Most electric shavers are waterproof, rechargeable and cordless, which also means they can be used in the shower and easily cleaned — and yes, that means they pair nicely with shaving cream too. To help alleviate discomfort, I recommend applying a protective philips electric razor barrier between your face and your new shaver. This could be an electric shaving solution, face moisturizer, or shaving cream (essential oil-based versions). Additionally, shaving with no more than 2-3 days of beard growth is most ideal for these shavers.
Panasonic still sells a lot of these Arc4 shavers, but the middle child in the family has largely been forgotten. The 8900 might get a tiny bit closer in a few spots than the modestly priced 4500 model. The “8 direction” pivoting head didn’t seem any different, though, and even if the motor spins slightly faster, this shaver was just as painful and ineffective in long stubble.
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.
An electric shaver is considered the best alternative to wet-shaving if you want a closer shave multiple times per week. However, with my thick and overly curly beard, I found it very challenging to get a clean shave without multiple passes over the same area. That said, when tested on thin, straight beard hair, it did a very good job, delivering a close shave with much less effort. Its flexible shaving head allows its blades to freely navigate the contours of the face or to be locked into place for a more traditional shaving experience. All returns/exchanges require a Return Merchandise Authorization Number (RMA#).
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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 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.
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, 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.
Because any longer could prove to be a very uncomfortable experience since electric shavers are made for removing shorter hair. Lastly, shaving the most sensitive areas of the face first when the shaving head is cool, is recommended in order to avoid any extra shaving irritation. They’re also regarded to be better for sensitive skin, as they’re less likely to cause irritation or razor burn. The Panasonic ES-LS9A is one of the best electric shavers for sensitive skin, as it’s clever enough to automatically adjust its power according to the density of your beard.
In other words, any of these shavers should work even better on legs than they did on our faces. The fact that newer shavers are almost all waterproof is also a boon if you’re used to shaving your legs in the shower. It’s easy to angle a rotary drive shaft, so each of the circular cutters can tilt to follow tricky contours like your chin. That said, foil shavers already have some contour-following advantages with the 3D shape of their foils. So the difference between types in this regard isn’t as big as it might seem. For a barber, this might still be a decent choice; it’s a simple machine and the replacement foils are the cheapest we found.