Note that a blade and lather will pretty easily out-shave even the Panasonic – Arc 5, but it’s much closer than we thought it would be. We looked at “travel” razors, but so far as we can tell the only reason to buy them is if you absolutely cannot plug in your charger for a month. Even the power-hungry Panasonic Arc5 should give you at least two weeks of shaving on a charge, and the power adapters for our philips electric razor winners are dual-voltage for international compatibility with a simple plug adapter. Andis is a brand better known to barbers than to most of us, and the Profoil shaver has a long history cleaning up fades and necklines in some of the best barbershops in the country. For $100 this might be a worthwhile upgrade in closeness over the 4500, but for closer to $200 street price we’re just not convinced.
Rather than a single line of v-shaped cutting blades, though, shavers are a hole-filled “foil” of metal that can press safely against your skin and a blade inside that snips off hairs that poke through. Many shaver enthusiasts insist that the cleaning stand is an essential purchase with a Braun razor, and we think that’s a bit of an exaggeration. The Philips Norelco 6000 shaver lacks the power needed to philips razor perform close or comfortable shaves. The typical response to alleviate these issues is for the 6000’s users to apply more pressure while they shave. The correct response would be to invest in a more capable shaver, such as our Best Overall or Best Value picks. The precision trimmer located just behind the head, outperformed many of the shavers in this guide, making facial hair maintenance a breeze.
The price of the Arc5 is good compared to Braun’s top-end Series 9, so if you’re not trying to do anything tricky with detailed maneuvering this might be a better bet for the most luxurious shave you can get. For the rest of us, though, the price is just adding insult to a design that isn’t quite there. Maybe the most interesting feature of the rotary systems is that you can completely disassemble them for cleaning and maintenance. The rotary drive system is also extremely quiet in comparison to the back-and-forth buzz of other shavers.
We double-checked with our other tester, and we don’t think they’re broken, but they’re definitely not for everyone. For long stubble (still short enough that running over it with clippers didn’t make much difference) everyone agrees that the pulling and grabbing from a rotary isn’t worth it. Long stubble was the test that showed the most difference for us; the Series 3 is painful in four-day growth, philips electric shaver the Series 7 isn’t. If you’re not as sensitive to this prickly feeling you might be 100 percent OK with it, but if you want to go for a weekend without shaving the Series 7 or Panasonic shavers are well worth the extra coin. The big difference in long-term use is that the charging stand uses a solution of alcohol and oil that will keep the blade clean and lubricated while you’re not using it.
The Wahl Lifeproof electric shaver is a capable, durable option for those looking to stay well-groomed, on a budget. This information is sent to the GroomTribe app and used to suggest how I might improve my shave. This 30 day return policy does not apply to televisions, any over sized product(s) shipped via truck freight, cell phones or open box/clearance merchandise. All unlocked cell phones and open box/clearance merchandise are Final Sale. You might be hoping that shaving in the shower will help clean the blades, but you definitely want to check out ones with dedicated cleaning stations, as the blades will need regular lubricating to keep a keen edge.
The stand is a cool accessory if you want the shaver to loom over your bathroom countertop, but you can’t keep it in a drawer or cabinet. The refills are kind of annoying to deal with, and the cleaning process amplifies the normal buzzing sound of the shaver quite a bit. The way the thing starts and stops in cycles might even startle unsuspecting housemates early in the morning. Included in its beard styling package is a detachable trimmer head that comes with 5 trimmer comb guards. As well as a secondary detachable head accompanied by 4 sets of comb covers designed for maintaining different beard stubble lengths.
In practice, we’re pretty sure we could get quicker shaves with the Arc5’s extra foils, and in testing it seemed to clean up a few spots of short micro-stubble left behind by the Arc3. Compared to the Braun – Series 7, we’d say this is an easy win for Panasonic in overall performance and even comfort. This type of shaver isn’t the best for most people, but if your hairs just aren’t picked up by a straight foil then a rotary system might get you the close shave you’ve been looking for. For travel, Panasonic only includes a cheap velour pouch, which is a bit of a let-down at this price point. Press the power button to turn it on, then hold down until the lock symbol appears, hold it down again to unlock. We think the swivel-ring lock on the older Panasonic models is a little bit easier to use, but none of the other brands included a lock to keep the razor from starting in your suitcase.
Elsewhere, we’ve looked at a combination of user reviews, specs, and features – combined with those years of grooming expertise – to pick the cream of the electric shaver crop. If you’re more worried about irritation than the closest possible shave, Braun’s Series 7 is the system to beat. With amazing battery life and a convenient (if redundant) cleaning stand, this is a prestige piece that works hard to earn its steeper price tag. The Arc5’s extra foils did help mow down the heavy growth, though, and if you’re going from fuzz to clean-shaven every week this model would save you some time. There are two common approaches to making a small motor into a hair-shaving machine. Each design is a transformation of the tried-and-true hair clipper mechanism.