Close as a blade?  No quite, but almost...
I hate when electric razors tout they give shaves as close as a blade.  They don't... ever.  That said, this one does pretty good.  I'd say at the time I shave, it feels almost as close as a blade, but I get a shadow around 1pm as opposed to 6 or 7pm.  To get a really good shave with this razor, you have to use it for 21 days, as the manual will tell, to let your skin get used to it.  Actually, I used it for almost a month before I was happy with the shave.  I have also found it does better with regular shaving gel (like Edge) than it does with the Nivea pack it comes with.  You will also get a closer shave if you shave more frequently.  It seems to do better with shorter whiskers.  If I shave at night after shaving in the morning, it is pretty darn smooth.  If I wait a whole day, it does not feel as close after a shave.  Couldn't give it a 5, but I would go 4.5.
Rating: 4 stars