The OralB io series of brushes are popular – we tested the latest version – but at $249.94,we were a bit disappointed. It does scrub quite well, but for people with sensitive teeth, the automatic scrubbing can be too intense, scrubbing away the enamel and worsening your sensitive teeth.

Instead of using an app to track our scrubs, we’d rather just get a toothbrush that won’t damage our enamel and save $200.

Quip was one of the first companies to come out and make toothbrushes interesting again, and their design is unmistakably cool – but when it comes to value, this brand falls short. The replacement heads and handle require you to spend about $40 upfront, plus $56 each year afterward… and the brush didn’t work well for people with sensitive teeth, because even though it looks very modern, it still just uses the same old typical kind of hard bristles you find on most toothbrushes.

The Philips Sonicare was recently updated with a fresh look, but that wasn’t enough to earn the top spot. In fact, in spite of the $50 price tag, this electric toothbrush didn’t even come with a USB adaptor for charging. Many customers reported that their device broke after about a year. And while the look of the brush has been updated, some customers noticed that it was less powerful and less effective than the older version.

Between the weaker brush and the lack of a USB adaptor, it seems that Sonicare has been cutting a few too many corners. The new, weaker version may be better for sensitive teeth, but that may come at the expense of its cleaning power.

The Burst Toothbrush feels like a weird scam targeting millennials with goofy “influencer” photos of women taking pictures in their bath towels while holding their toothbrush.

Strange antics aside, the toothbrush does work, although it’s not ideal for people with sensitive teeth, and the $80 price tag seems unjustified. (Do we really need an LED emoji on our toothbrush?)

Also note that while charcoal is popular for teeth whitening these days, dentists tend to agree that charcoal toothbrushes don’t really whiten your teeth in any meaningful way, so that part of it seems to be kind of a scam/gimmick.

NOTE: Charcoal teeth whitening may also cause worsening sensitivity, so this brush is not recommended for people with sensitive teeth.

With a total cost of about $110 in the first year, we don’t recommend it for people with braces or anyone who’s looking for a good value.

The Nimbus toothbrush uses obviously fake/photoshopped images for their “before and after” on Amazon. We were surprised to see it hasn’t been taken down.

The brush is softer than most typical brushes, but we didn’t like it as much as the Swissklip Nano Toothbrush, which felt like brushing our teeth with a cloud. The Nimbus, on the other hand, sort of felt ineffective: it doesn’t have the same number of bristles, so they don’t add up to a great clean feeling.