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The short answer
Buy the Michael Todd Sonicsmooth if you plan to dermaplane every week. Buy the Dermaflash LUXE+ if you dermaplane occasionally and want the gentler, more forgiving device.
The reason has almost nothing to do with the devices themselves. Both work. Both use a single-use stainless edge and sonic vibration, and both will leave your skin smooth. The difference that actually matters is what the blades cost you every year after the purchase, and that gap is much wider than the sticker prices suggest.
Here is the part most comparisons skip: the Dermaflash costs about $80 more up front, but roughly $200 more per year to keep running.
Dermaflash LUXE+ vs Michael Todd Sonicsmooth at a glance
Dermaplaning tools are razor-and-blade businesses in the literal sense. The device is the cheap part. The edges are where the money goes, because every manufacturer recommends a fresh one for every session, and every session is once a week.
Run the math on a year of weekly dermaplaning and the picture flips:
Dermaflash: a 12-week replenishment kit runs $87, so a full year needs roughly four and a third kits. That is about $377 in edges.
Michael Todd: an 8-week refill pack runs $25, so a year needs about six and a half packs. That is about $163 in edges.
The gap is around $214 a year. Over three years the Dermaflash costs roughly double the Sonicsmooth in total, and the device price accounts for almost none of that difference.
What works here is thinking about the purchase the way you would a printer. The number on the box is not the number you are actually committing to.
Where the Dermaflash earns its price
None of the above means the Dermaflash is a bad buy. It is the more refined device, and there are real reasons people stay with it.
It is gentler. The LUXE+ runs at a lower, more diffuse vibration and the edge is set at a shallower angle. For anyone with reactive skin, rosacea-prone skin, or a history of irritation after exfoliating, that matters more than the annual cost. Dermatologists generally advise the lightest-contact tool you can tolerate when you are new to at-home exfoliation.
The kit includes prep. The replenishment kits ship with a PREFLASH cleanser, which removes the guesswork about what to put on your face beforehand. Small thing, but a real one if you are starting from zero.
It is more forgiving of bad technique. The guard geometry makes it harder to press too hard, which is the single most common beginner mistake. If you are worried about nicking yourself, this is the safer starting point.
The move is: buy the Dermaflash if you plan to dermaplane every two or three weeks rather than every week. At that cadence the blade math narrows considerably and you get the gentler device for a manageable running cost.
Where the Sonicsmooth wins
Running cost, obviously. Covered above, and it is the main event.
More power for coarse hair. The Sonicsmooth vibrates faster and the edge sits at a steeper angle. On denser vellus hair it clears in fewer passes. Fewer passes over the same patch of skin is genuinely better for your barrier, so this is not only a speed benefit.
Wider availability. The refill tips are stocked at Ulta, Amazon, Macy’s and Best Buy in addition to the brand site. The Dermaflash edges are harder to find outside the brand’s own channels, which matters when you run out mid-routine.
There are two versions. The standard Sonicsmooth runs about $121 and the Pro+ about $172. The Pro+ adds microdermabrasion tips. Both take the same $25 refill tips, so the running cost is identical either way. If budget is the constraint, the standard model plus the same refills is the cheapest legitimate entry into dermaplaning. The full buyer guide is in the Michael Todd Sonicsmooth Pro+ Review.
What both devices get wrong
Neither brand is straight with you about how long an edge actually lasts, and both benefit from you replacing them faster than you need to.
The honest version: an edge dulls based on how much hair and dead skin it moves, not on the calendar. Someone with fine, sparse vellus hair will get noticeably more life out of an edge than someone with dense growth. Here is what to look for. A sharp edge glides. A dull one tugs, skips, or requires a second pass over the same spot. When you feel tugging, replace it, whether that is at week one or week three.
Both brands also quietly assume weekly use in their supply math. Most dermatologists suggest every two to three weeks is plenty for the majority of skin types, and more frequent than weekly is where irritation starts. If you follow that advice, both devices get cheaper to run, and the Dermaflash gets cheaper faster because its edges cost more per unit.
How to choose, in one paragraph
If you have sensitive skin and dermaplane every two or three weeks, the Dermaflash LUXE+ is the better device and the cost difference mostly disappears at that cadence. If you dermaplane weekly, have coarser vellus hair, or simply do not want a $377 annual blade habit, the Michael Todd Sonicsmooth is the better buy and it is not close. If you are not sure you will stick with dermaplaning at all, start with the standard Sonicsmooth, because it is the cheapest way to find out.
Before you buy either one
Two things matter more than which device you pick.
The first is aftercare. Dermaplaning removes the outer layer of dead skin, which means whatever you apply next absorbs far more deeply than usual. That is an advantage with a hydrating serum and a problem with an active. Read what to use after dermaplaning before your first session.
Also looking at hair removal? Dermaplaning clears peach fuzz for a week or two. For hair that keeps coming back on legs, underarms or the bikini line, at-home IPL is the next step up, and the one to look at is the Nood Flasher Pro, the only at-home IPL device with an energy figure in a public FDA file.
Michael Todd is better for weekly use because the replacement edges cost roughly a quarter of what Dermaflash charges per edge. Dermaflash is better for sensitive skin because it runs gentler and is more forgiving of technique errors.
Is the Dermaflash worth the money?
It is worth it if you have reactive skin or dermaplane every two to three weeks rather than weekly. At weekly use the blade cost is around $377 a year, which is where most people decide it is not.
Are Dermaflash and Michael Todd blades interchangeable?
No. The edges are shaped to each device’s housing and will not seat correctly in the other. Buy the refills made for the device you own.
Is Sonicsmooth the same as Michael Todd?
Yes. Sonicsmooth is the product name and Michael Todd Beauty is the brand. People search both ways, which is why you will see them used interchangeably.
What is the difference between the Sonicsmooth and the Sonicsmooth Pro+?
The Pro+ adds microdermabrasion tips. Both versions list three speeds on the brand’s pages and take the same blade refills.
How often should you replace the blade?
Replace it when it starts tugging or skipping rather than on a fixed schedule. Both brands assume weekly replacement, which is more often than many people actually need.
Bottom line
The Michael Todd Sonicsmooth is the better buy for most people, and the reason is the roughly $200 a year you do not spend on edges. The Dermaflash LUXE+ is the better device for sensitive skin used every two to three weeks, where that gap narrows enough to justify the gentler experience.
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