Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)If I am going to spend $100 or more on an item, I do a lot of research and I also ask anyone I know if they have the item so I can try it out. I did that here as well. I should start by saying that meant that I had to buy new brushes since I borrowed the Clarisonic from my mom and the Nutra Sonic from one of my friends and it wouldn't be a good thing to use their face brushes in addition to the machine.
Cost of replacement brushes:
Clarisonic (hereafter referred to as "C") $25 on most sites but this varies with sales
Nutra Sonic (hereafter referred to as "N")$15 on most sites but this varies with sales
Ease of switching out brushes:
C: Easy
N: Not hard, but more difficult than the Clarisonic in comparison
Why you want a sonic cleaner to begin with it: Sonic wave technology has long been proven as far more than a gimmick, though it may sound that way at first. Sonic wavelength technology is made up of tiny vibrations that allow you to loosen dirt you could not otherwise. This is why they are used in professional toothbrushes and in the jewelry cleaner machines your jeweler uses. I own both of those items too and I can tell you there is an ENORMOUS difference from that and simply a vibrating sonic-wannabe of either. For your face this means it cleans your pores 6 times better than you can via simply washing, reducing breakouts but also helping take away loose skin on the surface you can't see which clogs pores and dulls skin and renewing skin reduces wrinkles. Having worked in the cosmetic biz myself, I'm well aware of that truth.
So let's get down to how they worked...
To be fair, I used one for one week on one side of my face, twice per day and the other on the other side of my face twice per day.
Sonic Power:
C 300 rotations per second
N 400 rotations per second
The Nutra Sonic was obviously stronger but I didn't measure these rotations on my own...no way could I count that fast. The manufacturers provided these details, both to me and in their advertised specs. This is both a good and bad thing. First, it felt like the Clarisonic only had vibration in the middle part of the brush, not all over, which didn't make much sense to me, but suffice it to say it was just lighter on the power, Nutra Sonic truly felt like it had more power...however, that also meant there was a bit more splatter. I could use the Clarisonic standing up, facing the mirror, with no splatter. However, I used the Nutra Sonic in the shower and with my face down to the sink since the power of it sometimes splashed water droplets.
Waterproof?
Yes, both of these models are
Feel:
C Felt a bit heavier, maybe because it has heavier parts or because it has a built-in timer whereas the Nutra Sonic does not.
N Lighter
So I should add....
Timer:
C Built in timer so you don't use it on any part of your face longer than a minute
N No built in timer
Speeds:
C 1 speed, soft. Manufacturer says it's made for "sensitive skin"
N 4 speeds: sensitive, normal, and body brush
(incidentally, there is a Clarisonic that has more speeds as well but it was, at the time of this review, $200 more than the Nutra Sonic that does the same thing and it still had less sonic power. That's the Clarisonic Pro. I'm not writing about this though, because I didn't try it due to the price and already knowing the power wasn't as good as the Nutra Sonic going in.)
brushes included:
C: 1 brush
N: 3 brush heads for each speed...if your skin is very sensitive, there is a softer brush, if you want greater exfoliation, use the harder brush at normal speed, or soften feet and elbows in the shower with the body brush on high speed. Incidentally, if I have bad breakouts I do sometimes use the high speed on my face to really exfoliate.
Jitter Mode:
C: Has no Jitter Mode setting in addition to speeds
N: Has a jitter mode setting so you can use exfoliation cleansers and pretty much get a pro exfoliation. I prefer Mary Kay's exfoliation cleanser because they are one of the few that uses the exact same exfoliates as dermatologists use...rather than ground peach pits or apricot pits that actually put tiny tears in your skin. Again, that's just from me being in the biz for a few years that I know that odd fact. Olay has a good one too.
both come with charging base
Cost:
C: High
N: Low in comparison, but nothing with decent sonic wavelength tech is cheap.
It should be noted that price varies greatly both on Amazon and the internet. Do compare shipping charges as well. Usually I find everything cheaper on Amazon but in this case, for me, Amazon had a link ad on the Nutra Derm page that linked to an outside website that had the Nutra Sonic less and with free shipping so do explore around as sometimes it's cheaper in one place and sometimes another, or sometimes it's cheaper on one but the seller jacks up the shipping.
Cleansers:
In my opinion, skip the upsell for the cleansers of both models if you have the option and just buy whatever brand you like...they are just average cleaners and not worth the extra mark up for the small bottles.
Bottom Line...Cleaning
C: Did a far better job of cleaning than a regular scrubbing with a wash cloth and cleanser, reduced breakouts and smooth feel
N: I expected to like the Clarisonic better, I'll be honest, because in spite of the fact I knew Nutra Sonic had more power, Clarisonic was pricier. You don't always get what you pay for. Sometimes you simply pay for marketing. The pores on the left side of my face where I used the Nutra Sonic were MORE reduced, and my skin was smoother. I can't say I saw a wonderful reduction in wrinkles on either side but it may also be too soon to measure that claim by both brands. I loved the exfoliation mode on the Nutra Sonic and, in all honesty, the speed difference was VERY important to me. Dermatologists exfoliate for a reason: removing the outer layer of dead skin rejuvenates your skin and prevents clogged pores which lead to acne. The soft pulse of the Clarisonic simply didn't do this as much, although I did like it better than a wash cloth. For results, the Nutra Sonic won for me hands down.
Warranty:
C: 1 year but ONLY if your purchase stems from the Clarisonic website. (But the price was far higher on their website when I looked than most other sellers of it.)
N: 1 year regardless of where you buy it.
Conclusion: If you want to use the sonic cleaner looking into a mirror and never in the shower and you have very sensitive skin that doesn't need a deeper clean, the Clarisonic would make you happy. It does clean well. However, if you don't mind looking down near the sink to prevent some random water drops that Nutra Sonic sometimes slings with the greater vibrations, or you want to use it in the shower, or you want to exfoliate or have normal skin that sometimes needs a greater scrubbing (although you can still go with gentle too), I'd choose the Nutra Sonic. Also if you want to use it on your body, the Nutra Sonic works with the intense clean and body brush whereas you can't do this with the Clarisonic. The Nutra Sonic, however, does not have the built-in timer to tell you when you've been on a part of your face for a minute and should move on but, for me, for the cost savings, I can wing it.
I took off stars therefore because, for me, this was priced far higher but had: less sonic power, less regular power, only one speed when I needed deep cleaning for normal, not sensitive skin, and it only had one brush, and couldn't be used on other parts like elbows, etc, and it didn't allow for an exfoliation jitter mode...all things that really renewed my skin with the Nutra Sonic, for waay less money.
I thanked my Sonic cleanser lenders and still remain VERY happy with the Nutra Sonic. Plus now the right side of my face has caught up with the left and is equally as smooth and clean!
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