How much are you willing to drop on a toothbrush? If $69 for a standard Sonicare seems high to you, prepare to have your jaw dropped just a tiiiiiiiiiiny bit further: The Reinast Luxury Toothbrush is made of titanium and costs a whopping $4,200. $4,200. For a toothbrush. And you know what? It’s not even electric.
What the what?
Obviously something this ridiculous required a little research. Its promotional video touts it as “the balance between medical function and aesthetic beauty”; from watching the video, I also became aware of a number of other qualities toothbrushes apparently need in order to reach their maximum efficacy. They include:
- Pleasing aesthetics. It’s a toothbrush, for crying out loud. I’m not going to spend hours gazing longingly at it. I’m barely even going to register what it looks like before I shove it in my mouth.
- Weightlessness. OMG YOU GUYS MY PLASTIC TOOTHBRUSH IS SO HEAVY I CAN’T EVEN LIFT IT. Or something. Apparently the titanium makes it both durable and lightweight.
- Traditional femininity. “Undulating curves?” “Sleek and slender body?” “Elegance?" "Sensuousness?" What is this, a lingerie commercial?
I swear I'm not making this up. Here, watch it for yourself:
See? Absolutely, 100 percent real. On the plus side, the brush heads are replaceable, so at least you won’t just be throwing out a $4,200 dental tool every three to four months. But by the same token, the replacement brush heads don’t come cheap: According to Forbes, the company offers three years’ worth of more bristle heads; after that, though, it’ll cost you anywhere between $400 for five years and $1,600 for 11.
The big question, of course, is this: Why on earth would anyone want to drop that much on a toothbrush? Gizmodo spoke with Reinast’s Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Djorde Djokovic, who explained it as follows:
“The type of client we have in mind and are currently selling to are those with an incredibly high net-worth. People who have their own yachts, people who have their own private jets—it’s for people who can spend this amount of money on a product they deem beautiful. And one that doesn’t exist on the market elsewhere.”
So basically, it’s meant for not the one percent, but for the point one percent. But I don’t know, guys — even if I had that kind of money, I don’t think I’d ever be able to justify spending that much on a toothbrush. Want to know what else you can buy for $4,200? Here are a few options:
1. Five iPad Air 2s
With all the bells and whistles — 128GB of space, wi-fi and cellular, the works — at $829 apiece. That's some Choupette-level ridiculousness.
2. Anywhere Between One and Four Round Trip Flights to Paris
Leaving from New York’s JFK Airport on December 1 and returning from Charles de Gaulle on December 8.
3. 60 Sonicare Toothbrushes
The original model at $69 a pop.
4. 1,052 Oral B Pro-Health Pro-Flex Toothbrushes
At $3.99 per brush.
5. 382 Large Pizzas from Dominos
The number probably shrinks a little bit when you add toppings, but each pie itself comes out to $10.99.
6. Dinner for 13 at Per Se
The chi-chi New York eatery features a $310 prix-fixe menu.
7. A Bottle of Domaine de la Romanee-Coni “Montrachet” 2008 Burgundy.
At $4,000 a bottle.
What would you spend $4,200 on: A toothbrush? Or a trip to Paris? I think the answer's a no-brainer, and it ain't the toothbrush... but maybe that's just me.
