I used to actively dislike my electric toothbrush. It was loud, bulky and seemed to need constant charging – not to mention the toothpaste crust that formed around the base. If if hadn't been better at cleaning my teeth, I would have stuck to a manual.
That was how I felt, until I started using a SURI back in 2022. I’ve been a big fan of the sleek, chic electric toothbrush ever since, from the original design to the improved SURI 2.0 (now called the SURI Pro 2.0), which happens to be the Good Housekeeping Institute’s best electric toothbrush.
When I tell people this (yes, I wang on about my SURI quite often), the response is either that they already have one, or something to the effect of ‘Oh, I’d love to have a SURI... but they’re quite expensive, aren’t they?’ Fair enough, when it’s £105 for the brush and travel case (although, worth it, in my opinion).
So, I was excited to learn that SURI was releasing a new version of its electric toothbrush – the SURI Core 1.0 – for a more affordable £65. But for the reduced price, I wondered what the compromises were. Well, I’ve been testing one for the last two weeks and this is my review.
What is the SURI Core 1.0 electric toothbrush?
Pros
- Cleans teeth effectively with sonic vibrations
- Suitable for sensitive teeth and gums, thanks to soft bristles
- Slim, lightweight body stays dry and convenient to store on magnetic mirror mount
- Up to 28-day battery life
- Quiet
- Brand will repair brush and recycle plant-based brush heads
- Cheaper than SURI Pro 2.0
Cons
- No travel case available, but has a brush cap and travel lock
- Pressure sensor feels difficult to activate
The SURI Core 1.0 is the newest version of the brand’s sonic electric toothbrush, designed to offer the essentials of the SURI Pro 2.0 for £65 – so £20 less (or £40 less if you include the cost of the optional travel case). It has two brushing modes, a two-minute timer to ensure you brush for the requisite time, a pressure sensor to stop you brushing too hard, and the brand's signature magnetic mirror mount to prevent the sink crust, plus a claimed battery life of up to 28 days (a game-changer for me).
The main differences are the lack of travel case available, and the handle material; instead of aluminium, the Core's handle is made of lightweight bio-circular plastic. Also new are the four colour options (I'm a particular fan of the Ember Orange and Nightfall Blue). They come with one of SURI’s plant-based, recyclable brush heads in white, but you can buy other colours if you like.
What’s the difference between SURI Core 1.0 and SURI Pro 2.0?
Having used both toothbrushes, the biggest immediate difference is how they feel in your hand. The Core’s plastic body is lighter and slightly shorter than the Pro 2.0’s aluminium handle, although it still feels pleasingly slim and well-made. Under the bonnet, there isn’t much between them either – the Core’s motor is only 7% less powerful than the Pro’s.
Other than that, the big difference is that the SURI Core 1.0 doesn’t have a charging, UV-sterilising travel case you can buy with it – but it does have a brush cap and a travel lock for taking it on the go. The Core also has a très chic two-tone look with a white brush head versus the matching design of the Pro. Note that the brush heads are all interchangeable, so there’s no reason you can’t buy colourful heads for your Core, if you prefer.
If you're deciding between the two models, here’s a full comparison table:
| SURI Pro 2.0 | SURI Core 1.0 | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £85 for brush only, or £105 with UV travel case | £65 |
| Handle material | Aluminium | Bio-circular plastic handle |
| Motor | <30,000 sonic vibrations | <28,000 sonic vibrations |
| Battery life | Up to 34 days | Up to 28 days |
| Travel features | Brush head cover, travel lock and optional UV-cleaning charger case | Brush head cover and travel lock |
| Warranty | 1 year, or 2 years upon registration | 1 year, or 2 years upon registration |
| Colours available | Winter Fern, Morning Waves, Sea Mist, Canyon Sunrise, Sunset Bloom and Midnight Black | Haze, Ember, Nightfall and Moonrise (handle only) |
| Brush heads | Colour-matched plant-based head | White plant-based head |
| Magnetic mirror mount | Yes | Yes |
| Pressure sensor | Yes | Yes |
My SURI Core 1.0 review
Ease of use and performance
Just like the Pro version, the SURI Core 1.0 is very simple to use. Press the button once to turn on, then press again if you want to cycle between the two modes (regular clean or more intense polish). It buzzes every 30 seconds to tell you to move onto the next quadrant of your mouth, and turns off after the optimum two-minute cycle.
