Philips Norelco - Head Shaver Pro 5000, from the #1 shaving brand: clean shave, gentle on skin, HS5980/40 - Deep Black

Skips. Pulls. Not a good cut for the price. Not impressed.

I've been shaving my head for nearly 20 years. Back then I just used trimmers. For about the last 5 years I've been using another brand head shaver. I was never satisfied with it. If I waited one day too long I would have to first use trimmers to shorten the hair and then use the head shaver to finish the job. The Head Shaver Pro 5000 feels great in the hand. The ergonomics are great and you can either hold it by the body or cup your hand around the shave head. It comes with a head cover to protect the blades, a charging cable, and a soft travel bag. One nice feature is the ability to lock it to prevent it from being turned on accidentally. It is quite large. My previous one was about 2/3 the size of this one and the blades sat much closer to the body of the shaver. As far as the shave goes, I had honestly waited a little too long between shaving my head, but I didn't want to use my old head shaver knowing this was on the way and having to wait again to shave my head. However, it did a great job. It did take a few extra passes, but that was expected due to my longer hair length. It does give a very close and comfortable shave. It cuts much closer than my previous head shaver. It is quiet and can be used wet or dry. I personally don't shave my head in the shower, or wet, only dry so I can only speak to the quality of that. I've used it a few times and each time is comfortable. My previous shaver would tend to get very hot and would become irritating over time. The blades on the Head Shaver Pro 5000 are much larger than my previous shaver, however it only has four blades compared to five on my previous one. To me, it's a bit of a compromise. In one way it is better (you cover more area quicker), but the trade off is there is no center blade. With the spacing of the blades, there is a relatively large area between the blades that is open and not cut. You have to turn the "square" of the blades at an angle to get more of a diamond shape to cover everything in one pass, or make more passes closer together. Nothing huge, just something to be aware of. Cleaning is incredibly easy with this shaver. On my previous one, the outer four blades pivoted open and the center one came out. There was always hair stuck in the blades because they were so small. You had to get very thin tweezers to get the hair out. On the Head Shaver Pro 5000, the entire top of the head pops off and it is more open. I didn't even have to rinse it out to clean it. I just tapped it against my palm and all of the hair came out. It is the easiest to clean by far. A couple of things that I would change would be to add a battery level indicator. My previous one had a green light while on with a sufficient charge and it turned red when it needed to be charged. Granted, I haven't ran this one dead yet, but it would be nice to know what level the battery was at before using it. It's never fun to be mid shave and have the battery die. Although you can plug it in for five minutes to get enough charge for a shave. Another change would be the charging cable. I don't understand why we can't have USB-C on the shaver for charging. It's just one extra charging cable that you have to take with you when traveling. Again, nothing huge, just a couple of things that I would prefer. In the end, Philips Norelco is the best name in the business. They make a quality product and I definitely recommend it if you shave your head. It's by far the best shave I've ever had. If you shave daily, you can be done in less than two minutes.

Philips makes great shavers. I have owned a few of their Norelco line in my lifetime with the most recent being the S9000 Prestige Shaver. It has served me well in for its primary use, facial hair removal but I always felt guilty about not having an actual head shaver when I have used it in that capacity. The Philips Head Shaver Pro 5000 Series is specifically designed for a gentle total removal of head hair and it performs this very well. As packaged: • Philips Norelco Head Shaver Pro 5000 Series • Cleaning brush • USB-A cable A (for charging) • Protective cap • Fabric pouch (for travel/storage) The shaver is under 1lbs and measures approximately 4.5 x 2.5 x 3.75 inches (L x B x H). An LED travel lock indicator, the power button, and a small LCD display for battery status are located on the front of the device. The power button also engages the travel lock function when held for 3 seconds. The travel lock status is confirmed by the flashing of the previously mentioned LED. I have previously tried razors with some not-so-great outcomes. Heads, unlike faces tend to have more contours which require more attention and skill to use razors without accidental nicks. This is especially true during a shaving routine when one may be pressed for time. The Head Shaver Pro 5000 provides professional barber-like shaves for everyone. Helping achieve this is Philips’ 36 ComfortCut blade system (replacement part HS740) which is also self-sharpening. The head, is able to follow every curve and ramp up power when needed to provide the closest shave possible, all without any nicks. The device can be used for wet (including in showers) or dry shaves. I prefer to use with a shave gel and typically shave every other day; I have not had any irritation so far. Helping deliver great shaves is the ergonomic grip. It is very comfortable and does not wear you out. The head can also be held directly if preferred. Either way, maneuverability is smooth which makes the whole process less of a chore, in my experience. The lithium battery onboard is able to provide 60 minutes of use when full. It takes about an hour to fully charge. Should it be totally discharged, a 5-minute charge should provide enough juice for a 5-minute shave, per Philips. The charging port is, unfortunately, different from my other Philips shaver. While there may be a technical reason for this, having one less cable to pack for travel would have been preferred, in my opinion. After use, it is easy to clean the shaver with the provided brush and rinsing with water. The shaving head system includes a lower chamber which collects hair during use for a tidier environment. Blades are recommended to be changed every 6 months. Although the Norelco Head Shaver Pro 5000 Series is as robust as they come, Philips offers a generous 2-year warranty for added peace of mind as there appears to be no user replaceable parts inside, per the manual. In conclusion, Philips’ Norelco Head Shaver Pro 5000 Series firmly asserts its place in line with the manufacturer’s legendary history. I envision using it for several years to come and recommend.

