It’s been 30+ years since I’ve owned one and I was never completely satisfied with its performance. I’m hoping the technology has advanced since then because I’m getting weary of wet shaving.
Recommendations for specific models - not just brands - very much appreciated.
Also appreciated: Brands or models to avoid, tales of woe, regrets, tips, anecdotes, and puppy photos.
mmm
The various cordless Norelco 3 headed shavers all work well. I have 2 of them at this point. One in my car and an older one with a fresh head in my bedroom.
They shave my tough beard well and the batteries have held up great. They’re fairly quiet.
My models are discontinued from what I can tell. But just shop for the features you like. Anything from the basic bargain level at about $30 to the water proof versions at just over $100.
My experience with electric razors has been abysmal. I don’t have lots of facial hair, and it’s not abnormally thick, but still I have to mow every spot like five times to get most of the hair off. It’s ridiculous, when a single, or at most two light passes with a Mach 3 leaves a smooth finish.
I have only tried name-brand electric razors, Philishave etc. I haven’t tried the 400 dollar top-of-the-line models. But with the 80-buck versions being useless, I’m more than reluctant to shell out big bucks for a maybe better model.
I have a Philips Norelco three headed one. I think it’s a 5000 series.
It’s fine. It doesn’t shave nearly as closely as a Mach 3 razor, and if I miss two days, I basically have to restart with a regular razor. However, since I’m working from home nearly all the time, it’s close enough, faster and less of a hassle than regular razor.
I hear that the foil kind might do a better job than the rotary kind, but the foil ones are louder and I wanted something quiet, since I’m typically up well before my wife, and our bathroom is right next to our bedroom.
I find that if I shave every day, maybe occasionally skip a day, I’m basically fine, but there may be some rough patches that just get a little long for the electric razor, so every few weeks, I do a regular shave.
So, I’m happy, since it saves me time, mess, and hassle. I’m not ecstatic about how close it shaves, but it’s good enough for Zoom calls. If I were going in every day, I’d probably switch back to a regular razor.
I’ve been happy with the Norelco Oneblade. It’s a bit of a different animal from rotary- and foil-head shavers. It’s held and applied to the skin like a bladed razor.
Pros:
Shaves as close as or closer than than any other electric I’ve seen.
Works easily on several-day growth.
Doubles as trimmer for beard, moustache, eyebrows, sideburns, etc.
Can be used wet or dry.
Super easy clean-up, rinse in running water.
Cons:
Does not trap shaved whiskers, they fall down and must be swept up (I shave over a wastebasket but still have to brush off my arm).
Width of shaving head is about 2/3 of most electrics, so more strokes needed.
My pups are girls, so they don’t shave.
I had a Panasonic Arc 3 for a long time that I was pretty happy with, but I just upgraded to an Arc 5 last week. Much better than the Arc 3. I haven’t used a razor in a long time so I can’t compare it to that, but I’ve got relatively thick whiskers and I get a clean shave in 3 minutes or less (the shaver has a timer so you know how long it took). BTW, I use LectricShave as well, which I find makes moving the shaver over my skin much easier & smoother.
I never had much luck with electric razors in the past, as I have rather thick facial hair, but I’ve been pretty happy with the Braun 7 Series and mine is almost 5 years old now.
Aesthetically, the paint on the head seems to blister after a few years of self-cleaning, but it is a known issue and doesn’t seem to have any negative impact on the shaving itself.
I’ve always been a Braun guy. They usually last around 5 or 10 years for me. My current one I think is approaching 10 years but has also started showing signs of needing replacement. It, like all the others I’ve bought, was around $100 or so.
I particularly like this Braun I have now because it’s waterproof. I can actually just run it under hot water after shaving to clean it. This is the first one I’ve owned that could do that, and I will never go back.
(The shaver fully works while wet on a wet face – the original commercials showed using it in the shower – but I never use it that way. I just clean it with water.)
I’ve tried many kinds over the years and consistently the one I like best is Panasonic. The Philips/Norelco is much quieter, but doesn’t shave quite as well. All other brands don’t work for me at all.
