Customer Reviews

Philips Norelco 9160XL SmartTouch-XL Men's Shaver

5 star:		(178)
4 star:		(71)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

So 1989 gave us lift & cut. The late 90's gave us Norelco's Quadra system. Now finally, for the first time in its 40+ years as the leading maker of rotary shavers, Norelco gives us a system that covers more area, with more speed and comfort than ever before. It doesn't just promise a faster, closer shave, it delivers.

I can't speak for all guys, but let me try to break-down the electric / blade dilemma. Blades are closer, but cause irritation. So most blade users tend to skip a day to avoid that. Furthermore, you get a closer shave with a blade if you let the stubble grow a bit, so skipping a day is a common practice. But blade shaving gives guys far more options in terms of products to choose from, both for shavers and shaving conditioners and gels. Simply put, if you want a close shave and the ability to control all aspects of shaving, and see what you're cutting, the blade is the best way to go.

Then there's electric. An idea hatched from the late 1950's space age / cold war era that told us that blade shaving was a thing of the past. Electric shaving promised to be as close as a blade for decades, but never delivered. But over the years it has delivered its promise of a safer, faster, and less irritating shave. For guys who don't like shaving around the sensitive lips and nose areas, electric has its advantages.

All electric shavers fail to cut the longer neck hairs effectively, including the new Norelco XL series. But the XL is still a major breakthrough. Simply put, it has switched me back to electric after 6 years of using blades. The new rotors have three rows of blades, and an innovative mix of slots and holes for stubble, making-use of dead space that was Norelco's weakness since their beginning. The XL has the inward tilt mechanism introduced with the Quadra. And it has the late 80's lift-and-cut technology, which doesn't work exactly as advertised, but it does shave flat areas of the face as close as a blade (the cheek and upper lip areas do get the closest cut).

The XL series is easy to clean under hot water, another development from the Quadra series, which is even better and more effective here.

The XL gives me the closest electric shave I've ever had. And I can use it daily for a consistent smooth look without irritation. Add the recent development of products like Anthony for Men's alcohol-based pre-shave solution, and electric shaving suddenly has advantages worth making the switch. I liked the XL so much, I got the 9160XL for home, and the less-expensive 8140XL for my office. The 2 shavers are the same, except for the smart touch pivoting feature, which is not a big bonus in my opinion. The pivoting feature makes it possible to shave the neck and chin faster, but the results for both shavers is exactly the same, meaning that some neck hairs are going to be missed, making it necessary to use a blade to do some quick cleanup. Electric is far from perfect, but this is the closest and most comfortable electric yet. I'm sticking with it.

And since the XL is Norelco's top of the line model, it is still made in Holland. All other Norelco's are made in China. it won't be long before the XL is made in China as Norelco develops it's next breakthrough. But the XL is the big breakthrough as far as I'm concerned. I'm hooked. And I'm a total shaving geek now.

I've recently purchased the HQ9160 model, which is almost the same as the 9170 except the 9160 does not have the jet cleaning system. And I'm very satisfied with the product. Here's why.

Before switching to an electric shaver, I used the Mach 3 razor for over 5 years. Over the years I find that my skin got more and more sensitive to manual shaving, probably because I always shave against the grain (of the hair). Also, since I have acne problems, the razor blades often caused cuts that led to minor bleeding, which sometimes resulted in scarring. After using the HQ9160 electric shaver, all of the problems involving the skin irration and the unwanted bleeding are gone. And I think the electric shaver gives as close of a shave as my Mach 3 razors, especially in the upper neck area, near the throat. Plus, with the irration problem now gone, I have the option of shaving again in the evenings before I go out.

TIPS to improve your electric shaving experience:
- Wash, clean and dry your face before shaving.
- Have the razor heads glide lightly over your skin. Don't press the heads hard against your skin - it makes the cutting worse. Instead, you should use your free hand to gently stretch the skin while you shave over the area.
- Take the heads out and use a degreasing liquid such as Philishave razor cleaner or rubbing alcohol to clean heads once a month.
- Lubricate the heads with a Philisahve shaving spray or a drop of mineral oil once a month.
- For extremely senstive skin, you may want to use a shaving powder or oil such as the Remington Face Saver Pre-Shave Powder Stick.

REASONS I chose the HQ9160 over other models and brands:
- Price. I bought it for about $100USD (incl. shipping) from a famous online auction site (part of the name rhymed with Kay).
- Battery. Its Lithium ion cell yields 90 minutes (~30 days) of shaving.
- Travel pouch.
- 3-ring head. It has 50% more shaving surface vs. 1 ring head.
- Contour head. It does a better job over bumps and corners.
- Easy cleaning. Just rinse in hot water for a few seconds.

