Customer Reviews

Norelco Mens Shaver - 8150XL

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

 

 

I am a long time Norelco rotary user. More than 20 years.
In that time, I have owned 4 (i think) different units. I have generally owned just below the highest end units because the highest priced offerings did not generally offer a better shave. Usually more blinking lights and such but I am generally trying to be frugal on this purchase. Not cheap, frugal, meaning I want the absolute most I can get for my dollar.
Of course, when I bought my last shaver around 6 years ago, they did not sell any for $250. My how things have changed.

The 8150XL is an exceptionally sweet shave and very smooth. The experience is quite different from every previous unit I have owned in that the motor is extremely quiet. Indeed, if the fan is on in the bath, I cannot even tell if it's on except for the light. The shaver is very light and my first reaction was that it felt uh, well, cheap compared to my previous shaver. It is definitely a different animal than any previous piece I have owned. Super quiet, smooth, ultra light. These features did not give the shaver the heft of previous units and at first I was concerned.

After more than 40 days with this baby, I can tell you my concerns were not well founded. The first charge I placed on it last 27 days!!! I finally noticed a slowing of the rotors and stuck it back on the charger. I had been holding out because I am used to being concerned about battery memory and wanted to be sure it was sufficiently drained. However, a saturday afternoon read of the finer points in the manual reveal that this is supplied with a Li-ion battery. I believe a first for Norelco. I am stoked indeed. You can throw it on for a quick 15 min charge if you're in a hurry. Memory not an issue with this baby!

This is also to my knowledge, the lowest priced shaver that utilizes the SpeedXL shaving heads. This is the highest level head they sell and is used in all of the highest priced shavers and kits. If you use this shaver, you are essentially getting the same shave as the guy who bought the one next to it for $250.

Frugal indeed.

A+ Norelco.

I've had a Norelco for 20 years but this new model is really amazing. If you're already used to an electric shaver you'll be highly pleased with this European made model. It is lighter weight, but don't let that detract you from the effectiveness of it.

And you won't be disappointed with the closeness of the shave - my girlfriend loves it! :)

Norelco 8150XL Speed-XL Shaver (factory refurbished)I really like this shaver. This is my third or fourth Norelco rotary shaver. Many years ago I gave up on shaving with a blade. Just negotiating the facial terrain with a blade without drawing blood was near impossible. I remember trying a foil shaver that was very irritating but the Norelco rotary was very comfortable. And the blades last pretty much the life of the shaver. The only problem with an electric shaver is dealing with humidity. Shaving in the winter is much easier. My last Norelco was one of the ones that is supposed to squirt out the Nivea lotion onto your face. Forget about it. The lotion squiting function broke down within the first year so I would just soap up my face a little before shaving. Then I would wash out the razor afterwards, but the blades eventually would get caked up with the soap and hair particles. Periodically I would have to take the blades out and clean them with a little brush. With this 8150XL, it is first of all very quiet. It holds the charge for 3 to 4 weeks, plus has an indicator that tells you when to charge. So no getting stuck in the middle of a shave with the battery running out. In addition, you don't have to mount the razor into a charger apparatus. The charger just plugs right into the razor. You can even shave while the razor is plugged into the charger. It is washable, but I've decided not to try and soap up my face first on humid days. The cutting heads are mounted on a very cleverly engineered platform that bends with every curve, and I've been doing this long enough that I've found that I can get the job done without adding any soap into the equation. This way the blades don't get caked up. It's just a matter of rinsing the razor off thoroughly after each shave to get the hair particles out. I've had it about two months now and the blades are as clean as new. The only other thing to mention is the new configuration of the cutting heads, with the two concentric rows of blades...I can't say that I've noticed any difference either way as compared to the other cutting heads in my past Norelco shavers. Overall, this Norelco has a lot of pluses, and I'm glad I got it.

Got this for Father's Day. It was purchased at Target. It's been an OK razor. Nothing spectacular. The battery performance has been good, and it's been nice to be able to rinse it out under running water. I didn't have those features with my last razor (Remington Microscreen). The trimmer also works well.

I wouldn't recommend this razor to someone whose facial hair grows quickly. It would be a nightmare for someone like that. I have a baby face (my wife makes fun of me for it!) and when I shave with this razor, it takes me a good while to get everything. I have to make multiple passes, and it's very difficult to shave the chin area. It's also a bit painful when I shave after skipping a day.

In short, I'm satisfied with this shaver, but I'm not happy enough with it to recommend it.

