Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This is the only shaver I've had that consistently gives my coarse beard a good shave. I have thick whiskers, with the ones on my neck growing flat against it instead of sticking out. This makes foil shavers pretty much ineffective although a Braun series 7 came close but it vibrates severely and takes much longer to shave than with this Norelco. For the record, I first wash my face in the shower and then apply 'Lectric Shave' to stand up my whiskers and lubricate my face for shaving. I've also had success with with a light, non gel foam ('Gillette Foamy') but it's messier and the shave is no better than with the 'Lectric Shave'. When my old version of this shaver died after several years of service, I tried one of the newer 5700 series shavers for several months. Even though they use the same blade sets (SH50/52/previously HQ8), the 4500 gives me a much better shave. It's not just my imagination... I ordered this 4500 and shaved the next day with it for a very noticeable improvement. I'm guessing that the difference must be in the springiness of the blades, the head pivot, and/or the rotation speed.