Hello All,

I purchased this razor as a replacement for my dying Norelco 4821XL which I purchased about ten years ago. I have been a loyal Norelco fan for 30+ years and with the addition of the Norelco 9160XL, I hope to continue that tradition. The first thing I noticed about the 9160 is HOW QUIET IT IS! My old razor made so much noise that it was like shaving with a hedge trimmer. The first time I turned on the 9160 I had to double check that the batteries were charge because of how quiet and smooth it runs. The next thing I am happy to report is how close and smooth a shave it produces. WOW!

The only negative I can say about the razor is that there is SO MUCH PLASTIC on it that I am concerned about how well the unit will hold up with age. In addition, the lock for the trimmer is rather difficult to get your finer on to release especially if you do not have long fingernails. I wonder if Norelco (and I hope you are reading this) could make the ridges on the trimmer release a wee bit higher so that those of us fingernail challenged people can have less trouble releasing the latch?!

Short of that minor annoyance, the razor is lightweight, quiet and produces a great close shave that will have your face as smooth as a baby's bottom. If you want a great razor I would look no further and jump on this puppy also while you are at it you might want to pickup a set of the HQ9 replacement heads so that down the road when the razor tells you that heads need replacing you have a spare set to replace them with.

Ciao!

OK, I just bought this shaver and so far, it's turning out wonderfully. This is by far the most comfortable shave I've ever had. The way the razor glides over your face with practically zero irritation and razor burn is just phenomenal.

This is the second Norelco rotary I've used. The first time, I tried the Coolskin 7775x and although it gave me a really close shave, it irritated the hell out of my skin and gave me quite a bit of razor burn aswell.

From then on though, I knew that I would try another rotary. Rotaries seem to work well on my face, particularly on the hair below my jaw line.

With that said, I'm glad to say that the 9160XL shaves FASTER, CLOSER and WAAAAYYY more comfortable than the Coolskin. I never tried a Spectra though, so I can't compare the two.

The greater speed and closeness is due to the new razor heads. The new shaving heads have THREE times as many blades as the older Norelco models (including Spectra), and equally as important, more holes and slots (especially holes) aswell which equal up to 50% greater surface area being covered.

As for the comfort level, Norelco's new Smart Touch feature enables the entire razor head to flex almost 360 degrees. It also has three personal comfort control setting ranging from sensitive to normal, and inbetween.

This is why the shave is so smooth and comfortable. It's a massive improvement over the Coolskin models, but over the Spectra I'd say it would be minimal based on what others have said because the Spectra is supposedly "super" comfortable.

All in all, I'm highly impressed with Norelco's new offering and I feel they did an excellent job addressing some of the weaknesses of rotaries, such as shaving really short stubble by the addition of more holes.

5 Stars from me!

Simply put, THE BEST electric shaver I have ever owned. I've tried both Norelco & Braun. Norelco always wins out. Braun shavers actually hurt and I have to keep going over & over to get an unacceptable shave. Since the Braun I have owned Norelco's which are very satisfactory. The 9160XL has exceeded my expectations. First of all its so quiet you can hardly tell its on. Secondly it shave's smoothly and doesn't irritate my skin at all. It is THE closest shave from an electric razor. It shaves my face quickly and superbly. The battery charge lasts a very long time, about a month. Very easy to clean and maintain, just read and follow the instructions. I HIGHLY recommend the 9160XL!!

I've been a Norelco user for several years now. I have a thick beard, and am always looking for an electric razor that can give me the convenience and close shave. When you figure that a Gillette razor with all those blades you have to keep replacing, an electric razor can actually save you money from the conventional shave. My first Norelco was a Reflex that I inherited from my grandfather. It was pretty old, so its rechargable batteries died. The Quadra series came out, so I tried switching to that. I found it did give me a closer shave because the heads were flexible and could better fit the contours of my face. It worked fine, and then the Spectra came out. The differences between the Quadra and the Spectra are not great. The main thing is that the Spectra has a sensitivity dial (with my beard, I always have to have it set to the highest setting....which is pretty much like the Quadra). It supposedly has different heads....the blades are exactly like the Quadra and the slots are slightly different. Basically, there isn't a big difference between the two with shaving. I did find that one benifit of the Spectra was that you can use it as a corded razor while it's recharging (the Quadra and Reflex only run on batteries....so when the battery dies, you pretty much have to chuck the razor). I can honestly say Norelco has seriously upgraded with the smart touch system. Each head has twice as many blades....with 3 rows instead of one. The heads also sit on a cradle that rocks back and forth. So it can reach any pesky curve or crevice on your face. It's certainly worth plunking down the money if you have a heavy beard and are looking for a close shave from an electric razor.

So after eight years of faithful service, my old Norelco Quadra Action finally gave out. After checking out several options, I went for the 9160XL to be its replacement, and I couldn't be happier.

For starters, the SmartTouch has more holes and slots for beard to enter. While some have said that they haven't noticed much of a difference, I disagree. It seems to take noticeably fewer passes to completely shave my face. In addition to being faster, making fewer passes also reduces irritation. It also seems to make shaving the neck easier - with the Quadra Action, there would always be a handful of stubborn neck hairs that would refuse to be cut no matter how many passes I made with the razor. The SmartTouch seems to get these hairs with far fewer passes.

