Oral B 1000 vs 1500 vs 3000 – Comparison of 3 Cheap OralB Toothbrush Models

If you are looking for your first power toothbrush or you simply are a frugal person who wants to pay only for toothbrush features you are going to use every day, the entry-level power toothbrushes from Oral B – the Oral B 1000 or 3000 – look like a very attractive choice.

OralB 1000 and OralB 3000 seem to be very similar models. What sets them apart and is it worth to pay twice as much for the 3000^th model?

Let’s find out and begin by checking the comparison table.

Oral B Pro 1000 vs 1500 vs 3000 Comparison Table

And I have also added the newer Oral B 1500 model to the mix.

Model name	Oral-B Professional Healthy Clean Precision 1000	Oral-B Pro CrossAction 1500	Oral-B Professional Healthy Clean + Sensitive Gum Care Precision 3000
	Oral-B Pro 1000Check Price	Oral-B Pro 1500Check Price	Oral-B Pro 3000Check Price
Model Number	D16.513.U	D501.513.2	D20.515.3
Rechargeable	Yes	Yes	Yes
Battery	Standard NiMH	Lithium Ion	Standard NiMH
External Timer	No	No	No
Brushing Modes	1 - Daily Clean	2 - Daily Clean, and Sensitive	3 - Daily Clean, Sensitive, and Gum Care
Brush Movements	20,000 pulsations/min; +8,800 oscillations/min	45,000 pulsations/min; +9,900 oscillations/min	40,000 pulsations/min; +8,800 oscillations/min
Visual Pressure Indicator	No	Yes	Yes
Included Brush Head	PrecisionClean or CrossAction	CrossAction	3D White
UV Sanitizer	No	No	No
Charger Type	Portable	Basic	Portable
Travel Charger	No	No	No
Bluetooth & Smartphone App	No	No	Yes
Available Colors	White, Black	White	White, Black
Review	Read my Oral B 1000 review!	See user reviews on Amazon.com!	Read my Oral B 3000 review!

It is important to mention that I will review the models designed for United States market.

Oral B model range for Europe is slightly different. For example, the Oral B 3000 is called Oral B 3 3000 and has different specs.

Oral B Pro 1000 Overview

This is an afforable toothbrush with a minimum set of features.

You will learn more about it in my Oral B Pro 1000 review.

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Oral B Pro 1500 Overview

The Oral B Pro 1500 is a more advanced version of Oral B Pro 1000 with added second brushing mode (Sensitive mode), new Lithium Ion battery, and faster and more powerful motor.

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Oral B Pro 3000 Overview

This is a recently refreshed afforable model with a few extra features.

You can learn more about it in my Oral B Pro 3000 review.

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Cleaning Modes

Now let’s try to understand why would you want to get a toothbrush with multiple cleanining modes.

OralB 1000 features only one brushing mode – the Daily Clean mode. This is the basic cleaning mode built-in all Oral B models. I am pretty sure many users of more advanced toothbrush models have in fact never used other modes except this one.

OralB 3000 has 3 modes – Daily Clean, Sensitive for gentle cleaning of sensitive teeth and gums, and Gum Care (replaced Whitening mode from older version) for extra care. I noticed that the manufacturer has replaced the Whitening mode but the brush is still supplied with 3D White brush head that is specifically designed to provide whitening effect. Does the 3D White brush head work equally good with the Daily Clean mode? That’s something worth investigating if you are planning to make your teeth couple of shades brighter.

When I was researching the newer Oral B 1500 model, the specs page on the manufacturer’s website claimed that it has only one brushing mode – the Daily Clean Mode. It looks appropriate because model name 1xxx means 1 mode.

Then I checked the product page on Amazon.com here, and noticed that several Oral B Pro 1500 users say that it has 2 modes – Daily Clean and Sensitive.

I emailed Oral B to clarify this matter. A couple of days later the customer support representative replied that the users are actually right. This brush indeed has two brushing modes.

Brush Movements

Coming soon!

Pressure Sensor

All 3 models have pressure sensor built in but it works differently.

Connectivity

Only one brush from compared 3 models feature Bluetooth connectivity and smartphone app. It is the Oral B Pro 3000.

Design

All brushes share similar design. In fact they are so alike that they used to share the same Quick User Manual at some point.

Price

Discussing prices can be tricky as different retailers offer different prices, promotions, and delivery options.

It is safe to say that Oral B 3000 is twice the price of Oral B 1000, and Oral B 1500 is somewhere in the middle.

Replacement Brush Heads

The three toothbrushes are cross-compatible with the same wide range of replacement brush heads.

