Shavers.

[Chako]

I have a lot of multi-tools. Not because I am in search of my ideal multi-tool, but because I like collecting them. Thankfully I know exactly what I want and what I need in a multi-tool. Of course, I have a wonderful array of them to try out and pinpoint those notions but I really did not need to do such. I guess my needs are modest when it comes down to multi-tools as an EDC.

With that said, I am on a never ending quest to find my ideal shaver. Thus far, my perfect shaver has escaped me. It came really close when I had a pair of Philips Coolskin rotary shavers years ago. Unfortunately, the battery died and I threw them away after holding onto them for years in storage. I tried buying another one, but Philips discontinued the whole line. I still have some of the Nivea Coolkin lotion packets that would fit on the back of the razor with a hand actuated pump.

After that, I thought I would try a foil razor. I bought a Braun Series 5 with the cleaning station. Loved the cleaning station. Did not like the cartridges and their price. I also found the alcohol solution to be harsh on my skin. My razor was never cleaner though. Eventually, the solution would burn my skin and I decided to go up higher in the Braun lineup with a Series 7. Now this did a not bad job of shaving, but there was one thing I absolutely hated about this system. No integrated clipper. Oh there was another big annoyance, the desktop charger is a pain to use as the shaver fits on it very tightly, and fitting the razon onto the charging port was akin to playing luner lander as a kid.  After a while, I wanted to try another rotary shaver, and ended up on a Philips Series 5000. A great shaver that is far more quieter than the foils I own. I had to buy the desktop charging platform for it as it didn't come with the shaver I found locally. A huge improvement over what Braun has. I did find the blades did not last me very long. I shave once or twice daily and found I ran through them quickly. It is time to replace the blades and got to thinking maybe I should do some research and get a better model. I was going to try a Philips Prestige Series 9000 model but after doing some research, I settled on a Panasonic Arc 5 foil razor with cleaning station. I like how panasonic has their cleaning solutions in a powder form and you have to mix it with water. There is some cost savings there as I do recall the Braun cartridges were fairly pricey. I am told the panasonics give the best closest shave...at least from the many reviews I looked online for. Time will tell. I should be getting it sometime later next month.

Braun Series 5, Braun Series 7, and Philips Series 5000 shavers.
20240725_211141 by Chako, on Flickr

The series 5 and Series 5000 come with an integrated clipper, a must for me. I have read that Panasonic have the best clipper out on the market. I hope that is somewhat true.
20240725_211210 by Chako, on Flickr

Both Braun units have 3 cuitters. The Panasonic Ark 5 has 5. I wonder how that will feel. Apparently they have a higher up with 6 cutters. The Philips Series 5000 rotary shaver is excellent, but I don't want to change the blades every 6 months or so.
20240725_211228 by Chako, on Flickr

So a bit excited to get a Panasonic shaver. I have no experience with them. All of these other shavers I bought locally as nobody carries anything higher end in town. These were the highest I could find at the time locally. The Braun Series 5 I have is the now discontinued line. A reviewer stated that the old series 5 were better than many of the higher newer models. It sure felt that way with the series 7 that I have here from the newer generation. The Series 7 features a 3D head that flexes in all directions but found this to be a feature that didn't seem to do much for me.  Ah well, time will tell. I guess the search continues. I wish Philips continued with the Coolskin rotary shavers. I owned 2 different models and both were perfect. Sort of encouraged you to shave in the shower.

[Farmer X]

I recently ordered new heads and cutters for my Norelco. The minimum for free shipping was $25. Though the heads were $0.03 under that threshold and I didn't order anything else, I got free shipping. And the razor is pretty good. Norelco gets a from me.

Perhaps it is worth noting that I use an electric because I'm often in a hurry to get out of the house for an appointment. If I had an abundance of time (and a better water heater), I'd return to wet-shaving and never look back,

[Chako]

Same here, I would rather have a quick shave then slave over it with a hand razor. I can remember a time when my father would shave and come out with several little tissue papers stuck to his face where he cut himself. I guess that image has caused me to not go down that route, although I suspect that route might provide a nicer shave.

My Philips (I keep forgeting they are called Norelco in the US)  is requiring new heads. I have read that I could upgrade them to the higher dual cutters for the series 9000s but they cost 70 Canadian. I thought I should try another shaver instead.

[AzteCypher]

I've been using a safety razor for years as I found the disposable and electric ones would aggravate my skin too much.  Haven't looked back since.  It does take a bit longer but I've made it part of my daily routine for so long that it's second nature now.

[Farmer X]

I still have a safety razor laying around. They do give a very nice shave, provided you use the blade that best suits your skin and beard types.

[WaynejG]

Have tried various electric shavers over the years. Always end up with ingrown hairs. Gave it up as a bad job and grew a beard which I just trin with a clippers

[Chako]

Jujst got in the Panasonic in the mail. When I ordered it, I did not know it came from the UK. So much for my waranty. Ah well,there was no local place to buy one anyways. Thankfully the unit came with a North American adaptor. Charging it for now in its cleaner/charger.

[Chako]

Now that I have shaved with it for a few days, I can say it beats both of my Braun foil shavers. It is not as loud as them either.

20240730_030438 by Chako, on Flickr

20240730_030451 by Chako, on Flickr

The trimmer is easily the better of both Braun and Philips models. Panasonic knows how to do this really good.

20240730_030459 by Chako, on Flickr

20240730_030510 by Chako, on Flickr

I stil have my Philips series 5000 on the desktop charger as seen in this photo. The cleaning station is sort of feature rich. I like how the detergent comes in packets that you mix with tap water. They are also cheaper. Not alcohol based like my series 3 Braun that came with the cleaning station. This station will clean, lubricate and also dry your razor. It does take its sweet time, and is fairly loud after the initial sequence, buzzing at regular intervals. At least I do not hear it much as it is in bathroom...so that is a plus. You can also select the station to do either a clean, dry, or both.

20240730_030548 by Chako, on Flickr

20240730_030604 by Chako, on Flickr

so far I am really enjoying my one and only Panasonics. I liked Braun as well in the past, hence why I also bought a series 7 after I got tired of the 3. I still think I will buy an upgraded set of cutters for the Philips and have both running at the same time. There are times when a rotary is nicer.

[MadPlumbarian]

My perfect shave was a headblade for the top and a safety razor, but with a seizure disorder shaving isn’t something I do much, I forget the name of the electric one, I think a pitbull, I have but it has two diff heads, one to use on the face and another up top, at first it wasn’t too bad but I’d be getting a 5 o’clock shadow on my head within like 45min, I hate hair but I’ve pretty much given up shaving, I’ll just buzz everything when I get time..
JR