A compact and hygienic portable electric toothbrush

Why read about yet another electric toothbrush when myriad high-tech brands and cheap shrink-wrapped alternatives already are vying for a bite of the market? The Quip Electric Toothbrush is a sleek new option particularly well-suited for travel. The toothbrush nestles brush-side up or down in a plastic base unit that can be mounted against glass or tile via a slim adhesive backing that leaves no residue and that can be repeatedly reused and wiped clean.

The whole kit slides into a slim, transparent 9-inch-long screw-top cylinder for transport or storage. That's way more hygienic than the thin snap-on bristle covers you get with budget electric toothbrushes - and more compact than the bulky cases usually provided with high-end brands.

The Quip soft nylon-bristle brush vibrates - as opposed to spins - and operates on one replaceable AAA battery. The toothbrush turns on and off with the push of a button. Once activated, the Quip runs through a two-minute program of four, 30-second vibration rounds separated by brief pauses. The pauses are meant to remind you to change tooth quadrants. Press the button to stop the process at any time or to start more rounds.

The most basic Quip set comes with a blue or green plastic handle or more expensive aluminum handle in metallic silver, slate, copper, or gold. The company offers a "starter" set, which includes big and small tubes of proprietary Quip toothpaste; and a toothpaste "subscription," which keeps those tubes coming at designated intervals, and which on some plans includes extra brush heads. My advice: Skip the toothpaste and buy brush-head replacements a la carte.

Quip Electric Single Toothbrush Set (without toothpaste) is $35 with plastic handle; $50 with aluminum handle; additional brush heads are $5 apiece; at www.getquip.com