Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tried Others..So Far The Best!, June 7, 2009
Have tried Norelcos triple-blade, no good. Tried the top of the line Braun, seemed to take too long to shave, and had to go over the same area 5 times to get a close shave (also VERY noisy)! The Panasonic Arc IV is very quiet, I can ACTUALLY HERE the stubble being shaved, and shaving only takes 5 1/2 minutes (I know this, because the shaver has a timer). I clean it in the stand 4 times/week, which keeps the shaver looking new every time I use it. I like not having to press it hard to my face, to get it to shave close (head is spring loaded, to give the correct amount of pressure). I just bought the cleaning cartridges, 3/$12.70 on Amazon subscriber program, and will have them sent every 6 months. Face still feels shaved after 8 hours (this is very strange, but nice).
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic!, December 10, 2009
I have always been an opponent for an electric razor for a number of reasons, biggest one is that I have sensitive skin and without pressing really hard on my face, never seemed to get a close shave. After my friend got his, and after a recent visit to the big box store where I got to see a 40 dollar price tag on disposables, I was convinced to try. I opted for the most bang for my buck and a model that was wet dry, you can actually use shaving cream with this model, which helps to nearly eliminate the break in irritation of most razors. The shave I get in just 2.5 minutes (the razor has a timer) is so smooth and so easy, its sad to think of all the money and time I have wasted over the years on traditional shaving products. Fantastic shaver, fantastic value.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Panasonic ES8249S Arc IV vs. Braun Series 7- 790cc vs.Philips Norelco1090x Arcitec, December 23, 2009
Hi. 1st of all,I am in no way affiliated with,nor have had any history/relationship/problems with Panasonic,Braun nor Philips/Norelco in any way. After reading this review you will understand why I put in that part.
Ok,gonna be a long review so I won't get into too many details about the 3 razors specifics,which may be found in other 5 star reviews.
I am a 47 year old,dark skinned Caucasion with thick,dark hair everywhere(ugh),including on/in my ears,and was blessed :( with a face like coarse sandpaper.My chest hair meets my neck hair it's so extreme. Anyway, I have tried many of the more expensive electric shavers since I began shaving,at about 12 years of age,beginning with my Dads old corded/heavy Remington. Every 5 years or so I'd try a couple of the new/latest ones,but always ended up going back to shaving cream & a blade. The last electric I tried before now,about 10 years ago,was the 1st ever 14,000 rpm Panasonic,the one from Sharper Image(purchased online for less than 1/2 the price of Sharper Image). After 1 month of daily use I switched back to a blade again,but that Panasonic wasn't bad for its time,and it was the best at that time,but again,not as comfortable nor as close as a blade.
My last(and NOW final)manual blade was the Gillette Fusion Power,which is the best manual I have ever used including the 5 blade Gillette & Schick. On Black Friday of this year(2009) I was at Walmart & I came across the Norelco Arcitec 1090x. I figured I was due to try a new electric...I could always return it. Well,I was amazed by the performance. I paid $149.00 plus tax for it. After loving it, I returned it to Walmart & bought it on E-Bay for $120.00 total. After 29 days of using it, I decided to check the prices & reviews of other shavers on Amazon.com,figuring IF I could POSSIBLY even improve on the Arcitec for a comparable price,great! I figured maybe I didn't know any better since the Arcitec was the 1st electric I had tried in almost 10 years,so I'd give others a try. Again,I could always return them.
So,I got the Panasonic ES8249S Arc IV and the Braun Series 7-790cc models,unbelievably priced at $129.99 & $149.99 respectively,from Amazon.com. The Panasonic got 5 stars from 5 reviewers,the Braun 4 1/2 from over 700 reviewers,and were 2 of the best I could find in any price range(the Norelco got 4 stars).
First,the Panasonic arrived. After the 1st use,I put my beloved Arcitec back in its very awkward,troublesome & frustrating packaging & called Norelco for a return authorization(Amazon doesn't accept returns on Hazardous materials...the cleaning fluid). Remember,I LOVED the Norelco,I didn't know any better,YET. But,the Panasonic blew it off the charts in every conceivable way,right out of the box! As for the "adjustment period from rotary to foil", there was none, although I imagine it will get even better in time,which is hard to conceive happening! What the Arcitec gave me,which I figured was just the way things are with electrics these days,and considered acceptable or even temporary,(irritation on my neck & upper chest)was a very smooth,close shave. But,it also dealt out very warm/hot shaver heads/foils after 10 minutes of shaving,and hand fatigue,none of which exists with the Panasonic. This Arc iv Nano totally blew me away,even to the point where I was not even going to try the Braun when it arrived. But,I had to,just to make sure,with hope,that it COULD possibly be even better then the Panasonic. Then again,I was almost hoping it would not,since I fell instantly in love with the Arc iv. "How could near perfection be topped",I asked myself?
