Customer Reviews

Panasonic ES8249K Arc IV Nano Vortex Wet/Dry Rechargeable Shaving System, Black

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Background: Have used Vortex shavers previously, several iterations. Coming now from a Braun Series 7 to try the 8249 ARC IV, so I thought a comparison would be useful. I switched from the Braun because the requirement (for me) to use an alcohol pre-shave was a bit irritating to my face; dry shaving also contributed to after-shave irritation. Previous Panasonics - and this one - used wet with shaving creme and water feel much nicer to the face after the shave. "Close" feel is very similar after shaving with both shavers; shaving takes about the same amount of time with both.

The Braun is significantly quieter, both in use and with the cleaning system; a whirring fan in the Panasonic still makes noise during the drying cycle after cleaning - the Braun is induction so is completely silent. The Braun also takes considerably less time for the cleaning cycle; if I interpreted the confusing Panasonic manual correctly, clean/dry/charge cycle takes 2 hours (update - after using it for awhile, I think it takes about an hour); one reference is for 2 hours 40 minutes, although it's difficult to tell what cycle was referenced (I believe the Braun was around 15-20 minutes).

The shaver LCD on the Panasonic goes out (at least on mine) when the shaver is being cleaned in the cleaning module, so you can't tell during cleaning what percent of charge remains; I suspect this is normal but it's impossible to tell from the instruction manual, and functionally it doesn't matter. The Braun system uses some sort of "logic" chip, so it "knows" if the shaver has just been cleaned or requires cleaning, or just charging; the Panasonic is just a washer and you have to select the mode.

Cleaning cartridges for the Panasonic are cheaper and less bulky to store than the Braun; should last the same number of shaves for both (about 30); not sure if you can tell when the cartridge needs to be changed in the Panasonic - the Braun device tells you. I also suspect the Braun system gets the shaver cleaner and more antiseptic than the Panasonic using alcohol-based fluid; eventually all my previous Panasonics developed a soap-scum and water mineral haze over shaver and cleaning unit; I anticipate the same with this one, but probably functionally doesn't matter. For the Braun, the down side of using alcohol is that it evaporates and is irritating.

The bottom line is the shave, and the Panasonic definitely is more comfortable when used wet (if I used it dry I would rate the Braun higher). Both shavers seem to have similar quality construction; I give the nod to the Panasonic in spite of the minor annoyances described because of the reduced irritation when used with water and shaving creme.

Updated review, 3 months later: Still getting a close, smooth, comfortable shave. Will continue to use the Panasonic vs the Braun. Cons: The cleaning unit never gave me an indication to change the cartridge, even after 30 days (it also doesn't smell as nice as the Braun). On reading the manual, it says "30-40 days", which is good with respect to the longevity of the cartridge, but I changed it after almost all of the water had evaporated from the tank. Couldn't be good for the unit to run dry, so I would recommend monitoring the water level rather than rely on an indicator light (if one ever shows). I also still get a soap film on the inside of the shaving head, and a slight film on the interior of the cleaning unit, even using distilled water; expected this, and it doesn't seem to affect the function of the unit. I also got a "change head" indicator after 3 months use (probably because my shaving time is 10 minutes or so - 3 minutes is WAY optimistic); easy to reset, but there's no "logic" behind this notification; I expect I'll change the head after 6-12 months.

Pros: So far, so good, and still delivers a great shave, with all the little quirks. I would recommend it.

Introduction:
Everyday, I wake up in the mourning and have to shave. My current shaver(Panasonic EX8066) was on its last leg, and I knew it was time to get a new one.

I tried researching shavers online, and was disappointed that there was really no reviews out their. Braun, panasonic, and Remington websites were worthless in telling me about there products. In fact Braun redesigned their website when I was researching and they improved a little. But Braun website lists the Braun 790cc and Braun 760cc features as identical. The only difference is the 790cc has a 1 hour quick clean, but Bruans website won't tell you that. Panasonic website was just as bad, and did not help me figure which shaver was best for me. So I relied on amazon.com reviews to help me decide. Amazon.com now has 109 reviews of the Panasonic ES8249K, but I only saw 29 reviews on it when I made my purchase. After my research, it came down to the Braun 790cc and the Panasonic ES8249K. Panasonic won me over because of its low price of $119 when I bought it. Now its $199 on amazon.com(4-5-09).

