The Bottom Line
The Eco-friendly Source Toothbrush makes sense, on so many levels. Why should you throw away a toothbrush handle when it is rarely affected by wear and tear? The handle is not only Eco-friendly, it is rather stylish and very unique. The wide base is comfortable to hold, and would make a great toothbrush for someone that may have limited manual dexterity.
The bristles are soft and well constructed. Even though the larger head may be cumbersome for a smaller mouth, the design offers more bristles to clean the surfaces of the teeth, while remaining gentle to the gums.
Pros
- The Eco-friendly concept is a welcomed addition to the dental hygiene product industry.
- The well constructed and designed nylon bristles cover a large area when brushing.
- The large handle is adaptable for both right and left-handed individuals.
- The handle is reusable. Only the head needs replacing.
- Users with limited manual dexterity will love the handle design, which is easy to comfortably grip.
Cons
- Users with a smaller mouth may find the large brush head to be cumbersome
Description
- Handles are made from recycled US Treasury bills, recycled flax, and recycled wood.
- The recycled material is blended with polypropylene to create a bio-plastic. The handle is 100 recycled or renewable.
- The entire brush from handle to head is made from 93 Recycled Material - 47 Renewable Resource.
- Replacement heads are made from pure surgical-grade nylon.
- The weight of the handle is only 7 of the total weigh of the entire toothbrush.
- 65 more bristle tufts that the average toothbrush. Replacement bristles are available in either soft or medium strengths.
- Reversible handles allow right or left handed people to customize their toothbrush.
- There is no need to ever replace the handle. After the toothbrush head is worn, uses replace the head with a new one.
- Individual brush's retail for $6.95 and replacement heads retail for $6.95. Travel cases are available, and retail for $2.95
- Available at select drugstores and natural product retailers. Locations can be found on the company website.
Guide Review - Review of the Source Eco-Friendly Toothbrush by RADIUS
The emphasis on Eco-friendly products and Eco-friendly living has taken over the marketing world. Almost every company that manufactures a product has come out with an Eco-friendly "something". I was curious to know when the Eco-friendly bandwagon would enter the wonderful world of dental hygiene products.
When you sit down and really consider it, dental hygiene products are very wasteful; certainly not Eco-friendly at all. Your dentist recommends that you replace your toothbrush every three months. What is a toothbrush made from? Plastic and nylon, again, not Eco-friendly. A family of four, like mine, is throwing away a minimum of 16 plastic toothbrushes a year. Oh- and don't forget about the plastic packaging all of those toothbrushes come neatly packaged in. Now that's a lot of plastic.
Is it possible for there to be an Eco-friendly toothbrush? Considering toothbrushes are made from an environmentalists worst nightmare - plastic and nylon - an Eco-friendly toothbrush would require recycling, which is completely dependent on the consumer, right?
RADIUS, the makers of the "Scuba" toothbrush, have developed a toothbrush that is, you guessed it, Eco-friendly!
I was really thrilled to see that Radius sent me a recycled US Treasury bills brush handle, I mean come on, I'm Canadian, so a US dollar toothbrush is worth so much more to me! The handles are also available in recycled flax and recycled wood; both just as attractive as the recycled money. All kidding aside, I was very excited to give this brush a try. It was very simple to insert and remove the brush head from the handle. Depending on whether-or-not your a lefty or a righty, you can customize the direction of the widest part of the handle, so it is comfortable for everyone to hold.
The Source toothbrush comes with a rather large looking toothbrush head. I was wondering how on earth I was going to fit this large brush head in my mouth? Most toothbrush companies are trying to come up with a small, sleek design for their toothbrush head. The Source toothbrush definitely breaks this rule, but don't let its oversized look deceive you. Users with a very tiny mouth, or those of you that have trouble opening wide, may find the brush head to be on the larger side, although I was surprised to find the brush covered the surface of my teeth nicely and was not overwhelming for me to use.
The bristles were very gentle on my gum tissue while I was brushing. I usually end up gagging on my toothbrush while brushing the inside of my teeth, because I'm trying to ensure that I'm cleaning along the gumline well. I found the large brush head on the Source toothbrush covered all of the surfaces of my teeth nicely, from the gums down, so I was not constantly backing off to prevent a gagging session.
I think the entire concept behind the brush -- from its packaging to its use of recycled material, and its head design -- are right on target in an industry where there is little room for failure.
