The Norelco 2300 from Philips is probably one of the most underrated rotary shavers as it doesn’t come with the latest AI features like its successors.
That said, this shaver is definitely one of those razors offering greater value for the money and I was surprised to see how well it can shave!
Since the price is quite low on this tool, there’s bound to be some limitations we have to deal with.
But are those shortcomings outweighed by the superior performance this rotary razor brings to the board? Let’s find that out in my Philips Norelco Shaver 2300 review!
“Philips Norelco 2300 shaver is a budget-killer because of the ultimate price to performance ratio. The shaves are comfortable, a full shave doesn’t take that long and the pop-up trimmer simply seals the deal!”
Contents
- 1 Unboxing Philips Norelco Shaver 2300
- 1.1 Philips Norelco Shaver 2300: Standout Features
- 1.2 Philips Norelco Shaver 2300 : Additional Features
- 1.3 My Experience with Philips Norelco Shaver 2300
- 1.4 How I Tested the Philips Norelco Shaver 2300?
- 1.5 Who is Philips Norelco Shaver 2300 For?
- 1.6 Philips Norelco 2300 vs 3800: Which One is the Budget Killer?
- 1.7 FAQ
- 1.8 Final Thoughts
Unboxing Philips Norelco Shaver 2300
The Norelco 2300 rotary razor arrives in a transparent portion package that allows a glimpse at the device without unboxing.
This package design has certain vulnerabilities but mine didn’t receive any damage. Opening this box is quite weird, all three sides come off and it’s something I do not prefer.
Inside the box, Norelco 2300 is firmly placed between the holding that clicks to keep the device safe from any movement.
You’ll only receive a charger and a foil guard other than the manuals since rotary shavers do not necessarily require additional accessories.
What’s Inside the Box: Philips Norelco 2300 Shaver, Charging Adapter, Foil Guard, User Manual.
Specifications: Philips Norelco Shaver 2300
Let’s take a look at the technical specs for the Philips Norelco 2300 rotary shaver in this section to learn about its basic capabilities beforehand.
- Dimensions: 14.0 x 6.2 x 4.8 cm
- Weight: 6.5 Ounces
- Colors: 2 (Black & Slate Gray)
- Accessories: 2
- Foil Type: Rotary Single Ring
- Blade Type: ComfortCut Blades
- No. of Blades: 27
- CPM: 55,000
- Waterproof: Washable Only
- Flex Heads: 4D
- Battery Runtime: 40 Minutes
- Pop-up Trimmer: Yes
Philips Norelco Shaver 2300: Standout Features
The features that stand out in the Norelco 2300 should be addressed first. After that foundation, we can move on to the additional discussions of the features in this tool!
Traditional Design
Philips Norelco 2300 shaver follows the same aesthetics of its other siblings from the series. Let’s discuss the design elements, grip levels and build quality first!
Simplistic Aesthetics
Norelco 2300 razor comes in two color variants – black and slate gray. Mine is the latter one as it’s more popular among the consumers.
If you notice, you’ll see that the handle of the Norelco 2300 is quite wider all around compared to the newer Norelco 7200.
The housing is a mixture of both matte and glossy finish with the rubbery neck and plasticky all around the handle.
Comfortable Grip
As the handle design is quite broad on Norelco 2300, the grip caters to consumers with longer fingers, although shorter fingers never caused any trouble from what I know.
The grip levels are further reinforced at the neck with the prolonged rubber texture area allowing you to comfortably place your thumb.
Since it’s a dry only shaver, you don’t need to worry about its grip levels during wet hours, although I’m sure it’d serve well in that scenario as well.
Lasting Build Quality
One of the finest aspects of Norelco 2300 is its solid housing materials, giving you the confidence of a lasting rotary shaver in your hands.
I don’t think the build material is very expensive, but it’s built well and the plastic is thick enough to survive any sort of external damage.
Additionally, the foils are robust and the motor rarely gives in after prolonged use. Only aspect that’s limited in Norelco 2300 is its NiMH battery unit, which will likely lose capacity after a couple of years.
