T.brush Is a Sleek Electric Toothbrush Designed for Travel

Our Kickstarter of the Week series is a look at the world of crowdfunding. We search through sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo to find interesting projects for you to back.

Some of the most interesting new products we've seen - ranging from fun oddities to what could conceivably be the next big thing - have come from these sites instead of big companies. Not every project we highlight has to be the next Oculus Rift virtual reality headset or Pebble smartwatch - some of the projects we pick are just fun and weird.

And of course, there is always the chance that a project will not work out even if it gets funded. But if you're willing to take a risk and can afford to write off a little money, then there's a lot to look at - and maybe even fund.

One of the fun new projects we came across this week is the T.brush on Kickstarter. The project, which has 36 days to close funding, doesn't really reinvent the electric toothbrush, but it's a winner in terms of design, packaging, and refinements including a USB charger that doubles up as a carrying case for travel, and a battery that the creators claim can be fully charged in three hours, and lasts for two weeks of brushing between charges.

Before we go any further, it's important to take a moment and talk about all electric toothbrushes - there is no shortage of studies that show that these aren't really any better than a regular toothbrush when it comes to cleaning your teeth. The important thing is that you should brush your teeth for two full minutes, every time - what makes an electric toothbrush appealing is that first of all, it reduces the effort required to do this, and secondly, many come with timers to help you keep track of how long you've been brushing, so you don't stop too quickly.

Electric toothbrushes can use oscillating heads, rotating heads, or a combination of the same, and the fancier ones have different cleaning modes, and pressure control. None of this really makes a difference to how clean your teeth will be, but they can help you to brush more effectively and control the brushing experience so that it doesn't become uncomfortable. That said, it's debatable as to whether you should pay for an electric toothbrush - cheap ones are still nearly 10 to 20 times as expensive as the regular toothbrushes you buy, and even the replacement heads you buy every three months or so will be more expensive than a normal toothbrush.

That being said, we know some people who swear by these gizmos, and they can help people to brush in a better way, so if you have the money to spare, and like the idea of an electric toothbrush, then there's nothing wrong with getting one.

Coming back to the T.brush, it has all the features you're looking for in an electric toothbrush. A 2-minute timer means that you won't stop brushing too soon, and a quadrant mode gives you an alert every 30 seconds so you can divide your teeth into four "zones", to ensure that you are brushing evenly.

Pressure control and five cleaning modes that combine rotation and oscillation, along with a floss head attachment give you pretty much everything you're looking for, and it comes with a charging dock with a wall plug for your house, or a carrying case that doubles up as a charging station for when you're traveling, which is powered by a regular micro-USB cable.

You can see more details in the video below:

The T.brush has so far raised over GBP 30,000 (just under Rs. 30 lakh) against a GBP 175,000 (approximately 1.7 crore) target. With more than a month to go, there's plenty of time to back the project, and if you put in GBP 55 (approximately Rs. 5,400), you'll get a T.brush that is estimated to deliver around the world by December 2015. If you back t for GBP 65 (approximately Rs. 6,400), you'll get the T.brush, and the USB charging case as well. The company will also announce a subscription model for its replacement brush heads. That is a little more than you'd pay for the basic electric toothbrushes from a company like Oral-B, but it's less than you'd pay for the higher-end models, which have the same features.

To see more stories from the world of crowdfunding, check out our older Kickstarter of the Week articles.