Customer Reviews

Cleancut ES412 Personal Shaver

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(20)

 

 

I don't generally write reviews, but after reading some of these, I felt I needed to share a little. I have been using the Seiko Cleancut for my underarms daily for at least 4 years, if not longer. In that time, the only problems I have had with ingrown hairs have been when I ended up using a disposable razor for whatever reason. And that was a constant battle before the Cleancut.

The only thing I have ever had to replace on it is batteries. And they seem to last quite awhile. I noticed a tiny chunk out of the plastic holding the blades a few days ago, which is why I was looking on here. The blades are still nice and sharp, but the plastic is beginning to give out. I figure that's fairly amazing, given the flimsey-ness and all that so many have complained about.

Yes, there is the occassional hair that you may have to work at (or cut with something else) due to the characteristics of that particular hair (lying flat against the skin, funky curl, etc), but for the most part, the Seiko Cleancut works beautifully.

I love this shaver. I have used several different types, and this is definately the best for size, shape, and effectiness. I have not found it to be more or less flimsy than any other brand I have used. The little round, domed head fits well with all of the curves on a female body, which I have not found to be the case with any other shaver.

I have pale, translucent, skin with dark hair. Typically, even after shaving, the dark hair still shows through my skin. This shaver shaves so close that I don't get that ugly effect, yet I still don't get ingrown hairs. It's like magic.

However, I have noticed that where hair is growing at an angle that lays flatter to the body, and is a bit longer than it should be, the shaver is not as effective and I have to go over and over, sometimes pressing lightly and flicking the shaver against the hair growth to get all of the hairs. Luckily, I don't have a lot of hairs with this growth pattern, but I can imagine that, for those who do, this would be very frustrating. The key is that the hair to be shaved (any hair, growing against the skin or not) needs to be very short- the shaver doesn't work at all if that is not the case. There is no short cut for this step - it makes the difference between complete success and total failure.

Unless your hair is super soft and fine, or growing flat against the skin, this shaver will be the best shaver you have ever used. Follow the instructions, and you will love this little gadget.

This shaver works perfectly if you follow the directions. The hair has to be a really specific length to work. The method that works for me: Use the included bikini line trimmer with shaving cream. Shave in the direction of hair growth. That leaves just the right length of stubble. Then apply powder to the area and use the Seiko against the direction of hair growth. (The powder is absolutely necessary!)

If you use the above method, you can then just use the Seiko every day to keep things smooth without having to use the bikini line trimmer again. Excellent product!

I researched personal shavers and read up on anything that seemed relevant. It seemed like this was the model to own. The common theme was that it worked excellent as long as you started with some stubble and used lots of babypowder/talc during the process. I should state that I am not a particularly hairy person so it's not as if I needed anything with "turbo shaving" abilities. That being said, it works "ok". Not nearly as well as I hoped but not as bad as I feared either. On the stubble that is readily accessed, no curves, no angles, it works pretty well assuming there is talc and that I go in a few directions - circles, with the grain, against the grain. For reasons I can't figure out, there is some stubble that I just can't get no matter what technique! The areas it does trim, it does an excellent job - very smooth and pain free and my skin hasn't been irritated afterwards. It's just those more awkward curves that it really can't seem to get to. I've only had it a couple of weeks so I'm still learning what works. I think I'll have to give up my quest for a completely naked nether region but I may be happy to opt for a nicely coiffed region.

This is the only shaver I have used for the last 10 plus years. This is my third one (the first two were droped and did not work well after). The first time you use it, you must have a very light ( small 1/8" stubble). Apply baby powder to the area you are going to shave (NEVER SHAVE DRY). You should use slow circular motions, pull the skin to make it tight then shave the area. You should now have an area that is as smooth as a babys butt. This Unit is the one used by most Porn Stars who do not Wax. You should shave everyday or at least every other day to keep clean. It takes me less than 10 minutes everyday to shave my junk.
Wishing you smooth skin :-)

Don't believe the negative reviews!

They aren't using it properly and for the very specific purpose that it was designed for.

This GREAT shaver was created to use within very limited and specific parameters. If you try to use it for anything else, or in any other way, it will not meet your expectations.

The CleanCut was designed for that most intimate and private area, on both men and women. It's quite a challenge to work in such a sensitive area, with so many folds and potential snags. But the authentic (more on that later) Japanese made CleanCut by Seiko does a very admirable job with few nicks or grabs, IF you use it right. And here's how to do that:

1) Start with clean dry skin. You must initially reduce the hair length down to a short stubble. You can do that in several ways such as using that straight razor one last time, or buy the companion shaver that was made just for this purpose, the Cleancut PS335 T-Shape Personal Shaver. The PS335 was developed after the ES412 just for the purpose of getting the hair down to the right length for the ES412 to work easily. Do be aware that the PS335 has a much more exposed blade and will nick you if you try to go too fast. See my review there. One of the key words with both of these shavers is Take Your Time.

2) Once the hair is short enough, you MUST dust the whole area with powder. This is NOT an option. The recommended powder for this shaver is Sween Body Powder (formerly Fordustin® Body Powder) With Noncaking, Natural Corn Starch. Do NOT use talc! Cover the area completely to lubricate the shaver blades and you'll have few nicks.

