Electric razor

[NavyStyles]

I've been thinking a lot recently about purchasing an electric razor (You probably gathered that much from the title). I've always used a blade. It's pretty much always been a Mach 3 - and I've since adapted to the "Turbo" replacement heads. Anyway, I like the close shave and smooth skin. It's very nice Â

   But, after growing out my facial hair because I don't find/give myself time to shave, it can be a hassle to do so. I'd imagine an electric would cut down on the time but sacrifice the closeness. Though, the only opinion I got was in off-handedly mentioning it to my older brother who hasn't used one in a while. So, technology may have improved how smooth it'll getcha. Plus, I was pretty much sold on those "goo" commercials. Â

  I'm wondering if it's worth the investment. They aren't exactly cheap -- of course, I'd guess they last pretty long. Anyway, what are your thoughts? Good brands? Bad ones? Â

 Stick with the blade?

 

[mbc]

First of all, you should check out the reviews on http://www.epinions.com Secondly: I have heard bad things about the electric razors with rotary foils... I hear that the straight foils are much better. I have a year or two older model of this: http://www.remington-products.com/us...s/ms33700.html I like it. It doesn't do my whole neck very well, so I might have to touch up a couple of spots with a safety razor every now and then... but other than that, good times.

 

[NavyStyles]

Thanks for the advice and links, Matt. What negative things have you heard about the rotary foils exactly? Anyone use a Norelco? That's what I think of when I hear rotary foils. Just trying to gather some more info...

 

[Bradford]

Navy -

I use the Mach 3 also, but I do own a Norelco. You get a much closer shave with the blade, but you are correct, the electric is faster.

The Norelco does an OK job if you use it before doing anything else, i.e. washing your face or showering. Unlike with the blade, it seems to work better when your face is dry. Unfortunately, this also seems to dry out your skin somewhat and leaves it dryer even after applying moisturizer.

My personal preference is to shave with a blade in the morning (I actually shave in the shower) and keep the Norelco for afternoon touch ups - generally if I have a business meeting or social event to attend in the evening and want to get rid of any sort of 5 o'clock shadow.

Hope this helps,
Bradford

P.S. Glad to see you're back and hope you're enjoying life at Tulane.

 

[NavyStyles]

Bradford,

   Thanks for the info on the Norelco. I always figured the goo helped keep some moisture in your skin, but I guess not. Oh well. Looks like the marketing department there did a good enough job to rope me in. I appreciate the advice.

   And thanks for the well wishes. I am having a great time at Tulane.

 

[Mike C.]

Dude, DON'T get that razor with the goo. I got it when it first came out, and it's terrible. The goo is messy and doesn't really do all that much. You'd be better off getting a shaver like the one Matt posted about.

 As for the closeness, I've found shavers to be just as close as blades when shaving my face. However, when it comes to my neck they are just plain horrible. It might be just me though cause my face is angular as hell.

  Anyways, I still haven't been clean shaven is over 9 months, I use a beard trimmer to keep the stubble short.

You're at Tulane, awesome... my bro is a freshman there.

 

[mbc]

The big issues I read about with the rotary foils were that they either didn't catch enough hairs to be useful, or that they caught too much and pulled on the hair before cutting it, which can be painful. Overall the sentiment seemed to be that they lacked precision.

 

[jharrison]

I just want to confirm what Matt has heard. I have a Norelco and it has a tendency to pinch and pull hair rather that slice it cleanly off. If you can make the time, you're much better off with a Mach 3.

One thing to consider: I have a low-end Norelco (goo-less, if you will). Performance might improve as you move up their shaver line.

 

[GQ Lawyer]

I've got the Braun Syncro 7680 Electric Shaver and although I do use the Mach 3 more often (smoother, closer shave), I have had nothing but great results with this electric razor. I do have to admit, the self cleaning part is a bit gimicky. I have seen that you can get the razor without the cleaning base (and just clean it by hand).

 

[NavyStyles]

Thanks for all the advice fellas. I'm really glad I asked, because I would've gone with a Norelco - goo or not, that apparently would be a bad decision. Especially with the hair pulling. That sounds like something I can surely do without.

One thing I've always hated is when I miss a spot on my neck. This kid I used to know NEVER shaved there. He didn't have enough hair for it to be thick, but his neck always had stubble on it -- all over it.. Not just a small patch that he overlooked. I think it looks terribly sloppy.

Well, I think I'm going to look into the Braun that GQL mentioned and the Remington that Matt recommended.

 

[matadorpoeta]

my two cents:
if you have a tough beard, go with a braun, trust me. it may actually shave you closer than a blade if you use it daily. if you don't shave often, an electric is useless, as it has problems dealing with three or four day beards.

if you don't have a tough beard, i wouldn't bother with an electric. it won't save you that much time, and you'll get a cleaner shave with a blade.

also, there is no need to spend more than sixty or seventy dollars. the upper end models don't shave you any closer.

 

[High_Roller]

You can never go wrong with Braun. I used my syncro shaver for three years before the rechargeable batteries died. I think I might have been charging it up too often before the battery was low. But the closeness of the shave was astonishing.

A couple days ago (after the syncro was no longer useable) I bought the Braun 5000 model. With the Flex technology. I've only used it twice so far and it gives an even closer shave than the more expensive syncro model.

I also need to have the pop-out trimmer on my electric razors. Those are great for the back of the neck and trimming eyebrows or sideburns.