Laifen Wave Pro Electric Toothbrush Review: strong clean, long battery, a bit fiddly to use

I’ve been using the Laifen Wave Pro for a few weeks now, swapping it in for my usual Oral-B and a fairly tired old Philips Sonicare. I’m not a dentist, just someone who’s a bit obsessed with having clean teeth and hates charging stuff every few days. This brush caught my eye because of the 70‑day battery claim, the 60° oscillation thing, and the fact it has an app. Yes, even the toothbrush has an app now.

Right from the first use, the main thing that stood out was the cleaning power. It doesn’t feel like a basic sonic brush that just buzzes. The head actually pivots while it vibrates, so you get this sort of scrubbing plus buzzing combo. After the first couple of brushes, my teeth had that smooth, “just left the hygienist” feel. Not magic, just very thorough, especially along the gumline and behind the front teeth where gunk usually hangs around.

Day to day, the experience is mostly positive but not perfect. The app is there, but you don’t actually need it after the first setup unless you’re really into tweaking modes. The pressure sensor is handy in theory, but I found I mostly ignored the visual feedback after a while and just went by feel. The power button is the main annoyance: it needs a fairly firm press, and switching modes by triple‑pressing is not the most user‑friendly idea in a wet bathroom.

Overall, my first impression is this: if you care mainly about how clean your teeth feel and how rarely you have to charge, this toothbrush does the job very well. If you’re more into simple, no‑nonsense devices with one button and no app, some parts will feel overcomplicated or slightly clunky. It’s solid, just not perfect, and definitely more techy than most people probably need for brushing their teeth.

In terms of price, the Laifen Wave Pro sits in that mid‑to‑high range, roughly competing with the better Philips Sonicare models and some Oral‑B iO versions. For that money, you’re getting a strong motor, a metal handle, two different brush heads, a wireless dock, smart features, and a very long battery. On pure performance and battery life alone, I’d say the value is pretty solid, especially if you’re the kind of person who actually uses an electric brush twice a day and wants that very clean, polished feel.

Where the value feels a bit weaker is the accessories and some design choices. No travel case, no head cover, and only two heads included means you’ll be buying replacements fairly soon if you share the brush in a household or stick to the recommended replacement schedule. I also don’t know yet how easy or cheap it is to find replacement heads everywhere, which matters a lot for long‑term cost. With Oral‑B and Philips, you can grab new heads in almost any supermarket. With Laifen, you’re probably ordering online, which is fine but less convenient.

The app and smart features are nice, but they don’t really change your life. If you’re trying to justify the price based on the app alone, I wouldn’t. The real value is in the cleaning ability and battery life. If that’s what matters to you, then the price is easier to swallow. If you just want a simple electric brush and don’t care about fine‑tuning modes or having a metal handle, there are cheaper options that will still improve your brushing a lot over a manual toothbrush.

So, is it worth it? I’d say yes for people who are willing to pay a bit extra for a very long‑lasting battery, strong cleaning, and a more solid build than the usual plastic sticks. For budget‑focused buyers or people who lose or break things often, there are better value options. It’s not overpriced for what it offers, but it’s also not a bargain. It sits in that “pays off if you use it properly and long‑term” category.

The first thing you notice with the Laifen Wave Pro is the aluminium handle. Compared to the usual plastic bodies from Oral‑B and Philips, this feels more solid and a bit more premium in the hand. It has a nice weight to it: not heavy enough to be tiring, but enough to feel sturdy and not cheap. The shape is slim and fairly compact, so it doesn’t dominate the sink area, and it stands upright neatly on the dock.

The head is round, with spiral nylon bristles and a bit of rubbery material around it that’s supposed to be gentler on the gums. It’s a bit like an Oral‑B style head mixed with a sonic brush. The main party trick is the 60° oscillation combined with the 66,000 vibrations per minute. In practice, that means the head is not just shaking; it’s also doing a small sweeping motion. You can feel the difference when you just rest it against the tooth and lightly move it. It feels like it’s doing more of the work than a standard sonic brush where you have to guide it more.

Now, the design downside: the single power button. Turning it on and off is fine, but switching between modes by pressing it three times quickly is not that pleasant, especially with wet hands. The button is a bit stiff, so you have to press quite firmly. Sometimes it doesn’t register the triple press, so you either give up and stick to one mode (like I did), or you fiddle with it more than you’d like. A second mode button or a simple cycle system would have made much more sense here.