Package contents

All packages have 1 toothbrush handle, 1 charging station, and 1 brush head – PrecisionClean for 1000 and CrossAction for 1500 model.

Oral B 3000 features more advanced corded charging station with a brush head storage box for 4 brushes

Battery Type

Two older models reviewed in this article, the Oral B 1000 and Oral B 3000, have the tried and tested standard NiMH battery that lasts up to 10 days with a single charge. The complete charging process takes around 22 hours.

The newer Oral B 1500 brush has Lithium Ion battery that will last 2 fill weeks (according to manufacturer). It is 4 days more than the NiMH battery. When the battery is close to empty, the motor slows down and the LED light reminds you to charge it. You will be able to use the brush couple more times. In comparison, the brushes with NiMH keep running until the battery is dry, then the motor stops and warning flashes.

It can be a game changer when you travel. If you use your toothbrush at home and keep it on the charger at all times, the difference is questionable.

More

Coming soon!

Oral B 1000 vs 3000

Let’s take a look at the differences between OralB Pro 1000 and 3000 brushes.

 

 

Brush Movements

Both brushes use advanced OralB technology that is generating 8800 oscillations per minute. The difference is in a number of pulsations per minute.

The 1000th model makes 20,000 pulsations per minute, and the 3000th model makes 40,000 pulsation movements per minute.

Pressure Sensor

Both models feature a pressure sensor that prevents from brushing too hard and damaging the tooth enamel and gums. This feature works differently in both brushes.

In OralB 1000 the sensor stops the toothbrush as soon as it detects excessive pressure.

In OralB 3000 the sensor will not stop the pulsations, but only reduct the brushing speed.  You will see (hopefully!) the bright red warning light flashing the toothbrush handle. If you are using the smartphone app, it will also alert you about the excessive use of force.

The long time Oral B toothbrush owners claim that it may take couple of weeks to get used to the brush and find the pressure balance. Then the sensor rarely gets activated.

The manufacturer suggests testing the pressure sensor regularly by applying excessive pressure for a short moment.

Connectivity

The latest generation Oral B 3000 features Bluetooth connectivity that lets it connect to your smartphone and provide assistance using Oral B app.

Design

Both brushes share similar design but Oral B 1000 features space-saving charger without brush storage box.

Price

Oral B 3000 is twice more expensive.

Common Features

Here is a list of features both models share:

• Compatibility with all Oral B brush heads – CrossAction, FlossAction, Precision Clean, 3D White, Sensitive Gum Care, Deep Sweep, Dual Clean
• Two minute timer lets you keep track of the brushing time, and the brush stutters every 30 seconds informing the user that is time to move to other quadrants of the mouth. These systems make sure you are brushing for 2 minutes just like all dentists recommend and spend equal time cleaning 4 zones of your mouth.

Package Contents

OralB 1000

• 1 toothbrush handle
• 1 charging station with cord
• 1 Precision Clean brush head

OralB 3000

• 1 toothbrush handle
• 1 corded charging station with a brush head storage box for 4 brushes
• 1 3D White brush head

Is it really all? Yes, it seems to me.

Basically, there are 3 differences – 3 brushing modes vs 1 mode, Bluetooth connectivity, and app vs no app, and bundled brush head storage box.

Which model should I get?

It depends if I want to pay a premium for the 2 extra brushing modes, brush-head box, and an application that will be fun to play with (for a while). That is really it.

If you have sensitive teeth and you need this Sensitive brushing mode, you will most probably choose the 3000 model.

If you think that you can live with only one brushing mode and have not intentions to play around with Bluetooth and smartphone app, save some money and get the OralB 1000.

If you think you need information about other toothbrushes, go to best electric toothbrush reviews page for more details!

Oral B 1000 vs 1500

Now it is time to find the differences between OralB 1000 and its younger but more powerful cousin Oral B 1500.

 

Brush movements

As I have already mentioned above, the Oral B 1000 generates 8800 oscillations and 20000 pulsations per minute.

The newer and more powerful motor of the 1500 model makes 9900 oscillations and 45000 pulsations per minute.

Battery Type

The newer Oral B 1500 features a Lithium-Ion battery that offers more uses between charging sessions.

Conclusion

Is the extra Sensitive mode and more powerful motor sufficient arguments to pay more?

Comparison vs 500 / 2000 / 2500

These models I discussed in this review are often compared with other entry-level Oral B toothbrushes e.g. 500, 2000, and 2500 models. I am working on an article explaining the differences between these brushes.