Looking for an electric shaver for face and head
October 11, 2010 4:23 AM   Subscribe

My boyfriend is in the market for an electric shaver that he can use on both his face and head. Any recommended brands, models, or qualities to look for?

He currently shaves his head with professional hair clippers and his face with disposable razors, neither of which works very well or is very fun. His goal is to get himself to shave more often, so he really needs something that's easy to grab, use, and put away with minimal clean-up required.

He has always had problems with irritated skin and ingrown hairs on his face, so a gentle shave is more important than a close one.

I'm interested in brands—or even better, specific models—to consider, but we're in the Netherlands, so some American brands might not be available. (The big three here seem to be Philips, Braun, and Panasonic.) So I'm also interested in important qualities to look for in a shaver.
posted by neushoorn to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (5 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
I use the Braun 790cc on my face and head each morning. I've been using it this way for over a year with no problems at all.
posted by lairc at 6:07 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]


For face shaving I know a number of people recommend Panasonic linear drive shavers. We use one at home for various bits of the both of us and it's been a revelation after years of ingrown hairs, shaving cuts, and rash from wet shaving. We get a smooth, close shave with no ingrowers, putting on King of Shaves gel first and "wet" shaving with the Panasonic. Having a hot shower first helps, too.

The Panasonic model we use has a flip-up trimmer and you may be able to use it to shave your head (since I use it to shave bits of me I can't see and I've yet to cut myself up with it). It is supposedly self-cleaning but you can get models with gel cleaning kits. It cost £75 in a sale (including 75.5% sales tax; not sure how it shakes out in Euros what with local taxes).
posted by ArmyOfKittens at 6:08 AM on October 11, 2010 [1 favorite]


I don't recommend this plan for someone with ingrown hairs and sensitive skin. A safety razor is a better solution. But, since you asked... An often overlooked feature of electric razors is the power source. You do not want to shave half your head and end up not being able to finish because of a dead battery. Too many electric razors don't let you plug-in and shave. They make you charge first, then shave. That's supremely inconvenient. It's also irritating that they advertise this as a feature. Whatever he gets, he should be able to plug-it in and shave at the same time.
posted by ifandonlyif at 8:30 AM on October 11, 2010


This ONE is amazing. Shaves extremely well.
posted by lorebella at 9:36 AM on October 11, 2010


I've used a Braun shaver (a couple different models over the years) on both my face and head with no problems. I use it every morning and shave with a Mach 3 razor in the shower about once a week to get a really close shave.
posted by pombe at 2:58 PM on October 11, 2010


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