Review (4/5): Slick!
I am liking this razor more and more every time I use it. It has a sleek design and is much lighter (the sides are made of carbon fiber). The shaving experience is much different; a clever design change, which I like.
The main cutter assembly (RQ10, which Amazon sells for $35) attaches to the body and pivots like a joystick. This design change reduces shave time immensely because all 3 cutter heads glide over your face/whiskers at the same time. A great improvement over the standard Norelco where 1, 2 or 3 of the cutter heads are used in varying combinations.
This razor does especially well on 2 or 3 day old beards. It mows down the whiskers without any ripping or pulling. It sounds like it! The motor is a bit loud; a more powerful loud. The lithium ion battery is the latest and best battery technology. Full charge time is only 30 minutes.
One of my pet peeves with current and past Norelcos is placement of the power button, which I would accidentally turn it off with my right thumb (onc certain models). I don't have that issue with this model; the power button is lower.
I would have given it 5 stars if not for the poor trimmer, like most reviewers mention. I don't know why they call it a tube trimmer. I would call it a micro trimmer! Much too small. Hang onto your old Norelcos for trimming!
Overall I am extremely pleased with the new Arcitec and recommend it.