What I Like
- Modern & simplistic design
- Grip levels ensured by rubber texture and shape
- Meant to last for a long time
What Could be Better
- Battery unit has limited life span
Philips Norelco Shaver 2300 : Additional Features
We will now shift our focus toward the more important features of Norelco 2300 that include its foil elements, blades, motor power and so on.
Light Weight
For a rotary razor to be classified as something top-notch, the handle needs to be very light – which is exactly how Norelco 2300 is built!
No matter how long you keep on using this tool, the fingers never tire because of the comforting shape and overall fatigue is less than a lot of other premium shaving tools.
This lighter weight will also allow you to carry it around wherever you may go, be that a business trip or a pleasure visit on the weekend.
Extruded Single-Ring Foils
The foil rings in the older generation of Norelco razors are extruded like they are in Norelco 2300. It’s great in one way – you’ll be able to get a close shave, more on that later.
Norelco 2300 blades are called ComfortCut blades due to the flatter foils and the 27 sharp stainless steel blade units oscillating rapidly underneath.
This generally doesn’t cause any tugs or pull, but the singular ring does compromise efficiency since a higher number of passes are needed in general.
Optimum Cutting Actions
If you think Norelco 2300 might be limited in its cutting action due to being a budget rotary shaver, you’d be very wrong!
Because the Norelco 2300 can perform 55,000 cuts per minute utilizing all of the blades underneath the foils, matching in power with its successor the Norelco 3900.
While this cutting action is good enough for fine to medium density hair, coarse hair may require additional passes to generate that clean look.
Pop-up Trimmer
Another element that’s rarely seen in budget electric shavers is the existence of a pop-up trimmer which reduces the necessity for a secondary outlining device.
By pulling down the lock at the back, this trimmer stands up to let you line up your hair or beard fringes.
But do not expect it to function like a complete trimmer because the blade teeth aren’t the sharpest or even lack in rigidity to squeeze out other grooming tasks.
Wireless Operations
Norelco 2300 is definitely classified as a portable electric razor since it’s powered by a battery that lasts for around 40 minutes with a full charge.
However, the downside is that it takes around 8 hours to fully charge the battery from zero because of the weaker NiMH battery unit.
But to compensate for that, Philips has allowed usage while the shaver is connected to the charger and it’s safe – remember, Norelco 2300 is a dry-only razor?
4-D Contour Adaptation
Although the advertisements of Norelco 2300 suggest it’s a 4-directional contour-adaptive electric shaver, the neck is still a rigid one.
So, how does this device respond to pressure and cut around the difficult shaving areas? The answer lies in the pressure-sensitive foil rings.
These rings can dip based on your pressure, allowing you to maneuver it around the neck or the jawline.
Such a movement does compromise the closeness to some extent and therefore I’d recommend elderly men against using it.
What I Like
- Lighter weight causes less fatigue while shaving
- Blades are agile & the foil grabs hair quite efficiently
- Adapts to contour, pop-up trimmer helps complete the cut
What Could be Better
- Battery takes a long time to charge
- No advanced contour adaptation
My Experience with Philips Norelco Shaver 2300
In terms of practical experience, a lot has been uncovered since I personally started using the Norelco 2300 rotary razor.
Shaving Closeness
There are quite a few techniques like stretching my skin that led to a very close shave with the Norelco 2300.
Because otherwise, there are a few unshaved patches or tangible hair heads popping out here and there, the case is even more severe with black men’s hair.
It’s bound to be this way if you consider the price point. Other quality electric shavers – be that rotary or foil – at this price range struggle a lot more, Norelco 2300 is the better performer if this benchmark is considered.
Skin Comfort
Ensuring skin comfort has been a little tricky for me because this particular device does not shave in wet conditions.
Therefore, I chose to apply some shaving gel which doesn’t hamper the cutting procedure, rather make the glides quite smooth.
