OTish What kind of electric razor is best?

[Seymore4Head]

What kind of electric razor is best? How often do you change the blades?

[philo]

I have had three Norelcos in the past 30 years or so.

I've never replaced or sharpened the blades.

[bob_villa]

I agree, and the better models are made in the Holland, I believe.

[clare]

I've been partial to the Philips style rotaries for about 45 years. Blades last me about 5 years.

[clare]

Norelco in the US, Philips in Canada - same machine. I'm on razor #5? replaced blades perhaps 2 or 3 times - about 45 years of shaving.

[micky]

Some eletric razors will grind up your whiskers and paste them in your pores, making pimples, especially if you're young.

I got rid of my pimples by growing a beard when I was 18 or 19. I actually thought it would make things worse, because it would be harder to watch my face, but I've concluded a) the grease was removed from my face by going down the whiskers, b) the whiskers were not choopped and forced into my pores. I should have grown it earlier like when I was

1. I had a Ronson, which had a very thin screen and an oscillating set of half-circle blades in parallel.

Since then I've used a razor with double-edged blades. Hard to get blades made in US now, and the ones they sell are expensive and covered in platinum and I think that's some sort of con, so I bougtht blades on ebay made in Turkey. I don't use soap because it's hard to know where to shave with soap. New blades are so sharp it's hard to avoid cutting myself, but old blades are bad too becaue they get dull. Maybe I have a tough beard. . The most important thing is that the razor itself weigh as little as possible. An all plastic razor is best, becaues it's light. I bought 10 of them for 10 cents apiece, on Canal St. in NYC. If I'd known how good hey were I'd have bought 100. Most of the 10 have broken or gotten lost. I think I ony have one.

The all metal razor my father used to use is the worst, because it weighs a lot.

They sell razors just like it for medical offices, but the whole thing is considered disposeable and from looking at the webpage, there doesn't seem to be a way to change the blades.

[Jerry.Tan]

I personally hate electric razors. They pinch skin, pull hair and generally hurt. I have tried many over the years and never liked any of them. Plus they are much slower than a razor with a blade.

I have used an old adjustable double edge razor most of my life, and it works the best, and the blades are cheap too. I've tried those disposible razors too, and they work, but they get dull real fast, and they are an environmental polluter. I get about five times the amount of shaves out of one double edge blade than I get from those disposible razors.

Sure, on a rare occasion I do get a shaving cut, but one cut is far less painful than constantly being pinched by an electric razor.

[Frank]

Just looking at mine, it's now Norelco Phillips.

I recommend this type too. The heads not only have holes but also have slits. Makes it easier not to miss a hair.

With the screen type vibrating razors which also work well if a hair slips by and gets longer it may no longer be cut by the screen and you end up with a stray hair.

[makolber]

Last time i bought an electric shaver, i accidently bought a corded version instead of battery oprerated. Turned out to be a good mistake. It has p lenty of power and never had to fuss with charging and changing batteries. And i have never traveled to a place that does not have power at the sink

Mark

[bob_villa]

On Thursday, April 2, 2015 at 5:07:38 AM UTC-5, [e-mail] wro te:

I used blades most of my life, and the experiences with electrics weren't v ery good. Whenever I used/tried someones electric...it would irritate my fa ce and neck. I read where your face needs to get used to the razor...not un like when you 1st use a blade. Time wise...I don't see much difference.

[Frank]

I had to toss an old Norelco because of this. When battery gave out it would not even work when plugged in.

The new one however can be used even in the shower as it is essentially water proof. They recommend washing it with hot water after shaving.

[Art Todesco]

+1 on the Norelco stuff. I've used AC powered Norelcos for 47 years. Usually the blades seem to go after a year or so. However, about 2 years ago I was in Walmart and they had a close out on Lithium Ion rechargeable for not much more than a new set of blades. I bought it and really like it. I charge it once a month and the blades are still working well. The woman that cuts my hair couldn't believe that I used an electric shaver.

[Peter]

My experience from 50 yrs+ of electric shaving:

Foil (non-rotary) head razor - shaves closer than rotary head razors but tend to cause more skin irritation unless you use a silicon based facial lubricant (such as "L'ectric Shave) before each shave. That's especially important in warm weather months when your skin is more likely to be a little damp. If you don't shave for a few days, the longer beard length makes the shave uncomfortable and somewhat tedious. The foil wears through from abrasion by the vibrating blade underneath after a few years of use and the enlarged holes produce skin nicks requiring replacement of the foil. The blade usually is dull by then and it's best to replace both the blade and the foil at the same time.