Visually, the brush looks pretty clean and modern in silver. There’s no clutter of LEDs and text, which I like. You do have some feedback lights for pressure and charging, but they don’t scream at you. The IPX8 waterproof rating means you can rinse it without worrying, and I had no issues using it in a steamy bathroom or giving it a quick rinse under the tap after each use. Overall, the design is practical and sturdy, with one clear ergonomic miss: that stiff, overworked single button.

The battery is probably the most convincing part of this toothbrush. Laifen claims up to 70 days on a single charge, based on 2 minutes twice a day. Obviously I haven’t hit 70 full days yet in one go, but over a few weeks of use (around 2–3 minutes twice a day, sometimes an extra quick brush after lunch), the battery indicator barely moved. Compared to my old Sonicare that starts complaining after a week or so, this is a big difference in actual daily life.

The wireless charging dock is simple and does what it needs to do. You just drop the handle on it and it starts charging, no fiddling with pins or lining up contacts perfectly. The brush stands stable; I never had it wobble or fall off. The cable is fixed to the dock, so you plug that into any USB power source or adapter you have lying around. I would have liked a small indicator with clearer levels (for example, 25/50/75/100%), but even with the basic light system, you can tell roughly when it’s time to top up.

There’s also a Travel Mode that locks the brush so it doesn’t accidentally turn on in a bag. It’s a small detail, but if you’ve ever had an electric toothbrush start buzzing in your luggage, you know how annoying that is. Combined with the long battery life, it really is suited for travel: you can easily do a one‑ or two‑week trip without bringing the dock at all. The annoying bit is again the lack of a proper travel case or even a simple head cover, which doesn’t affect the battery but does matter when you toss it into a bag.

In daily use, the main benefit is simply not thinking about charging. I charged it fully once, then forgot about it. No anxiety about it dying mid‑brush, no constant docking every night. If you hate constantly plugging stuff in, this alone makes the Wave Pro very appealing. From a practical standpoint, the battery performance is one of the clearest strong points of this product.

On the comfort side, the Laifen Wave Pro is a bit of a mixed bag, but mostly positive. The handle is comfortable to hold thanks to the aluminium body and slim shape. It doesn’t slip out of your hand when wet, and the weight is balanced enough that your wrist doesn’t get tired, even during a full two‑minute brush. Compared to my older Sonicare, it feels more solid and less plasticky, but not so heavy that it’s annoying.

The brushing sensation is where people will either really like it or find it a bit intense. At full power, this thing is strong. The combination of oscillation and high‑frequency vibration gives a very assertive clean. On the first few days, I had to drop the intensity down because my gums felt a bit over‑worked, especially around some more sensitive spots. Once I switched to a lower intensity and let my mouth adjust for a week, that feeling calmed down, and it actually felt pretty comfortable. If you have sensitive gums, I’d definitely start on the lowest level and see how you get on.

The pressure sensor is supposed to help protect your enamel by slowing the motor and giving visual cues when you press too hard. In real life, it’s a nice safety net, but you don’t really stare at the handle while brushing. I noticed the motor slightly backing off a few times when I pushed too much, which is helpful. But it’s not like it completely saves you if you’re heavy‑handed; you still need to learn to let the brush do the work and not scrub like you would with a manual brush.

Noise‑wise, it’s not silent, but it’s not outrageously loud either. It’s somewhere between a Sonicare hum and an Oral‑B mechanical buzz. You can definitely hear it in the next room, but it’s not annoying in a small bathroom. Overall, once you find the right intensity and get used to the feel, the comfort is pretty solid. Just be prepared for a short adjustment period, especially if this is your first time with a high‑power electric brush.

From a performance angle, the Laifen Wave Pro is clearly built around a very capable motor. The brush head doesn’t bog down easily, even when you press a bit harder than you should. The oscillation stays consistent, and the vibrations are strong across the whole session, not just at the start. I ran it back‑to‑back for multiple cycles out of curiosity, and it didn’t feel like it was losing power mid‑run. So on the raw power side, it’s solid.