I have owned 6 Norelco shavers over the years. I bought this one on a business trip when my previous 5810xl would not hold a charge. This shaver is super quiet. Why? Because it runs so slow! It takes twice as long to shave as any other Norelco triple head shaver of the past.
The shave is not as good either. It doesn't shave as close as the old 'lift and cut' blades.
The HQ9 heads have an extra row of teeth, but do little to make up for how slow they spin.
I appreciate the relatively good battery life, but that hardly makes up for the 8150xl's main flaw - that it can't shave! The other aggravating feature is the body of the shaver. Its too rounded. It has no flat sides and has a tendency to roll off my shelf in my bathroom cabinet. It forces one to use the stand - so you better have vertical storage space. The body is also bigger than it needs to be. Norelco! I'm not holding the shaver all day. It doesn't have to match my hand perfectly. I want a shaver that shaves well, has a flat side, and packs into a dop kit without taking up the whole space! This one doesn't! Hire back the old engineers!

I recently received this shaver as a gift. It replaced my Braun 360, which in my opinion was a terrible shaver. I used this Norelco for 2 months and it provided a better shave than the Braun, specifically on my neck. However, I brought out my old Norelco CoolSkin and the results were even better. My CoolSkin gives me a closer shave in a shorter amount of time. The reason I stopped using it was because I grew tired of replacing the lotion cartridges. Well, I will just have to put up with the lotion costs and messy cartridge swaps.

Really a great shaver. I've had a few other Norelcos over the years and this one is by far the best one I've used. Cuts easy and doesn't irritate my skin like my previous razor. And it's water resistant factor is a great plus.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!!!

The shaver is great, the HQ-8 and HQ-9 heads are worth every penny. The problem is Norelco's switch to Li-Ion batteries for their top end shavers. These batteries have two problems. First, they only last 2-3 years from the date of manufacturer and Norelco shavers do not work with a cord after the battery fails. Second, when they drop to around 50% charge level, the speed of the motor drops and the quality of the shave really goes down.

I love Norelco shavers; I have used them for 40 years. It is a shame that battery technology still has problems.

I got this razor at Target where it was mispriced ($20 off!). I've tried using it for three weeks, and can't say that it's a great product. It's just absolutely average.

Granted, all beard types are different. For years, I've been using a Braun Syncro. It's done well, but I wanted to get away from the cleaning cartridges and get something washable.

It takes several passes to get anything close to a good shave. Even after shaving, it still feels like there's stubble. This starts to fade, though, soon after you're done. (Perhaps it's a result of the "lift and cut" system?) Even after that, though, it's not as close for me as the Braun. It's also much harder to get the neck area and under the nose.

All in all, the motor is nice and quiet, it's easy to hold, etc. But the quality of the shave just isn't there. Back to the old Braun, I guess!

I was never really a huge fan because of two reasons: One, I never used one and always heard bad about electrics. Two, I'm someone who shaves both his face and head, so I always preferred the extreme closeness of a razorblade. I started considering an electric shaver when I heard that the technology has made leaps and bounds over the last few years. More importantly, I was getting really tired of the 20 or so minutes it took to make multiple passes with the razorblade, new coats of shaving cream, and using a ton of hot water when shaving my head every two or three days. It was getting wasteful and becoming a pain in the neck.

So, I figured I would give it a try. I saw this electric shaver for half price on Amazon and read the reviews. Mostly positive, I figured I had nothing to lose. After receiving this shaver, I can say with full confidence that I will never be turning back to razors. I never need shaving cream, hot water, or a new razor (which leads to even more money spent). It takes less than ten minutes to cover my entire head and the shaver cuts the hair EXTREMELY close. I would say the closeness is equivalent to if you shave in the morning, it's the hair that grows back within a few hours.

The great thing about the shaver as well is the fact that I don't have to be standing in front of a mirror in my bathroom for the duration of the shave. I can read my news in the morning, watch TV, anything I want, because the hair stays in the recepticle the entire time.

The last two things I will praise is the battery life and easy cleanup. First, the battery life is GREAT. I have not had to charge this shaver since the first charge over three weeks ago. Again, I'm shaving my head every two to three days. Second, the easy cleanup. When I say cleanup takes but thirty seconds, I'm not joking. This thing is so easy to clean! When you're done, you open the recepticle, get rid of the bulk of the hair, then you just rinse the entire thing out under warm water. You never have to worry about getting the water anywhere because the casing is water-tight. Dry off, and you're done.

Well, the headline says it. I made the switch and I'm never looking back. A great electric shaver and something I will be using for as long as it lasts, then I'll be purchasing another!