I have a Panasonic Arc4 (I have a 2011 model that I use which is discontinued, the current Arc4 I see on Amazon looks very similar though), as a background reference I’m someone who frequently had bad neckburn and skin irritation from shaving with most normal razors. Plus I was in the military the lion’s share of my life, so I had to keep clean shaven. I’ve experimented with a lot of things, but the best “no irritation” shave for me, was literally shaving with a double edged safety razor (Merkur blades), lathered up with a badger hair brush and shave soap. The issue with that is, despite giving a great no-irritation shave, when you have a five o-clock shadow by noon most days like I do, that’s a ritual you have to engage in every single day to keep clean shaven.
I was always looking for alternatives. I never found one while I was in the military, and for the first five years post-military I grew a full beard essentially just “because I can now”, but I still had to shave my neck. I ended up trying the Panasonic Arc4 in 2011 and it was the best electric shaver I’ve ever used, and while it isn’t quite as close as a DE safety razor shave, it’s vastly easier.
Mind that the blades of electric shavers wear out just like any other–my current Panasonic I generally order new blades about three times a year. There’s actually an indicator light that comes on to tell you when it’s time, but in my experience that light is more tolerant of a dull blade than I am, I normally order whenever I start to feel that it’s not shaving quite as well, which works out to about three times a year.
Note what I like about the Panasonic Arc4 is it’s a wet shaver, so you can use it in the shower if you want. But it’s also good to use with a shave cream or gel, which in my experience helps reduce irritation, the fact you can rinse it off as you shave and that’s fine (since it’s made for use in wet conditions), is nice.
I use the Braun Series 5 with three adjustable settings.
It’s true that it doesn’t remove hair with one swipe. What works best is going over areas several times back and forth (it’s not a rotary) at the highest setting, then repeating on the two closer ones. An electric is not a blade so requires its own logic.
I’ve had this Braun for many years and still runs without problems. A trimmer attachment is built-in. I can get several shaves out of a charge.
But the best recommendation I have is to get one with adjustable heights. That’s crucial.
I’ve a got a Panasonic ES8043 which I’ve had for many years. I change the cutter and foil ever 18 months or so (not cheap). Even so, it’s not quite as good as a blade, which I use instead every few days (before we all started working from home so there was no one to see you anyway)
Have you compared it to a powered blade razor like a Gilette Fusion power? Those are my favorite razors, but they have priced themselves out of reach here. I’d love to,find something like the Fusion power except less throwaway.
I currently use a five-blade Gillette (not the Fusion Power, but similar). Blades are expensive, but I only change it once a month with no problem.
A 16-pack of blades from Costco lasts me…(lemme see…cipherin’, carry the naught)…16 months.
mmm
Unfortunately, Victor Kiam has been dead for 20 years otherwise we could have asked him. Seriously though, I’ve never cared for electric razors. They may be OK for light beards, but I’ve used blades since forever and not about to experiment to see if its worth it to change back.
I have generally preferred Norelco, with the three rotary heads. Currently, I am using a Series 2000. It was relatively cheap, and it does what I need it to do.
The only advice I can give is to shave daily. If I have more than 24 hours growth, it leaves rough stubble. But if I shave every 24 hours, it gets me smooth enough for work. If I am going to a social event where I want to impress the ladies, I shave 24 hours before, then again 12 hours before, then again just before the event.
For social events, I will also use a pre-shave lotion like 'Lectric Shave. I have no idea why, but it seems to produce a closer shave.
Also, cleaning. About once a week, I empty the clippings out of the head, then rinse the blades under the sink faucet. Every three or four months, I need to take it apart and thoroughly clean each individual part. (I should probably do this more often, but this seems to work.)
I’m kind of the same, only needing to shave a couple of times a week. But those blades are about $6/ea if you buy them in the grocery store. Even at costco the standard Fusion blades are $65 for an 18 pack, so still pretty spendy. You can get a 52 pack of disposable razors for $35. But I like the power head on the fusion power.