Sound Advice
By Don Lindich
Week 15, 2021
Q. I read your review of the TLOVII Sonic Electric Toothbrush on sale for $29.99 and went straight to Amazon to buy one. It shows, “Currently Unavailable.” Do you know if they will be available again? Can I buy it anywhere besides Amazon?
-B.P., San Francisco, CA
A. I received dozens of emails like this after the column ran. I reached out to the Amazon vendor and they confirmed that the TLOVII Sonic Electric Toothbrush is only available on their Amazon store, and they would have plenty of stock available within a week or so. Given the delay between column submission and publication it may be available when you read this, so it may be worth checking Amazon now.
A few readers were unable to locate the toothbrush on Amazon at all, even with the product showing “Currently Unavailable.” One reason this happened is from using the incorrect search term, and the name in all caps can be confusing. It is spelled “tlovii” and besides that, until it is in stock again Amazon will provide other product recommendations. If you want to see the original TLOVII Amazon listing there is a direct link to it on my website, and you can access it easily by entering https://tinyurl.com/tlovii into your browser.
I was also asked a few questions about the inexpensive Amazon-suggested electric toothbrushes. I did not try any besides the TLOVII and my Sonicare, so I can’t comment on other models. I suspect they are a mixed bag with some of them being great, some of them being pretty bad. Since the column ran I have heard from readers who bought the TLOVII and are as happy with it as I am, so if you can wait for the TLOVII to become available again I am confident you will be pleased. I will provide another update when they are available again, and as I said they may even be available when you read this.
Two great products from myFirst: I don’t review many children’s products in the column but I came across two recently that are especially noteworthy. They promise to not only be fun and education for kids, but will also provide new ways for parents and their children to interact.
The $99.90 myFirst Camera Insta 2 is a rugged, kid-friendly digital camera that makes instant prints on thermal paper as well as saving them to a memory card. It records HD video and has a front-facing lens and a selfie lens. Available stickers offer new ways to be creative, and the Insta 2 looks ready to train new generations in the art of photography.
Also from Oaxis comes the myFirst Sketch Book. The myFirst Sketchbook is another rugged product that could be considered the 21st-Century version of an Etch A Sketch, though the Etch a Sketch is truly Stone Age in comparison.
The myFirst Sketch Book has a 10-inch screen and uses a stylus for creating images, storing them in built-in memory. Colors, tips, font size, and color can all be changed easily to allow endless artistic possibilities, and it can be linked to smartphones and tablets for storing and sharing. Battery life is 50 hours. The myFirst Sketch Book is also $99.90 on shop.oaxis.com. They have other interesting products, including a less expensive version and a drawing board, so if you are shopping for a child or aspiring artist it is worth checking out.