Review (1/5): Wanted to like it but doesn't shave
I received this Norelco as a gift when it first came on the market. It replaced my older Norelco, which was the 2nd Norelco I owned, so this makes #3. (#2 was great and nothing wrong with it - it just seemed nice to upgrade to the latest and greatest.) With a very cool design, nice grip and feel, and nice plastic travel case, I really wanted to like it. Frankly I was pretty convinced by the marketing, which claims that it's the closest shave ever, etc etc. Over several months, as my frustrations grew, I finally realized something: I was being duped by marketing and that I was in reality getting a terrible shave.
The fact of the matter is that this razor is lousy. It does three things very poorly. First, it doesn't shave closely OR quickly. No matter whether I press lightly or strongly, go in circles or in straight lines, it just won't cut that close. And to get it to get as close as I can get, it takes WAY longer than my older Norelco, needing MANY more passes. Second, it barely traps clippings. The reason does not appear to be the small clippings chamber; the reason appears to be the design of the new heads. Third, this thing doesn't cut longer hair; that is, it won't shave more than a 1-day old shave. If I skip shaving on the weekend and get to it on Monday, this razor won't do the job. What's frustrating is that it'll cut maybe 80% of the hair, but then somehow the heads won't pick up the remaining hairs, leaving some long hair (amid shaved patches) that I have to get with a blade. What's the point of owning an electric if I need a blade to follow it up?
I know that an electric will never cut as close as a regular blade. My older Norelco was close, but not quite. What's severely disappointing is that this razor was a HUGE step backward for Norelco - it's a more expensive, flashier looking gadget that succeeds in looks/packaging and fails in its main mission: to shave. Further, Norelco should really be ashamed to be making such astonishing marketing claims for a product that is so clearly defective in design and such a step backward in product evolution (devolution).
Do yourself a favor: ignore the fancy Norelco marketing and the glitzy packaging, and look at the negative reviews on here. LOTS of the reviews are by people who have experience with electric razors and have similar sentiments to mine. It's easy to believe the negative reviews because they're not just criticisms of obscure details of this razor; rather, they're criticisms of the ability of this razor to do its main job.
Buy an older Norelco or buy blades - don't buy this thing.