Customer Reviews

Panasonic ES7103K Pro-Curve Wet/Dry Triple Head Shaver, Black

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(44)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I don't think there is a perfect electric shaver out there, but this is very close. This is my 3rd electric shavers I owned. My first electric shaver was a foil shaver from Braun and which did it job fine. After seeing all the Norelco's lift and cut commercial, I finally got the Norelco Spectra 8825 XL and finally replaced it with a Panasonic brand. I will compare this barebones Panasonic Es 7103k with the other models I used.

Closet shave:
I will have to give this to the Panasonic by a narrow margin then Braun at 2 and Norelco in 3rd. Before I got this model, I tried my brother Panasonic and actually got a cut. Wow, this electric shaver is the closest thing to a Bic razor. I have not yet gotten any cut or bleeding from this newer model, but my skin feels tender and definitely need some lotion afterward. The blade speed is 10k rpm compare to Braun at 7-8k rpm. Higher end Panasonic shavers go up to 13k rpm. I considered the Braun average and Norelco have trouble with thicker hair around the mustache area. All three does evenly in the bread part of the face with a long trimmer on the first wave and switching back to the main shaver for the softer cut. Hairs under the neck needs a first past with a long trimmer on the Braun and Norelco, but not necessary for the Panasonic, which seem to chop almost all areas evenly without the long hair trimmer.

Smooth shave:
Norelco or Panasonic, then Braun. While this model takes off my face top skin layer like no other electric razors out there, my skin does feels fresh after I give it some aftershave lotion. Norelco design hands down is the easiest on the face. No aftershave lotion at all. The triple rotating blades on the Spectra, while doesn't cut as close, definitely fits my face contour better creating an even cut. Braun (older model) definitely has a close shave but its foil/coil (not the current triple heads models) missed some hair under the neck and mustache and need more passes than both the Norelco and Panasonic.

Power:
While this is not the most powerful Panasonic model out there at 10k rpm, it definitely feels more powerful then Braun or Norelco. Granted the Norelco design is a little different. Norelco is the quietest follow by Braun. This model is also as noisily as my father Remington and tad under the decibel of some hair trimmer.

Construction:
I like Panasonic, Norelco and Braun design and construction for varies reason, the Remington design is another story. On the outside all three are equally solid. Under the blade, Panasonic looks the sturdiest. Its coils looks thicker then the Braun. I am not sure why all the plastic parts under the Spectra blade have never been broken all these years, but they still work fine. I got to say this flush on design and construction for all three bases on personal preferences.

Features:
All three were easily to wash. All three have swivel blade heads. Norelco has the best contour to face. Braun and Panasonic foil head pivot in different way. Panasonic head pivot side to side, horizontally, that doesn't lose power from the base motor. Braun head pivot vertically closer to the face, but comparably to a non-pivot head, it seem to lost power from the base motor in the design. Both Braun and Panasonic coils going up and down where this Panasonic triple blades move up and down independently. I am not sure if the 30 degree blade or its power is the reason why the Panasonic get the closet shave. The digital screen shows how much the battery is left, but is always on. The only drawback I see in this design is the rechargeable batteries. Only Norelco works both as a recharge and cord plug in. The older Braun and Panasonic work on a charge only and cannot plug and play. The Braun batteries died and never worked again, I hope this won't happen to the Panasonic. The newer Braun models have fixed this feature.Shave wet is a nice feature also.

Overall this is the closet shave for a barebones unit, and that price is right. Just wished it had the plug and play feature.

Bought this shaver due to its low price and decent spec's. When it arrived I figure I'd get a few months worth of usage and off to the garbage. I had gotten really tired of my older Remington Rotary leaving my face with razor burn and I considered a Foil Shaver this time might help? Well, the day I first used it I was left in complete amazement, it was actually a pleasure to shave and not have any irritation on my neck or the red blotches that accompanied my former shaves. This Electric Shaver has the Cutting Blade at a 30 degree angle, and a speed of 10K RPM which compare to other shaves is not a speed racer yet this formula seem to be the ticket!. It is also a wet/dry shaver, meaning it could be used while in the shower. I am wiling to venture and say that the slower speed and the angle of the blades are the contributing factor in my complete satisfaction with this Panasonic Shaver. The shaves are really close and although no electric shaver will completely match a razor blades shave, it does a fantastic job good enough to step outside looking clean shaven and fresh, you'll find yourself shaving so much more that the wife will start to wonder what's going on? I've even planned on purchasing a second unit as a backup since the price is right and it would be a better investment then purchasing the foil and blade replacement. Lets face it, (pun intended) when you look good you'll actually start feeling good specially when the feedback form your viewers is positive due to your representation. You gonna Love it!

