Suri 2.0 electric toothbrush review: Sustainable and sophisticated

Best Prices Today: Suri 2.0 electric toothbrush

Following on from the 2022 launch of Suri, the independently made, sustainable electric toothbrush, founders Gyve Safavi and Mark Rushmore have returned to market with its follow-up, Suri 2.0.

This souped-up successor fills in a missing feature or two from the original and adds some new functionality. But, just like the original, its brush heads are 100% plant-based and biodegradable. Wait until you have four (which should take you a year) and you can post them back to Suri for recycling. Plus, the brush handle itself can be repaired or recycled by the brand.

This is a big selling point when you consider the horrifying fact that every toothbrush you’ve ever had is still around somewhere, lying in a landfill.

We reviewed the original Suri electric toothbrush, and liked it a lot. Read on to find out about the new model’s upgrades and what it’s like to use.

Design and Build

• Slim, light brush
• New, more intense second setting
• Waterproof

The Suri 2.0 looks very similar to the first iteration of the brush, but if you’re coming from an Oral-B or a Philips Sonicare, the first thing you’ll likely notice is how simple and elegant it is. And even though it’s light and slim, it feels robust and well made.

It comes in five colour options: black, white, blue, mint green and peach.

It weighs only 77g, compared to an Oral-B iO 4’s 135g. It’s compact as well, at 22cm long, with a handle circumference of only 6cm.

The brush head is narrow and equipped with soft bristles cut into a W formation, for better contact with all parts of the tooth. On the back is a textured tongue cleaner, which is perhaps too mild to be useful.

The brush handle is matt, coated aluminium, and it’s comfortable to hold and not slippery, even when it’s wet. And because it’s sealed, you can brush your teeth in the shower.

In fact, it’s IPX7 rated, which means it’s protected against immersion in water up to a metre, for half an hour, so you could even brush your teeth in the bath and not worry if you drop it – but let’s hope no one would actually choose to sit in a toothpaste-infused tub.

The first thing you’ll likely notice is how simple and elegant it is

There’s a single button to switch on the Suri 2.0 and toggle between the two cleaning modes, and a pinpoint indicator light whose colour tells you the brushing mode it’s in (white or blue), or if the battery is low (red).

A five-second press switches on the travel lock, and the indicator will blink orange to let you know that it’s locked and won’t switch on in your bag. Among the accessories is a plant-based toothbrush cap: pop it on if you want to travel light.

Along with the toothbrush and cap, you’ll also get a compact wireless USB-C charging base and an adhesive magnetic mirror mount. The accessories are attractively made and minimalist, and all in a matching off-white shade with a matt finish that’s pleasing to the touch.

Personally, I love USB charging. However, it does mean that you don’t get the option of shaver socket charging if you’re in the UK. That didn’t bother me but my colleague Chris, who also tried out the 2.0, found it to be an annoying omission. Still, you can buy a compatible adaptor from Suri for a very reasonable £2.99.

The Suri 2.0 comes with a slim charging travel case that features a UV sanitising light. In an upgrade from the original accessory, you can use the UV light to clean your brush without having the charging case plugged in.

It’s genuinely effective at preventing your brush from getting musty in your suitcase (or in your bathroom cabinet) and it makes cleaning your teeth when you arrive at your destination much more pleasant.

One thing to note is that you don’t get a spare brush head in the box, which seems less than generous, given the price. As with most electric toothbrushes, you shouldn’t use the same head for more than three months. Suri even suggests 2-3 months is ideal. When you need to change it, replacement heads cost £14.99/$18.99 for a pack of three, which is around average for high-end brushes, but you can save money if you subscribe.

Performance and Features

• More than month-long battery life
• Quiet in use
• New pressure sensor

Powerful electric toothbrushes aren’t for everyone. Women tend to need gentler gum cleaning than men, for example. And anyone with damaged or receding gums should opt for a softer brush. Plus, some people just find an electric toothbrush with a strong buzz unpleasant.  

Suri offers a gentler cleaning experience that’s much more effective than manual brushing but not as overwhelming as some rivals. The most powerful brushing modes of high-end Oral-B iO and Philips Sonicare brushes, for example, tend to be more powerful than anyone actually needs, and damaging if you’re not careful.

