Review (4/5): Very close and comfortable shave
I'm almost 50 and have been using an electric razor most of my shaving life. When my trusty Norelco needed replacing, my wife bought me the latest self-cleaning Braun for a Christmas gift. I liked some aspects of it, but it always had a hard time shaving my neck area without going back over it a lot of times. Replacing the cutter and screen every 6 months or so helped keep it from getting progressively worse, but after a couple of years, I thought I would try something different.
I read MANY reviews and decided to try the Norelco Spectra system. I've been using it for several months now and I can tell you the difference on my neck is like night and day. The Norelco is MUCH faster and smoother than the Braun and cuts very close after only a couple of passes. I was amazed at how much better it was than even my old triple-head Norelco.
If I were to have ANY negative, it would be the charging system. The first problem is, if you provide a recharging "stand", then the logic (IMO) should be that the stand be allowed to be plugged in 24/7 with the razor in it, without any adverse affects. However, MANY places in the manual tell you DOING THIS WILL SHORTEN THE LIFE OF YOUR BATTERY.
Because they use a NiCad battery, they ask that you only recharge it when it runs low to avoid the "memory" effect and associated diminished capacity. I can understand that, but the second problem is, it gets fully charged in only 4 hours! After that, you are supposed to remove it from, or unplug, the stand to avoid overcharging. Unfortunately, most of us shave in the morning before a work day, then don't return for at least 9-10 hours. In my case, a 12 or even 24 hour charge would be far more convenient. What's so hot about a "4-hour charge" anyway?? OK, how about I push a button to start the charge cycle, and it automatically shuts off when fully charged! How easy is that? (Gee, that's exactly how my Braun worked.)
Being an Electrical Engineer myself, I'm sometimes overly critical of things like this. OK, if it were me, (are you listening Norelco???) I would have used a NiMH battery that didn't have to be "deep cycled", then use a lower current "trickle charge" base that could be left on 24/7. A side benefit is when you pack for a trip and grab your razor, you KNOW it's always 100% charged and will probably have enough juice to last the entire trip without dragging the charger along.
OK, maybe the charger is not as bad as I make it out to be. I just think it could be better. I give it 3 stars, while the razor itself gets a full 5 stars.