Electric Shavers
Types and Reasons Why Which is the Best Option
Far from the straight razors (razors that fold into their handle), which have been around since before the 1800s and used to be the foremost tool in shaving, it can be said that razors have come a long way due to many improvements to provide a more convenient, cleaner, safer way to shave. Due to advancement in technology, the tools of shaving continue to experience innovations. The result of this is the electric shaver which, surprisingly, has been around since the 1930s.
Because of this, men (and women) have gained access to a lot of shaving options to help them in their grooming. But for those who are always on the go, travel a lot and would want to have a clean shave without really fussing over things with a mirror or putting on shaving cream, then the electric razor is definitely an option worth trying. However, since there are also different types of electric razors, which one would be a best choice?
Electric Razor Types
There are two types of electric shavers: Foil Shavers which is a shaver that has a cutting head that moves back and forth and has a think flexible foil mesh cover and the Rotary Blade Shavers which is a shaver that has spring mounted guards over the cutter.
To see which electric shaver would perform or give you better results, here’s a list of some points of comparison between the two types and the reasons why to use either one of them:
1. Close Shave
It has been shown that you have a better chance of getting a close shave using foil shavers, such as the Panasonic or Braun models. But it still depends on the thinness of the foil and the length of hair that needs to be cut. If there is a lot more hair that needs to be removed or if they are on areas with curves or on the neck, then the rotary shaver is the way to go.
When using the rotary shavers, you would need to pull the right side of your mouth towards the left side, and vise versa to be able to get the best results. For the foil shavers, you would just need to run over the area that needs shaving and hairs that go through the foil’s holes will be cut by the cutting head.
Whatever the choice is, once you get that close shave, the less number of shavings you will need to do.
2. Wet/Dry
One feature of electric shavers is that many of them can be used either on a wet or dry setting. This is especially useful if you are just in a hurry and without time to apply shaving cream and then clean them off or nowhere near a shower. In these situations, you can shave dry.
If you are in the lookout for electric shavers, you should take note on what settings you will be using it more frequently as certain brands carry electric shaver models that are wet/dry shavers while others do not.
There are wet/dry shavers available for both the foil shaver and rotary shaver types.
3. Cost
Whether it is a foil or rotary, the price ranges for electric shavers vary from the affordable less than $20 shaver to the higher end ones that can cost up to $200 and even more. According to some sources, the best men’s electric shaver available in the market is one from Braun which is said to provide a very close shave and is quieter than other models, among its other features. This product ranges from between $200 to $240.
Cost is usually equated with the quality, brand and reliability of a product. So it is expected that the higher the price tag, the more or better quality and reliability you would get than from their lesser costing counterparts. This could mean a longer time of usage before the blades are replaced or getting another new one.
However, it doesn’t necessarily mean you would need to get the most expensive electric shaver. The more affordable ones will still get you good quality electric shavers (because if not, the companies that manufacture them will suffer for it) which will give you satisfactory results. Examples of these are some models from the Philips Norelco and Panasonic brands.
So it is important to consider what you are really looking for in electric shavers and how much are you willing to pay for it.
4. Cleaning and Maintenance
Although most of the electric shavers around are easy to clean as they can just be rinsed off, there are still cases where some manual cleaning needs to be done. It is preferable to clean the shaver after every shave, doing it after every third shave will be just fine as well.
Between the two types, the foil shaver is said to be easier to clean than the rotary shaver.
For the foil type, you just need to remove the screen covering over the head and brush away the hairs from the cutters or blades, whereas with the rotary shaver, you will need to remove assembly head before taking care of brushing the chamber and the underside of the cutters. Additionally for the rotary type, every second month, each of the cutters needs to be taken out to be cleaned and soaked in liquid solution. Both foil shavers and rotary shavers need to be lubricated after every cleaning.
There are also models of both foil razors and rotary razors that are self-cleaning. These types of shavers may be a bit more expensive than other electric shavers but they may save you the time and effort needed to clean your shaver yourself.
So which is the best choice? It actually is a matter of personal preference. Review the above-mentioned points and see which would be the shaver more suited for your needs.