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Toothbrush startup Quip is launching a $20 floss dispenser

Toothbrush startup Quip is launching a $20 floss dispenser

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Quip, the electric toothbrush subscription service, is launching its second product today: a floss dispenser called Floss. The metallic dispenser will sell for $20 and refillable floss canisters, which are automatically delivered every three months, will sell for $5 each. The floss is pre-marked in green every 18 inches, the “dentist recommended amount to give each tooth its own section”.

At first glance of the photos, I thought the tube was meant to go into your mouth, like one of those floss picks that come in packs of 100. But that’s not what this is at all. All the weighty applicator does is house the refillable tube of floss, which emerges when you click the tube like a ballpoint pen. The amount of floss is tiny in comparison to the applicator (which comes in iPhone-esque colors of rose gold, black, silver, and gold), and looks kind of like a tampon.

“Quip has applied its obsessive design ethos to create a completely new floss experience to inspire better habits and help to build routines,” the press material reads. But at about the size of a tube of lipstick, Floss is slightly bigger and weightier, not to mention more expensive than a regular pack of floss you can get at the drugstore.

Most people know Quip from its staunch dedication to sponsoring podcasts, or its ubiquitous ads in the New York City subway. The company’s electric toothbrushes (which start at $25 as part of a starter kit) run on a AAA battery, which enables the timer to shut off at the 2-minute mark. If they’re on a refill plan, subscribers can get a $5 replacement brush sent to them every three months.

Like so many direct-to-consumer brands before it, Quip’s products sell customers on convenience, and the belief that a sleek, minimalist design translates to a better product — but falters it comes down to actual quality. In their review of the best electric toothbrushes, Wirecutter says Quip’s toothbrush vibrations are as weak as disposable toothbrushes from Oral-B. Floss is most likely not going to attract any new customers who are looking for a revolutionary flossing experience, but it might be a nice add-on for current Quip subscribers.