Philips Norelco - Compact Rechargeable Wet & Dry Electric Shaver - Black

My very first electric shaver back in the 70’s was a hand-me-down rechargeable Norelco rotary shaver very much like the one Santa rides in their early commercials. I loved it!. Fast forward almost 50 years and dozens of electric shavers later, they remain my go to. For my beard, I’ve always felt Norelco rotary shavers give me a faster smoother shave over foil devices and the twin-head Norelco Compact shaver doesn’t disappoint. Unlike my prior “travel” shavers, which used AA batteries, the Norelco Compact Shaver is rechargeable.This means your first step is to charge the shaver. It takes about an hour for a full charge that gets you about an hour of run time. If the unit dies, a five minute charge will get you five minutes of runtime so you won’t be late to work. This unfortunately, is where my biggest complaint comes in. The shaver charges via USB, however, the cord is not a standard USB-C cord but it has the familiar Phillips plug on one end and USB A on the other. This means another cord you may have to travel with rather than using one from your laptop or other devices that you would already have on your trip. You also do not get a charging brick. Not a huge deal, most have these laying around but important to know. Using the compact shaver is no different than any other rotary blade shaver. Turn it on and shave. Because the blades are round and there are only two, your movements need to overlap but this isn't a big deal. It is important to note that anytime you start using an electric shaver, you need to allow at least a couple of weeks (Norelco says 21 days) for your skin to adapt to the new way of shaving. I find the shave to be smooth and clean, as good as a blade. This is a wet & dry shaver so you can use it in the shower with shave cream. I can’t speak to this method. The selling point to this shaver is its size. Just a bit larger in dimensions than a credit card, the Norelco Compact Shaver is the smallest travel shaver I’ve seen.The power switch is an actual push button but it has a travel lock to prevent it from accidentally turning on. Making it perfect when you just toss it in a backpack, briefcase or gym bag. There is an included zippered travel pouch but it adds to the bulk and unlike every other shaver i've had, there is no included cleaning brush. Not that they don’t just end up in the back of a drawer, but for this price it's a miss. Know that if you are looking for your first rotary shaver, this might not be the best first experience. There are less expensive full size models better suited for first time users. Otherwise, the Norelco Compact Shaver will be a worthy addition to my travel case and will get a lot of use. I recommend it for anyone looking for an excellent compact travel shaver. I am knocking off a star for the charging cord. To all manufacturers, if you are going with USB as a power source, go all the way and use a standard cord!

The build quality is very good and it works exactly as expected. It’s easy to use and performs well. Definitely worth the price and I would recommend it.

I have gotten to appreciate the simplicity and utility of a blade for shaving. I don’t usually like electric shavers because they seem like a hassle, they are expensive, they are harder to clean, they have batteries that need charging or replacing, and they often don’t even work as well. This shaver may be better than most. It’s not the cheapest, but it seems to be well constructed. After several uses, it seems like it shaves as close as I would expect from my blade. It’s comfortable and easy to operate. Two features in particular are worth comment. WATERPROOF I have never used an electric shaver that is waterproof, so this is new to me. I’m not sure if this is really a benefit though. I thought part of the attraction of an electric shaver is that you don’t have to fuss with water and shaving cream. But I guess if you want to you can do that with this shaver. I tried it once and it didn’t seem like it made a difference over using it dry. But maybe for some people this is useful. On the other hand, the waterproof design makes it easy to clean. You can simply rinse it under the water tap during or after a shave to get most of the particles out. Cleaning instructions contradict themselves by saying never to clean the shaver while it’s on, immediately followed by directions to clean it by putting it in a stream of water and turning it on. So who knows. Of course to do a full clean you still have to take it apart and clean the blades and other pieces separately, and it seems like you’d want to let it dry before putting it away, but water still makes the job a bit easier. CHARGING I love that this has a rechargable battery. However, there are several problems with the charging design, which is why this is not a 5-star review. First and most importantly, the charging cord has a proprietary design. Even though it plugs into a standard USB charger (not included) you can’t use a standard USB charging cable. Don’t lose the cable that comes with the unit! To make matters worse, the provided cable does not fit in the nifty storage case they provide for the shaver. So, as nice as the case looks, it’s kind of useless for travel since it doesn’t hold the essentials you’d need to take this on a trip (unless it’s a short trip and you won’t need to charge it). Charging is relatively slow. They say 5 minutes of charging gives you 5 minutes of shaving. On the other hand, the battery is large enough that you don’t have to charge that often. After I gave it about 5 uses, the battery indicator still claims a full charge.

