The closest I have ever gotten to electric shavers are the new 5 blade Gillette Fusion which is battery operated but sill straight blade. I love it.

Forgive my ignorance, but what in the world does the battery in that razor do?

Thanks for the tips, Norm. As far as I understand, women’s razors rotate at a slower speed than men’s razors. Is there a particular reason for that?

The batteries make the razor vibrate sending out micropluses.


Check this out.
http://www.gillettefusion.com/us/
Funny to watch, eitherway. It the Power version.

Yes, I saw that. The cute virtual lady in the video definitely sends micropulses my way...

But I didn’t see anything about what the razor’s micropulses allegedly achieve, nor why, nor any reference to comparative tests. I know Gillette has to come up with a "revolutionary new product" every few years, and that they have reached "Mach 5" (:D), but is this anything more than an empty advertising scam?

(If I’m knocking someone’s favourite razers, please be assured that the question arises from my ignorance, and not an intention to offend.)

With bearded regards,
ArcticStones

It works well for me, but I guess maybe I take long showers. It usually takes me a while to fully wake up in the morning. :o

No worries, no offense taken.

The vibrating is susposed to raise the hairs up a little so you don't need to go over the same place twice, so less iritation.
Wether is actually works or not, I'm not too sure, but I do know I like the Power vs the non power and fine I get a better shave. I also find the 5 blades better than the "old" 3 blades.

I also admit I am a Gillette razor junkie and have to have their latest one. But so far they have brain washed me enought I think the newest version is better than the last.

I guess you'd have to see for your self.

Panasonic Wet/Dry Shaver
 

I know this thread is quite old -- but since I started it and have something else to add to the topic at hand I figure it is appropriate :).

I'm not sure if I ever reported back, but I ended up getting the Braun 8585 electric shaver. It was alright. I used it for about 6 months until I switched back to blade razors -- even at 6 months I was getting a lot of chafing of my skin and not a really good shave at all (even after replacing the foil).

I decided since that was the top of the line shaver and it didn't work too well all electric shavers must be equal to it or worse in performance.

I have been using blade razors (Schick Quattro) for the past year and a half. It does a pretty good job with not as much irritation (I would shave with it during long, hot showers). Well actually that isn't totally true -- about 7 months ago I did try the Norelco Arcitec for two weeks but that electric razor was just as bad as the Braun but with more irritation. But back to blade shaving -- the only thing about it was my face would have that raw and sensitive feeling for 2-3 days following the shave. This effectively denied any chance I would have at shaving every day as I seem to have very sensitive skin. I would also get a fair amount of razor bumps from the shave which at times made me feel like I was back in middle school with acne.

Two weeks ago I got fed up with blade shaving yet again and began looking for alternatives to the Braun 8585. I had always remembered this thread because CAlvarez had mentioned he used a Panasonic wet/dry shaver and liked it. The idea of a wet/dry electric shaver intrigued me since that post was written but I wasn't ready to reinvest in a different (and pricey) electric razor so soon after my failed attempt to incorporate the Braun into my shaving regimen (the Arcitec was much more of an impulsive purchase).

I scoured the internet for two weeks reading every review I could on any site that had them. I came to the conclusion that Panasonic does indeed make very good electric wet/dry shavers in terms of closeness of the shave and lack of irritation (as per many, many user reviews on various sites about Panasonic's shavers).

I ended up purchasing the Panasonic ES8228S Vortex Nano. It is essentially the same thing as the cheaper Panasonic ES8109S Vortex Nano save some aesthetic differences. I would have gotten the ES8109S but the ES8228S was the only one Target had in stock when I went to purchase it.

Anyway, I have been using this shaver for two weeks and it is amazing. From the very first time I shaved with it (fresh off using a blade razor for pretty much year and a half) I got a very good shave with little irritation (some around my neck, but that was specific to the first few shaves only as my skin was still adjusting). I now get an extremely close shave -- I cannot tell the difference between a blade shave and a shave from this shaver -- with no irritation (no razor bumps/burn).

I use it in a long, hot shower with my regular shaving cream and it easily cuts through my beard without issue.

The cleaning base station is kind of useless (it's very easy to just pop off the foil and clean the vibrating trimmer coils right there in the shower) but I decided I'll run it through the base station once every two weeks or so just for good measure.

A lot of the reviews I read boasted how close the shave was even when compared with a blade razor. I was skeptical that it could be that close...but I can tell you that it from my experience the claims are certainly well founded.

So if anyone is in the market for a new electric razor you should definitely give this model a good, hard look -- especially if you overly sensitive skin like me.

Edit: It seems that my memory is playing tricks on me -- I could have sworn CAlvarez suggested a Panasonic wet/dry shaver but that doesn't seem to be the case :)

How do electrics handle longer growth? I currently use a blade but only every couple of days because my neck gets pretty irritated when I shave more frequently. I've found a good gel shaving cream the most effective thing for reducing the irritation (Nivea sensitive).

It depends on the shaver. Most have a separate "blade" used just for trimming if the shaver doesn't pick them up on its own. I haven't had experience with this shaver and longer hairs because I have been shaving every day with it (once or twice I've skipped a day).

Once I let it lapse a bit I'll let you know.

I can tell you that the Braun was horrible at shaving my neck. It missed even the short hairs there.

Yes, my local barber does. Not sure exactly what kind of razor he uses, but it's not from Motorola so it works good enough for my face..... Costs about $15.00

Is it a straight blade?

I had a barber shave my face with a straight blade and it was a pretty good shave...but it cost $30 so it's not something I'd make part of my routine :)

I thought of your post today because I have been absolutely swamped this last week and didn't have time to shave, so I had a good 7 days of growth and I shaved with the Panasonic in the shower just a few minutes ago and it was terrific. I notice that it sometimes leaves a stray hair or two on the most difficult parts of my neck, but for those I just popped out the trimmer (which, unlike my past electric shavers, this one is actually quite useful) and cut them right off.

It cut through my thick beard with ease and no irritation. It took a bit longer than when I had shorter facial hair but that's to be expected.

But the BEST thing about it is that there was absolutely no pulling whatsoever (the last looming concern I had about this product). Both other electric shavers exhibited nasty tendencies to pull on my hair a lot when it got longer...even blade shaving was much more painful than usual if I hadn't shaved for more than a few days. I don't know how this shaver does it, but it does a terrific job.

Hope that helps :)