I switched over to this model of electric shaver last week because I was sick and tired of spending 15 dollars on 4 gilette fusion razor blades that were only lasting me 4 shaves before destroying my face. Knowing that Panasonic shavers were available for using wet with lotion, and having tried one dry (which I was decently impressed by) I decided to take the plunge and order this thing for 100 dollars.
1st Shave: Ouch. I was excited as a kid on christmas when this thing got to my house, and made the mistake of attempting to shave with it dry, since I didn't have time for a shower. It did a fine job on my face. My neck looked like somebody had tried to lynch me, and it took about 4 days for the cuts and the razor burn to heal. My fault though, even back when I used a Norelco it was a cool skin model and I didn't use it unless I had just showered. That left me with razor burn too. Disappointed, I figured I'd wait it out to see what happened.
2nd Shave: WOW!!! Well, after waiting three days for my face to heal up, I showered, splashed on some lectric shave, and mixed some Edge Advantage Revitalizing Cream with an even amount of Neutrogena razor defense shave cream and had at it. Face was WAY smoother in a short period of time. The neck still burned, but this time I was prepared with post shave lotion and that helped out greatly. Also, allowing the lectric shave 30 -45 seconds on the neck and face before applying the cream helped me get a LOT closer on the sides of the neck, under the jaw, and on the face. I was pretty happy with that shave, and thought that once my neck, and particularly my adams apple got used to it, this thing would be awesome. So I went looking for slicker, longer lasting shave gels and other things to help set my beard up, leading me to shave 3.
3rd Shave: This one wasn't as good as the second, but not as bad as the first. After buying some neutrogena razor defense face scrub (for use before shaving) and some Nivea For Men HI-PERFORMANCE X-TREME shaving gel I figured I'd have the winning combo nailed. Wrong. The foam was thick, which I'm sure gunked up the blades resulting in me having to go over my face and neck more, resulting in more irritation. To make matters worse, that pre-shave scrub only seemed to dry my skin out, which coupled with some razor bite and an alcohol based pre shave did not end well. I did, however, notice that despite how my neck FELT, it looks like it's improving with every shave in terms of adapting to the irritation. Still not "AS CLOSE AS A BLADE WITHOUT THE IRRITATION!!" like so many of these companies claim.
I will probably come back to this review later to update it, but for now all I can say is that the performance of the shaver is EXTREMELY important to me, over aesthetics, cleaning systems, and all that other stuff. My beard isn't super thick, but it's definitely thick enough to ware down Gilette Fusion blades by the third shave, and after the fourth the blade is useless. That said, after just a shower and either of the previously mentioned shave creams(neutrogena or edge advantage) I was getting the most absolutely perfect shave you could think of or envision.
In comparison, I am still letting my skin get used to this. I've had this new shaver for a week, and I've used it three times. My skin DOES seem to be adjusting, but it seems to be extremely important that you first have the razor cleaned, as the shaving solution also acts as a kind of lubricant, or so it seems. Second, DON'T use this thing dry if you have issues with electrics beating up your neck. My old norelco did this, and even the perfect gilette fusion nicked my neck every now and then at the adams apple, same spot this thing is having issues. Thirdly, use a thin shaving cream or gel that stays slippery. Clinique and Billy Jealousy, as well as Zihr, are all supposed to have great ones that provide excellent razor glide, although they are expensive, and I haven't yet tried them. Edge advantage seems to no longer be in production, which is unfortunate. Neutrogena razor defense cream has worked well for me though. Thin is important though, as a thick gel will clog the razor. Fourth, a pre-electric solution like Lectric Shave, Afta, or any of the others out there seems to make a difference. I can't feel it on my skin until after the shave when I notice how much smoother my face is compared to when I don't use it. Lastly, get a really really good soothing after shave balm. Neutrogena's isn't bad, but it doesn't cool. Nivea is supposed to have a good cooling one, and again Billy Jealousy is supposed to have good after shave balm as well. If you feel like spending 22 dollars on it, I have heard rave reviews for the clinique post shave healer.
Ultimately, I bought this razor to save money on fusion blades, which are costing me a reasonable chunk of cash. That and the fact that I love different electronic gadgets and this thing fit the bill and sounded great, so I took the plunge.
It is NOT as thorough as a razor in my opinion, nor is it as fast. That said, I have still only had it for 6 days, and have only used it three times. Stubble seems to grow back quicker, which would infer the shave isn't as close. Despite this, my face feels smooth as velvet after use, despite some irritation. The irritation is a major issue though on the neck and adams apple. My neck is shaved just fine, my adam's apple is tough though, and the razor burn on both afterwards exceeds my face. In the end though, a good post shave lotion can take care of that quickly. Cheaper than buying tons of blades, but more irritation if you aren't used to electrics. Also, the money you spend trying to find the right kind of pre shave, during the shave, and after shave lotions could add up quickly.
These are my opinions, everybody has a different beard type, different skin type, etc. I have a friend who's been shaving for the past 8 years with a braun syncro and has no issues with it, and gets close. He started using it at 14 though and hasn't stopped, so I imagine he's used to it. I used a rotary electric from 13 to 15 and then went back to a blade until last week, a little less than two months from my 22nd birthday, and my face is having a tougher time. But, amazon does give you time to return this thing, so if you want to, try it. If it doesn't work, back it goes, if it does, then you're set, so you don't have anything to lose.
EDIT: After the fourth shave I've had enough. The razor does a nice enough job on the face, but it murders anything below my jaw line. After two light passes with it on my neck I began bleeding and was left with a big red smile looking mark from one side of my neck to the other. Again. Also, with all the passes needed to actually cut the hairs, shaving with this razor took me FAR longer than with a blade, so back to blades I go. Apparently with a brush, rubbing alcohol, a dry cloth, and a dry place to store your razor you can extend the blade life by two to three times it's usual life. Sounds like that's what I'll be doing from now on. I really wanted this razor to be awesome and do what it said it does, but frankly it falls well short. I don't know who Panasonic is kidding when they talk about "one pass shaving".Get more detail about
Panasonic ES8109S Vortex Wet/Dry Shaver with Nano Technology and HydraClean System.
