I must admit that I keep getting confused about specular light vs diffused light relative to soft light vs hard light. It is especially diffused light and soft light that I mix up, but let me give it a try.
If you see tarmac on a sunny day, the tarmac does not reflect very much light (it tends to absorb the light and get warm for that reason), but as soon as you have rain hitting the tarmac, the water on the surface will start reflecting the light and will do so in a way where the incoming light is reflected pretty close to how it arrived. So all of a sudden the reflections of the light in the water is very bright – I am sure you have tried this driving home late at night; the headlights from the oncoming cars is suddenly a nuisance because the rain set in.
So for me specular light is very much about the “dynamic range” of how the light is reflected on a surface. If the brights are very bright and the darks are very dark, then the light is specular. Remember here that the nature of the light is assessed looking at how it is reflected by the subject.
Diffused light however will have much less contrast between light and dark. It tend to be more “shades of grey” than black and white, to put it simply. The subject appears more evenly lit.
One of the tests that I often do when reviewing a lens is to shoot a piece of tinfoil curled up into a ball. Such a subject will yield specular light where the brights are very bright and the darks are very dark; excellent for revealing issues with chromatic aberrations, which you will often see where the contrast between bright and dark meet.
At the last routine check my dentist was rather insisting: “You got to clean especially your gums and the room between your teeth much better than what you do today!” She was unusually upset!
There is a thing with me an dentists: I never get any praise, rather the opposite! But this time around the dentist was a bit more insisting that usually! I thought I was about to get a little bit of praise having replaced my trusty old classic toothbrush with an electric toothbrush, but no, she apparently wanted more!
“You got to go and buy a Oral-B, the IO series, and it has to be at least number 8!” – “Ok”, I thought, that was pretty direct instructions, and after having checked she herself did not sell it (and hence her advice might have been a bit biased) I headed towards to local hardware store to get as prescribed.
Unfortunately the local shop only had series 4 and 5, and the instruction was to get IO 8, so I had to order online to get my copy for around 220 EUR! Not cheap, but what do you not do to make your dentist happy!
The Oral-B IO 8 has two buttons only: One to switch on/off and another to change between different programs for brushing your teeth.
I do not have a full overview of the Braun Oral-B series of products, but my best guess is that they get more and more expensive and advanced as you move up the number series. The IO 10 is the top of the pop, but apparently I could do with a version 8.
In the box
In the box: A little pouch (top), a plastic box to hold 2 brush heads, the brush head and a magnetic charger (right). Of course also the brush itself, which is not shown here.
In the box you will find the brush itself, a charger, a brush head, a container for 2 brush heads and a little pouch for the brush and accessories.
The manual looks overwhelming, but it is only because many languages are supported. After reading 2 pages approx, you are good to go. The graphics are simple and easy to understand.
The manual is actually only a few pages in many different languages, so it is quickly read, and it is supplemented by some graphics that are easy to understand. You’ll be up and running in no time. One of the most important features is the backlit ring at the bottom of the brush head – this ring will tell you if you apply to much, to little or just the right amount of pressure to the brush when holding it against your teeth and gums. I was surprised to learn that apparently I apply way too little pressure! Another thing is that you have to brush your teeth in front of a mirror, so you can continuously monitor that you apply the right amount of pressure.
App and bluetooth
App and brush. The app will guide you though the brush process and give you real time feedback on your performance. And of course keep stats on all your tooth brush sessions!
Of course this toothbrush has an app that will give you guidance and tell you how well you are doing in terms of brushing all your teeth and brushing them well! The most complicated in terms of getting to know the brush was to download the app, but I found it in the App store almost immediately. The brush and the app hook up via bluetooth when within close range. You just shake the toothbrush, and it will activate the bluetooth connection.
With the app on the phone, you can follow your progress as you brush your teeth. The blue graphics changes from blue to white as you progress.
During the process, the app will colour from blue to white according to your progress with brushing your teeth clean. I find it a little bit difficult to both keep an eye on the colour on the toothbrush itself (right amount of pressure) and an eye on the app (brushing completeness).
The light ring at the base of the brush tells you if you apply sufficiently pressure: Green = ok. Red = too much. Blue = too little.
Daily routine
Charging is as easy as it can be: simply leave the brush on top of the charger and it takes care of the process. The battery is a Li-On battery and that usually means the battery will last for a long time without charging – I have not stress tested this specifically but it easily does my tooth brushing for several days with no need for recharging.
Relative to my more traditional Oral-B electric toothbrush, this one does not have a large hole at the bottom. That means it is much easier to keep the charger and the bottom of the brush clean.
In your bathroom cabinet you will find that the toothbrush takes up very little space. It is tall, but otherwise takes up less space than say a tube of toothpaste.
The Oral-B IO 8 does not take up much space when viewed from this angle!
Using the brush is not complicated, but it did take me some time to learn to brush my teeth in front of a mirror in order to read the pressure colour ring.
Conclusion
I do not know yet if I have passed the exam, as I have to visit my dentist yet one more time to understand if she is happy with my work with the new brush. I will say though that it does feel like my teeth are more clean than ever, and the app and the brush has provided much guidance and feedback that I would not have got with a more basic electric toothbrush.
The price is steep, but if you look at it as insurance money intended to protect you from some nasty dentist bills coming your way, then you might find that in the long run the Oral-B IO 8 is worth every EUR, and then some.
