Although no cleaning system is available, you can easily rinse the shaver under running water. The battery life is about 60 minutes, a bit less than what Braun’s model offers, but that should be more than enough for most people, even when you’re traveling. For the first iteration of this guide, we enlisted a panel of 12 to test a dozen electric razors each.
In 2019, we tested the S9000 Prestige (pictured), which includes a digital battery meter—a nonessential upgrade—but unlike the 9300 doesn’t come with a cleaning system. Among electric razors under $50, the Remington F outperformed lower-end Braun and Panasonic models in our testing. EVEN THOUGH my grooming routine is extensive, I’m a minimalist at heart. I like nothing more than an easy-to-use, no-fuss-no-muss product that can cut down my grooming time. I was still stuck on the pre-shave, shaving cream, razor, aftershave hamster wheel and couldn’t seem to get off. No matter what I did, and no matter what product I tried, I couldn’t seem to get rid of them.
You can use shavers in the shower, but a dry face is generally recommended to get the smoothest electric shave. We found that using shaving cream made for a foil-clogging, extra-gooey experience. Using shaving cream is likely to increase the amount of time you spend shaving, if you want to reach the closeness you’d get going dry. Because of their shape, Philips Norelco razors need to be held in the cleaning base by a kind of stalk-like support, which means an extra step of inserting the razor. You’ll have to decide whether the convenience is worth it; maintaining your shaver manually with the included cleaning brush is certainly easy enough. If you can’t find the 9300, get whichever 9000-series model is cheapest.
You can trim your beard using one of the attachable guards, which help keep the blade far enough from the skin to only cut the hairs to your desired length. When you’re shaving, the OneBlade goes flat against your skin and can go in either direction. Tilting it to an angle, to where the coated teeth are against your skin, you can sharpen your beard’s edges or carve out a mustache (or even mutton chops). The shaver includes an indicator to let you know when the time comes, and the cutters are usually in the $50 to $60 range.
If you follow all these steps you should be in good hands for getting a quality shave every time. Just make sure to take care of your razor and give it proper maintenance. And if you’re just starting out using an electric razor, give yourself a grace period for your skin to adjust (we touch on the reasoning for this more down below). So overall, what you get with the Series 8 is a high quality trimmer for about $75 cheaper than the industry-leader. There may be something to that, but I gotta say, it sounds totally bogus to me. I’ve been using electric razors since I was 16 years old, and personally, I’m skeptical about the entire design of this razor.
And, its lightweight, easy-to-hold design made shaving feel almost effortless. Its hair-catch (located under the blades) can be removed for cleaning with the press of a button. I liked that its small charging stand makes for easy storage in tight spaces. In our roundup of the best electric razors, we picked the Philips Norelco 3800 as the best less-expensive overall razor for its simplicity and affordability. Right now, the bundle, which includes a charging stand and storage pouch, is 20 percent off. The new shavers with SkinIQ technology are equipped with advanced sensors that read and adapt to you.
However, one member of our test panel has been using a 4000-series model for years, and they still love it, even after trying much more expensive models. An electric razor needs break-in time—not for the razor, but for your face. If you’re switching from a manual to an electric, or even from one electric style to another, generally you’ll need to give your skin two weeks to adjust to the new tool.
Braun recommends replacement every 18 months (the block and foil come as a single unit, running about $30 for the Series 7 and $50 for the Series 9); Philips Norelco and Remington recommend annual replacement. Philips Norelco Shaver 6500 includes electric shaver, click-on beard styler, travel case, SH50 replacement heads, and power cord. The click-on beard styler can help you change your look with 5 length settings. Within a year, your shaver heads cut 4.5 million hairs on your face. The convenient and durable hard travel case is designed to store and protect your shaver whether you are at home or on-the-go.
I tried two at a time on my legs, underarms and bikini line to compare the results directly and eliminate the lesser one. I then pitted (sorry) that one against the next in the lineup, setting razors aside until I had four that philips electric razor performed relatively well. Finally, I tested those on my brunette husband’s coarser leg hair to give them a new challenge. Both of my top picks have a pivoting head, but I found that the Philips SatinShave was the easiest …