My husband has been shaving his head for the past five years using a beard / body trimmer, and it's ok, but has a few flaws. For this reason, I was excited to pick up the Philips Norelco Head Shaver Pro 5000 for him to try.  TL:DR - Overall great product if you want to keep your head close shaved on a frequent basis, approximately every 1 - 3 days pending how fast your hair grows. The razor shape is well designed to fit in your palm and the 4 blade foil shape is designed specifically for the head. The razor has plenty of power and performs better than a body or beard trimmer. Note that this may not be for you if you do not want a close shave or do not plan to shave your head frequently, as the hair needs to be short for this shaver to be effective.  Pros:  Easy to use Battery lasts 5+ days for 5 minutes of use each day and has a quick charge feature if you don't have time for a full charge Lightweight and comfortable to hold Cleaning the foil is easy Gentle on sensitive skin, works even with scars / skin folds Works for both wet and dry shaving Cons: Hair needs to be ~2mm or less for the most effective shave, so this really is meant for daily or every other day shaving No battery life indicator In the box is the shaver, USB-A style charging cable, foil cover and travel pouch. The shaver did not come charged, so charged it for about 30 minutes prior to turning on the first time. To use, power on and move in slow circles over your head. If you want super smooth, you'll need to apply a small amount of pressure, but otherwise, no downward force required. The foil has 4 independent blades which flex within the head, and the head itself flexes allowing for a smooth shave on both flat and curved surfaces. To clean, remove the foil and gently tap or run it under water to clean out the hair, then let air dry. As for the results, my husband has scars from an old head injury which have always been slightly hard for him to get completely smooth using the trimmer. This shaver does an excellent job and gets all areas smooth with no irritation to the scar or his neck. So far he has used it every day, taking approximately 5 minutes to shave, and has no complaints of irritation or not getting an even shave. Bottom line, great shaver for low maintenance, daily shaving that delivers a close shave without irritating the skin. 

I have some experience with other products of this kind and I was pleasantly surprised by exactly how well this shaver did. Of course the closest shave for a bald guy like me is always going to be done with a regular blade razor. But along with the super close shave comes cuts, nicks, scalp bumps, and bleeding. That is why I choose to use these rotary types of shavers on my head. Of the many that I have used, this one comes the closest to shaving with a blade. Even with significant stubble trouble, it just glides over my scalp and mows it down. It doesn’t require many passes to get a completely close shave, either. I like that there are two ways that it can be held. Either hold on to the base or put the area where the shaver head meets the base between your fingers and just run it over your head. I do it that way and then hold on to the base to finish up any areas that might have been missed. And the connection to the base is flexible so it just sort of goes with the contours of my head. Anyway, let’s do some pros and cons. Pros: - Clean, close shave. - It charges quickly and works for a long time between charges. - It has no annoying digital display that doesn’t give you any real useful information and isn’t accurate. Instead, it will display an orange light when it needs to be charged. - It is easy to clean. Just pop the blade portion of the shaving head off and empty it out. - It has a lot of space in the shaving head so it doesn’t need to be cleaned often. - The storage bag is nice and fits the razor and everthing that comes with it with room to spare. - It has a travel lock. Press and hold the button and it will lock so that the razor cannot be accidentally turned on while being moved around in baggage. - The blade cover is sturdy and stays put, to protect the blades. There’s no cheap, thin plastic here. Cons: - The cord it comes with is proprietary and if you lose it, you’ll have to buy another one somewhere. - It did not come with a charger. That’s not a big deal for most, because who among us doesn’t have chargers just sitting around all over the place? But on the off chance that you don’t have one, it can be plugged into any USB port on anything. This is definitely a worthwhile purchase and it has become my main head shaver. I love it and can highly recommend it.