3) Because this shaver rarely grabs your skin, I have found that if you bunch the skin up rather than stretch it smooth, you'll hit a lot more of the hairs that lay down. You're not going to get all of them. Even a straight razor misses hairs so there is some work to it.

4) The shaver will get you pretty smooth, but you'll never get as smooth as with a straight blade. Sorry but it just isn't possible with any electric shaver because of the design. But at least with this shaver, you probably won't see too many razor bumps or ingrown hairs.

5) Shave once or twice a day, removing the longer "get away" hairs with the PS335 when you find them. If you wait too many days, then you will have to start over again.

If you follow those instructions, you'll have a pretty decent experience with this shaver. Don't try to use it on your face. It doesn't work well there.

And be sure to get the authentic Japanese, made by Seiko, CleanCut. There are Chinese fakes out there that are terrible, will break on you easily, and will grab your skin. Be forewarned and check when you get yours to see if it is the real thing. I've had mine now for four years, use it every day and it works exactly to my expectations.

Happy shaving!

i've had this razor for over a year now and it's an incredible little device. sure it's small, sure it's lightweight, but it has never nicked me. not ONE time - and that's what i and, i think it's safe to say, the majority of people most fear when buying an electric razor. your comparing this to the remington as if the dollar figure should correlate directly to the weight of the thing. i'm wondering if you even received the actual seiko cleancut as there are imposters.

as for the blades, yes it is three tiny blades on a piece of plastic, and i haven't had to order replacement blades in over a year and it still works as good as it did the day i bought it. even when i go longer than i should before cleaning it. i only came on here and saw this review because i was looking into buying a second one for someone else.

i have had other electric razors and they all end up with dents in the foil or a rechargeable battery that doesn't hold a charge. all contributing to that surprise snag that painfully pulls out or tugs on a hair. you will never experience that again with the cleancut!

I researched lots of shavers before choosing this one to create a Brazilian shave. I used my hubby's beard trimmer to get down to stubble, then trimmed with the cleancut. The shaver worked amazingly well on the most intimate areas, and the most tender skin. Perfectly baby smooth, just as advertised. However, I had a really hard time getting the longer, flat-laying hair - around the edges of the bikini line. In fact, this trimmer never did get those hairs, no matter how many times I went over them, how fast/slow or straight/circles. I used with and without the powder, and it didn't make any difference.

The shaver is very quiet, small, with absolutely no pulling, tugging, pinching or cutting. I was confident using it in every intimate area, and it performed well there. But, because it couldn't handle all my hair (plus it's too small/not designed to be used on softer hair like arms/legs) I returned it. I bought a Panasonic ES2216PC Close Curves Wet/Dry Ladies Shaver with Bikini Attachment, Mauve and this one does it all. Not baby smooth, but the pop up trimmer gets all those stray hairs, and it does a fine job with the intimate places. Ideally, you could get both of these for an absolutely perfect shave, but if you're only getting one, I prefer the Panasonic.

At first glance, this shaver appears less than one would hope or expect. However, put to the test, the ES412 exceeds in performance, easy of use, and satisfaction.

Closeness of Shave:
The product was initially purchased for female use, but has also been used for male areas with excellent results. The shaver produces a very close, smooth as silk shave on all body areas, when used with or without the supplied powder. Use of the powder is recommended to prevent ingrown hairs that could result from the very close shave; however, that has have never been a problem for either male or female use. We have NEVER suffered nicks to body areas with raised hair follicles for both male and female use. I would attributed this to the fine screen above the cutter head. (Perhaps the fine screen could be a problem with very coarse hairs, but not experienced by either here.)

Performance / power:
Battery life is very satisfactory with alkaline batteries. NiHydride batteries work perfectly in the shaver, but with shorter cycle times than alkalines; just as one would expect.

Ease of Use:
Cleaning the shaver is a snap, just unscrew the metal cap and wash. We use a small brush to adequately clean the cutters and below where hair and powder collect. Another added benefit of the fine screen is efficient capture allowing very little stubble or powder to leak from the shaver during use. The cutter head must be made using very hard metal as it has not dulled with use.

Repeat purchase:
I am purchasing a second shaver now, and together we give four thumbs up ;-)
Cheers!!

I'm puzzled, to say the least, by those few reviews that are 180 degrees from the majority of users.

This is truly the BEST close shaver you can buy, and I have tried many others. I just purchased 2 more, one for me and one for my wife. I (the male half) actually use it to shave my face, as well as other more personal areas, because it provides me with the closest shave I have ever experienced. I have had to purchase replacement units. Most recently the motor on my previous one went bad, but only after years of use.

The beauty of this unit is it's light weight, size and the simplicity of the design. We shouldn't measure its value on a price per pound basis, but rather its effectiveness. I travel extensively, and it's size makes it easy to transport, although you may have to explain it to airport security on occasion, since they have never seen anything like it.

The one thing I would like to see improved is the "case" provided with the unit. It's flimsy and doesn't provide for closure or unit protection. Since I travel, a hard case to protect the foil and blades would be nice.

Use it as directed and this unit performs exactly as promised. I have other intimate shavers I'm happy to give away. This one is a keeper!