Such reduction of friction makes Norelco 2300 safer for skin and no irritation or agitation has been sensed from my end ever since, so to some extent if can be used on sensitive skin.
Cutting Efficiency
As I mentioned before, you need to take some time and patience to shave off your entire beard using the Norelco 2300 rotary shaver.
Yet, I’m happy with the results I get because the duration is quite negligible and you may pull out a complete shave within 10 minutes.
The struggling parts are mostly around the neck portion because of the skin folds. Stretching out the skin at that part cuts down on overall shaving time.
Dry Shaving Only
Despite being a water-resistant rotary razor (although no IPX rating), Norelco 2300 fails to shave in wet conditions.
This has little to do with the foil quality and more about the motor power, additionally, drawing energy from the battery.
Since the battery has quite a limited capacity along with the single-ring foil design, Philips deems dry shave only is the better way to go about it.
Another reason behind such an approach is the shaver’s capacity to shave with the power cord plugged in.
It’s never advisable to shave your wet beard using something that’s connected to electricity, and Philips had to promote dry shaving to cut the losses on their limited battery capacity.
Cleaning & Maintenance
Cleaning out the Norelco 2300 rotary shaver is as easy as it gets. You can simply open up the foil head using the up arrow button right beneath the foil plate.
This exposes the hair chamber and that can be brushed off or mopped using a cloth rag. Also, Norelco 2300 is fully washable, therefore rinsing it under the tap is also a viable option.
Once in a while, you should be oiling your motor heads as well as the blades. This keeps the device in mint condition and the reduction of friction allows for faster shaving sessions!
How I Tested the Philips Norelco Shaver 2300?
Apart from closely inspecting the entire shaver housing, foils and blades, I used it to shave my face for a few weeks to check the trajectory.
My beard is quite dense and a full one, so my benchmark should be good enough for most of the generic shaving enthusiasts out there.
From my experience and different suggestions from first-hand users of the Norelco 2300, the findings are what I used as the backbone of this Norelco 2300 shaver review!
What I Like
- Shaves are close enough for the price
- Comfortable shaves if lotion is used
- Easy to use and maintain
What Could be Better
- Efficiency is quite limited & requires some effort from the user’s end
Who is Philips Norelco Shaver 2300 For?
Philips Norelco Shaver 2300 mostly caters to beginners who are considering their options for the first ever rotary or even electric razor.
Other than them, teengers can also be greatly benefited from it because the foils work really well on thinner facial hair.
Regular grooming men can consider this if they are on a tight budget, but will need to go the distance of skin-stretching and being patient while using it for better results.
Philips Norelco 2300 vs 3800: Which One is the Budget Killer?
| Feature/Quality | Norelco 2300 | Norelco 3800 |
|---|---|---|
| Model Number | S1211/81 | S3311/85 |
| Blade Type | ComfortCut | ComfortCut |
| No. of Blades | 27 | 27 |
| Contour Technology | 4-D Flex | 5-D Pivot |
| Wet Shaves | No | Yes |
| CPM | 55,000 | 55,000 |
| Cleaning Pod | No | Yes |
| Battery Life | 40 Minutes | 60 Minutes |
| Price | See On Amazon | See On Amazon |
We always like to compare our grooming tools with the one closest competitor, and in this case, Norelco’s flagship 3800 is the one to assess side by side with.
Therefore, this section is designed like a Philips Norelco 3800 vs 2300 rotary shaver battle so that we can announce a winner between these two by the end!
Contour Adaptation
While Norelco 2300 comes with a 4 directional flex with the shaver head, Norelco 3800 has extended that to 5 direction pivot for a better contour adaptation.
How this works in Norelco 2300 is through the springiness of each of the foils which respond to pressure.
But for Norelco 3800, each of the segments that host the foils can move around in different directions on their own, added to the spring of the foils.
This additional direction enables the shaver to better adapt to the facial contours and outperform Norelco 2300 in this regard.
