My dentist recommended I buy a Sonicare toothbrush. He coyly refused to specify a model, saying only, "I'd choose the latest one with the most features."
Some of us don't have money to burn, Doc, so we have to balance our needs with provided features. Online I went to investigate, and found myself confronted with a dizzying array of choices.
Choice is all well and good -- it's the mantra of free-market advocates everywhere, and a world where Henry Ford got to tell us we can live with our black Model T and like it would stink -- but choice only helps the consumer if there are meaningful bases for deciding between alternatives.
Nobody is interested in breaking down what "Essence" or "Flexcare" or "Elite," all Sonicare model names, actually means. No one is interested in making a list of common features they share or don't share, even (especially) Philips, Sonicare's manufacturer (Philips' Web site boasts a "compare" feature which was distinctly unhelpful). Some sites don't even bother to cite Philips' model numbers, the only way to ensure that the idiosyncratic "model names" these sites use are talking about the same model.
Amazon's user comments saved me. Somebody who has owned a number of Philips' toothbrushes explained the differences between the different lines, and convinced me to get a higher-end model than I would have otherwise. Of course, I have no way of knowing if that comment came from a Philips employee, do I?
Caveat emptor, indeed.
I like my dentist, but by making such a vague "recommendation" I have to wonder whether he's getting a kickback.
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