Laifen Wave toothbrush review: Great for a deep clean, but you’ll need nerves of steel

Laifen Wave: One-minute review

Suffice to say, Chinese brand Laifen is pretty excited to bring its latest device, the Laifen Wave, to market – especially following the success of its supersonic hairdryer, the Laifen Swift. Is it the best electric toothbrush? Not in my view; but it’s a very promising start, and for those who need frequent deep cleans, it could be everything they’ve been hoping for. 

Laifen has made some pretty bold claims about the efficacy of the Laifen Wave toothbrush, including that it “perfectly aligns with the dentist-recommended Bass brushing technique” and offers three times the power and brushing efficiency of a standard electric toothbrush. Based on my experience, that may be true – my teeth felt cleaner than ever after using the toothbrush. However, I’m not entirely convinced that this level of deep cleaning is necessary, nor healthy, on a daily basis.

The Laifen Wave offers 60-degree oscillation with 66,000 vibrations per minute, mimicking the motion of a regular non-electric toothbrush for what Laifen promises is a superior clean. You can set up three brushing profiles in the app, selecting between 10 levels of oscillation range and power, as well as vibration power. Plus, it has an average 30-day battery life, and takes only 2.5-3 hours to charge.

One thing is for certain, the Laifen Wave is a looker. It’s available in three different finishes: ABS plastic, aluminum alloy, and stainless steel. The toothbrush stands at 5.7in / 142.7mm tall, which is a little shorter than the majority of electric toothbrushes, but which makes it an excellent travel companion.

Laifen Wave review: Pricing

At the top of the handle sit three indicator lights that display the current mode selected, and just below these you’ll find the touch-sensitive power button. Towards the bottom sit an option for airplane mode and a battery indicator. 

I tested the stainless steel model, clad in a gorgeous shiny casing that certainly makes it the best-looking toothbrush I’ve ever used. Note that it does scuff easily, and is pretty slippery when wet, which could quickly result in a very scruffy-looking finish. 

The toothbrush heads are also a thing of beauty – well, as much as they can be. Elegant and slim, these heads are bespoke, although Philips Sonicare heads do fit, which is a real boon given you’ll be hard-pressed to find the Laifen Wave toothbrush heads in your local drugstore.

Out of the box, the Laifen Wave comes with three different toothbrush heads designed for different purposes: gum care, ultra-whitening and super clean. I found myself most drawn to the softer gum care brush head; but the super clean makes fantastic work of cleaning deeper into the recesses of your mouth, while the ultra-whitening brush head offers powerful cleaning to leave your grill gleaming. These can be purchased in packs of three or six directly from Laifen for $9.99 (about £8) and $16.99 (about £15) respectively. 

I don’t love the quality of the toothbrush heads; the bristles are great on all three heads, but they require some force to attach to the handle and can sometimes, rather inexplicably, become stuck. 

My stainless steel handle came with transparent heads instead of the white variant – which proved insightful. I noticed after not using the toothbrush for a week that a lot of condensation builds up inside the stem and inside the brush casing, which doesn’t feel particularly hygienic. 

This can happen in most toothbrush heads, but is easily rectified by removing them and shaking out any residue. However, with the Laifen Wave, not only is removing the head difficult, but it’s also supposedly watertight, meaning the water in the brush head either trickled down from the brush, or seeped in over time through the sealant. Neither bodes well for the brush design, or makes it terribly easy to prevent. 

Broadly speaking, though, I’ve been happy with the results, and I welcome the fact that the brush is customizable. 

After a super-quick and easy pairing process with its companion app, you can adjust the oscillation range and speed, as well as the vibration. You can also switch on flight mode, 30-second reminders, and even a high-frequency mode that unlocks a further 10 vibration strength settings. However, note that you need the app to really unlock most of these features. 

I did appreciate that you can set up different profiles and navigate between them by double-tapping the power button on the handle, though, as well as the ability to toggle flight mode by long-pressing the power button.

There are also some other clever features. When you pick up the toothbrush, it will turn on automatically. It will also activate its “backpack mode” when in motion for more than three minutes, which prevents battery wastage. That’s great; but some features I consider must-haves – such as pressure sensors – are missing. 

One thing that really ground my gears with the Laifen Wave is that, due to its oscillating head, it’s really easy to make a huge mess while brushing your teeth. I found that when I cleaned behind my lower-front teeth, the Laifen Wave flicked toothpaste and spit everywhere, meaning I was constantly cleaning up globs from all over my bathroom sink.

With the toothbrush heads being made of quite thick and robust plastic, I also learned the hard way that you really don’t want to nick your teeth while brushing. I was in physical pain for about 10 minutes one day having lost focus while brushing my teeth and catching the tip of my tooth with the back of the toothbrush head – I can’t say for sure, but I’m pretty sure I was close to chipping it. 

That alone was enough for me to think twice about recommending the Laifen Wave – which is a shame, since I think it shows a lot of promise and could be fantastic for those who struggle with gum health and plaque buildup. Right now, though, it just hasn’t been thought through quite enough.

Laifen Wave review: Specs

Should I buy?

Buy it if... 

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

Mode electric toothbrush

If the Laifen Wave doesn't take your fancy, then The Mode Electric toothbrush is a good alternative. While its price is slightly higher, it packs a similar battery life and useful two-minute timer. 

Read out full Mode electric toothbrush review

How I tested the Laifen Wave

•  I used the Laifen Wave as my main toothbrush for two months
•  I brushed my teeth twice a day  
•  I tried the different settings and toothbrush heads 

To test the Laifen Wave, I used it every day, twice a day, as my main toothbrush. While I settled on my personalized settings and favored brush head, I tried all of the different power settings and heads to see how effective they were in use.

I also tested all of the extra features – the smart-lifting technology, backpack mode, airplane mode and high-frequency mode – and found they all worked as described.

I’ve been reviewing lifestyle technology for two years, but like all readers, I’ve been brushing my teeth for a lot longer. I’ve used a variety of toothbrushes over the years, from budget-friendly to premium, and used this combined experience to rate the Laifen Wave.