Coopah App: One-minute review

Coopah is an easy-to-use, well-designed app. It was the official partner of the TCS London Marathon 2024, and one of the best fitness apps for planning your runs, alongside competitors like Runna. It is perfect if you’re training for a particular race: it will set you up with a personalized plan within a couple of minutes. 

The app is clearly formatted and well-designed, although I did find it tricky to change my training days at first. I liked how it kept me on track most weeks and added yoga and strength days. 

You can use the app via your smartphone and your smartwatch, either syncing your watch to the app or manually submitting your data, although anyone with one of the best running watches will find it easy to sync up. The app will inform (and congratulate) you when you are on a 'streak' of workouts, when you’ve completed a run, and when you move into the next phase of your training. 

The app offers real-life coaches dishing out advice via the Coach tab, plus video advice for those new to running practices such as tempos and intervals. For just shy of £60 a year, the app can be a real motivator, and get you to the start line feeling confident. After all, it did so with plenty of London runners.

Coopah App review: Specifications

Coopah App review: Design

• Clear layout  
• Designed for races 
• Informative videos 

The app has a clear layout, with five tabs at the bottom stating how to navigate your way through the app. Once you’ve set up the app and selected a training plan, your plan will sit on the Welcome page. The page shows the plan you’ve created, your current plan's phase, and a brief overview of your training. If you're new to running you may also find the videos helpful, with some of their trainers taking you through how to perform interval or tempo runs. 

I chose to make a plan for the London Landmarks and it laid out my 16-week plan for me. However you can start as close or as far away from your race as you want, but to reap the most benefits I assume you’d need at least six weeks of training. 

Once I had a plan, the app broke each phase down further into separate sections. First off was a Base, where I would build up my running for three weeks; Strength weeks, to really rack up those miles and complete some strength training; then finally two weeks of Taper, to ease off before the run.

The Training tab is really useful. Every week, it gives you a breakdown of your training day by day and any rest days. While if you click on the progress tab to the right at the top it will show you how far you’ve come after a few weeks or months of training. 

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Coopah App review: Features

• Personalized coaching from elite runners
• No smartwatch needed
• Money-back guarantee and in-app deals

The most unique feature of the Coopah app is that if you are not happy with your training plan, and you feel as though it didn’t help you get around the race course, you can ask for your money back. 

Of course, you’d have to prove that you put the work in, but it shows the creators believe in their product. The app’s reward section also means you can pick up some discounts on trainers, physio appointments, and other running-related goods and services from partners, like Sportsshoes.com and Precision Hydration. So, hey, it could save you some money.  

Onto the features themselves. The Coach tab allows you to submit questions to real coaches, who typically reply within one hour.  You can ask your coach anything you want, about running, nutrition, injuries, and so on. Big names include coach and runner James Thie and running coach Jordan Foster, while founder Peter Coopah also answers anything technical about the app. 

Each plan offers personalized pacing based on the information collected, and plans are dynamic: as you input your results, the plan may change depending on your performance. 

You don't need the best smartwatch to record your run, either: it'll work just fine using the GPS on your phone. All you need is an arm, chest or waist strap and you're away. A great feature, and a potential big money-saver. 

Features: 5 / 5

Coopah App review: Performance

• Easy to use 
• Tracks via your phone or watch 
• No guidance as you run 

On the days you’re scheduled to run, you can tap the desired day on your plan and hit ‘record run’. As mentioned, you can do this via your smartphone, but using the best Garmin watch, best Apple Watch or similar will allow you to record via your watch as usual, and upload your information automatically. As you run it tracks your progress, and Coopah punctuates every mile completed it informs you of your pace.

However, the app lacks any motivational phrases or active coaching as you run, as its competitor app Runna provides, it won’t tell you to increase your pace, to keep on target or tell you how to up your cadence, but it does give you basic data at the end. This will show your splits, pace, and effort, which can then be assessed against your targets.

If you forgot to record the run you can import the data from a smartwatch, or manually add it in yourself. If you’re overly competitive with yourself, you can also asses your progress week-by-week – this will compare the distance you’ve run, streaks that week, sessions completed and your pace against prior weeks.

I asked the app to schedule me three runs a week, but you can change your schedule if you’re hoping to do more training sessions. I would have preferred a more flexible choice of between two and three sessions a week, as I also train at the gym and cycle. 

I was given a mix of one long run, intervals, and shorter runs each week. I originally found it complicated to change the days I was running, so making this process more straightforward would streamline the process.  