Anyway,I got the Braun,disliked the looks right out of the box, charged it,tried it out & immediately put it back in the box, then set up a return with Braun(again,no Haz.Mat returns to Amazon). All I can say is,in order,my scorecard (a chart I made) came out like this; On a scale of 1-5,based on 21 different performance,quality,comfort & other criteria; Panasonic 101 points(ok,the case is of the lowest quality imaginable.Guess they had to keep the cost down SOMEWHERE!),Norelco 79 points & Braun 66 points. The ONLY good things I can say about this Braun is it shaved pretty close & has a nice small head (2 cool looking micro foils, a nice angle,& ability to use it plugged in(corded),which the other 2 lack(gr8 case too! Lol)..I may have kept it had the other 2 not existed.MAYBE.
On the down side, it is the loudest of all 3,feels the cheapest,has a poor "grip" feel,has Alcohol based cleaning fluid which evaporates unless you keep putting the cap back on(see other revews,even 5 star)...Panasonic's is Alcohol free,no protective foil cap(Huh???...they include a useless brush...it's washable and has a cleaning station!... but no protection for the ultra thin foils!!??? Hellooooooooo),a cheap feeling on/off button & is NOT water submergible/wet shaveable. The pop-up trimmer was inferior to both the Panasonic & the Norelco as well. The other 2 don't have a brush because again,it's unnecessary/useless.Who in their right mind would tediously brush stubbles out of an electric shaver instead of washing it,rinsing it in seconds,or use the cleaning base??? A brush can actually damage the thin foils...it says so in all the manuals!
As for the Norelco,it gives a nice, close shave(15 minutes minimum though, for an ultra close shave),looks great and is fun to shave with,and manually clean/rinse. No "cleaning station" though,which is useful for weekly deep cleaning of oils from the skin,and dries a just-rinsed/cleaned razor. The heads on the arcitec pop up individually to clean & I enjoyed that aspect of this razor(man toys,you know).On the down side, it's tinny,has a cheap sounding motor,is hard to hold onto comfortably for the 15+ minutes it takes to get an almost blade close shave,as my hand starts to come close to cramping up,feels a bit cheap & too light/fragile,caused regular lower neck irritation and the heads get almost too warm to continue finishing your shave. It has a cheap,thin plastic,standing charging stand which is so light it needs suction cups on the bottom to hold it up when the razor is in place(or...crunch..it'll fall over)! It does however have a cool thick plastic/rubber"charging case",but is big & bulky,has no hinge(it opens into 2 pieces) and an ultra cheap trimmer "switch",which seems like a cutout from some plastic mail bin or something,and is hard to switch on because it is small,flat & lacks any kind of "gripping" material,like rubber. The tiny trimmer itself,contrary to other reviews of the arcitec,is useful for getting behind sideburns & ears,and you MUST pull off the shaving head to achieve its full usefullness,something some other reviewers didn't realize. It was the 2nd loudest,and NOT a nice sound...like a grinding/thrashing sound,same as all Norelco rotary shavers. Imagine a Corvette sounding like an old VW bug? Not good. It's a guy thing,you know.
As for my new baby,the Panasonic ES8249S Arc IV Nanotech Vortex is PERFECT,in every way I can imagine. (Please check other 5 star reviews for more precise details,as this review is long enough). It is the electric shaver I always dreamed someone would invent. No cons whatsoever(Personally,the case is good enuf for me)! CLOSER than my manual Gillette Fusion Power razor,or ANY OTHER non-electric I've ever tried/used,and I've had em all,which I NEVER thought possible with an electric but always wished would happen! Zero irritation anywhere!(ANY razor,manual or electric,which claims to shave smooth in ONE PASS,is B.S.ing us). I can even use Alcohol based aftershave lotion with this gem, where-is the other 2 caused redness,then burned & caused more redness(irritation)even when I tried alcohol & dye free cream aftershave "lotions"(with a blade too)! With the Norelco,I thought it was just the "adjustment period" from a manual to an electric,but with the Panasonic,nothing!
I cannot imagine where any inventor can go from here! Maybe a lazer shaver,or a "touchless"? And it sounds as sweet as a Mazerati sports car!
As for the 700+ Braun users who gave it 4 1/2 stars,and the Norelco users who gave the arcitec 4 stars(I'd give it 3 now,Braun 1 1/2),I can only imagine that most of them must be loyal customers to those brands & never tried this or any other highly rated Panasonic shaver.Or,they're stuck with their units & are in denial.Some may actually prefer it,who knows. But,700+ gave this Braun 4 1/2 stars! I'm sure there are millions of non-reviewers who had a similar experience as myself,as well as millions of Norelco/Braun users who are as unsatisfied as I was.There is absolutely no comparison between these 3 shavers! Not by a very long shot!
Buy it...buy all 3 like I did,and see what I mean.You will want to shave 3 times a day at least with the Panasonic ES8249S Arc IV or any comparable Panasonic model,if that was possible.Wish I could! It's THAT good! Now,shaving is pure enjoyment,something I now look forward to doing & something I thoroughly hated and avoided/procrastinated doing as much as possible with a manual.
The "retail" price of this Paqnasonic is $249.00 I paid 129.00,free shipping,from Amazon.I'd pay $249 & higher for this razor.The Braun retails for $299.00 I'd pay maybe as high as $100.00 for it...maybe....IF the other 2 didn't exist. The Norelco retails for $249.00...I'd pay it,but only if the Panasonic didn't exist, & over the Braun even if it were $100.00 Happy shaving to all!
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