I've had Sonicare electric toothbrushes for more than 10 years. The Elite model was my favorite, but it failed prematurely due to a problematic on/off switch (rubber covering failed). The first time, it failed under warranty, but the second failure wasn't covered (they'll only replace it once). Based on feedback from a Sonicare customer service rep, I recently replaced it with the more basic Sonicare Essence e5500 model; but it was big, clunky and noisy, so I returned it. Instead I purchased an Oral B, which I love; very happy I made the switch. The quality of Sonicare products seems to have slipped.