The plan starts with a build-up for one week, three weeks of Base training and subsequent Strength weeks, depending on how early you start your plan. I chose an 11-week plan, so more than enough time to train for a half-marathon while factoring in two weeks to taper. 

However, I found that some of the longer runs were too long, arriving too soon in my strength phase. Nevertheless, it’s a great program to have in your pocket and certainly kept me on track. I’d love to see more coaching while running, so you can keep up with your desired pace, and also the ability to input other types of training, such as HIIT classes and yoga, so you can see how this affects your performance. 

Performance: 4.5 / 5 

Coopah App review: Scorecard

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Laifen Wave: One-minute review

Suffice to say, Chinese brand Laifen is pretty excited to bring its latest device, the Laifen Wave, to market – especially following the success of its supersonic hairdryer, the Laifen Swift. Is it the best electric toothbrush? Not in my view; but it’s a very promising start, and for those who need frequent deep cleans, it could be everything they’ve been hoping for. 

Laifen has made some pretty bold claims about the efficacy of the Laifen Wave toothbrush, including that it “perfectly aligns with the dentist-recommended Bass brushing technique” and offers three times the power and brushing efficiency of a standard electric toothbrush. Based on my experience, that may be true – my teeth felt cleaner than ever after using the toothbrush. However, I’m not entirely convinced that this level of deep cleaning is necessary, nor healthy, on a daily basis.

The Laifen Wave offers 60-degree oscillation with 66,000 vibrations per minute, mimicking the motion of a regular non-electric toothbrush for what Laifen promises is a superior clean. You can set up three brushing profiles in the app, selecting between 10 levels of oscillation range and power, as well as vibration power. Plus, it has an average 30-day battery life, and takes only 2.5-3 hours to charge.

One thing is for certain, the Laifen Wave is a looker. It’s available in three different finishes: ABS plastic, aluminum alloy, and stainless steel. The toothbrush stands at 5.7in / 142.7mm tall, which is a little shorter than the majority of electric toothbrushes, but which makes it an excellent travel companion.

Laifen Wave review: Pricing

At the top of the handle sit three indicator lights that display the current mode selected, and just below these you’ll find the touch-sensitive power button. Towards the bottom sit an option for airplane mode and a battery indicator. 

I tested the stainless steel model, clad in a gorgeous shiny casing that certainly makes it the best-looking toothbrush I’ve ever used. Note that it does scuff easily, and is pretty slippery when wet, which could quickly result in a very scruffy-looking finish. 

The toothbrush heads are also a thing of beauty – well, as much as they can be. Elegant and slim, these heads are bespoke, although Philips Sonicare heads do fit, which is a real boon given you’ll be hard-pressed to find the Laifen Wave toothbrush heads in your local drugstore.

Out of the box, the Laifen Wave comes with three different toothbrush heads designed for different purposes: gum care, ultra-whitening and super clean. I found myself most drawn to the softer gum care brush head; but the super clean makes fantastic work of cleaning deeper into the recesses of your mouth, while the ultra-whitening brush head offers powerful cleaning to leave your grill gleaming. These can be purchased in packs of three or six directly from Laifen for $9.99 (about £8) and $16.99 (about £15) respectively. 

I don’t love the quality of the toothbrush heads; the bristles are great on all three heads, but they require some force to attach to the handle and can sometimes, rather inexplicably, become stuck. 

My stainless steel handle came with transparent heads instead of the white variant – which proved insightful. I noticed after not using the toothbrush for a week that a lot of condensation builds up inside the stem and inside the brush casing, which doesn’t feel particularly hygienic. 

This can happen in most toothbrush heads, but is easily rectified by removing them and shaking out any residue. However, with the Laifen Wave, not only is removing the head difficult, but it’s also supposedly watertight, meaning the water in the brush head either trickled down from the brush, or seeped in over time through the sealant. Neither bodes well for the brush design, or makes it terribly easy to prevent. 

Broadly speaking, though, I’ve been happy with the results, and I welcome the fact that the brush is customizable. 

After a super-quick and easy pairing process with its companion app, you can adjust the oscillation range and speed, as well as the vibration. You can also switch on flight mode, 30-second reminders, and even a high-frequency mode that unlocks a further 10 vibration strength settings. However, note that you need the app to really unlock most of these features. 

I did appreciate that you can set up different profiles and navigate between them by double-tapping the power button on the handle, though, as well as the ability to toggle flight mode by long-pressing the power button.

