It has been less than a month since Dyson released its wacky AI–powered toothbrush, but the £420 device has already encountered some unexpected teething problems.
Dyson has apparently stopped selling the CameraJet toothbrush, and the product is currently out of stock globally.
While the British tech giant is staying tight–lipped on the details, it says a small number of toothbrushes from specific early batches ‘have experienced a component issue’.
Online, users have reported a range of problems – including misfiring jets, water leaks into the main body of the toothbrush, and breakages.
A Dyson spokesperson told the Daily Mail: ‘We have isolated those products and are taking all the necessary steps to support our customers.’
The company insists that the halt on sales is not a product recall and maintains that CameraJet brushes will be back on the shelves soon.
The spokesperson added: ‘We are seeing some shortages of supply as we are in the process of scaling up production. We expect the next wave of product to be available in the UK in the coming weeks.’
Dyson’s toothbrush, announced on 1 September, features a revolutionary built–in camera that uses AI to spot tiny gaps between your teeth.
Once a gap has been identified, a precision jet of mouth rinse is triggered, with Dyson claiming this helps to clean the hard–to–reach spots across your entire mouth, in a similar way to flossing.
According to the firm, the toothbrush, which has taken six years to develop, removes up to 69 per cent more plaque than market–leading premium electric toothbrushes.
However, while it reportedly took 38 different patents to get the high–tech brush ready to launch, users almost immediately started finding issues.
Within days of customers getting the very first models, a flood of complaints was followed shortly by the CameraJet disappearing from stores.
On September 11, it was reported that the French Dyson site and stores had stopped selling the toothbrush.
And by September 15, stores in the US, UK, and Singapore followed suit, with sales of the CameraJet now appearing to have been suspended worldwide.
While Dyson hasn’t clarified exactly what the unspecified component issue plaguing its pricey brushes is, social media has been flooded with users sharing their issues.
One common complaint is that the toothbrush’s water spraying technology frequently misfires, causing mouthwash to shoot out over the user.
On Reddit, one user complained that the brush ‘manages to spray literally everywhere to the point it’s almost comical’.
‘Has anyone also had to clean their entire bathroom every time after using it? It sprays everywhere,’ said another user.
Likewise, YouTuber Wayne Goss claimed in a video: ‘I turned it on, and the first thing that happened was it spat directly in my eye.’
But the bigger issue may be the fact that the CameraJet’s casing is not as water–resistant as Dyson originally claimed.
On launch, the company said that the CameraJet toothbrush had an IPX7 water resistance rating, meaning it can be submerged in water up to one metre deep for up to 30 minutes.
However, multiple users on social media have claimed that their electric toothbrushes have been damaged after filling with water.
On Reddit, one user said they had ‘removed the battery to find water sitting in the compartment’, adding: ‘It’s clear the handles are not in fact, water resistant’.
Another added: ‘I took the battery out and saw liquid on the inside.’
Meanwhile, multiple social media users have reported that their CameraJet toothbrushes broke or stopped working within weeks of purchase.
Adam Toner, founder and technical director of Ripcord Designs, a UK–based electronic design consultancy, told WIRED: ‘On a product like this, there just should never be any water ingress into the internals.
‘I don’t have one in front of me, but I’ve seen a few videos and people explaining how you change the battery.
‘Once you pull the battery off—which is where people say they’re seeing water—it looks like there is probably access from that battery compartment into all of the internals of the device.’
Dyson has been contacted for comment.
Leave a comment