Philips SonicarePower Flosser 5000, White, HX3811/20

Purchased one year ago. Easy to use and clean. My wife and I use it every night. This is corded version as I could see no benefit in a cordless model.NOTE: Recent problem. Machine turned off and both lights blinking orange, no water flowing. Nothing Philips suggested worked. Found an easy fix. I figured the problem was water flow. I removed the reservoir and checked the rubber gasket in the top of the pump housing by VERY gently probing it with the nozzle to make sure it was clean, no buildup, and no air bubbles. Then I checked the valve in the bottom of the reservoir to make sure it was clean and easily opening and not blocked.Then I filled the reservoir with hot water, made sure the water was going through, and turned the pump on at the highest pressure setting. Using just the handheld wand without the nozzle, I turned it on and let the hot water run through until the reservoir was empty.The flosser has been working fine ever since.

I had all on 4 dental implants and ClearChoice gave me the more commonly known water pick brand device and while I appreciated they provided that as a part of their service, I was not sad when it broke in a month. It was pretty cheaply constructed, a fat footprint, extremely loud and vibrating hard on my counter and the design is so much nicer with the off switch on the magnetic wand (the magnet holds it in place, which seems cleaner somehow, since its only touching the back).This one was only a bit more expensive, and not by much, assuming they paid what I saw on Amazon when I went to order one and found this.Some people complained that the power supply is external and too large, but where my plug lands, it doesn't matter to me, and I love the smaller footprint on my counter.I had implants and a really rough recovery with slowly healing dry socket and hole into sinuses and depend a lot on the water pick to avoid infections. This is so much better, I wish I'd had it sooner.

