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 held up well for a full 2 years, 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 honest SURI Toothbrush review, I’ll talk about the cleaning power, battery life, design, eco-friendly credentials, repair service, and my overall experience.
Update: In August 2024 a component on the base came loose, impacting the sonic vibrations. This meant I could test their well-advertised repair service and share details of that experience in this review.
Pros
- Just as effective as Oral-B and Sonicare
- Long 40+ day battery life
- Compact and sleek design
- Made using eco-friendly materials
- Can be repaired if broken
- 1-year warranty
Cons
- Made in China
- No pressure sensor
- Mine was replaced not repaired
What is the SURI Toothbrush?
SURI (short for Sustainable Rituals) is a stylish and sustainable sonic 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 approved by dentists and with an impressive 4.8 out of 5 on Trustpilot, read all the SURI Toothbrush reviews here, and you can see that over 3000 SURI Toothbrush owners agree.
Features of SURI Toothbrush
Looking for some straight facts about this electronic toothbrush? Check out these nifty features:
- Recyclable and repairable components
- 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
- Mirror mount
- Charging case with UV cleaning
Why trust my SURI Toothbrush review?
I was not paid for this SURI review nor was I gifted my toothbrush. I bought my SURI sustainable electric toothbrush when it first launched in 2022 and have been using it daily since. This SURI Toothbrush review is based wholly on my own experience and because I have owned it for over 2 years I have been able to go in-depth about all the good and bad aspects of their toothbrush. In recent months, a part broke which has also allowed me to include important information about their repair service and warranty.
My experience
After using my SURI Toothbrush for 2 years, I want to share the positives and negatives I have experienced from using it every single day – morning and night.
It is as effective as Oral-B and Sonicare
I’ve tried many different ‘eco-friendly’ electric toothbrushes and they all seemed to fall flat in the cleaning department. This hasn’t been the case with SURI. I am always amazed at how squeaky clean my teeth are after I brush with it. Brushing your tongue up against your nicely smooth teeth can get pretty addictive!
The toothbrush has two different modes, the first is an everyday clean and the other is a polish. I like to do the latter every couple of weeks to give my teeth that extra squeaky clean feeling.
I’ve owned both Oral-B and Sonicare toothbrushes and I would say my teeth have felt just as clean using SURI, as using either of these.
It has a long 40+ day battery life
What really sets the SURI electric toothbrush apart from the rest is its super long battery life. Every single electric toothbrush I’ve ever owned would need charging after just a few weeks and over time they’d need to live permanently on top of their charging unit in between uses.
Even after using SURI twice a day for over 1.5 years and having charged it in many different power outlets around the world, the battery still holds up. I consistently get about 45 days between charges. And when it comes to charging the unit, it only takes around 4-5 hours.
This has been perfect for my travels particularly when I am only going away for a couple of weeks! I can charge it before I leave and not bring my charger with me. I always return home with plenty of charge left in the toothbrush, even after 2 years of use!
The design is sleek and compact
As you can see from the photos, the SURI Toothbrush is a thing of beauty. Who knew I’d be saying this about a toothbrush, but here we are. Electric toothbrushes are historically quite clunky machines offered in a variety of ugly surgical-looking colours. SURI are different, they want to make your teeth-brushing experience a pleasurable one.
They have a few different colours to choose from, including off-white, black, green and blue. They are subtle pastel-like colours that compliment the sleek design. The only downside is that the aluminium toothbrush base is an ever so slightly different shade to the corn starch brush head. Considering the two are made from different materials, this is to be expected and it is only noticeable when you examine them up close.
The design shouldn’t matter but it does. It makes me feel good every time I go to reach for it. Plus, the compact case (which you can also charge the toothbrush in) makes the toothbrush easy to travel with. It takes up very little space in my rucksack and thanks to the slimline case, it stays nice and clean.
The materials are more eco-friendly
I originally bought my SURI Toothbrush because of how eco-friendly it is compared 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.
Admittedly, these still need to be recycled or composted in a special facility, so don’t put them in your household recycling or home compost. Thankfully, they send out a Freepost bag with every order so you can return your used toothbrush heads for proper recycling. I am yet to see any transparency in this area though, so it would be interesting to know if SURI do recycle these effectively.
I don’t think this is the perfect solution, but it is in my opinion the best solution we have right now. It beats the usual petroleum-based plastic brush heads used by other electronic toothbrush brands.
Interestingly, I believe the eco-friendly materials used to make the SURI Toothbrush actually make the unit look more high-end than other electric toothbrushes. The base is made using metal which looks sleek and the plant-based heads have a lovely matte look.
It can be repaired if broken
Have you had your electric toothbrushes break in the past? I have, and when they do, the only place they can go is to the landfill. Noticing the environmental impact this could be having, SURI came up with a solution.
