Buying your ideal electric shaver can be a big challenge because there are so many options to choose from in the open market!
What if you buy the wrong device and the shaving experiences turn out to be worse than you had anticipated – the investment would feel like a huge loss in that case.
Even purchasing one of the most revered electric shavers won’t necessarily bring joy into your life because each of us have a unique beard situation going on.
Therefore, it’s essential to identify our needs and look for the qualities we need in our perfect device – I reckon some electric shaver buying tips will help you out in the long run!
Contents
- 1 10 Electric Razor Buying Tips that Will Hugely Help You
- 1.0.1 Tip 1: Type of Shaver
- 1.0.2 Tip 2: Wet or Dry Shaving
- 1.0.3 Tip 3: Understanding Skin Sensitivity
- 1.0.4 Tip 4: Battery Life & Charging
- 1.0.5 Tip 5: Maintenance & Cleaning
- 1.0.6 Tip 6: Shaving Needs & Hair Type
- 1.0.7 Tip 7: Noise Levels
- 1.0.8 Tip 8: Price vs. Features
- 1.0.9 Tip 9: Brand Recommendations
- 1.0.10 Tip 10: Try Before You Buy (If Possible)
- 1.1 Final Thoughts
Types of Electric Shavers
Firstly, you’ll have to be aware that there are various types of electric razors on the market and they have different cutting methods, positive aspects and downsides.
Let’s briefly learn what those types are with certain pros and cons to find which of these categories you’re going to find most useful!
Electric Shaver Type | Pros | Cons |
---|---|---|
Foil Electric Shaver | Cuts the closest Average skin comfort Satisfactory maintenance routine | Some models might cause irritation Generally expensive |
Rotary Electric Shaver | Above average closeness Great skin comfort Around average maintenance duties | Less close than foil shavers Requires learning shaving animation |
Flat Blade Electric Shaver | Can work on any beard length Fast grooming Easy to maintain | Compromised closeness Makes direct skin to blade contact |
Multipurpose Electric Shaver | Serves more than one grooming duty Better value for money Removes storage problem for more devices | Not the best in one grooming category Few models are available |
Electric Shaver Type | Pros | Cons |
Foil Electric Shaver | Cuts the closest
Average skin comfort Satisfactory maintenance routine |
Some models might cause irritation
Generally expensive |
Rotary Electric Shaver | Above average closeness
Great skin comfort Around average maintenance duties |
Less close than foil shavers
Requires learning shaving animation |
Flat Blade Electric Shaver | Can work on any beard length
Fast grooming Easy to maintain |
Compromised closeness
Makes direct skin to blade contact |
Multipurpose Electric Shaver | Serves more than one grooming duty
Better value for money Removes storage problem for more devices |
Not the best in one grooming category
Few models are available |
Now that you know all about the different varieties of electric razors, it’s time for us to pick up those promise tips to identify our perfect grooming tool!
10 Electric Razor Buying Tips that Will Hugely Help You
Let’s get into the real business now and check out those all important tips to buy an electric razor that’ll serve your cause flawlessly.
Tip 1: Type of Shaver
As discussed earlier, the different types of electric shavers can confuse you and you need to first understand your own requirements.
For instance, if your preference is close shaving, then it’s ideal to buy a foil shaver. Those with sensitive skin should opt for rotary razors.
Irregular groomers will find flat blade electric shavers more effective since there’s no limitation of stubble growth.
Finally, if you think you’ll need to groom more body parts than your face, a multipurpose shaver will allow you to do just that without any separate purchases!
Tip 2: Wet or Dry Shaving
Understand whether you need dry shaves more frequently or wet. Wet shaves require a pre-shave routine but feels really comfortable during the grooming session.
Dry shaves are swift and straightforward, but there could be slight irritation or redness associated with the shaving experience.
The reason behind choosing between these two types of devices are – dry shave electric razors like Norelco 2300 are highly affordable.
On the other hand, dry/wet shaving devices can perform both types of operations and additionally, allow you to wash the tool for easy cleaning.
Tip 3: Understanding Skin Sensitivity
By this time, you should be fully aware whether your skin is sensitive to shaving actions or is it not.
This understanding can help you save tons of money or make you spend more to guarantee the desired shaving comfort.
To estimate skin sensitivity, you can do so by using a manual razor, something like a Gillette should suffice, on your neck region.