I have used electric shavers for 25 years. Over the course of that time I've tried rotary, Braun and others. I converted to Panasonic and wet shaving a few years ago. I love the shaves I get from the wet electric. The Panasonic Linnear motors are great, but the real downer is that Panasonic makes it very difficult to change the batteries once they die out - which for me, even if I let them drain out to completely dead, is about 1.5 years (not long enough at all!). This design is completely bad for the environment - I wonder how long it will be before electric shavers go the route of cordless phones and have replaceable batteries. Since I got tired of buying $90-$100 shavers every 1.5 years, I purchsed this model which is at the low end and isn't a Linnear motor (Linnear is 13K RPM vs. this model which is like 10K RPM), in part as a means of protesting their anti-environmental design. The shave isn't quite as close or easy as a Linnear but it's easily 90% the quality for 40% less cost...and so far, the battery seems to be trending to last longer than the last Panasonic Linnear I bought which suggests that the batteries might be the same while the Linnear might require higher power to operate.

I have supremely sensitive skin on my face and neck. I've never had a good, painless shave in my life (with blades or other electric shavers) - until I used this shaver.

I use this shaver after a shower, using shaving cream, and I get a pain-free shave that's smoother than using a 3-blade razor. It gives me a near perfect shave! The battery lasts long as well (at least a week/charge).

Note, however, this shaver isn't a miracle worker. If I use this shaver "dry", I still get some irritation on my neck. Also, the razor can occasionally miss a few stubborn hairs on the neck (no matter how many times you try to mow them down). And finally, the digital battery display is not as precise as one may might think as it only works in steps of 20% (i.e. 0, 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100%).

Despite those faults, using this shaver "wet" is simply fantastic, and I couldn't recommend this shaver enough.

UPDATE: After using this shaver for a few weeks, it (magically) made my skin more resilient. So now I can even use standard 3-blade razors without cutting myself. I don't know how to explain it, but it's really been a boon for my skin. Now my regiment for shaving (if I have more than a day's growth on my face): buzz off any beard, shave with a 3-blade razor to get my hairs small, use the Panasonic shaver to remove the rest, leaving my face soft as a baby's butt. If it's only been a day, then just using the Panasonic is enough. It's great!

At a young 59 years old my husband, was just diagnosed with a heart condition that requires him to be on a blood thinning prescription. His Cariologist informed us that he could no longer use disposable razors. He has to be extremely careful not to even get a "Paper Cut". As it takes months to adjust the drugs to keep his blood at the thickness levels the Doctor wants, and he has a heavy beard growth, he couldn't go without shaving. All the research I did before I purchased this razor for him was well worth the time spent. According to my husband it's 100 times better than advertised. This razor gives as smooth a shave if not better than disposables and no knicks. In addition, it's easy to clean and maintain. We highly recommend this product.