Comfort on Skin
I’ll say dry shaving feels quite even in terms of comfort when Norelco 2300 and 3800 are considered, but there’s one thing that sets a clear winner.
And that thing is wet shaving mode which is only available with the Norelco 3800, because the 2300 is a dry-only shaver.
If you manage to moisturize your facial hair and apply some shaving gel, the experience gets tons more soothing, like you’re not feeling a thing and the whole shaving is done!
Shaving Efficiency
Norelco 2300 and 3800 have very similar aspects of cutting elements. Both of these utilize 27 blades underneath the single foil ring plate.
There are two elements that create the difference between these two in terms of efficiency, and those are the contour adaptation and wet shaving ability.
As mentioned, Norelco 3800 has a better contour adaptability. Add wet shaving to that and you’ll squeeze out faster shaves with less glides all over your face!
Battery Life
Lastly, the comparison comes down to which of the Norelco 2300 vs 3800 rotary shavers offer a better battery life.
We already know that Norelco 2300 is made with a NiMH battery offering 40 minutes of runtime and a charging time of 8 hours.
On the other hand, Norelco 3800 has a lithium-ion battery and lasts for around 60 minutes, with the scope of a 5-minute quick charge.
Also, the 3-bar LED lights on Norelco 3800 tells you exactly where you are in terms of charging level and when you need to recharge the device!
Verdict: Between Norelco 3800 and Norelco 2300, it’s clear that Norelco 3800 is the obvious winner because of all the edge in features and performance.
That said, this device does cost significantly extra, which is where Norelco 2300 excels at. You might have to pull your skin out for a finer result or miss out on wet shaves, but the sessions are going to be fast without a pre-shave routine.
So, if you don’t mind spending a little extra, then definitely go for the Norelco 3800. Otherwise, Norelco 2300 offers a great value for money and is worthy of being your regular grooming tool!
FAQ
In this FAQ section of Philips Norelco Shaver 2300 review, I’ll be answering a few of the common queries for the readers to understand this rotary shaver a little better!
Q: Should I buy Norelco 2300 as my first electric shaver or look for a foil razor?
Ans: It really depends on your preference among a few other variables like your skin sensitivity or desired shaving closeness. There are both merits and demerits to foil and rotary shavers each, but you should consider Norelco 2300 should your skin be sensitive, otherwise a foil razor would do you good.
Q: What type of replacement heads does the Philips Norelco 2300 use?
Ans: Philips Norelco 2300 uses the SH30 replacement head which is widely available in the market, be that a local grooming store or on the internet. The replacement frequency may vary based on your use, but regular shaving enthusiasts tend to replace it once in every six months.
Q: Can the Philips Norelco 2300 be used for sensitive skin?
Ans: Yes! Philips Norelco 2300 rotary head is formed with a prime focus on sensitive skin and men can get away with agitation free shaves almost all of the time! On rare occasions, you may want to apply a shaving lotion to reduce the friction and throw some cold water on your face once the shaving is done for the most comforting experience!
Final Thoughts
This marks the end point of today’s article on Philips Norelco Shaver 2300 review. So far we got to learn a great deal about this rotary shaver and see some of its limitations.
If you ask for my opinion, I’d say Norelco 2300 is a really good rotary shaver considering its price tag.
Those of you who are not willing to spend tons on an electric razor, Norelco 2300 is your perfect answer.
As per the limitations we’ve seen, these aren’t very difficult to walk around and that’s even better to some extent than spending hundreds on expensive electric shavers simply for convenience!
| Score | |
| Shaving Efficiency | 4.4 |
| Closeness | 4.5 |
| Comfort | 4.6 |
| Water Resistance | 4.7 |
| Battery Life | 4.6 |
| Durability | 4.7 |
| Overall | 4.58 |
| Verdict
Philips Norelco 2300 is one of the finest rotary shavers within budget utilizing its ComfortCut foil, 27 blades, 55,000 CPM motor, wash-friendly housing which is very easy to clean and a pop-up trimmer to finish the desired shaving outcome. |
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