The Smart App side is where things get more subjective. You can connect the brush to the Laifen app and create custom brushing profiles: change duration, intensity, maybe focus on certain zones. It’s nice if you like tinkering. I made a custom 2:30 routine with a gentler first minute for the front teeth and a stronger setting for the molars. It worked as expected. But after a few days, I stopped opening the app because once the profile is saved, there’s not much reason to keep playing with it unless you enjoy tracking everything.

The built‑in modes (Daily and Deep Clean with three intensities) are enough for most people. The real issue is switching between them on the handle itself. As mentioned earlier, you have to press the button multiple times in quick succession, and the button is not very forgiving. In practice, I just left it on one mode and rarely changed it. So yes, the brush is powerful and flexible, but the way you access that flexibility on the handle is a bit clumsy.

On the plus side, the pressure sensor and feedback are integrated into the performance nicely. When you go too hard, the motor dials back just enough to make you notice, without completely stopping. That’s useful, especially when you’re still learning how little pressure is actually needed with such a strong brush. So overall, performance is strong: powerful engine, consistent motion, smart enough protections. The app is a nice extra, but not essential, and the controls could be better thought out.

Out of the box, the Laifen Wave Pro comes with the basics: the handle, two brush heads (one “whitening”, one “plaque removal”), a wireless charging dock, and a quick start guide. No USB brick, just the dock with a cable. There’s no travel case and no brush head cover, which surprised me given the price and the travel‑friendly marketing. For something that sells itself as good for trips, a simple plastic cap over the bristles would have been nice.

The quick start guide is short and clear enough. You can get brushing in under five minutes without touching the app. For someone used to Oral‑B or Philips, the layout is familiar: one main button to power on and off, and different modes hidden behind multiple presses. The app setup is straightforward: scan the QR code, Bluetooth pairs quickly, and you can play with custom modes. Once I set my preferred mode (a bit less intense than the stock Deep Clean), I honestly stopped opening the app unless I wanted to check what it could do.

In terms of first use, the brush doesn’t feel intimidating, but it does feel powerful. If you’re coming from a manual brush, the first session might feel a bit much, especially on higher intensity levels. The built‑in timer and pauses every 30 seconds help you move around your mouth, just like most electric brushes now. Nothing fancy there, it just works. The pivoting motion is what feels different: instead of just buzzing against your teeth, the head sweeps slightly, which gives the impression that it’s doing more of the work for you.

As an overall package, the presentation is decent but not premium‑premium. The dock is stable, the brush stands nicely, and the materials look modern. But small details are missing: no travel case, no spare cap, and no big focus on replacement heads in the box or leaflet. You immediately get the sense that the core of the product is the motor and cleaning performance, and the rest is kept fairly minimal to save cost or space.

This is the main point: does the Laifen Wave Pro actually clean better than cheaper brushes or a manual one? In my experience, yes, it does a very good job. After brushing, my teeth feel noticeably smoother, especially at the back molars and behind the lower front teeth where plaque usually builds up. Running my tongue over the teeth after a two‑minute session, there’s very little roughness left. Compared to my older Sonicare, the result is at least as good, and often a bit better in the tricky areas.

The 60° oscillation plus 66,000 VPM isn’t just marketing fluff; you can feel the head doing more than just vibrating in place. When I let the brush head sit on each tooth and slowly move along the gumline, it feels like it’s scrubbing and flushing at the same time. On the Deep Clean mode, it pulls more plaque and gunk from tight spaces, especially if you haven’t been super diligent for a few days. It’s not magic, but after a week of consistent use, I noticed less buildup along the gum margin and less morning fuzziness on my teeth.

The two heads included are a nice touch. The “plaque removal” one feels slightly firmer and better for heavier buildup, while the “whitening” one is a bit gentler but still thorough. I rotated them just to see if there was a real difference. For daily use, I ended up preferring the plaque head because it felt like it got into the spaces a bit better. The spiral bristles do help with getting between teeth, but they don’t replace floss. You still need to floss if you care about proper interdental cleaning.

One thing I liked is that even on the lower intensity setting, the clean is still good. You don’t have to crank it to max for it to work. For me, the sweet spot was a mid‑level custom mode set via the app: slightly shorter total time and medium intensity. That was enough to get my teeth feeling properly clean without annoying my gums. So in terms of effectiveness, I’d say it’s stronger than most budget electrics and at least on par with the big names, maybe a bit better if you make use of the custom settings.