There are also some other clever features. When you pick up the toothbrush, it will turn on automatically. It will also activate its “backpack mode” when in motion for more than three minutes, which prevents battery wastage. That’s great; but some features I consider must-haves – such as pressure sensors – are missing. 

One thing that really ground my gears with the Laifen Wave is that, due to its oscillating head, it’s really easy to make a huge mess while brushing your teeth. I found that when I cleaned behind my lower-front teeth, the Laifen Wave flicked toothpaste and spit everywhere, meaning I was constantly cleaning up globs from all over my bathroom sink.

With the toothbrush heads being made of quite thick and robust plastic, I also learned the hard way that you really don’t want to nick your teeth while brushing. I was in physical pain for about 10 minutes one day having lost focus while brushing my teeth and catching the tip of my tooth with the back of the toothbrush head – I can’t say for sure, but I’m pretty sure I was close to chipping it. 

That alone was enough for me to think twice about recommending the Laifen Wave – which is a shame, since I think it shows a lot of promise and could be fantastic for those who struggle with gum health and plaque buildup. Right now, though, it just hasn’t been thought through quite enough.

Laifen Wave review: Specs

Should I buy?

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How I tested the Laifen Wave

•  I used the Laifen Wave as my main toothbrush for two months
•  I brushed my teeth twice a day  
•  I tried the different settings and toothbrush heads 

To test the Laifen Wave, I used it every day, twice a day, as my main toothbrush. While I settled on my personalized settings and favored brush head, I tried all of the different power settings and heads to see how effective they were in use.

I also tested all of the extra features – the smart-lifting technology, backpack mode, airplane mode and high-frequency mode – and found they all worked as described.

I’ve been reviewing lifestyle technology for two years, but like all readers, I’ve been brushing my teeth for a lot longer. I’ve used a variety of toothbrushes over the years, from budget-friendly to premium, and used this combined experience to rate the Laifen Wave.

Brompton C Line 12-speed: One minute review

Ever since 1976, Brompton bikes have been one of the best and, at times, only options for folding bikes. The innovative 3-part fold has made it perfect for taking on trains, throwing in the back of a car, or zipping around city streets. 

Over the years, Brompton has been increasing its gear options, with a big jump in the latest C, P and T Lines from six to 12 speeds. This significant increase in gear range has moved these bikes away from only being able to cope with simple, small-incline roads and made them equally at home going up and down steep hills and round uneven country roads.

The new gear system, a 3-speed Sturmey-Archer hub, and a 4-speed derailleur give users pretty much every gear option they could want. I never found myself needing more than the offered range, and in fact, I only ever needed the middle range of 8 gears. Being able to drop into something really low and receive the added pedal assist made it possible to eat up steep hills.

Everything else about the C Line Explore is tried and tested and previously available. The 300Wh lithium-ion battery pack and 250-watt brushless motor make it road-legal  here in the UK, while still delivering enough power when it's needed. 

The build quality is what we have come to expect with Brompton: high-quality parts that will last a lifetime. This is particularly evident with all three folding mechanisms that will see a lot of action.

This new bike gives us the best of everything: all the gears for various different inclines and the convenience of the compact Brompton package: lightweight, portable, and folding.

Brompton C Line 12-speed: Price and availability

• $4,250 / £3,150 / AU$7,300 for Electric C Line Explore 12-speed
• $4,950 / £3,895 for Electric P Line Explore 12-speed 
• Non-electric 12-speed options are also available

The Brompton 12-speed options are available across the C and P Line Explore electric bikes as well as the standard P and T line models. 

The Electric C Line Explore 12-speed comes in at 17.3kg / 38.1 lbs with the battery and costs $4,250 / £3,150 / AU$7,300.

For the slightly lighter (16.3 kg / 35.9 lbs), with battery, P Line Explore with 12-speed, you'll be looking at a significantly higher price of $4,950 / £3,895, while it currently seems to be unavailable in Australia.

The bikes are packaged with everything required to construct the bike, including a detachable battery and charger to go with it. A range of accessories are also available, including a Quad Lock Mount for mounting phones to the bike. 

This is certainly on the higher end of folding electric bike prices, so the value score is weighed down by this. However, Brompton is a premium, long-lasting product, and there's no doubting the quality construction on offer here. 

