Colgate Hum Electric Toothbrush Review

Review Summary

• The Colgate Hum is a smart toothbrush that won’t break the bank
• Smart app detects the frequency, duration, and coverage of your brushing
• Ten-day battery life
• Brush is comfortable to hold and use
• Three brushing modes
• Subscription for replacement brush heads
• Various smart features to help improve your brushing

Colgate Hum: A Smart Electric Toothbrush

The Colgate Hum is an affordable smart toothbrush that uses data to improve your brushing habits. 

Many people fail to brush their teeth effectively. They brush for too little time, too vigorously, or they don’t clean all of their teeth (and the areas in between). 

Smart toothbrushes like the Colgate Hum are an attempt to correct this problem. 

The brush uses smart sensors to detect the speed and angle at which you brush. It then transmits that data to the Hum by Colgate app. 

The app has helpful features like guided brushing, which gives you feedback in real-time on how you’re doing. It also provides practical suggestions after each brushing session for improving your technique. 

But knowledge by itself is not always enough to change habits — sometimes you need incentives. 

That’s why you can also earn “smile points” for good brushing habits and redeem them for things like replacement brush heads. 

Other Features

Other features of the Colgate Hum electric toothbrush include:

• Three cleaning modes (Normal, Sensitive, and Deep Clean)
• Two-minute timer to ensure good brushing habits
• Thirty-second quadpacer for each quadrant of the mouth
• Sonic technology (30,000 brush strokes per minute)
• Travel case included
• Lightweight
• Tongue scraper on back of brush head
• Ten-day battery life
• Two-year warranty

The Hum toothbrush stands out from other smart brushes for its reasonable price of $69.99. This is relatively affordable compared to other brushes, which can cost $100 or more. 

The Hum's price looks even better when you consider that even some non-smart electric toothbrushes are priced higher.

Pros and Cons of the Hum Electric Toothbrush

Here are some pros and cons of the Hum toothbrush:

PROS

• Solid price point
• Lightweight and easy to handle
• Tongue scraper on back of brush head
• App shows you how much battery is left on your toothbrush
• Brush head replacement reminders
• Portable and travel-friendly (travel case included)
• Brush stores your brushing data (convenient)
• Two-year warranty (reliable)

CONS

• Bristles are rough, with an almost “plastic” feel to them
• App’s movement tracking isn’t always accurate
• Battery life is underwhelming — only 10 days 
• Cleaning performance is adequate but not great
• Slightly more expensive than popular competitors like Quip, etc.

Price Summary & Where to Buy 

A Colgate Hum starter kit with a rechargeable brush costs $69.99 if ordered directly off Colgate’s website or Amazon. The kit comes with an electric toothbrush, 2 brush heads, a charger, and a carrying case. 

How the Colgate Hum Smart Toothbrush Works

The Colgate Hum can detect the speed and angle at which you brush. This data is sent via Bluetooth to the Hum by Colgate app. 

The app has a feature called Guided Brushing. While brushing, it will tell you if your brush is positioned at the wrong angle or if you’re brushing too fast.

Here are some other features of the app:

• A reminder system letting you know when to replace your brush head or go to a dental check-up
• It displays your Hum’s remaining battery life
• Subscription service for automatic replacement brush head deliveries

One nice feature about the Hum electric toothbrush is that it stores data for 10 days. This means you can brush without having to use the app every time in order to record your data. 

My Experience Using the Hum Electric Toothbrush

What most impressed me about the Hum was its design. Holding it in my hand, the brush feels small, lightweight, and comfortable to handle.

Many electric toothbrushes are bulky. For example, the Philips Sonicare DiamondClean is 10 inches tall and weighs 4.95 ounces (2.26 lbs). By comparison, the Hum’s 8 inches in length and 1.85 ounce weight makes it feel almost like a manual toothbrush. 

This is a welcome relief and makes for a more effortless brushing experience. The small brush head and short neck make the Hum easy to maneuver, even when hitting the back molars. 

Unlike other electric toothbrushes, I didn’t find brushing with the Hum awkward or tricky. The brush is easy to use and the ergonomically-designed handle feels comfortable in your hand. 

I found the Hum app just as accessible as the brush itself. Signing up was easy and connecting to the brush took seconds. 

Despite the pleasant design and intuitive app, I did find a couple of drawbacks to the Hum.

Though the app is easy to use, its motion-tracking could be more precise. There were moments when the bristles weren’t even touching my teeth, and the app said I was achieving great coverage. 

The bristles are also a bit on the stiff side. I found them a bit rough and could see someone with sensitive gums having an issue.

Finally, the Hum’s battery life is only 10 days at full charge. This is somewhat underwhelming, considering 2 weeks is common for many toothbrushes at this price range.

Colgate Hum vs. Sonicare

Comparing the Hum to the comparably-priced Sonicare Protective Clean 4100, each stands out in different areas. 

Areas where the Hum wins include:

• Cleaning modes (3 to the Protective Clean’s 1)
• Weight (the Sonicare brush is nearly 3 times heavier)
• Bluetooth (the Protective Clean doesn’t have any Bluetooth capability, no app)
• Noise (the Hum is quieter)

Areas where the Protective Clean holds the advantage include:

• Battery life (14 days to the Hum’s 10)
• Pressure sensor (alerts you when you’re brushing too hard)
• Brush Strokes Per Minute (62,000 to the Hum’s 30,000)

Is the Hum Electric Toothbrush Right for You? 

The Colgate Hum is a decent option if you’re looking for a smart toothbrush that won’t break the bank. Connecting the brush to your phone is easy, and the app works reasonably well. 

If you don’t care about things like brushing while earning points, you may still find the Hum a good value due to its low price and lightweight design. 

Just be aware that its bristles may not suit those with sensitive gums, and the battery life isn’t the most robust.

Colgate Rechargeable Smart Electric Toothbrush

The Colgate Hum is a smart toothbrush that won’t break the bank.

Rating by Alyssa Hill

Overall Value

Battery Life

App

Cleaning

Cost

Warranty

Colgate’s Hum smart electric toothbrush provides helpful features at a competitive price. The brush is comfortable to hold and easy to handle. However, the bristles and battery life are weak points, and there are brushes that deliver more thorough cleans.

3.7