I bought this shaver to replace my year-old bare bones Norelco shaver that had really lost it's edge. It was basically eating my face. The old Norelco was a rotary, and it was also my first shaver. After reading some comparisons online on Rotary vs. Foil, I decided to give foil a try, since most people said they gave a closer shave. I picked this Panasonic because it wasn't that expensive, and because I liked the idea of the small LCD screen. As soon as it came via UPS, I opened it up and tried it. It comes with a cap, charger, a few manuals, and a little traveling bag. The first time, I used it without any water; just dry. It worked fine, although I noticed that it missed a few hairs on my neck. My cheek, however, was left hairless. It also cut me near my Adam's apple, but I remembered that the same thing happened the first time I tried my Norelco shaver. My skin was obviously not used to a foil shaver. I tried it again using water, since the instruction manual said that that would give me a closer shave, and it did. It was more comfortable, missed less hairs, and was an overall closer, nicer shave. So, what's stopping me from giving this thing 5 stars? First, it's the fact that it misses a few hairs here and there. This can usually be handled by going over the zone a few times, but usually I just grab an old razor and quickly cut the missed hairs. Also, the LCD screen displays how much energy is left in the battery, that's great and all, but it displays it in intervals of 20, so it goes 0%...60%, 80%, 100%. It'd be nicer if it displayed the numbers in intervals of 5, but that's not a huge issue. I also did not like how loud this shaver is. I know foil shavers are supposed to be louder than rotary, and it's not extremely loud, but it's a little annoying for me. The last thing that I did not like was the fact that you can't have the shaver hooked up to the wall and shave at the same time. The shaver must have a charge for it to function. I bought this shaver already knowing that, so it's not that big of an issue either. Overall, this is a very good shaver, it works well, can be used with water for a more comfortable shave, looks good, gets virtually all the hairs, and gets closer than my Norelco shaver. It's also a lot easier to clean, all you do is put some liquid soap on it and rinse it out. Easy as that. If you're wondering whether or not this is worth the money, trust me, it is.

Over the years, I've bounced around and between different shaving methods - blades vs. electric; multi-blades vs single blade; rotary vs. straight. I always wanted to try a wet/dry shaver, and finally did so last year when I came across the Panasonic 4026 Panasonic ES4026NC Pro Curve Rechargeable Double Blade Wet/Dry Men's Shaver, Blue/Yellow at Best Buy for $20. Not to go into too much detail (you can read my 2 star review on that product page), but it was, in a word, disappointing.

But, I really liked the wet/dry concept, and went looking for a replacement. I needed to choose between a Braun and this ES7103K. I have to say, so far I am very, very pleased.

PROS:
1) It really works wet AND dry. With the 4026, it was impossible to shave dry, and wet really meant I had to lather my face with soap. This one works very well dry (for a quick touch-up) and GREAT wet, with or without soap.

2) Closer than a blade. I know this is a personal, subjective call, but to me, this absolutely shaves closer than a blade.

3) Long charge life - the old 4026 was good for maybe a week, TOPS. This one - I've gotten 3 weeks, MINIMUM.

4) Easy Clean - wet the shaving head; squirt a little hand soap on the head; turn it on; lather up; rinse off.

5) The trimmer WORKS - not always the case for electric shavers. This one works great on sideburns, beard/moustache edges, and necks.

6) Power meter - An easy to read DIGITAL battery gauge is in the handle, not a hard to see glow light. After three weeks, it went to "00" double zero, but still had plenty of juice to finish a shave. Most shavers I've had go flat as soon as the TIME TO CHARGE light comes on.

7) Quick Charge - 5 minute charge will give you enough juice to do a shave.

CONS:
There really is only one con, and it's more of a little annoyance than a deficiency. The battery gauge show a percent of charge left, but does it in 20% increments. So, it goes from 100, to 80, etc ... down to 20 then 00. The CHARGER warning starts to flash at 20%. Why not a true measure of battery capacity, or a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 countdown? Like I said, a little niggle ... which says a lot for this shaver!

I paid $60 for this at Best Buy; you can get it here for approximately $45. That's twice as much as the 4026. But, to me, this shaver is way more than twice or even three times as good. $20 for the 4026 was a waste of money; $60 for this is money well spent.

Time will tell if it is sturdier than my old 4026. If it is, I might come back and bump it up to a 5 star rating.

If you are choosing between this shaver and the ES8103, go with the ES8103. The ES7103K just does not have the power that you expect from a modern shaver. It will take you twice as long to shave as it does with the ES8103. The added power of the ES8103 also makes for a smoother shave. Don't waste your money on the ES7103K.

I have tried and reviewed just about every modern manual razor on the United States market in the past year, and found only a couple that provided a close and comfortable--yet cost effective--shave. Recently, though, a new job required me to change my shaving habits and begin shaving every day. At that point, I decided that the best option would be to go for a less-close, more forgiving electric shaver. After a lot of comparison shopping, I found this Panasonic model and took the plunge. I'm glad that I gave them a chance...it was worth it.