Rotary head razor - not quite as close a shave as foil, but the more expensive rotary heads shave closer than the cheaper rotary heads. You can get a very adequate shave with a good quality rotary head (unless your beard is black and a visible "shadow" is likely to persist) but it might take an extra 20-30 seconds compared to using a foil head. Much less likely to cause skin irritation when the skin is slightly damp. I still use a silicon skin lubricant when I have to shave with damp skin but never need to use it otherwise. The blades are self-sharpening and don't require replacement unless you've dropped the razor and dented the head/blade assembly. I've never had a rotary head wear through, even after 15+ years of daily use.

My beard is very light in color so I've used a rotary razor exclusively for the past 15+ years.

In summary - If you have tough skin and a dark beard, you may be more satisfied with a foil razor. If you have normal to sensitive skin and a medium to light colored beard, you may be more satisfied with a rotary razor.

[bob_villa]

Something you may or may not know...rotary shaver's cutter/cup are honed together and shouldn't be mixed with the other two. RTFM!

[Shadow]

Listen to all the geeks. I use a straight razor. Never change the blades. ;) []'s

[Ashton Crusher]

Years ago I used a rotary Norelco for several years. Then I bought a Remington foil shaver. It was the difference between night and day. Much better shave and much faster. I have tried a couple different brands of foil shavers over the years and none have been as good as the Remington. Most recently, which is about the past 10+ years I've been using what is now a discontinued model Remington that uses ms-69 (I think that's the part number) blade and foil. They last about a year and for $20 I buy a new set. I have been using rechargeable and have worn out the shavers (after several years) before ever having a battery go bad. They recharged in 15 minutes and lasted a week between charges. Fry's electronics used to sell the whole rechargeable shaver for $25 on sale, sometimes even less. The current models do not seem as good to me, they don't have an always on long hair trimmer that also has two popup positions like the old ones did and have a newer "head" that seems even smaller. One thing I have noticed over the years is that the surface area of the head keeps shrinking. The surface area of the first Remington I had was probably 10x as much as their current similarly priced models.

In any case, if I was shopping for a new shaver I would look first to remington models before looking at others. And I would stick with the cutter/foil style rather then rotary. Back when I used rotary it caught and pulled the whiskers a lot and never shaved as close as the foil style.

[KenK]

Seymore4Head wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I've about given up. Some 50 - 60 years ago I had great luck with Norelco. But the last ten or fifteen years I can't find a good electric. Norelco, Remington, you name it. The just don't shave well.

No luck with cheap disposable reazors. I've currently been using my father's Rolls Razor but am ready to give up, can't get a close smooth shave - tried honing it several times and very frequent stropping and various soaps, even soapless oil for shaving.

The one razor that works for me is the Hydro 5 but the blades are quite expensive, Either that or grow a beard.

[yrag.neslo]

There are really only two types nowadays: Foil head and rotary head.

For what it's worth, the Norelco "rotary" type razor only has a fraction of the shaving area that a foil type razor has. That's why I stopped using it.

[clare]

Shitty blades will cut you every time - good sharp blades are best if you are using a "safety razor" Dull blades are terrible.

I have a tough beard. I tried a foil razor and all it did was give me razor burn. I went back to the safety razor untill I tried the philips "rotary mower". First one was a twin-headed corded model. Then I had a tripple head corded, and have had tripple headed cordless ever since. I bought ONE Remington rotary -basically a clone of the Philips Norelco, and it was NOT a good razor.- It worked well when it worked, but didn't work long.

[clare]

Who cares what the shaving area is, as long as it does the job??? What's the shaving "area" of a safety razor??? About 2 inches by half a thou??? Multiply by 2 or 3 for a twin or triple blade.

I won't let a disposable touch my face any more - when I want a REAL clean shave I finish up with a Gilette Trac 3 and C.O. Bigelo Elixer Black bath and body wash from Bath & Body Works - in the shower.

Normal daily shave is the Philips Rotary Mower - AKA weed wacker.