Norelco 8865XL Spectra Shaving System

by Norelco

Product Features

• 2-stage cutting action or contour control for closer shave
• Personal Comfort Control Selector Dial for maximize comfort and provide closer shave
• Contour Control automatically adjusts in multiple directions to hug the unique contours of your face
• Full-Width Precision Trimmer for grooming mustache and sideburns
• Ultra Silent System low noise motor allows for a quiet shave

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Equipped with a dial that varies the spring and pressure of its three floating heads through nine settings to suit skin sensitivity, this corded/cordless electric shaver offers customized shaving comfort. For its Spectra models, Norelco has improved the patented Lift and Cut, below-skin shaving technology of its two-stage cutting system, which provides slots for longer hairs and holes for stubble while the floating heads adjust individually to facial contours. A full-width trimmer pops up for neat work on sideburns and mustaches. On the front is an LED meter that tells how many minutes of shaving time remain when the shaver is operating cordless on its lithium-ion battery. A six-minute quick charge is good for a single shave, while a one-hour full charge provides 100 minutes of cordless shaving. The shaver fits the hand beautifully and goes on the road in a travel pouch while automatically adjusting to worldwide voltage variances. It carries a 60-day, full-satisfaction, money-back guarantee and a two-year warranty against defects. --Fred Brack

Product Description

Speed, comfort, and practicality sum up to a close shave that rides a man's face like a high-performance sports car - gripping the contours for maximum coverage. Individually Floating Heads move independently for a closer, more comfortable shave Improved Patented Lift and Cut Technology enhancement to Norelco patented Lift & Cut system 1-hour Full Charge for up to 45 minutes shaving Includes Charging Stand and Storage Pouch

Product Details

Product Manual [602kb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 10.5 x 4 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• ASIN: B000068PBK
• UPC: 075020208972
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #241,055 in Health & Personal Care (See Top 100 in Health & Personal Care)
  • #95 in Health & Personal Care > Personal Care > Shaving & Hair Removal > Electric Shavers > Men's > Rotary Shavers

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 100 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I trust Norelco, but has their quality gone down?, September 27, 2002

By 

M. Byer (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Norelco 8865XL Spectra Shaving System

QUALITY: I have been using my OLD Norelco razor for almost 12 years. Since I excercise the batteries "correctly" (full discharge->full charge) they have lasted up until now. I don't baby it, and I have only had to replace the cutting heads a few times. The old Norelco was built like a tank and has been reliable and DURABLE. I recently started looking for a replacement and figured that if the new razor lasts only half as long, even $$$ is money well spent.
Upon opening the box, i was disappointed in several minor ways:
1) Can Norelco PLEASE learn "green" packaging? There is far more blow-molded plastic than necessary. The razor is about 16X the volume of the package.
2) The AC adapter has "grown" compared to the old model. It now has a small wall-wart. The older models used to be a simple plug into the wall. This could be annoying if I lose the special adapter.
3) The travel bag is an obnoxiuos light gray with a hint of lavendar, and larger than necessary. Simply not the most masculine of travel bags.
4) The fairly symmetrical head has a slightly asymmetrical clear plastic cover with no good directionality indicator. This lack of a poke-a-yoke means I'm gonna throw it out soon and go without it. Oh, and it doesn't stay on all that tight, either.
5) After first use, I did a "practice" clean. This worked fine until I gave it a minor shake dry....the head fell off! Easy to put back on (it's a simple metal leaf-spring), but funny nonetheless. C'mon Norelco....this is a "MAN's" product.

HOWEVER->
1+ It definitely gives a much closer shave than my old NORELCO, and quickly!
2+ It holds a lot of charge
3+ (Like my old unit) it has the sensitivity adjustment
4+ Even on "Normal" sensitivity, it doesn't pinch
my neck like the older model did.
5+ The trimmer works really well.
6+ The AC adapter cord stretches to 6ft easily.
OVERALL RATING: 4 stars. Although it doesn't feel like the tank my old unit was, this is definitely a top notch razor. I would have given it 5 stars except for the clear plastic cover. I plan on getting a good 5 years of daily shaves out of this one. WELL WORTH THE MONEY and i'm glad I bought it.

