Customer Reviews

Norelco 8865XL Spectra Shaving System

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Recently my old electric shaver died, so I had to buy a new one. Since I have tough whiskers and sensitive skin, finding a shaver I can use without hurting the skin on my face and throat is difficult. But, fortunately, I had recently seen some ads on TV about the new Norelco Spectra shavers which have nine adjustable settings to allow them to be customized for closeness of shave and skin sensitivity. I was fascinated by this feature but, quite frankly, I was somewhat put off by the price -- which is significantly greater than I had ever previously paid for a shaver. But, on the other hand, I really wanted a shaver that would not hurt my sensitive skin -- and Norelco shavers have an excellent reputation for quality -- so I took a chance and bought a Spectra. Frankly, using a Spectra is unlike any of the dozen or more shavers I've used over decades of shaving. At the proper setting -- which requires a little (but not too much) trial and error -- it gives a comfortable shave much faster than I've ever experienced before. And the comb/cutter assembly can be cleaned quit simply with running water. Also, it has an indicator to show how much shaving time is left after each shave. If the adjustability, fast shaves, and features of this shaver appeal to you, you will probably find it worth the price.

Norelco is really pushing ahead to make their razors the only choice for blade haters. The Reflex action model was a big step forward with it's pivoting head that allowed the shaver to reach the tight spaces. The Quadra allowed washing the head to add greatly to convenience but overall it was a step backwards because it could not handle the longer hairs of 2-4 day growth, forcing you to shave everyday or keep a blade and cream handy. The Spectra solves that and also solves all issues with past shavers into one super shaver. The spectra seems to do everything right.

Easier to clean
More powerful
More swivel to the pivoting head.
Rugged quality and workmanship.
And of course a closer, quicker and more comfortable shave.

This is the best shaver bar none for getting all the stubborn hairs on the neck and jawline area which is a big issue with foil type shavers. Frustrated foil users who are not satisfied with loose hairs and rough stubble on the neck should look no further than the Spectra.

The only negative is the curved design of the body which is even more pronounced than that of the Quadra. It will roll like a rolling pin on the counter so take care to find a secure location to rest it after use or it will surely roll off and hit the floor.

Now is the time to throw away that blade. The Spectra will be your best friend in the morning.

A gift from my wife a year ago,it has been an inseperable companion since and works like a charm every morning. Began with a sensitive setting and moved to Normal over time. Even though this is my first electric shaver, the transition from the blade was uneventful and before long it became an integral part of the morning routine. Atleast 4 other friends have purchased this model on my recommendation and have enjoyed it. One notch below the top of the line in the spectra model line, it is everything you would need off an electric shaver. Along with the sideburns' trimmer, a nose hair trimmer would have completed the toolset required by a man to manage his facial hair.

I bought an electric shaver because I'm lazy. I used a Mach 3 for about 4 years and then upgraded to Mach 3 Turbo blades. I got a really close shave (I go with and against the grain) and with the exception of the right and left parts of my chin, there were no signs that facial hair even existed there. But this would take me forever, and the last thing I want to do when I wake up is shave. So I decided to buy an electric shaver. I've had the shaver for about two weeks now. I was not very content with my first coulple shaves, but things improved over time.

Pros
- Gets very close. The left and right sides of my chin are still difficult to shave, but I get much closer than I used to.
- Takes half the time to shave.
- There is a little collection compartmant that captures the hair so I can shave in my room while my roommates are taking a shower.
- It comes with 9 settings.

Cons
- Its difficult to shave around the neck. I tend to cut myself a little whenever I try.
- The cap was annoying at first becasue it is difficult to tell which side attaches to the front. I ended up drawing an arrow.
- Cleaing and drying it is kind of a pain.
- Near the end of the battery life, the shaver kind of dies down.

Overall, I am satisfied with my purchase. The instruction manuel recommends changing blades after a year (they cost about 20 dollars I think). I think its worth it.

GREAT shaver. Well worth the price! Updated/upgraded from a 10 year old similar model and this one is superb. Used by both husband and wife, the Spectra shaves faces, neck area and legs equally well. Lots of adjustment for closeness. Fits very nicely in the hand. It cleans very easily with the top piece flipping up to the side instead of coming apart separately. Nice feature. Haven't cleaned it under running water yet, our humidity is very high and don't want to worry about it drying completely between uses. QUICK charging and it has a great holder/stand. Would certainly encourage others to buy this product.

This is an excellent razor. It is my first electric razor, and I have not had any problems becoming adjusted to it. It is easy to clean, extremely quick, and rather elegant. The color is a little lame-- who wants to sell something called "eggplant" to men. Also, the clear plastic cover for the head is the bane of my existance.

But from the perspective of providing a clean, comfortable, and close shave, it's tops.