘eco-friendly’ toothbrush if you have to replace it every few months? (Yes, I’m looking at you, Georganics!)
That journey ended when I bought the newly launched Midnight Black SURI Toothbrush in 2022. It isn’t perfect, but it has held up well for the full 2+ years since then, with no power loss or battery issues.
Most of all, I’m thankful I no longer have Georganics’ customer service on speed dial! But beyond that, there’s a lot to love about SURI, along with a few drawbacks that I think are worth mentioning.
In this extensive SURI Toothbrush review, I’ll talk about the cleaning power, battery life, design, eco-friendly credentials, repair service (as I had a small part come lose in August 2024), and my overall experience.
TL;DR
If you appreciate a sleek design like I do, then you will love SURI. It feels great in my hand and looks amazing in my bathroom. It brushes my teeth just as well as my old Oral-B and Sonicare brushes, and unlike them, the battery lasts for well over 40 days. It doesn’t have a pressure sensor, but that trade-off likely contributes to its impressive battery life!
Pros
- It cleans my teeth as well as Sonicare & Oral-B
- I get over 40 days of battery life
- I find the design compact and sleek
- It is made using eco-friendly materials
- They refurbished my brush when a part broke
Cons
- It is made in China (like most toothbrushes)
- It doesn’t have an inbuilt pressure sensor
What is SURI?
SURI (short for Sustainable Rituals) is a sustainable and stylish electronic toothbrush that is fully recyclable. The toothbrush base is made from aluminium and the disposable heads are made from castor oil and corn starch. It provides a powerful clean thanks to its sonic cleaning technology and dual-speed modes.
You’ll be happy to know that it is also approved by dentists and with an impressive 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot (read all the customer reviews here) you can see that over 7000 SURI Toothbrush owners agree.
Features of SURI Toothbrush
Looking for some straight facts about this electronic toothbrush? Check out these nifty features:
- UV cleaner on the case
- 33,000 sonic vibrations per minute
- 40+ day battery life
- 4-hour fast charging
- 2-minute timer
- Whisper quiet (54dB)
- IPX7 rated waterproof
- Two cleaning modes
- Recyclable and repairable components
The positives
There is a lot more to SURI than its sleek design and visually captivating marketing. I have been using SURI for over 2 years and before that had a string of Sonicare, Oral-B, and Georganics toothbrushes. Here is what I love about my SURI electronic toothbrush.
It cleans my teeth as well as Sonicare & Oral-B
Having previously owned both Oral-B and Sonicare toothbrushes, I can say that my teeth feel just as clean when using SURI. The plant-based brush bristles are strong enough to remove surface plaque and can get between gaps in my teeth. When I brush my tongue up against my teeth after brushing with SURI, they feel nice and smooth.
My dentists have always recommended Sonicare and Oral-B, but over the past few years, they have been happy with the cleanliness of my teeth when using SURI.
Every few weeks of brushing with SURI, I find that I need to use their second cleaning mode – the polish mode. It feels a little stronger than the default mode and provides a deeper clean for my teeth. After using this mode, my teeth get that extra squeaky clean feeling.
The toothbrush bristles stay pretty strong for around 2 to 3 months. But if you are like me and put too much pressure on your teeth when brushing, then you may find the bristles become less effective at cleaning after 1-2 months.
Cleaning power is where most other eco-friendly electric toothbrushes have fallen flat – they either didn’t have the power necessary to clean my teeth effectively or the brush itself was too soft. SURI has pulled this off well!
I get over 40 days of battery life
I no longer stress about my electric toothbrush dying every week – because even after using SURI twice a day for over 2 years and having charged it in many different power outlets around the world, I consistently get about 45 days between charges.
When it comes to charging, it only takes around 4-5 hours to reach full charge. You can use this time to clean the brush head using the inbuilt UV cleaning light!
The long battery life makes my travels and holidays effortless. When I go away to a beautiful hotel or Airbnb for a couple of weeks or even a month, I don’t need to pack the charger!
Despite this, the charging cable is lightweight and easy to pack. Moreover, the additional travel charging case is light and slim, fitting easily into a backpack. On my longer trips away, I have no problems carrying these around.
All other electric toothbrushes I’ve owned would need charging after a few weeks. Over time, they’d need to live permanently on top of their charging unit in between uses.
I find the design compact and sleek
As you can see from my photos, the SURI Toothbrush is actually quite pretty. I never guessed I’d be saying that about a toothbrush, but here we are.
They have a few different colours to choose from, including off-white, black, green, pink and blue. I chose the Midnight Black colour and the colour has remained the same throughout the years.
The design shouldn’t matter, but it does. It makes me feel good every time I go to reach for it. The slimline base feels good in my hand, but it did take some getting used to after using clunky electric toothbrushes for most of my life.
Moreover, the compact case makes the toothbrush easy to travel with, as it protects the brush from scratches and takes up very little space in my rucksack. It slots in perfectly alongside my Make Waves Deodorant and Kri Skincare products.
It is made using eco-friendly materials
The reason I bought my SURI Toothbrush in the first place was because of how eco-friendly it is in comparison to other electric toothbrushes.
They have ditched petroleum-based plastics (which live permanently on top of landfill) in favour of plant-based corn starch, castor oil and metal. All of which can be recycled or composted in a specialist facility by SURI.
