Braun’s top-of-the-line electric razor offers the best shave—even for heavy beards—at a higher price. Easily turn your shaver2 into a beard styler, a precision trimmer or a cleansing brush. Just click the attachment you want onto the handle to complete your look. If you’re looking for an affordable rotary shaver under $100 that can tackle just about any hair, you’re in luck. Philips The 3800 will grasp hairs in hard-to-reach areas (like your neck) and take on hairs of different lengths. Of course, there were plenty of stray hairs that the shaver missed.
I’ve tested many hair removal products including IPL devices, epilators (ouch!), DIY wax strips and refillable safety razors (which I really like). I have always been a manual razor person for my legs, though I have used an old Philips trimmer for years. Building on the research and testing we’ve done for seven years, we’ve looked into new models from competing brands that have been released, and we’re confident that the Braun line of foil shavers is the best available. And the Series 7 offers the best mix of effectiveness, features, and affordability of the line. On my quest to find out why this razor didn’t work very well, I also read that the razor is intended to be used with three days worth of facial hair growth.
Dan has been using this razor near-daily since 2018, and it still performs well. Its shave has remained close and comfortable and is still strong enough to mow through multiple days of growth when needed. The top-of-the-line Philips Norelco model philips razor is the best rotary shaver we’ve ever used. Our shavers (5000 Series and above) have 360-D flexibility, to keep optimum contact along your facial contours. This enables a more even distribution of the shaving pressure, for higher skin comfort.
Rinse your razor under water to remove hair and dirt, then take a light brush to your foil to remove any gunk buildup. It’s important to maintain the foil on your razor, as that is what helps give you a nice and even shave. If your foil gets dented or damaged, make sure to replace it immediately as that piece is the proverbial bread and butter to your shave.
Some of the other razors I tested include more attachments, such as an eyebrow groomer. (I don’t trust myself to get near my eyebrows with a razor.) Most options come with a bikini trimmer for detailing and manicuring body hair—in fact, that might be your primary reason for wanting one of these tools. The Philips razor comes with a 1-inch-wide bikini trimmer to use on its own to completely remove hair or to top with a comb to trim it to 0.125 inches long, something you might prefer if you’re prepping for waxing.
Meaning that if you’ve grown your beard out for more than three days, it’s not recommended to use it. We tried Philips Norelco’s lower-end rotary models but determined that the brand’s 9000 series performed better, and it was so closely priced that it was a better buy for most people. In our experience, the 4000-series razor didn’t shave closely enough to be worth their bargain prices.
This top-of-the-line Panasonic shaver includes a total of five blades—a quartet of foils and a single oscillating lift-and-cut center trimmer. The Arc5 is quieter than the Series 7, but the noise it does make is much higher pitched, which some may find annoying. If you find that Braun models aren’t working for you, the Arc5 might be a better option for your skin or hair type. The Lifeproof’s performance on all hair types (straight, curly, thick, and overly-curly) ranked surprisingly above average. This is quite a feat considering most foil shavers can find it challenging to deliver a close shave on wavy and curly beards without multiple passes.