Aesthetics: 5 stars. This shaver looks and feels great. The design is very user-friendly...grips all around the razor, an innovative shape that fits well in any sized hand, and a good amount of weight added as well. It does not feel cheap, and actually seems extremely durable. The shaver also boasts an always-on LCD display showing battery strength. That, to me, was a great inclusion. Its plug port is located at the bottom of the razor, and do be aware--it does not work whlie plugged in.

Side note: Although the shaver does not work while plugged in, it does work consistently at the peak of its power while on battery. With my former Norelco, there was a noticeable drop in shaver RPM when it was on battery. Not so with the Panasonic. The shaver's power is as strong with a full charge as it is with a low battery.

The shave: 4.5 stars. I am extremely pleased with the comfort offered by the Panasonic. I changed from manual to electric because I knew that it would be the easiest way for me to get a decent shave every day without dealing with potential razor burn. What I did not realize is that this shaver would deliver as close of a shave as the manual razor I had been using did. I shave in two different methods with the Panasonic--and keep in mind, it is a wet/dry shaver. The first, and most typical method, is with a small amount of Lectric Shave splashed on my face in the moments before shaving. The second method is a wet shave with my Aveeno shave gel. I never thought that an electric razor would actually work well on a wet beard, but this just can't be beat. It is fully immersible in water, and washes clean with a rinse under the faucet--no cleaning tools needed.

Durability: 5 stars. The Panasonic has excellent battery life. For me, I am getting an average battery life of two weeks. Additionally, the razor itself is so solidly built that I anticipate a long life for it. There are no cleaning tools used when cleaning the razor, which is a pleasant surprise. A rinse under the faucet keeps it totally clean, inside and out.

Overall: 5 stars. There is just no other rating that I can think of. After using so many manual razors, it is refreshing to see a brand of electrics that rethinks typical shavers and goes for something innovative for today's man. Well done, Panasonic.

I bought this shaver in December 2009. Compared to my old Norelco rotary shaver, it is amazing and provides a close smooth shave. I am again a foil shaver convert.

7 months later, the shaver is dead. The first thing thing I noticed was that when the LCD said 40% charge left, the shaver just died instantly. Looking at the base where the power cord plugs in, there was rust like substance. Having put up with this for several charges, I was concerned that this might be unsafe and decided to investigate. I disassembled the shaver according to the instruction manual. One of the batteries had rust coloured stain for 3/4 of its length. There was evidence of water in the supposedly waterproof 'wet or dry' electronics compartment that held the battery. Looking closely, it was apparent that water had entered this waterproof shaver via where one of the prongs of the power cord enters that compartment. The battery is likely dead, but frankly I would no longer trust the integrity of the electronics.

Even though the 7103 uses NiMH rechargable batteries, you can't use normal batteries for this shaver. Panasonic has added a long spike on the +ve and a nipple on the -ve. You may be able to get them from a Panasonic service centre, but they will likely cost more than the shaver itself.

Looking at the design was interesting. The outer shell and rubber grips of the body that you see aren't meant to be watertight at all! The key is the inner shell. Assuming the battery/electronics compartment has a watertight seal (which looks well sealed to my eyes), both the prongs for the power cord and 2 other holes at the base of the shaver are the weak points.

Ironically, I normally dry shave, and only tried a wet shave about 3 times. I did, however, clean the shaver per the instructions after every shave.

For anyone who wants to avoid this and maximize the life of their 7103K, what I would recommend is:
* dry shave only
* when you clean the shaver, make sure that ONLY the head is rinsed under water. Keep as much water off the body where the switch, power cord and electronics are as possible.
* while leaving it to dry, make sure that the tail/bottom of the shaver is above the head of the shaver. This will ensure that water/moisture does not run down to the body of the shaver. An easy way is to lay the bottom of the shaver on the plastic cover of the head, so it's sloping down and any water will drain towards the head of the shaver.

I was happy with the shave, but extremely disappointed that the shaver didn't last. I might have been lucky previously, but I'd never had an electric shaver that didn't last longer than 7 years. So in good conscience, I can only give this a one star due to it only lasting 7 months.