Perhaps my favorite feature of the SmartTouch is the adjustable settings, from "Normal" to "Sensitive." I loved my old Quadra Action, but it occasionally caused razor burn or irritation on my neck. With the SmartTouch, I simply use the "sensitive" setting while shaving my neck and have not had any irritation or razor bumps. And while in theory you sacrifice some closeness on the "sensitive" setting, I've found the difference (if any) to be negligable.

This is an excellent razor that I cannot recommend highly enough. Well done, Norelco.

I've been using Norelco razors my entire adult life, and they've never been perfect. Prior to the 9160XL, I owned a relatively modern design, a 3-head 4865XL stamped with logos like "lift and cut" and "micro action." I was grousing to myself about the random hairs my old razor left, which occassionaly prompted a "you missed a spot" comment from my wife. Typically in the corners of my jawline, but now and then I'd notice that some hairs on the easier to shave areas, like my cheeks. Neck hairs of course were always a problem. I purchased the 9160XL in the hopes that the 3 concentric cutting rings on each head would fix that problem.

My initial reaction to using the 9160XL was a bit underwhelming. It seemed there were still hairs that I had to run over multiple times at different angles, trying to find the magic gesture that would lift it up enough to cut it. True, it was much quieter, and my skin did smoother than before, indicating a closer shave, but I thought perhaps that was my imagination.

In truth, it does shove significantly closer than my old razor. One recent evening, my wife asked me if I'd just shaved. It was at least 12 hours after I'd shaved, and my skin felt roughly as smooth as it did immediately after shaving with my old razor. I do have bristle that's evident to the touch the next day, but it's not visible like it was after 24 hours as it was before.

Being able to clean the razor under the tap is a big advantage too. Electric razors generate tiny little hairs that behave like a fine powder, and which stubbornly stick to surfaces inside the razor through any amount of dry cleaning. Running the heads under water is much more effective, and much easier.

There are some other minor improvements, like the fact it's quiet, and the battery charge lasts 4 times as long, at a guess. Neither of those is terribly important to me.

It's not a magic wand, though, which is why it doesn't get a prefect score from me. As I said, some areas still require multiple passes, and bristle on the neck is never perfect. But it's still a step up from what I was using before, so I don't regret spending the money.

- Gus

this shaver performs extremely well. shaves as close as a razor, and a full charge lasts an entire month, longer if you dont shave every day. the instructions are absolutely correct, it takes a few weeks to get used to it, so dont be too put off if your first couple shaves are uncomfortable. if you have more sensitive skin, i would stongly recommend using minimal pressure at first, even if that means not getting the closest shave. once your skin adjusts, you can still get shaver burn if you press too hard, especially on the neck, so resist any urge to grind the shaver into your beard.

despite providing an incredibly close shave, it sometimes fails to grab every hair on the first couple passes and its a little tricky maneuvering around a strong adams apple. after taking those shortcomings into account, its still superior in every way to the other shavers ive used: a top model braun foil shaver, and a couple cheaper norelco models. while that doesnt qualify me as an authority on shavers, i can appreciate when a product basically lives up to expectations. even though the 9160 isnt quite perfect, it comes through with a reasonably fast, close and comfortable shave. here are a few tips that should help, especially when starting out:

1) shave BEFORE you shower. the shaver works better with a stiffer beard and your face will be less sensitive.
2) shave every day if you can. the longer your beard, the more hair gets missed.
3) if any hairs do get missed after a couple passes, leave them. its not worth getting every hair in exchange for shaver burn. as you get more experienced with the shaver, youll get better at using it. touch up rogue whiskers with the sideburn trimmer.
4) this shaver has trouble with longer hairs that lie flat. if you spot any after your first pass, use the sideburn trimmer to shorten them before touching up with the rotary blades. if youve already made a couple passes before you notice them, refer back to tip #3.
5) keep the tension setting on normal. if you set it to sensitive, you just have to press harder and make more passes to get a good shave.
6) if you still have trouble with shaver burn, use a little apple cider vinegar as an aftershave. yes, it will feel like your face is being ripped off for a couple seconds. if youre not a fan of that sensation, you may dilute it. let it dry completely, then rinse it off. its the best solution ive tried for neutralizing the burn.

EDIT: if youre not feeling too sado-masochistic, jojoba oil actually works much better than apple cider vinegar.

I am a 30 year Norelco user who also owns a five year old Norelco 6885XL which was the top of Norelco's line when purchased. In my opinion the new Smart Touch line that uses the HQ9 heads is not worth the upgrade. I buy new heads once a year, which makes my older shaver feel like new. The only real reason to upgrade a Quadra/HQ7 Norelco is if the batteries are failing--and there are numerous places now where you can have your dying batteries replaced.

Don't fall for "the latest is always better" line.