 After being dissatisfied with the performance of my Norelco shaver, I decided to try a Panasonic. I bought the ES8092, which is Panasonic's top-of-the-line electric shaver. It has a high-powered "linear motor" and a pivoting head. I figure if I'm going to using something with sharp blades on my face every day, I might as well get the best there is.
Fortunately, the Panasonic ES8092 met my expectations in nearly every way. The blades shave very close to the skin and it is comfortable to use. The motor is so powerful that it doesn't matter if you go a day or two without shaving -- the blades still cut right through hair. The straight design of the shaver's head makes it easy to shave around sideburns and hard to miss any areas. This was an ongoing problem with the Norelco model I used, which had the "three floating heads" design.
The ES8092 also has a great pop-up trimmer for trimming sideburns and other longer hairs. I often use the trimmer to take care of longer hair if I don't shave for three days or more, then use the regular blades to finish the job. I also use the pop-up trimmer for longer neck hair, as the regular blades can be a little rough on the neck. The ES8092 is comfortable on the skin, but shaving too much on the neck still leaves red spots and can be pretty uncomfortable.
An adjustment lever on the side of the shaver allows you to control the stiffness of the pivoting head. While it only has three settings, I've found that they are all I need. I use the most relaxed setting for shaving the neck, the middle setting for the facial areas, and the firm setting to finish up anything I missed. The head itself is made up of three moving sections that further add to the comfort of the shave. Because it is a wet/dry shaver, cleaning the head is super-easy. You just pop it off and rinse both the head and the shaver under running water.
The ES8092 comes with a cool stand-up charging cradle, in which you set the shaver to charge it. Somehow it just starts charging, even though there is no metal connection. On the side of the shaver is a meter showing if the shaver has 100, 80, 60, 40, or less than 20 percent of the charge left. Charging the shaver only takes an hour and it is good for at least two weeks of shaving.
While I am satisfied with the shaver's performance, there is one thing about the ES8092 that is frustrating -- the loudness of the shaver. While it is not as bad as my first Panasonic, it certainly makes a "buzzing" noise that is louder than I had hoped. It is exceptionally bad when the pop-up trimmer is used, which is frustrating since I use the pop-up trimmer all the time. I suppose this is due to the powerful motor, but I just wish there was a way to have a fast and smooth shave without waking up the neighbors.
If it weren't for the volume issue, the Panasonic ES8092 would be close to a perfect shaver. It does the job better than any other shaver I've tried and keeps my face healthy and clean. If you're thinking about switching to a different shaver or trying an electric shaver for the first time, this is one that I would highly recommend. |
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