I may soon switch to an electric shaver - I am starting to develop a benign muscle tremor (already discussed with my doctor, this thread isn’t about the tremor) and find shaving to be more difficult. It is worse in the mornings, so now I often shave at night, but I am thinking I might switch to an electric shaver.
What do you use? How effective is it - especially if you are like me and tend to skip a day or two? Are there any you can use while also in the shower?
Personally I prefer the Philips type rotary shavers to the foil type, they seem to do a better job IME, particularly if the whiskers are longer. The foil shavers I’ve used struggled to do a good job if I’d missed a day.
There are electric shavers you can use wet, but I haven’t tried one.
I’ve been using a Norelco rotary shaver for years. I have never changed a cutting head or had any failures. Don’t expect as close of a shave as a razor though, but it’s quick and easy and very cheap in the long run.
It’s a hard thing to recommend - as you can see, alot of people like rotaries. Rotaries tear my face up (BAD razor burn), so I use a Braun foil type. I’ve used Braun’s for years and love them! I have the self cleaning type, by the way…
Me, too. And those things are rather cheap now.
And, while the other method is closer, it’s not by much. And these don’t tear up my skin at all, and I can do it completely without a mirror.
Expensive, but I highly recommend these:
Shavers have got better since the 1970s - largely because you can now use them with soap-and-water, or foam. But I still use the blade every other day, or so.
My uncle (69 next week) always uses a grinder (as I call them), and a pretty old one, too, and he misses large areas around the edges, which makes him look weird.
I don’t believe there’s such a thing as a “best performance” electric razor. Facial hair varies quite a bit among men, and a razor that works great for one person will not work well when used by another.
For what it’s worth, here’s my experience with them.
I have a ***very ***thick and fast growing beard. For the last twenty eight years I’ve used 3-head rotary shavers. I’ve probably owned at least four of them. Last year I bought my first foil shaver - a Braun Series 3.
There are pros and cons to each. A 3-head rotary shaver is lightweight and inexpensive, but does not give a close shave and is difficult to clean. By contrast, my Braun foil shaver gives a *much *closer shave and is very easy to clean, but it’s somewhat heavier and significantly more expensive. It should also be mentioned that although the Braun provides a closer shave, it requires many many passes in order for it to do so. In other words, if you want a close shave, you must use a foil shaver *and *it will require quite a bit of time.
So here’s my general routine:
Saturday: No shaving.
Sunday: No shaving.
Monday morning: I have significant growth. So I used my rotary shaver to quickly get rif of most of it, and then use my foil shaver to get a close shave.
Tuesday morning: Foil shaver.
Wednesday morning: Foil shaver.
Thursday morning: Foil shaver.
Friday morning: Foil shaver.
I have a Norleco 3-head shaver. It’s can’t be used wet, but it can be rinsed clean, which is a big help. It gives me a fairly close shave, but it takes a long time - many, many passes to get a close shave.
I have used electric razors for about half my life and blades the other half. I have a very light beard. I can almost get away with shaving every other day.
The only one’s I liked was Phillips/Norelco. I found Braun gave an equally good save but their foils chipped very easily and that is annoying after two months to find the foil chipped. The foil is the part that protects the skin from the blades.
Tips for using electrics. For blades it’s best to keep your hair as wet and moist as possible, thus shaving cream. For electrics, it’s the opposite. You need your face as DRY as possible. So if you have oily skin, you won’t get as good a shave.
You can buy power (don’t use baby powder), especially made to make the beard dry, if this becomes a problem.
There is a lot more stretching involved with electrics to get a close shave. This may annoy you at first, but after a week or so, it becomes second nature and you don’t notice.
You DO have to shave exclusively with the electric to get your skin used to it. This is around 2 to 4 weeks. Don’t switch to blades during that time.
Again, I have a light beard so your results may be different, as one poster noted Braun’s were better and I found them about equal (or just a bit less) than Norelco electric.
I think beowulff and I have the same model. I’ve only had three Norelco razors in my, but each one has lasted 7+ years. Sometimes I’ve performed surgery on the razors (open it up and re-solder some NiCads in there), but the latest one I have I got as a gift. It can be rinsed clean, but sometimes the heads fall out if you rinse too vigorously.
You do have to take a while, but usually about half the time if you make sure to shave every day. More if you have a thick beard. I’m lucky; I have a light beard. But I have to make sure to shave every day, or else I’m there for a while at the sink. (Bonus: You don’t have to be at the sink.)
I do like to take my time and shave with a proper razor, but if I’m in a rush I don’t want to risk cutting myself and walking out the door bleeding.
Another plus for the Norelco: All three models I’ve had, I’ve only bought replacement blades for one. That was only because I was in the store and noticed they had replacement blades. It took me six months to remember to write down the correct model number, but I finally did it. I only did it because I had never done it before and I thought the blades were getting old. Didn’t really notice a difference though. MORAL: The blades don’t seem to go dull. At least not in my case.
So my vote is for a good electric. They’re good for travel, too. Or in your desk at work. Hell, you’ve probably got a phone charger cord at your desk, don’t you?
Nothing to do with actual shaving, per se, but I was astounded to find there is an electric shaver repair shop still in business downtown. It’s been there for decades. Buster Brown Shoes, The Caramel Corn Shop, the shoe repair shop - all gone, but the electric shaver shop is still in business.
Norelco with an adjustable head if they still sell them. I don’t use adjustable myself, as I’m great with as close as I can get. I sit in my comfy chair, read the Dope and shave until I don’t have any more stubble to the touch.
I have a Philips 3 head rotary type shaver, cost something like $70. It works pretty well, but it gets significantly crappier if you skip days. My beard doesn’t grow too quickly, and if I skip two or more days (like this morning after not shaving all weekend), it takes awhile to get all the hair off.