They make the recycling of your used plant-based heads easy by sending free post bags with your order. Simply fill these bags with your old heads, seal the bag, and then pop it in the post box. It couldn’t get any easier!
I believe the eco-friendly materials actually make the unit look more high-end than other electric toothbrushes. The base is made using metal, which looks really sleek, and the plant-based heads have a lovely matte look to them.
Update (September 2024): During a chat with Gyve (co-founder of SURI), I found out that they are testing new materials which will be easier to recycle at home. Whilst I can’t share the exact details with you right now, I’ll be sure to once it has been signed off on! No company is 100% perfect, but it is great to hear that they are all always looking to improve.
They refurbished my brush when a part broke
All technology is prone to breaking at some point, so I wasn’t particularly surprised when a small part of my SURI brush broke after 2 years of consistent use. It was nothing major – just a metal sheet on the base of the brush that came loose.
Despite it not being a major break, it did cause a rattling noise and was prone to collecting gunk underneath (gross, I know).
Thankfully, SURI toothbrushes are repairable. So, if your SURI Toothbrush does happen to break you will get a replacement sent to you* within a matter of days and your old one will be refurbished or used for parts.
When I contacted their customer service about my brush, they responded within 24 hours and sent a replacement brush to me within 2 days. I was also provided with a Freepost bag to send back my old broken brush for refurbishment or recycling.
In terms of eco-friendliness, it may not sound like the perfect system, but Gyve (Co-Founder of SURI) told me they used to repair brushes on demand. This meant customers had to wait a few weeks and they subsequently received a lot of complaints.
So instead, they now send out a replacement straight away and then refurbish your old brush afterwards.
*If your brush is out of warranty, you may need to pay a small fee of around £25. My brush was still under warranty after 2 years!
The negatives
I would be lying if I said the SURI brush was perfect. I believe their sonic toothbrush could be improved, and whilst these factors aren’t a dealbreaker for me, they could be for you!
It is made in China
Whilst the SURI Toothbrush is undoubtedly the most sustainable electric toothbrush you can buy, it is still made in China and I was a little gutted when I discovered this. This adds a fair few more air miles to the product and certainly adds to their climate impact.*
It isn’t made glaringly obvious when you buy the brush. But they don’t completely hide this piece of information from buyers – it can be found in the FAQ section of their website.
I asked the founders about their manufacturing and they advised me that even if they manufactured closer to home, most of the parts would still need to come from China. So it is better to keep everything there and reduce the unnecessary shipping of parts.
They are still looking for alternative manufacturing options. But for now, I still see this toothbrush as being the most sustainable. Other alternatives are also made in China and on top of this, are made using materials that aren’t as eco-friendly.
*For now, to combat this, SURI will work with wind energy projects and Plastic Bank to offset their emissions.
It doesn’t have an inbuilt pressure sensor
SURI is an eco-friendly electronic toothbrush that prioritises repairability and a long battery life, so it doesn’t come with a pressure sensor, like many of its non-eco-friendly competitors.
Because of my inability to properly gauge the correct amount of pressure (my dentist is always telling me off), I do go through my toothbrush heads a little bit quicker than most people.
My family all look after theirs, so the SURI toothbrush heads last up to 3 months with no issues, whilst mine last up to 2 months.
Despite this being completely my fault, I would benefit from the addition of a pressure sensor on the brush. But I am using this as a learning opportunity to brush my teeth correctly like the capable adult I am!
SURI Toothbrush review verdict
I am very happy that I have finally found an effective and sustainable electric toothbrush with great battery life and a sleek design. Despite a minor breakage, which SURI quickly resolved, it held up well for 2 years (with zero battery loss) and outlasted any other electric toothbrush I’ve owned.
I have come to terms with the fact that SURI is still manufactured in China on the basis that you can’t find any other electric toothbrush that isn’t. At least SURI gives you the option to ditch the plastic with their repairable aluminium base and their compostable plant-based heads.
Thanks to its slim design and handy travel case, it has become an essential item on my holiday packing list! The long charge keeps it going without the need to charge for over a month, and the toothbrush heads last long enough to allow me to travel for months on end!
I have been recommending SURI to my friends and family ever since I purchased mine, and so fa,r every single one of them has been impressed with this toothbrush! I’m certain you’ll love yours too!
And if for any reason your SURI Toothbrush isn’t perfect, they have a great track record with their customer service and will be on hand to help fix your unit if necessary.
SURI Alternatives
Whilst I wholeheartedly recommend the SURI Toothbrush to everyone and believe that it is as effective as the main competitors, like Philips Sonicare and Oral B Pro, there may be reasons why you feel it isn’t suitable for your needs. Whether it is for aesthetic reasons or monetary reasons, there are a few alternatives to SURI that I would recommend you check out:
| Brand | Type | Eco Credentials | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| SURI | Electric brush | Long battery life, repairable body, plant-based heads | From £75 |
| Booheads | Heads for Sonicare | Made from bamboo, fits existing Sonicare & ordo brushes | £9.99 (for 2) |
| Ordo | Electric brush | Recyclable toothbrush heads | £34.99 |
| Greenzla | Manual brush | Made from bamboo, biodegradable & compostable | £21.48 (for 12) |
| Brushboo | Electric brush | Made from bamboo | £49.99 |
I hope you enjoyed my SURI Toothbrush review! If you have any questions, drop them in the comments box below.
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