• Value score: 3.5/5

Brompton C Line 12-speed: Design

• 3-speed Sturmey-Archer and 4-speed derailleur
• Classic Brompton bike design
• Lightweight frame and robust folding mechanisms

The only new addition to the C Line Explore Electric, P Line Electric, P Line Explore, and T Line Explore is the introduction of a 12-speed gearing option. This has been achieved using a 3-speed hub and a 4-speed derailleur.

Brompton enthusiasts will know that we've seen a hub gear and derailleur combo before with the previous C Line Explore connecting a 3-speed hub to a 2-speed derailleur. This new version is this principle on steroids. 

The Sturmey-Archer hub is completely weather-sealed, keeping it away from the elements and increasing its longevity. The hard-wearing hub shell protects it from damage from foreign objects and, again, guarantees the requirement for minimal maintenance. 

The derailleur, originally designed for the ultralight titanium T Line, is small and super lightweight, meaning it's always out of the way, whether folded or in use.

The two sets of shifters are pretty easy to understand, with the right shifter controlling the hub gear and the left shifter controlling the derailleur. The buttons are easy to push, and the gears change quickly and effortlessly. The shifter displays are fairly easy to interpret, although the 4-speed derailleur only has the numbers 1 and 4 displayed at the two extremes. 

Everything else about the Brompton C Line Explore is what was available on previous bikes in this line. The steel frame is robust enough yet lightweight enough to make it possible to lift the bike easily, especially when in its folded position.

The small and thin wheels are classic Brompton, which is probably where this bike comes up short. With 12 speeds, I wanted to be able to go anywhere. I had no limitations when it came to having the right gear for the job, but not all terrains were ideally suited to such small wheels.

I would also like to have seen a kickstand included, even a small, flimsy one. 

• Design Score: 4.5/5

Brompton C Line 12-speed: Performance

• Impressive gear range for a folding bike
• Smooth gear changes throughout the range
• It can take a few seconds for motor to kick in

I have next to nothing negative to say about the performance of the new C Line Explore electric bike.

The new 12-speed gear setup across a hub and a derailleur is beautifully executed, delivering a whole new range of gears never seen before on a Brompton bike. Gear changing through the full range is quick, effective, and seamless, with absolutely zero sticking mid-shift. Gears were located with no problems whatsoever.

The gear shifters performed equally well, with the gear shift buttons substantial enough to be easily found with my thumbs, but ergonomically designed to not be in the way while gripping the handlebars

The motor had enough power in most instances, but sadly fell slightly short on the steepest inclines I could find. This was a little disappointing because surely that's the purpose of having the 12 speeds. That being said, having extra gears at least meant I could manually ride those hills. The power assist modes are located on the battery itself and are not easily changeable mid-cycle, which is, in my opinion, a bit of a design flaw. 

The seat was absolutely fine for shorter journeys, but towards the end of my 7-mile commute, I was beginning to have some comfort problems. The smaller wheels were also far from ideal on the more rugged terrain of the rural roads that I took the bike on. 

• Performance score: 4.5/5

Brompton C Line 12-speed: Battery life

• 20-45 miles per full battery
• Four-hour per charge
• Battery makes weight front-loaded

The Brompton C Line Explore electric bike has a range of between 20 and 45 miles, depending on which of the three power assist modes is selected. This range isn't terrible, but it will require most users to recharge the battery every few days.

While I was testing the bike, I opted to use it on my 7-mile commute, resulting in a 14-mile round trip. I also went for the highest level of power assist and was definitely experiencing some range anxiety towards the end of my return trip. This range isn't necessarily a problem because most Brompton owners are unlikely to be travelling more than 20 miles per day. My annoyance with it is more the necessity of having to do a daily charge and the associated charging costs.

A full charge from empty takes around 4 hours, which is perfectly reasonable for this type and size of battery. The battery itself takes pride of place right at the front of the bike and is easily clipped in and out. The battery connections are well protected, with the charging port located behind a rubber safety flap.

• Battery life score: 3.5/5

Brompton C Line 12-speed: Scorecard

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

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How I tested the Brompton C-Line 12-speed

Due to the fact that the single biggest improvement was the increase from 6-speed to 12-speed, I decided that the bike really had to be put through its paces. It would be no good putting it in a city environment that it is familiar with. We need some hills and some uncomfortable terrain!

My daily commute provided the perfect test ride. 7 miles of hills, rural roads, city streets, on-road, off-road, and everything in between. The gear range performed admirably well, with little need for all 12 speeds.

First reviewed: January 2024