Panasonic ES-RT51-S Arc3 Wet Dry 3-Blade Pivoting Head Built-in Pop-up Trimmer Cordless Electric Razor for Smooth and Comfortable

Arrived very fast and was well packed. Replaced my Braun after I used it for 10 years. I've owned Norelco, Braun, Remington shavers over the years. All were quality except the Remington. None were cheap except the Remington. All shaved only OK. I use a blade at home and get clean shaves. When I am on the road (about a total of 4-5 weeks a year) I use an electric. I don't like to take all the paraphernalia required for the blade through airport security (one quart plastic bags, 1 oz or less etc.). I've learned to live with the sub standard shaves on the road. Now for the shaver review. Seems to be very sturdy build quality. Charged it up and it took about 30 minutes to go from 20% to 100%. That is a fast charge rate and consistent with the specs of one hour for full charge from empty. The LCD meter is easy to read in reasonable light. I shave in the shower so next morning my first shave. Wet shaving with an electric is a different experience from a blade. I learned to shave against the grain instead of across the grain of my beard. My face and chin cleaned up nicely with this new razor. Took a while to get the neck area done as the hairs don't follow a grain direction like my face does. However, after a few passes from different directions even that cleaned up nice and close. After a few shaves here is my verdict. Shaves very close and equals the blade on my face but not quite so on my neck. No razor burn. Too bulky to get into tight places like under my nose. However the trimmer does a good (if not perfect) job there and does a great job with the side burns. But this bulkiness is true with all electric razors. They just aren't compact enough to get in there. Clean up is a breeze, just hold it up under the water and every so often (once a week) take the head off, rinse it off while running under the water and rinse the foils under water as well. Takes less than a minute. This is by far the BEST ELECTRIC RAZOR I've owned. PROS: shaves well, easy to clean, great build quality trimmer actually works, seems to use about 10% of the charge per shave so about 9-10 days CONS: doesn't get into tight places well. Read more

I found that this Panasonic is quiet and powerful. It got the job done quickly and conformed to my face well. It charged within an hour and the numerical battery indicator was a nice touch. Using a shaving gell felt really good with this shaver. Contact was smooth and effortless. Best of all, I did not experience the typical razor burn that has plagued me for years. I attribute this more to the Panasonic's design and less to the wet shave. Using a razor with shaving cream has also produced razor burn, particularly under my chin. I know I am going to sound like a bit of a shill because I have only used this product recently, but I have shaved with several different brands and models of electric shavers over the years. What I have not done is used a wet electric shaver before. I think that being able to use a wet shaver compared to a dry one will produce a superior shave regardless of brand. But the Panasonic is a superior shaver compared to others in its class. Update 8/15/12: After using this shaver for a couple of weeks I feel that I have to add to my original review. The honeymoon is over and I think that I am a bit more objective. This shaver continues to forego any razor burn, even under the chin, which is a major positive. I have experienced some pretty bad shaver burns over the years using other products. On the other hand, the Panasonic's shaving acumen is about the same as the Braun while slightly less than the Norelco's regardless of whether I shave wet or dry. This unit has more difficulty catching longer hairs, even if I miss shaving for two days, than the Norelco. I still like this shaver very much. It allows me to shave with a gel and prevent razor burn which is a major plus for me. I have to shave daily in order to keep stubble length in the range that is comfortable for this unit, but I'm not sure that is such a bad thing. I have also found that the battery life is quite good and the unit is very easy to clean. For tougher beards or less frequent shavers a Norelco might suit that person better. Just my opinion, but now it's out there. An ode to the joys of male grooming. Read more