Tao Clean UMMA Diamond Sonic electric toothbrush review: Convenient brushing coupled with UV sanitization

The UMMA Diamond Sonic electric toothbrush goes beyond effective oral cleaning with a useful UV sanitizing dock. It promotes healthy brushing habits with a quadrant-based timer system that, unfortunately, cannot be customized. There are a few third-party UV cleaning solutions that could work with every toothbrush, manual or electric, but having an all-in-one system that also charges the toothbrush lends to a more convenient and refined experience. There are some minor inconveniences like the lather collecting in the crevices, but overall, the UMMA Diamond Sonic electric toothbrush from Tao Clean works great.

The UMMA Diamond Sonic Toothbrush is priced at $199 and is available via the official website, as well as Amazon. The latter has it priced significantly cheaper at $120. There are quite a few color options including Pure White, Seagrass Green, Punk Blush, London Fog, and more. The different brush heads are also easily available via Amazon and the website, with a two-pack priced at $25.

The Tao Clean UMMA Diamond Sonic electric toothbrush package includes the dock/base, the toothbrush, a standard brush head, an adapter, and a cable. It is easy to set up, with the brush head firmly pushed onto the stem. Just make sure there’s an outlet nearby, and you have enough counter space.

The UMMA Diamond Sonic electric toothbrush has a unique design compared to others on the market. It has a much thicker body that some might find to be less ergonomic than the sleeker options available. That being said, it didn’t feel uncomfortable at all during the month of testing. The power button is easy to reach, and so are the two mode buttons. The Diamond Sonic comes with a standard brush head, but Tao Clean sells a few different ones, including an ortho, an extended reach, and a kids’ size. Swapping between them is easy enough. There is a small soft light at the bottom that lights up when the toothbrush is charging in the dock.

The effectiveness of a powered toothbrush over a manual toothbrush has been the subject of various studies. Those who have been using electric toothbrushes for a while will swear by them, while manual users will have their defence ready. That being said, switching from a manual toothbrush to an electric one for the first time, I found that the UMMA Diamond Sonic left my mouth feeling just as clean and fresh as the manual toothbrush, but with greater convenience.

When the toothbrush is turned on, the cleaning process is split into four 30-second sessions. After every 30 seconds, the vibration pauses for a brief moment, and then resumes, suggesting switching to a different quadrant of the mouth. This setting is not customizable in any way, but you can choose between two sensitivity settings. There is a noticeable difference between the Super Clean and Sensitive cleaning modes.

The thicker body takes a couple of brushing sessions to get used to, but feels natural once acclimated. The standard brush heads are small enough to reach deeper areas of the mouth. After the two-minute session is done, you can wash the brush, shake the water off, and place it in the dock where it begins to charge, dry, and get the UV treatment.

The base needs to be plugged in at all times, and runs a 12-minute cycle – indicated by the glowing logo at the front – every time the toothbrush is docked. There is also a night mode button at the bottom for the glowing Tao Clean logo at the front. The logo blinks blue for the first five minutes of the cleaning cycle, and then either shuts off or turns solid white for the remainder of the cycle, depending on whether night mode is turned on or off. This process happens every 12 hours, and the timing resets after every use.

There are a couple of things to note. The UV cleaning is activated when the second button (one that looks like a fifth foot) at the bottom is pressed from the weight of the toothbrush being docked. If the surface is uneven or if one of the legs is loose (happened in our case), the UV cleaning will not turn on. So, make sure to dock the toothbrush and look underneath the base for a UV light turning on. Once you’ve made sure it comes on, subsequent uses should be seamless. Secondly, the toothpaste and water lather get caught in some of the crevices, but that doesn’t affect its functionality.