Hardware Impression:
The shaver is very light in my hands. The front cover is a grayish marble color, buts its hard to tell without proper light. There is a side button the locks the head in place or unlocks the head to be springy. The front button turns on the shaver and turns off the shaver. The LCD shows battery life and when using the shaver, starts a timer for how long the shave was.

My old shaver had a metal shaver head, and felt heavy in my hand. To me this meant quality. The panasonic shaver had was flimsy plastic that felt like it wouldn't break if I wasn't careful. I would normally take my shaver head off and tap it the sink to remove hair particles. But with the panasonic, I feel it dangerous to do such a thing.

There are two blades inside the head. I was expecting 3 or 4 blades since it has 4 foils on top. The two blades coincide with the two outside foils. The two middle foils move bases on the motor. The blades don't look sharp at all. I thought this for a while, but then I put my thumb over the blades and slide my thumb across. Those blades are really sharp. I was impressed. I got to say, I don't like 4 foil head on top. I would prefer three foil heads. I say this because, when I would shave my upper lip area, only the two middle foils are doing any real cutting, and it feels like I am not getting the closest shave. With 4 foils, I found it hard to shave my upper lip area. I prefer three foils for this reason.

The cleaning station is quiet large. You put some water in a container located in the back and the cleaning cartridge slides onto the bottom. The shaver goes in head first into the station. There are three contacts on the back of the shaver that connect to the hydraclean station to charge the shaver and control the shaver for the cleaning process. There a single button on the station that allows you to rotate through possible cleaning cycles. Some gripes I have about the cleaning station is how the power cords sticks out at a 45 degrees angle from the side of the base. I wished it was flush. When you put the shaver in the hydraClean station, it will start the charging process but not the cleaning process. You mush always press the button to start the cleaning process. I wished I didn't have to do this since it remember the last cleaning cycle I choose, it should do that automatically. There should be a choice to charge every time the shaver goes in or to clean every time the shaver goes in. It would have been a nice feature. As far as the cleaning goes, it works and is better than not cleaning it. I although had 1 day that it didn't dry completely from the previous day. I went to shave and had dirty hair spread on my face. It hasn't happen again, so I considered it a fluke. The base makes noises when it cleans(shaver turns on, fan noise), so don't expect a ultra quite clean station.

With my old shaver, I had a charging station( by magnetic induction which panasonic seems to no longer include with there shavers. WHY panasonic? ), and would always let it fall in. Placing the shaver in the hydraClean station, you have to be carefully not to drop it in, but place it in. I say this because if you are not careful, you will damage your foil. I wish there was a way around this, but a better approach alludes me. I like the idea of being able to plug in my shaver directly into a outlet and start shaving. The panasonic has a direct charging port, but when the shaver is plugged in, you can't shave. I am not really sure why this is, but it might be a safety feature since this is a wet/dry shaver. This is something you can do with Braun.

First Shave Impression:
For my test, I let myself grow out 4 days worth of hair. I started on the sides, after 2 to 3 passes most of the hairs were gone. I spent some extra time to go over all areas of my face. Afterwards, my face was very smooth. The neck area and under the chin were free of hair. The edges of my jaw bone had some hair which I think is due the large size of the shaver head.

My neck did suffer some irritation. But that is normal until you get use to the shaver. I didn't really like the spring motion of the head, so flip the switch on the side to prevent the spring motion.

One thing I didn't like was that you can only use one side of the shaver to shave since the head is slightly tilted. I like to reverse the sides when I shave, and did so quite often with my old shaver.

This shaver is much more quieter than my old shaver, but still audible, but the sound it made is a consistent with vibration sounds. This is unlike my old shaver where the sound could sound like a un-oiled hair cutter(used for hair cuts).

After the shave, the foil was very dirty on top, and even dirtier inside. Considering my growth, this was OK, but I didn't like the amount of shavings left on the exterior.

The side trimmer in my opinion is terrible. Its width is smaller then my older shaver. It doesn't seem to cut as well as my old trimmer. Shaving my side burns was annoying since the trimmer pops out not at a 90 degree angle, but at 100 degrees. This makes getting a even side burn hard for me. This might just be me because I am not use to this angle.

