 After using my trusty old Panasonic electric shaver for five years, I decided it was time for a replacement. Since I had a number of friends that used Norelco shavers, and constantly saw those "close as a blade, or your money back" ads on TV, I decided to try one.
I purchased one of the high-end models from Norelco's Spectra line, called the 8825XL. It has nine levels of comfort control, a pop-up trimmer, and the best blades that Norelco makes. I expected it to be a great improvement over my old Panasonic model. One thing that really bothered me with the Panasonic shaver was that it made SO much noise. Instead of a steady "whir" sound, it maintained a constant high-pitched "buzz" that seemed to get louder over time.
I'm happy to say that the Norelco Spectra 8825XL is a much more quiet shaver. The shaver makes the "whir" sound that I appreciate and is even pretty quiet when the pop-up trimmer is being used. The blades are smooth on the face, and as long as your facial hair is not too long, you can hardly feel the shaver on your skin.
Unfortunately, that's about all the positive things I have to say about the 8825XL. When used on neck hair, the blades just rip the hair out, creating rashes on the skin. I understand that it takes your skin awhile to get used to a new shaver, but even after two months of use, I continued to have a red, painful neck every time I shaved. I even tried all nine "comfort settings," which are controlled by a small spring that varies the pressure beneath the blades. While it's nice to have the adjustment option, no matter what setting I used, the shaver still hurt my neck.
The three-blade design seems like a cool idea, but it makes it easy to miss spots and especially difficult to shave around sideburns accurately. There is a pop-up trimmer on the side of the shaver for taking care of sideburns, but it just does not shave close enough to create a clean appearance. I ended up using my old Panasonic pop-up trimmer to finish the job. Also, I like to be able to use the pop-up trimmer for longer hairs on the face and neck, but the power of the 8825XL's trimmer is too low to be effective.
While the 8825XL does not make a lot of noise, it is because the shaver is just not that powerful. It feels like the shaver is pulling the hair more than cutting it, which causes discomfort during and after the shave. Maybe this is why my friends who used Norelco shavers went back to using regular razors.
If I only needed to use this shaver on my face and didn't have sideburns, the Spectra 8825XL would be a decent choice. However, the poor job it does on the neck and the low-power pop-up trimmer are enough reasons for me to look elsewhere. |
