Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Why did no one tell me about electric shaving before? Whomever came up with the idea that women need to shave half their bodies to go outside was probably a) a razor advertiser, and b) a man. Contorting oneself in the shower with a sharp implement rubbed all over your body is not a pleasant experience and with my sensitive skin and thick hair I found it to be very time consuming and perilous. I had never tried electric shaving, but this Panasonic shaver is inexpensive and has some good reviews. The shave is great - my hair grows so fast that within hours after a normal shave I have some hair growing anyways. So it doesn't matter to me too much that this shave isn't 100% as close as a normal shave. It's close enough to feel fairly smooth and look completely presentable - and I have thick dark hair and very pale skin. Also it doesn't irritate my skin at all. People complain in some reviews about the plastic guards above and below the foils. They do stick out, but I don't think they're sharp and they didn't bother me at all. Compare some plastic rubbing on your skin with a sharp metal blade and I think you'll find the plastic is far more pleasant. The ability to shave dry is life changing - I can shave easily whenever and wherever I want with minimal fuss and mess. Wet shaving armpits when you're already dressed is really inconvenient - this solves that problem. I also like that I can shave wet if I need to. My review may not be helpful to you if you already have electric razor experience and want a comparison to other razors - but if you're a first time electric razor buyer, I strongly recommend this razor to you. I thought about going with a men's razor - it seems like there ought to be something snazzy you get for 10x the price (literally, many men's razors do cost 10x what this one costs). However, I couldn't find enough compelling evidence to spend 10x as much, or even 3x as much - this ladies razor really does the trick. And if it does wear out in a year, I can afford to buy a new one. Although I'd rather not since that would be environmentally unfriendly. I do experience some very mild razor burn or irritation in my armpits after shaving with this - I can only tell because I apply witch hazel afterwards and it burns. It's far less than with shaving though and doesn't bother me, but if you're looking for completely burn free shaving the super high end men's razors might offer that experience. __________ Update: This shaver is all I wrote before, *when fully charged*. If the battery is getting low, it starts yanking on your hairs, taking forever to get anything done, and just overall not working. I would like to see Panasonic come out with a new model of this product with better battery technology. The product literally does not function as it should without a close to full charge, which should not be the case. There should also be a battery meter so you know when to recharge instead of having it die while you're trying to shave and rush out the door. I am tempted to buy a second one, so I can have one charging and one to use. _________________ Update: I finally upgraded to a men's 15000rpm Panasonic shaver. The difference between that and this women's shaver is a Mercedes Benz versus a garbage truck. They will both get you there, but one is going to be a lot quieter, faster, and more comfortable. Given that women shave more of their bodies than men it surprises me that there aren't better shaving options for women. I recommend getting a men's shaver if you want the full experience. I paid about 4-5x the cost of this shaver, but it is well worth it. The women's shaver had stopped working very well since it couldn't get fully charged long enough to do both legs, frequently leaving me with only one leg shaved. My new men's shaver has a longer lasting battery with a battery meter and is "Made in Japan" versus "Made in China" for the women's shaver. The head is larger and pivots more. It is an ugly black color, but other than that it is better on every level than this women's shaver which now feels like a poorly functioning toy in comparison. Update: I didn't want to recommend any particular men's model, just that you buy a men's electric razor instead, but due to popular demand, here is the model of men's shaver I purchased: Panasonic ES-LA93-K, Arc4 Electric Razor, Men's 4-Blade with Multi-Flex Pivoting Head and Dual Motor, Premium Automatic Clean & Charge Station Included, Wet or Dry Operation and my review of it: http://smile.amazon.com/review/R1BB4BSB822648/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm This was the highest end model available at the time and has been working very well for over 5 years. But any men's model should be fine, they appear to all be engineered to a higher standard than the women's model - it's not necessary to buy the top of the line, and I found the charging station superfluous after a year or so. ____________________________________ Further update: Another life changing upgrade! The men's razor was still great, but shaving was taking too long, especially for longer hairs and large areas. So after a lot of research and a long hesitation to spend more again on shaving equipment, I purchased an Oster cordless hair trimmer (for dogs) and an Andis Outliner blade Andis Outliner Beard Trimmer UltraEdge Detachable Blade, Silver, Size 1/150 (64160) to trim longer hairs and shave legs. By reading reviews, I found out a lot of men use a hair trimmer on their face, as it is much gentler, and also works much better on longer hairs, but no one ever mentioned this for women! It is at least 10x faster to shave and does not damage my (thin, pale, sensitive) skin. I also found out hair trimmers are used for surgery prep instead of razors to prevent small cuts in the skin. It does leave a tiny bit of very short stubble, but I can leave the house with the result. The trimmer works especially well before the electric shaver for a smooth result quickly without skin irritation. I only wish I had found this sooner - I almost enjoy shaving now, and it can be done quickly, dry, anytime, with no injury. Ignore any labels that say they are to trim dog's hair, sheep, horses, men's head hair, etc. Hair is hair and trimming is trimming. As a bonus you could also trim your dog, sheep, horses, and male relatives hair (with a different blade).