If you see redness, experience irritation or burning sensation, then you can confirm you have somewhat skin sensitivity and a rotary razor is something you should be choosing.
Tip 4: Battery Life & Charging
Battery life won’t matter much should your electric razor last more than 30 minutes with a full charge and doesn’t take longer than a couple of hours to recharge.
All the standard electric shavers tend to offer a battery life averaging 40 minutes, so you can understand what the industry benchmark is.
While there are products like BaBylissPRO FoilFX02 with an astounding 3 hour battery life, this caters mostly to frequent travelers.
Other aspects you should consider is the battery type and opt for ones with li-ion units. Additionally, the USB Type-C charging port makes charging easier.
Braun Series 9 or Series 7 devices can make things easier further with a Clean & Charge station, rendering a seamless charging procedure.
Tip 5: Maintenance & Cleaning
Always try to pick an electric razor with easier cleaning and maintenance routines. This will reduce time spent on your shaving device, which I believe has a higher priority among groomers.
Generally speaking, wet/dry electric razors with waterproof quality tend to be more user-friendly and the maintenance in turns become less hectic.
For an automated experience, a station does prove to be very handy since it automatically does all the cleaning and lubrication for you.
Only downside is the cost of refill which can be optimized via different methods. Long story short, pick a shaver that’s waterproof, has easy blade removal options and convenient to brush out and lubricate.
Tip 6: Shaving Needs & Hair Type
The growth rate of your facial hair, its texture, coarseness and similar other factors should be put into consideration.
One of the major electric shaver buying tips is to grab a device with higher motor power if you have coarse or curly facial hair.
Otherwise, lower torqued razor motors may cause drags or pulls while shaving and that’s a very unpleasant experience to endure.
Double-foil electric shavers generally have higher motor power. Otherwise, modern devices like Panasonic ARC5 have automatic power adjustment using AI features, these come in handy as well.
Tip 7: Noise Levels
Some of the consumers have sensitive hearing and loud noises generated by the electric razor can be quite unnerving at times.
Although higher noise levels don’t bother me since my shaving operations are relatively quick, I can’t say it’s going to be the same for everyone.
If noise levels of your shaver are a prime concern for you, I’d recommend a rotary electric shaver for your cause.
These devices in general have lower motor power since the technology is much different and therefore, the noise levels are kept at a bare minimum for most cases.
Tip 8: Price vs. Features
Another tip you can follow to assess whether an electric shaver is good for your cause is to compare the features against its price.
For instance, a device with 3-4 foil units will definitely cause more than a single-foil tool. Also, an electric razor with automated features is guaranteed to increase its price.
But if the device of your preference is costing you extra but doesn’t disclose significant features, does it mean that the razor is not worth buying?
For most cases, it could be a scam unless it’s from a renowned brand and the model is much reputed in the grooming industry.
Then you’d have to look into the experiences of the consumers, the reason behind higher purchase rate despite the expense, you’ll then be able to justify whether spending on this precise tool is worth it.
Tip 9: Brand Recommendations
Well, you definitely know the popular brands in the shaving industry, like Braun, Philips Norelco, Panasonic, Remington or BaByliss since all of them have a rich history in grooming development.
There are more recent brands who managed to secure a spot in the market with their technical prowess and quality of manufactured products.
For instance, Manscaped has definitely replaced the shaving kit inside many groomer’s homes and so did TPOB in recent times.
Even old-school brands prominent in the clipper industry surprise everyone with a killer tool, Andis ProFoil is nothing shy of greatness!
Tip 10: Try Before You Buy (If Possible)
The final tip isn’t always possible for most consumers, but if there’s a way – try out an electric shaver of your choice before making a purchase.
It could be in a barbershop or borrowed from a friend. By all means, a test drive will tell you tons more about a shaving tool than a written article.
Another aspect you have to realize is that a single-run with an unknown razor won’t reveal all of its secrets, so do more than one run if possible.
Final Thoughts
So, these are all the electric shaver buying tips you need to replace your old device with a new and more effective one.
To sum up, first figure out what your needs are out of your grooming tool. Then, see how many of the electric razors offer those features.
Once you’ve generated a shortlist of valid candidates, compare the features against the price to check which one offers better value for money.
Finally, look into what the first-hand users have to say about the tool, how durable the razor is and if the ergonomic profiles match with the descriptions in real life situations!