They made their toothbrush repairable, so if you have any problems with the battery or motor you can send it back to be fixed. This fits with the sustainable ethos of the brand and ensures there is no unnecessary waste. It is free to do this if it is under warranty (mine is magically still under warranty after 2 years). If not the fee is typically only around £20.
If for whatever reason they cannot repair your toothbrush they will replace it for you instead. They will repurpose any usable parts left in your toothbrush and responsibly dispose of the remaining parts by recycling them. This is what happened when I had a structural issue with mine (see below).
But ultimately I don’t believe that you should be concerned about your toothbrush breaking. I know at least 5 other people who have owned a SURI toothbrush for 1+ years, and none of them have had issues with theirs. But if it does break, then it is good to know that they will attempt to repair it first. If that fails, they will recycle it for parts and then send you a new toothbrush base.
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. This does add quite a few air miles to the product. They don’t hide this piece of information from their buyers, but it isn’t displayed clearly on their product pages.
Their founders have responded to concerns about their manufacturing process and mentioned that they are keen to move it closer to home. Let’s see if they make the move! For now, I still see this toothbrush as being the most sustainable – other alternatives are also made in China but are made using materials that aren’t as sustainable.
It doesn’t have a pressure sensor
This may well be an issue unique to me, but my dentist is always telling me off for putting too much pressure when brushing my teeth. I am often not aware that I am doing it, so I would benefit from a pressure sensor on my toothbrush. Unfortunately, this is not a feature of the SURI Toothbrush and it is the one thing that I would love to see added!
Because of my inability to properly gauge the correct amount of pressure, I do get through my toothbrush heads quicker than other people. My family all look after theirs and the heads last between 2 to 3 months with no issues, whilst mine only last between 1 to 2 months.
Despite this being completely my fault, I would still love to see a pressure sensor added to this toothbrush to help me out. Although, obviously it isn’t a dealbreaker for me!
What happened when my SURI broke
Update: 30th August 2024
After two years of great performance, I noticed a slight decrease in the power. I then began to notice a subtle rattling noise. So I took off my toothbrush head and noticed that the metal sheet that sits at the top of the toothbrush base had come loose. Because this was no longer permanently attached to the base it would come loose easily during brushing, affecting the power of the sonic vibrations. So I contacted SURI’s support team to check it out.
I filled out the form provided in their online help centre with a description of my issue and photographs of the toothbrush. They replied to me within 24 hours stating that it would need replacing. As my toothbrush is still under warranty after 2 years (amazing) they offered to replace the base straight away, for free. They asked for the old base to be sent back so they could reuse any of the still working parts and recycle the remaining bits – which helped ease off that eco guilt (along with the fact that I got a good 2 years of use out of it).
I continued to use my old toothbrush for 2 days before receiving my new one in the post. I then sent off my old base in the Freepost mailbag provided. What impressed me most was how quickly they resolved the issue – within days, I had a new toothbrush base, and they even recycled the old one. The whole process was completely effortless!
Ideally, I would have loved for it to have been repaired, especially since this is one of the key selling points they advertise. I’d be interested to know how many of their broken toothbrushes do get repaired. Do you own a SURI Toothbrush that either got replaced or repaired? Please let me know in the comments box at the bottom!
My verdict
I am happy that I have finally found an electric toothbrush that is effective at cleaning and more sustainable than the alternatives. Not to mention the hefty battery life and pretty design. After two years of regular use, it has proven to be durable. Even when I experienced a minor issue with the base, a customer service representative responded quickly, sending a replacement in no time. It’s rare to find a product that holds up this well and comes with such great support.
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 single-use plastic with their repairable aluminium base and their compostable plant-based heads. You do need to send the heads back to them for composting, but this is easy to do with the supplied Freepost envelope.
I have been recommending this toothbrush to my friends and family ever since I purchased mine and so far every single one of them has been impressed with this toothbrush! So, if you’re looking for a long-lasting, eco-conscious electric toothbrush with great customer support, I highly recommend giving SURI a try.
Where can you buy SURI?
You can currently buy your SURI Toothbrush directly from www.trysuri.com or Amazon. When you buy direct you can benefit from their latest deals whereas when you buy from Amazon you can benefit from their next-day delivery options.
Alternatives to SURI
Whilst I wholeheartedly recommend the SURI Toothbrush to everyone, as I believe it is the best electric toothbrush and just as effective as 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 that I would recommend you check out:
- Non-electric toothbrush: 12-pack Biodegradable Bamboo Toothbrushes
- Electric toothbrush head replacements: Booheads Bamboo Heads for Oral-B
- Bamboo electric toothbrush: Brushboo Sonic Bamboo Electric Toothbrush
- Budget-friendly electric toothbrush: Ordo Sonic Lite
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