Review of electric shavers: the battle of the shaving kings – 2.

Looking at the straight rows of electric razors, laid out on store shelves, you can finally get confused. What electric razor to choose? Rotary, mesh? It’s no secret that if a man’s first electric razor was a rotary one, he will probably continue to shave stubble with a buzzing rotor… For example, I was given a net shaver “Micma” on my 18th birthday and, for reasons I do not understand, I still buy net shavers. There were, however, in my life story a couple of rotary, but, as they say, “did not go. However, there are so many interesting innovations inside the types, and we’ll talk about them.

Types of electric razors.

An electric razor is an electromechanical device for shaving hair. Electric razors come in 3 types – rotary, mesh and vibrating blades. The third type – it’s a classic razor with regular blades, but equipped with a battery or rechargeable battery.

Electricity causes the blades to vibrate. Frankly, its secret meaning I do not understand, as well as the majority of the male population of the planet and it will not be considered, I will only say that here reigns supreme British Remington and its Chinese clones, and the first and second type will be examined closely. By the way, if it is a real Remington, it can be recommended as a first razor – does not cause irritation on the skin and shaves very smoothly, but the regular shaver has all these qualities.

A bit of history.

The birth year of the electric razor can be considered 1926, when former American military Jacob Schick Jacob Schick patented and offered to sell the first electric razor. But it was bulky and uncomfortable. Such a machine turned out to be unclaimed by the customer. But our brave soldier did not give up and continued to improve his device.

And so in 1931 he proposed a new version of electric razor – compact and lightweight, the design is close to modern. It cost 25 dollars a lot of money at the time and for the year Jacob sold 3000 pieces of. By 1937 the Schick Dry Shaver company, founded by Schick, had already sold a million and a half. As sales have increased, competitors have appeared – Remington Model E, Sunbeam Shavemaster, Braun Standard 50, Rolls Razor Viceroy. All of these models were mesh razors.

The first rotary electric razor appeared in the late thirties. It was designed by a Dutch Philips engineer named Alexandre Horowitz. At first his rotary razor had one shaving head, later got another one, and today there are models with three. Since then, and became so – the market leaders were divided: Philips and is still the world leader in the production of rotary shavers has many patents and the company Braun and, came to her, Panasonic – leaders in the production of wire shavers.

Choosing.

Basically, there’s not much choice, either the rotary or the mesh. But men tend to be conservative, they choose the type of shaver once and for life. It is easier for fathers – when choosing an electric razor for his son, he, at a subconscious level, will consider models of the type he uses himself.

In 90% of cases, if father uses a rotary shaver no matter what manufacturer , he’ll buy his son a rotary one too, but based on his experience, with the options his model doesn’t have. And if you decide to make a gift for your man, pay attention to the type of electric shaver he uses now.

With the type defined, now let’s see what we can offer within types.

Mesh shavers.

Two “kings” compete in this category, two of the world’s largest manufacturers: German Braun and Japanese Panasonic. Yet there is a “unit princes” manufacturers rank lower and with a lower market share: Remington, Supra, Rolsen, Mikma yes, is still alive domestic producer. JSC “Micromashina”, in addition to electric razors, also produces small household appliances .

The “princes of the fiefdoms” don’t get involved in the big war led by Braun and Panasonic, their destiny is to be represented in the budget price segment. By the way, an interesting observation. I remembered that the electric razor presented to me in my youth was in a case where each item had its own cell and it was equipped with a mirror.

I looked at how today sell electric razors – at Mikma nothing has changed, Rolsen and Supra, too, equipped with travel cases, though without mirrors. Remington was not on sale in the hypermarket I visited. The “kings” did not supply their products with travel cases, at the best case a cloth bag is put into the package.

Panasonic has two interesting models today: ES-ST25 and ES-LV61-K820.

Panasonic ES-ST25 is today in the leaders in sales statistics. It is positioned as a budget option, aimed at young people from 18 to 25 years. Its main feature is that it automatically changes the engine speed depending on the density of the bristles. A special sensor detects the density of the bristles and sets the optimal motor speed.

It can be turned off. New linear motor is capable of speeding up to 13 000 rpm. The manufacturer asserts that such a differentiated approach allows “to reduce the risk of irritation during shaving, making the procedure more comfortable. Suitable for both dry and wet shaves, no fear of moisture, you can even take it in the shower.

In this model, the two classic shaving nets, and between them is installed trimmer – trims too long hair to a certain length, so that the grid was able to cope with them. The shaving mechanism is mobile, it repeats as much as possible the contours of the face.

The “adult” model ES-ST25 is a model for young people Panasonic EA-LV61-K820 has already 5(! shaving nets. This gives you more shaving coverage, instead spending less time on your shave. Blades of movable blades here conic shape, which improves the quality of shaving – the shaver can cope even with hairs pressed tight to the skin.

“Twenty-fifth” will also cope, but for this you need to pull the skin with your hands, which will cause irritation, and this model does not need manipulation. The motor is more powerful, revving up to 14,000 rpm, but it’s not clear if the user will notice?

