Review (4/5): Could be better considering the price
Intro:
My first electric was a Norelco. Once it died I switched to Braun and while the cleaning system seemed attractive at first I got tired of spending on the cleaning solution. I then got a cheap Remington which is pretty decent for the price (around $40 I think) and later got a Panasonic ES8097.
My favorite razor was the Panasonic. It offered a superb shave, cleaning was fast, easy, and cheap. The wet shave was pretty useless, though, and the battery was terrible. I have to recharge it once it indicates an 80% charge. This started a few months ago at 40% and keeps climbing each month. This is why I decided to get a new razor.
Arcitec 1090:
This is a good electric razor, but it has some notable drawbacks:
- Trimmer
- Only cordless use (although the battery is supposed to last long). For the price, I would have preferred the ability to keep on using the razor once the battery dies in a few years.
- Limited range of motion (as mentioned in other reviews). My older Norelco "hugged" my jawline and chin much better. Norelco boasts about "optimum skin contact in curved areas" but when shaving often there's not enough contact in some areas. Contact is great on the cheeks and neck.
- No wet shaving. I prefer dry shaving, but the option would have been a pleasing addition for such an expensive razor.
- Price. It's a nice razor, but not $240 nice.
On the positive side:
+ Great shaves with very little initial irritation. After using it for a few days there was no irritation at all.
+ Fast shaves
+ Comfortable
+ Low maintenance
+ Easy to clean. No need to purchase additional cleaning supplies. One can use the small brush provided, rinse under hot water, and/or submerge the head in hot water with a bit of soap and turn the razor on.
+ Nice display which is not ON all the time.
+ Charging stand and pod. The pod is a bit larger than the razor itself, but I did not find it inconvenient when traveling.
+ Fully charged in one hour
+ Seems to be well constructed. Originally I had purchased a Remington F-720 designed by BMW. As soon as I took it out of its box I was disappointed. It felt like a cheap toy. I returned it and got the Norelco instead.
The 1050x, 1060x and 1090x have slightly different features but the razor itself is essentially the same. One can download the manual and compare them. I chose the 1090 since the price difference with the 1060 was minimal where I bought it, and I liked the idea of being able to see exactly how many minutes of battery I had left. I was lucky to find a place that had them on sale, and additionally I had received a coupon for a 30% discount in my purchases. I am very happy with this razor, but I would never pay $240 for it.
Conclusion:
Overall I'm very happy with the Arcitec 1090X. For the price, I think that Norelco could offer a better product. I'm glad I found a great deal on mine, otherwise I would have chosen a different razor probably similar to my Panasonic.