Conclusion:
I hold my old shaver at high regard, and knew any knew shaver would have a hard time competing. The ES8249K although does a decent job for a electric shaver. Overall, the ES8249K is decent shaver but far from a perfect shaver.

I posted pictured on amazon.com, they should be up soon.

Pros
* Cleaning station is nice to have, even though its not perfect.
* The shave is good
* $119 was a good price, but if its $199 now, Braun 790cc might be a better choice with it be the recommended choice based the 500 amazon.com reviews

Cons
* Can't plug in the power cord directly to the shaver and use. The shaver becomes disabled.
* Cleaning station takes up a lot of room.
* 2 1/2 to clean shaver. No quick clean?
* Would like the end of the charging plug to not have the power converter, but be in the shaver.

What comes in the package
* Shaver
* Shaver Case
* Plastic shaver head shield
* Power Cord
* Vortex HydraClean System
* 1 Vortex HydraClean System cartridge
* Manuel + other papers

I have owned a number of Braun, Eltron, and Panasonic electric shavers over the years. My only prior experience with Panasonic was decades ago with an inexpensive Panasonic that cost me around $40 or so. While it was a good value for the money, it had some problems with the switch which eventually caused me to move to Braun shavers. I just replaced Braun's newest Series 7 top-of-the-line shaver with the Panasonic 8249K, after hearing my father say that he had done the same.

The Panasonic shaver is slightly quieter (though this was not a major influence in my decision), it's faster, but more importantly, it shaves closer and gets the job done more rapidly. I also have tried the shaver in the shower, with slightly better results than dry.

After using the shaver in a wet environment, the base will dry and recharge the shaver ... but be prepared to leave the somewhat noisy base running for almost 3 hours for it to run through the dry and charge cycle.

Considering all the other reviews I read, I cannot believe that those who suggest that the Braun shavers do a better job have actually used the newest Panasonic. True, the Braun shavers are reliable and are quality products. However, barring future problems with the Panasonic, I will not go back to Braun so long as the Panasonic continues to shave as it does after my experience to date (1 week's use).

OK. The shaver DOES shave good enough that this was a second Panasonic shaver purchase (prior was a es8168 model purchased 15 months ago), but the bad of it is that you may need 2 shavers just to have ONE working at any one time. The first units LCD went out after 3 months of use. The industry standard to keep customers happy is for the companty to immediately FedEx out a replacement with credit card security until verification of the returned defective unit. Not so with Panasonic. The Panasonic McAllen Exchange center provides terrible, slow service (like months) and seems to try to throw up roadblock hassles to get you to give up on your warranty claim. Such as the third time when the defective unit was shipped back, with the credit card number given in advance for service, as I knew the process from having done it twice before. The payment note was disregarded by Panasonic, a second return mail payment note was also not processeed, and eventually the unit was not repaired, and it was shipped back totally dead, end of story, and thus now lies on the shelf 15 months after its purchase. The Panasonic McAllen exchange center phone number of 956.683.2930 is never answered and calls are not returned. There is not even a automated prompt to guide you to the shaver/personal care section. Panasonic warranty service is essentially nonexistent; an eventual refurb replacent died after 90 days of service and thus was not eligible for any warranty claims. The shavers are nearly identical and do shave well when working. However, my next purchase will defintely NOT be a Panasonic for the above reasons.

I did a lot of research before buying this razor, and decided to go with this one because of its high reviews and ratings. The razor does give a closer shave than my previous, older Norelco razor. However, I find it has trouble effectively shaving my neck, and I often have to go back with a blade afterwards to finish up my neck. The shave on the rest of my face is pretty close, but it doesn't give me the one-pass shaving that I was expecting. I typically have to run it over my face several times to catch all the hairs. It's a good product, but I was expecting more for my money.

This shaver is absolutely amazing. Hands down, no questions asked...trust me, I DID MY RESEARCH, read the reviews this thing will not disappoint you. However, it will disappoint your wallet but that's another story. Out of the box, it's somewhat intimidating but after a few minutes it knows who the boss is. Read the entire manual to fully understand your new best friend. Charge it for 1.5 hours. Prep your face with hot water...I used an exfoliating face scrub after hot water prep (not every day). I decided to apply a thin layer of sensitive shaving cream. Once powered up the shaver's intimidation surfaced once again but one gentle movement on my face and it was like...WHAT! This is freaky amazing. No need to apply pressure, just gently work the shaver and afterward your face will speak to you. "I love you." Trust me you will hear it. But you're not done. Rinse face with warm water. Wash face with face gel or wash (NOT SOAP)! Apply face toner then shaving treatment to shaved area. Once dry, apply a face moisturizer...bingo, DONE! Don't forget to clean your shaver. Some guys might say...bull, too much work. 15 minutes, is all it takes with this thing. BUY IT!!!!!!! If you want an outstanding shave and great looking skin...this shaver can't give you the latter. Try the above...your wife (if you have one) will love your face. BUY THIS SHAVER!!!!