And more – the model is equipped with a function turbo cleaning, shaver unit “floating”, that is repeats all the curves of the person. It has an LCD screen that tells you all the important information you need to know and is protected against inadvertent activation. Designed for dry or wet shaving.

Now Braun. “There are interesting models here too”, as they say in Odessa. Basically the Braun lineup consists of 4 series: Series 1 Series 1 , Series 3 Series 3 , Series 5 Series 5 and Series 7 Series 7 . The 7 Series is the most high-end, high-end model.

The most popular of the entire Braun line, the Braun 390cc Series 3 but, in popularity, slightly inferior to the Panasonic ES-ST25 . It’s part of a special series from Braun’s partnership with the fashion house Hugo Boss. As you understand, Hugo Boss was responsible for the design. An interesting feature of this shaver is that it is designed for dry shaving, but it can be washed under running water, both as a whole and the shaving part.

Included with the 390cc is a Clean & Renew Charger & Cleaner which lubricates, cleans and recharges the shaver by simply pressing the appropriate button on the device. It runs purely on battery power and cannot be plugged in.

The detachable shaver mechanism is sliding, adapts easily to the contours of your face, and the three segments of the mechanism move independently of each other. Has two nets with holes in different configurations SensoFoil for different hair thicknesses. There is a four-segment LED display on the body, which informs about the status of battery power and the cleanliness of the shaving mechanism.

Second most popular is the more expensive Braun 5020s Series 5. Its main difference from 390ss is its floating shaving head with active shaving mechanism. It can rotate 40 degrees, which makes your shave more comfortable. And while you shave, the head can be locked in the most comfortable position.

Another “feature” – the “quick charge” function. Activating this feature recharges the shaver in five minutes but only for one shaving cycle. It is battery powered as well as cordless. But the care only by hand, can be washed under running water. Brush and oil included.

rotary shavers.

In this market there is only one “king” – Philips. But he has a little competition in the face of ubiquitous Supra and Rolsen, who do not care what type of electric razor to produce and the remaining Soviet-era “unit princes” – “Kharkov”, “MiG”, “Berdsk” and “New Kharkov”, occupying the budget and superscale segments.

With these guys everything is simple – they produce or old, time-tested quality models this applies to post-Soviet manufacturers , maintenance of which costs a penny, or accurately copying a few outdated, but successful models of famous brands. And here’s where it’s not all straightforward – with the price of a new shaver at 250 – 700 Dollars, replacement, for example, the head will cost 800 – 1000 Dollars. It turns out that these clones are disposable.

But back to the “king”, in our case Philips. Let’s start with what I think is the most interesting model, affordable for the masses but multi-functional at the same time. Naturally, this is the Philips YS534/17, from the Click & Style series. This classic rotary model with two shaving segments, moving independently of each other, which adapt to the contours of the face.

The shaving head itself, which houses the shaving mechanism, is detachable but does not move. Razor is designed for dry and wet shaving. It has an LCD display on the body that shows how much battery is charging. It charges directly from the network, but runs only on battery. Batteries lasts for 2 to 3 years. You can easily replace batteries, and they are not expensive.

The main feature of Philips YS534/17, I repeat, the versatility. In the package, along with the shaver, the user will find two more nozzles. This is a quality styler for grooming beard, mustache or temple hair.

There are five hair length settings to choose from: from 1mm to create a “three-day beard” to 5mm to simulate a short beard. The second nozzle is designed for trimming and shaving body hair. The process of replacing the heads is outrageously simple, you are unlikely to damage anything.

The next most popular shaver among Americans Philips RQ1151/16. This model is from the SensoTouch series, and it is slightly more expensive. It has 3 shaving segments and GyroFlex 2D technology for a close and high-quality shave. The shaving mechanism has stacks fixed blades DualPrecision with special slots for shaving long hairs and micro-holes to remove stubble that is barely visible.

Traditionally for rotary shavers, this model has a low coefficient of friction due to perfectly polished shaving segments. The Philips RQ1151/16 can be used in the shower, for shaving with foam, or washed under water. And, at the same time, dry shaving is available. Battery operation, light indication of charging. Only one minus – the trimmer is not built in, but a separate nozzle. That is, to use the trimmer, you have to interrupt the shaving process.

Extra expense

It is clear that owning an electric razor entails a certain expense for the user. In addition to paying for electricity, it is also a replacement of the shaving mechanism, because the blades will blunt over time. In daily use, the shaving mechanism should be replaced every 1,5 – 2,5 years, depending on the specific manufacturer, because during this time the user shaves an area, the size of an area comparable to the area of a soccer field. The cost for the models presented in this review is about the same – about 2 thousand Dollars. You also need to buy lubrication oil for your shaver.

Owners of electric shavers with chargers-cleaners need to purchase cleaning fluid cartridges the package usually comes with one cartridge . The cost of a set of two cartridges is about 600 Dollars.