I own both the Philips 5000 and the cordless WaterPik Ion. Since I own both, I’ll compare the two flossers:WaterPik Ion likes: It’s cordless. I thought this was going to be a big plus when I bought it. In time I discovered it really wasn’t important. The unit itself does a good job of cleaning. On the highest setting, I think it has a bit more power than the Philips 5000. Also, I believe the tank holds more water. Unlike the Philips water flosser that only includes two flossing tips, the WaterPik Ion comes with several different kinds of tips. When finished using, the WaterPik Ion hose coils easily, and a magnet holds the flossing handle in place.WaterPik Ion dislikes: After only five months of use it won’t hold a charge for more than three days. When I first bought it, it would hold a charge for at least ten days. I understand that rechargeable batteries will gradually lose some of their performance over time. But to go from ten days per charge, to only three days per charge in only five months of use is completely unacceptable. I use it once per day for about two minutes, and I’m the only one who uses it.This unit can’t be charged by plugging it directly into a wall outlet. It charges only via USB. WaterPik doesn’t include a USB to AC wall outlet adapter. I didn’t have one, so I had to buy one (an extra $18.00). Last but not least, this unit is very noisy.Philips 5000 likes: It includes a cord and power adapter that plugs into a standard AC wall outlet. There are no recharging issues because it doesn’t have a battery. Like the WaterPik, the hose coils easily and a magnet holds the flossing handle in place. It’s much quieter than the WaterPik. I think perhaps it’s a little less powerful than the WaterPik on the highest setting, but it’s powerful enough.This unit has what Philips calls a “Pacer” feature. Every few seconds it purposely cuts off the water flow for a split second to tell you when it’s time to move to a different quadrant in your mouth (the WaterPik does this too). However, unlike the WaterPik, you can turn the Pacer feature off on the Philips 5000 if you don’t like it. Personally, I don’t like this feature, so I appreciate that Philips gives me the option of turning it off.The water pressure is adjustable from level 1 to 10. If you’ve never water flossed before, you’ll discover that some areas are more sensitive than others. The Philips 5000 has a knob on the front that easily allows you to adjust the water pressure as desired. The WaterPik Ion also has the ability to adjust the water pressure, but it uses a sliding tab located on the side of the unit that I find less convenient to adjust.The Philips 5000 has two cleaning modes: Clean and Deep Clean. On "Clean" the unit runs at a continuous water pressure (per your setting using the knob on the front of the unit). On "Deep Clean" the unit cycles from low to high pressure every few seconds. I only use the Clean mode. Quite frankly, I fail to see that the Deep Clean setting cleans any better.Philips 5000 dislikes: I don’t think the tank holds as much water as the WaterPik Ion. At full power, it takes the Philips about 70 seconds to empty the tank. I usually water floss for about two minutes total. Therefore, I have to stop and fill the tank with more water before I’m finished. That being said, it’s not a deal breaker. I usually water floss my lower gums for a full minute. Then I add more water and do my upper gums. Adding more water to the tank takes me less than ten seconds. Keep in mind that I’m water flossing mostly at full power. If you water floss at a lower pressure setting, the run time per tank will be longer.The Philips 5000 only comes with two flossing tips (one standard F1 tip, which is the one I use, and one with a rubber tip, model F2). This isn’t a problem for me. But if you have multiple people in your household sharing this product, everyone is going to want their own flossing tip. That means you’ll be buying additional tips right away.FINAL THOUGHTS: Both the WaterPik Ion and the Philips 5000 will get the job done. But I find the short battery life of the WaterPik Ion to be highly annoying. It’s also very noisy. For these reasons I almost never use it anymore.I’ve only had the Philips 5000 for a week, so we’ll see how long it lasts. If you register it online, Philips will extend the warranty from two years to thirty (30) months.I don’t mind the fact that the Philips 5000 has a power cord and a power adapter that plugs into the wall. Without a battery, I no longer need to concern myself with recharging, or having it run out of power when I’m in the middle of using it. It’s also a lot quieter. For these reasons, I prefer using the Philips 5000 over the WaterPik Ion. My opinions are my own. I wasn’t paid for this review. Nor did I receive a free product or a promotion of any kind.Lastly, does water flossing really make a difference? Yes, it does. Each night my dental routine begins by flossing my teeth with dental floss. I then use a water flosser for two minutes, and finish by brushing my teeth (sometimes with a manual toothbrush, and sometimes with an electric Braun).When water flossing, I often see food particles that I missed with dental floss. Also, my gum health has definitely improved. Prior to adding a water flosser to my dental routine, I had a couple of areas that bled easily. I started out only being able to use a low setting on the water flosser. I then gradually increased the power level over a period of several days. The end result is that I no longer have any gum bleeding issues like I did before.Country of origin: The Philips model 5000 flosser I received was made in Indonesia. The power adapter was made in China. The WaterPik Ion is made in China.

i had a portable water flosser for years, and had issues with water leakage and mold forming in the tank. This is so much better. Good pressure for flossing and the pressure is constant where the pressure would diminish with the portable one as the battery got weaker. Make sure you pull the tubing out all the way when you first try using the unit. Mine wouldn't pump out until I did that the first time. Almost sent it back to get another one and then tried that. Has worked great since then.

I bought two Philips Sonicare water flossers—the first (model HX3911/30) in November 2022 and the second (model HX3811/20) on February 1, 2025—both from Amazon. The newer unit began leaking from the bottom within weeks, and the older one started leaking right around its two‑year mark (before warranty expired, but I only had time to report it after moving). Both units leaked so badly that they were unusable.My attempt to get a refund or replacement turned into a 45‑minute ordeal:Philips ChatBot pointed me to generic troubleshooting links and then insisted I chat with a live agent.Agent requests: model and serial numbers (despite me already providing model), proof of purchase, photos of the defective unit (which I’d already discarded), full Amazon invoice, phone number, address—over and over.Warranty fine print: they denied refund for the 2022 unit due to a 90‑day “money‑back guarantee,” even though it died just shy of two years.Escalation: after repeated follow‑ups and “escalating” to a supervisor (who conveniently went on lunch break), I was offered a 30% voucher “instead of” a replacement or refund.Ultimately I gave up and bought another brand. Two faulty units, leaking from the bottom; rigid 90‑day refund window; no real replacement offer; and a voucher after being bounced around for almost an hour. Save your time and money—look elsewhere.