# Electric Razor suggestions **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 4, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-razor-suggestions/556021 "2010-10-04T18:18:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-razor-suggestions/556021/1 "2010-10-04T18:18:05Z")
My boyfriend needs to start shaving with an electric razor. The last time he used one was about 20 years ago and he hated it. His facial hair is extremely coarse and it grows very fast. I told him that I’m sure technology has improved in the last 20 years but I can’t back that up with any hard evidence. So, can you make some suggestions? I’d really prefer to not spend a huge amount of money but if a good shave will cost $100 or so, I’ll do it and tell him after the fact. Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-razor-suggestions/556021/2 "2010-10-05T00:49:47Z")
I like the Braun shavers. I have one the self-cleaning models because otherwise my face can get irritated and sometimes break out. I suppose there have been improvements in the last 20 years, but you’re still not going to get a shave as close as a razor. I think you can get pretty close (no pun). The one area where electrics tend to fall down is when you have hairs that don’t grow straight out but tend to grow parallel to the skin. Those little buggers can be a bitch to get and I’ve known people who have even had ingrown hairs. It doesn’t seem to be a problem with razors since you’re basically just scraping everything off that’s on the surface. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-razor-suggestions/556021/3 "2010-10-05T01:05:43Z")
He’s like Homer Simpson. He has a 5-o’clock shadow before his face is dry. Right now he shaves every 3-4 days just because it’s a pain in the ass but he realizes that he’ll probably be shaving every day with an electric. ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-razor-suggestions/556021/4 "2010-10-05T01:48:51Z")
Hmmm. from shaving every few days to shaving every day. It sounds like somebody might have gotten a job. 😉 Well, from your description it sounds like he is a real man, and everyone knows that [real men shave with a chainsaw.](http://www.lolhome.com/funny-picture-813999369.html) ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-razor-suggestions/556021/5 "2010-10-05T01:52:34Z")
HAHAHAHAHA! He hasn’t been unemployed in over 15 years. What he got was anticoagulants. The doctor recommended swapping over to electric just to be on the safe side. He has always had a job where being clean-shaven isn’t really important. Most people tend to expect television engineers to be scruffy. So, he shaved before important meetings or when it got itchy. ---
**Author:** ![thirdname](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@thirdname](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdname)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-razor-suggestions/556021/6 "2010-10-05T02:20:54Z")
Get him a bottle of Williams Lectric Shave pre-shave gel. It lubricates things and makes a huge difference. I’ve had trouble finding it lately though, so I’m not sure if they still make it. There’s also a liquid version, but that doesn’t work well for me. ---
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-razor-suggestions/556021/7 "2010-10-05T18:40:43Z")
Some of this is based on my own personal experience, some of it on second-hand stories. I have one of these [Philips Norelco](http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Norelco-7310XL-Shaving-System/dp/B001AJ6YS2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1286303852&sr=8-1)shavers with the tri-head design. Not that _exact_ model, but it’s similar. It does a decent job, but it’s surprisingly easy to miss sports with it. I read a similar topic some time ago on another discussion board where lots of people said that the [Panasonic ES](http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-ES8243A-Nano-Rechargeable-Shaver/dp/B001DKMY9Q/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1286303852&sr=8-12)series is the ultimate electric razor. It’s definitely expensive, but people say that it’s well worth the price and performs above and beyond all other electric razors. I don’t own one myself, so I can’t vouch for it personally. ---
**Author:** ![tingbudong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tingbudong/32/520_2.png) [@tingbudong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tingbudong)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-razor-suggestions/556021/8 "2010-10-06T00:27:46Z")
I bought a [Philips Nivea System](http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Norelco-HS8420-Nivea-Razor/dp/B002GJU2XI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1286324008&sr=8-2) about three months ago. Best shaving decision I’ve ever made. Yes, it is not as insanely close as the straight shaves I’ve had while traveling, but it’s close enough for pretty much any situation I’m likely to encounter. At about $70 it’s the lower end model in the Nivea line-up so I’m curious as to how good the $200 ones are. I use it with shaving gel to cut down on the proprietary Nivea ‘goo’ costs and still keep around a Gillette to slice any rogue neck hairs. Philips says you need to use it for about 3-weeks before your face/skin adjusts to the new regime. At first I thought this was bull, but the time range was pretty much dead-on and my shave was equal to better then when I was exclusively using my Mach 3. It’s important to keep in mind that everyone has a different response to different shaving systems. Personally, I don’t think there is a ‘best’ way…just whatever way works best for you. On another note, my Dad has used electric shavers for over 30 years and swears that they have improved incredibly over the past 10. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-razor-suggestions/556021/9 "2010-10-06T03:21:50Z")
> [@congodwarf](#): > > He’s like Homer Simpson. He has a 5-o’clock shadow before his face is dry. Right now he shaves every 3-4 days just because it’s a pain in the ass but he realizes that he’ll probably be shaving every day with an electric. Picturing [this](http://www.mynameisearl.cz/obrazky/postavy/randy-hickey-ethan-suplee.jpg). 🆒