Review (4/5): The Great One Month Trial is Over...
I purchased the 9160XL about a month ago, and during that period I shaved one side of my face with the 9160XL, and the other side with my 3 year old Panasonic ES8092 with it's original foil and blade. After 30 days I'll call it a draw. I ended up returning the Norelco.
The nice features of the 9160XL compared to the Panasonic are:
1. It's very quiet.
2. The battery went the whole month on one charge, and it still didn't need recharging.
3. It travels better in that you probably won't need to recharge it while away. Even if you do, the charger plugs into the shaver rather than needing a charging stand.
4. It does a slightly better job in the neck area.
5. It's gentle on your face
What's not to like?
1. It feels lightweight and a bit cheap (however, some may consider it's lightness to be a positive). The Panasonic feels more like a quality appliance.
2. The Norelco feels like it operates in slow motion compared to the Panasonic. Despite the claims of the increased shaving speed because of the new head design, the Panasonic went through my beard quicker.
3. It could only match the closeness of the Panasonic with a fairly worn foil and blade.
4. It's too much money for what you get.
Update: Got a new foil and blade for my Panasonic. I can now say that on my face the Panasonic blows the Norelco out of the water when it comes to shaving closeness.