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, even for a blade-user, September 2, 2003

By 

Jason M. Wisnieski "atteSmythe" (Garfield Hts., OH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Norelco 8865XL Spectra Shaving System

I bought this shaver a while ago, but I wanted to wait at least a month before writing my review, since it's supposed to take about that long before your face is used to an electric razor.

This is my first electric, and I was concerned going into it. I looked at the price of good standard blades, though, and saw how quickly an electric razor would pay for itself. I'll never go back. For the first week, the shave was not as close as I had become accustomed with using a blade. After that, though, I've gotten closer and closer shaves by the week. After a little more than a month of using the Spectra, my skin is now smooth even against the grain. I've gotten back to where I was with a blade.

The Pros:
- Shaving takes easily only half the time as it did with a straight razor.
- I can shave any time, any where. With a blade, if I tried to shave more than once per day, I'd cut myself all up into a bloody mess. With this electric, I do notice some discomfort after having shaved a second time in a day, but it gets a nice close shave. A little after shave takes care of the sting, and I'm good to go again.
- No mess. I really don't miss having to use shaving cream, even my nifty hot-lather shaving cream.

The Cons:
- Motor power seems to wind down a bit towards the end of the battery charge. It's not too bad, but it seems to take longer to shave at the end of the charge, and I don't want to charge it early for fear of damaging the battery.
- This is really a minor quibble, but I thought I'd mention it: Since this razor rinses clean under tap water, what few bits of hair are still left over are sitting in water over night. Every time I use the razor, for the first minute of shaving, it smells very strongly of old, wet hair.

Tips:
- Blade users: Apply less pressure than you're used to. I find I get a better shave when the razor is touching the skin firmly, noticibly, but not pressing in at all.
- Rinse it out every day, and turn the faucet up high. If you let it go a couple days without rinsing, it's much harder to clean out. It only takes a couple seconds, so why not?
- Shave daily. I find that if I let my beard get a little longer the shaver still does a pretty good job. However, there will always be a few hairs that grew too long, curling down, that are not lifted by the razor head. Just shave daily, when you only have stubble, to avoid this.
- Get a makeup mirror! These little mirrors are concave, magnifying your face so you can see where you've missed more easily. I mounted mine to the wall, slightly below my chin. Now I can more easily see if I've shaved my neck well.

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great shaving results!, July 11, 2003

By 

"kolchakcarl" (Republic, OHIO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Norelco 8865XL Spectra Shaving System

The good: Clean, close, comfy, fast shave. Relatively quiet. Good warranty. Gets the tough areas (neck) quickly. Can wet-clean it!

The not so good: Old-school charging system and NO smart-charging system (come on Norelco, get with it!!). No rubber-grips. Not enough extras or product for the price.

After my bad experience with Braun's expensive, non-performing shaver, I traded it for another Norelco. My previous Norelco lasted me 6 years...why I tried Braun's I'll never know.

Once again, my Norelco is giving me a clean, and VERY close shave. The new Spectra system seems to be a hybrid between old reflex and the quadra system. Whatever it is, it works for me.

However, if Norelco wants to keep my business in the future they need to start adding better (smarter) functions to the razors and quit with the marketing ploys in their product line...stick to what works.

Technology is sufficiently advanced that they can, could and SHOULD start making their shavers with smart-charging systems like Braun!! And put rubber grips on the side of these things!! Do you not realize that we need traction?

Also, packaging the same razor body style with or without LED is just silly, choose a style that works best and go with it.

Plus, for the price of this thing, they need to throw in a free set of replacement blades or even some lube-oil or something, and not just that cheap travel case.

Overall I am happy with the performance of the razor, I just wish Norelco would bring a few more percs to the table for the prices they charge.