This Philips Norelco Compact Shaver (PQ888/81) will be replacing the pocket shaver in my travel bag I’ve been using for over a decade. I’m most excited about having a built-in rechargeable battery versus always replacing AA disposables. The unit charges quickly in one hour and a 5-minute quick charge will give you enough power to run the unit for around 5 minutes. On a full charge, you’ll get 1 hour of use e.g. about 2 months with 1-minute daily shaves. It is compatible with 100-240V power for charging but cannot be operated while plugged in. The shaver comes with a zippered leather case and USB-A charging cable with a model-specific connector, so even though I have other Norelco products, those plugs will not fit this unit. Note that a wall adapter is not included, but you can request a splash-proof one (part number HQ87) for free on the Philips support website after registering your product. This shaver is small and lightweight making it perfect for stashing in my toiletry bag for travel. The unit is IPX7 waterproof so can be used in the shower or rinsed under running water. There is a plastic cap to protect the two circular shaving heads that feature 18 of Philip’s self-sharpening ComfortCut blades. With 37,000 cutting actions per minute, these floating heads flex to follow the contours of my face and neck for a clean, close shave. Since the device can be used wet or dry, you can run it over your face each morning for quick touch-ups even without water. The flexible heads do a nice job of cutting hairs along the jaw line, neck, and chin with full skin contact without requiring a lot of pressure. I didn’t feel any pulling, pinching, or snags during use, and the shaving experience was comfortable overall. That said, there is no built-in trimmer, so if you’ve got more than 3 days worth of hair growth, you’ll likely want to knock it down with a separate trimmer first. Personally, I found dry shaving the first couple times with this razor caused some irritation and redness, especially around the neck, but this is typical with new razors until your skin gets used to it. Philips recommends a 21-day acclimation period to adapt to new shaving systems and offers a 45-day money back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the product. It’s also backed by a full 2-year warranty. For a closer shave, pulling your skin taut will raise up the stubble, so the blade can cut it “below” the skin surface as the hair will retract into your skin when you release it. I found that using shaving cream/gel helped reduce friction and skin irritation which allowed me to get a closer shave overall with greater comfort and less after-shave care. The shaving unit can be pulled off the top for cleaning it and the hair chamber beneath. You can just wash them under running warm water for quick and easy cleanup. The two cutters can also be removed from their guards for deep cleaning or replacement when they get worn down. The lock between the cutters twists to unlock, however, be careful not to mix up their placements as they are specifically oriented though not marked. If you swap the cutters by mistake it can take several weeks for the self-sharpening action to re-hone the blades for optimal shaving performance. There is a handy travel lock you can enable by holding the power button down for 3 seconds to prevent the shaver from being turned on accidentally in your bag. To unlock the unit, hold the power button for 3 seconds again and start shaving or simply plug the unit in to charge. This Philips Norelco compact shaver is perfect for folks who prefer to maintain a clean shaven face every day, as it doesn’t have its own trimmer for prolonged beard growth. It works efficiently, delivers a smooth and close shave, and is comfortable to use. It’s great for travel as it occupies less space in your bag with little added weight versus a full-sized trimmer or electric razor. It works great out-of-the-box, though some folks may need a few weeks with it to acclimate their skin.

This shaver from Philips-Norelco is a nice-sized compact unit that can do duty as an everyday shaver or for traveling. Since I already use a full-size triple-head S9000 Philips shaver, I see this strictly for traveling as a replacement for the cheesy battery-powered shaver that I’ve been struggling with for a while. From my standpoint, although I might give this product a top rating as a compact daily shaver, there are some drawbacks to it as a travel shaver that are my reason for knocking it down a star. This is a compact device that has a very nice feel in my hand. It’s easy to hold and use without having to grip it too tightly. The dual rotary heads float in usual Philips style and it has a full IPX7 rating for use in the shower or (more commonly) for cleaning it under running water. A hard-sided carrying case is also included. I’ve used it for shaving several times and can say that the quality of the shave is close to that of the larger device but it takes a bit more work simply due to the coverage area of the shaving heads. I also had to adjust my grip so as not to accidentally press the power button with my thumb while shaving. There are of course no adjustments as far as blade speed or other features generally found on full-featured shavers. But it will certainly serve me well on long or short trips! The drawback that I see as a travel device has to do with charging it. As is common, no charger is supplied but the included cable has a USB-A connector that can plug into charging bricks that most people already own, or even into a port on a laptop or PC. However, the other end of the cable has the same proprietary connector that has been used for years on Philips and Norelco shavers. While this is good for commonality, it would be really nice if they went to a more universal standard such as USB-C; in that case, I could use the same charger and cable that I already take along for my phone and tablet. Instead, it will be necessary to take this special cable along and keep track of it. If the included carry case had a place to store the cable this problem would be alleviated, but unfortunately it does not. I haven’t had it long enough to see how long it holds a charge, so maybe this is not that big of a deal, but something to be aware of. (The photo is for comparison with the full-size shaver, which is obviously not a part of the product!)