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Toothbrushes

Working name: OpenBrush. The pilot category for Open Consumables.

What's documented here

  • Ecosystem, which manufacturers we map, which ones we don't, and why.
  • Compatibility and head families, the head-to-handle interface families we're measuring, organised by ecosystem and aftermarket vocabulary.

Why toothbrushes are the pilot

Toothbrush heads pass all three gates cleanly:

  1. The spec is complete. Shaft geometry, anti-rotation feature, retention force, vibration coupler, and bore tolerances capture the dimensions buyers care about. There is no fit-feel-fashion residue the spec cannot reach.
  2. The buyer has opted out of choice. The realistic buyer is someone who already picked their ecosystem (often years ago) and just wants the head to keep being available.
  3. Rebuyability beats novelty. Nobody wants a "new and improved" toothbrush head every 18 months; they want the one that fit last time to fit next time.

The standards context identifies current product-test references. The compatibility pages record manufacturer and other sourced fit claims; none of those claims constitutes a measured interface baseline.

Stage

Phase 2: physical measurement. Desk research first pass is complete. The bottleneck is sample acquisition and measurement (Batch A: ~6 Xiaomi T-series handles and heads, both genuine and aftermarket).

The measurement work compares genuine and aftermarket interfaces, including geometry and retention. Similar fitment labels alone do not establish that the sockets match within tolerance.

Scope

In scope:

  • consumer rechargeable electric toothbrushes (sonic and oscillating-rotating)
  • the mechanical interface between handle and head
  • compatibility documentation across existing ecosystems
  • printable adapters and reference CAD
  • test methodology for "compatible head" claims

Out of scope:

  • bristle-field design and clinical efficacy claims
  • charging interfaces (deferred to v2)
  • regulatory certification
  • taste calls: handle finish, head color, bristle stiffness preference, packaging design

Missing a device or replacement part?

Send a short report with the exact model code or part name. Better sources and contradictory fit evidence are welcome too. For a dead link or a claim that needs checking, just identify the problem. GitHub requires sign-in; you can also copy a report and prepare it for your user. Maintainers can handle the data-file edits.