A very close shave, a very comfortable shave - I love it!

No, I'm not a shill for Panasonic. I'm just a retired guy from Philly who began shaving with Panasonic electric razors about 10 years ago after I retired and didn't need to be quite as "clean shaven" as a blade razor would produce. I also was sick of infections on my face from the inevitable razor nicks. 5 razors later I've found the most comfortable Panasonic shave I've ever experienced, with this shaver.

My face and brain require a wet shave in the morning and I have a really wiry beard (thanks Dad!). I've wet shaved through the last 5 generations of Panasonic shavers and this one is the best. The previous generation - the ES8228S with the lovely but slippery rosewood insert - provided a less close and more uncomfortable shave than its predecessor. Shaving became a chore. The ES8249K has an extra foil and a seemingly less radical arc in the head. On my increasingly wrinkled
face it feels flatter, shaves closer and with less irritation than the last generation. It achieves the shave I want with fewer passes.

Hey, shavers are very personal in terms of what works on whose face. I've tried Brauns and Norelcos that just don't shave close enough for me. Panasonics used wet do and this is the best Panasonic shaver in many years - for my face. YMMV, dude!

I have been trying to find an electric razor I would be happy with for many years. I have bought at least a half dozen electric razors over the years and I always got a sore face and never got a close shave. After reading the reviews saying you had to get used to this razor I was skeptical about buying one. You must realize that I have been shaving primarily with a safety razor for most of my life. I am extremely pleased to say that I LOVE this razor. I use it as a wet razor, get no razor burn and it shaves so close that the next day my beard is still shorter than when I shaved with a safety razor. I have to give this razor a two thumbs up and will recommend it to everyone. The one con is you may have to hide this razor from you wife.

The negatives are as follows:
- As you are shaving bits of hair seem to fall out of the shaver.
- While the cleaning system works well it takes much longer to clean then Braun shavers.
- Does not shave the neck area well.

The positives are as follows:
- Shaves quickly on the face.
- Good battery life.
- Side burn trimmer trims very well.
- Easy on the face (no burning afterwords).
- Easy to clean.

I purchased the blue, non-Vortex cleaning base model of this ARC4 Nanotech shaver (the model 8243A) this past May 2009. It's my third Panasonic shaver. I've tried Brauns, Norelcos, and even a Grundig shaver over the years, but Panasonic seems to be the best - for me at least. I have sensitive skin, so shaving in the shower works best to keep the blades cool and delivers an irritation free, very close shave (try this shaver in combination with a little Billy Jealousy Hydroplane Shaving Cream for a truly close, irritation free shave). I would say an even better shave than the Gillette Fusion because I experience absolutely no minor cuts or irritation when using the Panasonic. (I only use the Gillette when I forget to charge my shaver!)

Like I said, I purchased the blue, non-Vortex model of this shaver this past May, and five months later the LCD began displaying unintelligible readings. Then the shaver just died - it wouldn't turn on. I've never had that sort of problem with my Panasonics in the past, and since it was still well within the 2 year warranty, I contacted Panasonic by phone. I was instructed to ship the shaver to their service center in Texas. About 2 weeks later, I received a new replacement shaver in the mail, and get this, Panasonic sent me a brand spankin' new model ES8249K - the Arc 4 Nanotech shaver with the Vortex cleaning system. I was a little annoyed by the turn around time, but it was obviously worth the wait! The ES8249K shaves exactly the same as the 8243A - it's the same shaver but just can be used in the Vortex cleaning base, whereas the 8243A can't. Thanks Panasonic for your awesome shaving product and awesome customer support! You've got a loyal customer in me, and like Ahhnold in The Terminator, "I'll be baaaack" when it's time to purchase my next shaver! :-)