However, the Suri 2.0 has a higher-amplitude motor than the original model, so it offers a second cleaning mode with stronger vibrations. Still the Suri 2.0 can’t compete with rivals that offer five different brushing modes or endless customisation options. If that’s what you’re looking for, we’d recommend a high-end Oral-B iO – but most people tend to stick to the same settings.

It doesn’t vibrate faster, however. Like the original model, the Suri 2.0 operates at 33,000 sonic vibrations per minute. This is well within the limits of sonic effectiveness, and in line with Philips Sonicare brushes.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this brush to anyone

It’s very quiet in use – noticeably more so than rivals. As you’d expect, it has a two-minute brushing timer, with a subtle vibration alert every thirty seconds to let you know to move on to the next section of your mouth.

Plus, the 2.0 has a feature its predecessor lacked: a pressure sensor. But it doesn’t work the way you might expect. Instead of an indicator light, the vibrations will slow down and stutter to let you know to brush more gently. It’s impossible to miss but I found that I did have to press very hard to activate it.

Still, as the bristles are soft, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this brush to anyone. It would be very difficult to overbrush with it.

Personally, I found the stronger setting to be right for my teeth – it was comfortable and felt effective over the month that I tested it. And the compact brush head was easy to manoeuvre, even around the wisdom teeth.

Finally, the 2.0 has a long battery life. If you brush for two minutes twice a day, it’ll last you for comfortably over a month (Suri says it should last 40 days, and in over a month, I didn’t need to recharge it), which means you can take it away on trips and not worry about its battery running out.

But if you do want insurance, the charging base is tiny and won’t add weight or bulk to your packing. But if you decide to use the travel case, you only need to add the USB cable to your luggage and you can charge the brush in its case. It takes four hours from flat to full.

What you won’t get from the Suri 2.0 is the ability to customise brushing programmes or any smart features. My colleague Chris, who usually uses the Oral-B iO10, also found that he missed that brush’s countdown timer and other information displayed on the handle’s screen.

Price and Availability

The Suri 2.0 is available in the UK direct from Amazon, Suri or Boots for £105, travel case included. This is an increase of £10 from the £95 it would set you back if you were to buy the original Suri and its case. But you can buy the original Suri alone for £75, from the brand’s website.  

There’s been a similar jump in price in the US, where the original brush starts at $95 from Suri, while the brush and case together costs $119. The 2.0 costs $135 (case included) and is also available from Amazon and from Suri.

So, is it worth spending a bit more for the new model? I’d say it is. The second, more intense brushing mode gives the 2.0 wider appeal. Plus, the pressure sensor is a helpful addition for anyone who tends to brush too hard. The fact that you can also sanitise your brush head in its case without having to plug it in is a handy feature.

The 2.0 isn’t the cheapest electric toothbrush on the market. However, when compared to the best electric toothbrushes we’ve tested, especially the similarly-featured Oral-B iO line, you get a lot for your money with the Suri 2.0. Granted there are no smart features or screen, and only two brushing modes, but the long battery life, high-quality build, USB charging and UV-cleaning travel case more than make up for it.

Should you buy the Suri 2.0?

While I think that Oral-B makes excellent electric toothbrushes, the Suri 2.0 has the brand beat in a number of ways.

For a start, the best electric toothbrush is going to be one that people actually stick with. And the Suri 2.0 is a very pleasant brush to use. It’s quiet, easy to manoeuvre around your mouth and comfortable to hold. This makes it a good option for people who haven’t been able to use other electric toothbrushes as they find them too loud or jarring.

I’ve never been able to get my husband to use an electric toothbrush: he just hates them. But this model has changed his mind and he’s been happily using it for a month.

Then there’s the fact that it’s so simply and attractively designed, with every feature you need to take good care of your teeth. And it’s convenient too, with its long battery life and USB charging.

But what’s really notable is that it’s all of those things, beyond its headline feature of sustainability.

Best Prices Today: Suri 2.0 electric toothbrush