Clarsionic, the vibrating hand-held facial cleanser has dominated the marketplace for years, and now you can find them in every major makeup store and in spas throughout the world. No doubt it’s superior to a face cloth and vigorous manual hand motions. I reviewed it several times, and I own one.

So when the folks at Michael Todd wanted me to do a review of their competitively-designed, Soniclear Petite, I hesitated, because I’ve been such a Clarisonic cheerleader. But the Soniclear has a few distinct differences that may may or may not be a plus.

As far as design goes, the Soniclear Petite and Clarsonic Mia are nearly identical, except for the charging apparatus, which, instead of a standard cord, it has a USB cord. At first, this was strange to me, and I asked the reps why they chose that, and they said it was to make traveling with it easier. However, my Clarsonic, with a standard cord, stays charged for a long time.

Instead of automatically turning off after two minutes like the Clarsonic, the Soniclear beeps every 20 seconds to indicate to the user that it’s time to focus on another area of the face. It has three speeds, as opposed to the Clarsonic.

Perhaps the most prominent feature Soniclear promotes to differentiate from the Clarsonic is the “antibacterial” brush, which only needs to be changed twice a year, as opposed to the recommended every three months like the Clarisonic, is a significant savings. Both products are identical MSRP at $99.

As for me, I’m still using my Clarisonic Mia, but Maxi has repossessed the Soniclear.