After two weeks of using the SURI Core 1.0, my teeth feel just as clean as they did with the Pro – which is to say, very, very clean. Before I got my first SURI, my dentist advised me to switch to an electric toothbrush, and I’ve never looked back. The sonic vibrations leave my teeth feeling smooth and polished while being much quieter and easier to use than a rotating electric brush.
My only slight concern – which is one I have with the SURI Pro 2.0 – is that you have to press quite hard to activate the pressure sensor. If you've been told you brush too hard, this may be something to note – but the SURI has very soft bristles and the design seems to encourage lighter, slower brushing rather than vigorous scrubbing.
Battery life
I’ve only been using the SURI Core 1.0 for two weeks, so I can’t yet verify that 28-day claim – but I haven't had to charge it yet. That 28 days is six less than the Pro on paper, but I can't imagine it would make much difference in the grand scheme of things.
Either way, retaining a month (ish) of battery life on the brand’s cheaper brush is a great selling point, especially considering my partner’s Oral-B needs charging every few days. It’s one of the main reasons I recommend a SURI to people – and I’m glad to see the brand hasn’t compromised.
Travel
The lack of travel case available with the SURI Core 1.0 may look like a big downside, but honestly, my SURI Pro 2.0’s case hasn’t seen much use in the past year. For me, there's no real reason not to simply carry the brush by itself, thanks to the long battery life, brush cap and travel lock (which stops it turning on in your bag).
The SURI Core 1.0 has all of these features – and for longer trips, the charger is small enough to pack. The Pro’s case does have a UV sterilisation feature, so if you’re really concerned about hygiene, that may be worth shelling out for – but as a chronic overpacker, I’ll take the extra bag space (and save £40).
Sustainability and repair
This is the bit that made me buy a SURI in the first place. Both the SURI Core 1.0 and SURI Pro 2.0 have a one-year warranty, which extends to two years upon registration. If something goes wrong while it’s covered, SURI will send a replacement and take the faulty brush back, where it can be repaired or recycled rather than becoming electronic waste.
The brush heads are made using plant-based materials, and SURI offers the same freepost recycling scheme for used heads. That ‘bio-circular plastic’ the Core’s handle is made of comes from a combination of renewable sources and recycled waste.
Of course, no electric toothbrush is impact-free, and I wouldn’t suggest replacing a perfectly good brush purely in the name of sustainability. But if you’re in the market for a new electric toothbrush anyway, I’d much rather buy from a company that has thought about what happens to both the brush and its heads when you’re finished with them.
Price
If you’re new to electric toothbrushes, £65 may still seem a little steep. But take a look at what’s available from the big brands, and you’ll see it's on the cheaper end of the mid-range market.
Plus, the £20 saving over the SURI Pro 2.0 doesn’t like it gets you a £20-worse toothbrush. You lose the aluminium handle, six days of claimed battery life and the option of the UV travel case, while the motor is marginally less powerful. But, I've barely noticed the difference in everyday use.
Verdict: is the SURI Core 1.0 worth buying?
Typically, I’d think twice before skimping on something like an electric toothbrush, and I went into testing the SURI Core 1.0 expecting to find the catch. After all, shaving about 25% off a product’s price normally means losing something pretty essential. Instead, most of the compromises here are on things I can happily live without: an aluminium body, a few extra days on the already-excellent battery life and the option of a fancy £20 travel case.
The things I actually love about my SURI toothbrush are all still here. It’s slim, quiet, lives neatly on the mirror instead of gathering toothpaste gunk around the sink, and it lasts weeks between charges. Most importantly, it delivers the same polished clean I’ve come to expect from the brand.
If you’re someone who travels all the time, you may prefer to invest in the Pro and upgrade to the UV charging case, which I'd say is still a great value buy. But for everyone else? Save yourself a few quid – SURI’s cheaper toothbrush doesn’t feel cheap at all. And in fact, it now feels like the easier SURI to recommend.
The SURI Core 1.0 is available to buy for £65 from trysuri.com and Boots.
Jasmine is the Good Housekeeping Institute’s homes writer. With a background in design, she is committed to sorting the good products from the great –and helping Good Housekeeping readers do the same.
Throughout her career, Jasmine has written extensively about product quality, craftsmanship and sustainability, and is passionate about consumer rights. She previously worked as a writer and researcher at the product longevity platform Buy Me Once.
If she isn’t reviewing the latest gadgets for your home, you can probably find Jasmine cooking elaborate meals or crafting something weird and wonderful!
