Customer Ratings & Reviews

For a linear shaver, Panasonics are powerful and fast. For Rotary shavers I would go with a Phillips Norelco. Depends on what you like, the Panasonic linear shavers have a much more powerful/faster motor, but for my beard a slower rotary shaver seems to cut my beard with fewer passes.

If you have more than a one days growth, it doesn't cut well. I have to 1st use my Panasonic beard trimmer w/o attachments and then follow up with this shaver. Also it is so much louder, I just don't like it. Guess you get what you pay for !

But the Arc 5 or at least the higher end Arc 3. This one was returned.

It’s good shaver but did not work well for me. Go for it

Charges fast and works okay but doesn't give a really close shave.

good thats all I could say, ok ,ok ok ok 0k !!!!!!!

I'm not overly impressed with the shave. It does work but takes a long time to get a "close" shave. Much faster and better shave from a razor.

Bought this for my son (29) he was not impressed with it. He says it snagged his hairs. He could feel it pulling.

My trusty Braun 5760 shaver has not been shaving as well lately, so I decided to give this Panasonic Arc3 shaver a try. I have a small Panasonic ES3831K travel shaver that has always worked well and I trust the Panasonic brand, so I had high hopes for the Arc3. For the most part, I’m happy with it. First, the most important part – Does it shave well? The answer is yes, this shaver performs well and gives me a close shave. I actually have a fairly light beard, which actually makes it hard to get a good shave – my whiskers are fine enough that the Braun shaving foil often misses them and I have to make multiple passes. With the Panasonic, one pass usually gets them all. To be fair, I have never changed out the foil and blades on my old Braun shaver and you are supposed to do that annually – If I replaced those, the Braun might still be working well. Of course the replacement foil and blades run about $30 so you’d spend a good percentage of the cost of this new Panasonic shaver replacing them. The Arc3 has a pop-out trimmer which is different from the pop-up trimmer on my Braun – trimmer works the same, but in a different orientation. This took a few days to get used to, but I actually think I prefer the Panasonic trimmer now. It seems easier to actually view what you’re trimming. On the other hand, the actual foil head of the Arc3 is much larger than the head of my old Braun. This surprised me, but it’s larger in every dimension. It makes it a little harder to see where you’re shaving because the bulk of the foil head tends to block your view. I read in another review that this shaver uses a ‘linear motor’ rather than a rotary motor – I don’t know which my Braun uses, but maybe that causes the size difference? I was also surprised that the Panasonic does not have a swivel foil head – I’ve gotten so used to the swivel head on my old Braun that I guess I assumed that all new shavers had them. That being said, I don’t think the lack of a swivel head affected the performance of the shaver at all. Turns out, my own wrist works pretty well as a natural swivel while shaving! I don’t think I miss the swivel function at all, however I wonder why the Arc3 foil head is larger than the Braun swivel head when it presumably has fewer parts inside? The Arc3 shaver also comes with some nifty attachments for the trimmer which let you trim a beard or mustache to an exact length. I was skeptical, but tried these on my beard and ‘stache and they work surprisingly well. I don’t think they are a substitute for a true beard trimming set, but would work nicely for travelling so you don’t have to bring a separate trimmer. I don’t think the number guides correspond exactly to the trim length numbers on my Phillips trimmer though, so don’t assume they are the same – test first! Another nice addition are the status lights on the Arc3. Lots of shavers have them now, but my older Braun only has a charging LED. The Arc3 has a ‘locking’ feature to prevent the shaver form accidentally turning on while packed in a travel bag – handy! Unfortunately, no travel case is included – would have been nice, but not surprising at this price point. It also has a special mode for cleaning the blades and foil under the faucet with liquid soap and water. There is also a low battery light, but I haven’t been able to test this yet because the shaver has not run low on power yet! Been using for a week and the battery is still strong. As far as build quality goes, the Panasonic seems well-constructed though not as weighty as my Braun. The Braun ‘feels’ more quality (because better quality things are heavier, right?), but I don’t doubt that the Panasonic is as well-made as the Braun. Lastly, the sound of this Panasonic shaver is distinctly different from my Braun – a much higher-pitched whine rather than a low buzz. I don’t know if this is because the Panasonic blades vibrate at a higher frequency due to the ‘linear motor’? Depending on your ears, the sound may be more annoying than other shavers. In conclusion I would recommend this shaver as a good value that provides a good shave and performance, with the added versatility of the beard/mustache trimmer. I drop it by one star due to the lack of a carrying case/pouch and the size of the foil head.

The first thing you notice when you use the Panasonic Arc3 shaver and trimmer is the sound of the motor. This is because Panasonic used something called a linear motor rather than a regular rotary motor you are probably familiar with. Intrigued, I did a little research and learned that the linear motor is more powerful and wont slow down as the battery level drops. Good choice. I generally shave with a blade because I shave my head and face. There are times when I just want a quick face shave and don’t want to bother with the shave cream and blade so I use an electric shaver and a separate beard trimmer. I’ve used shavers from all the big brands and the first time I shaved with the Panasonic Arc3 I fell in love. This is the closest shave I’ve ever had with a shaver. The head just glides across your face, cutting everything in its path along the way. Unlike triple head rotary shavers I’ve used in the past, there was no need to constantly rub over and over the same spot to get a close shave. Not having shaved for a couple of days to see how the Arc3 would handle the longer growth, it chomped it away with out a struggle. I did hear the motor rev up a few times to handle the longer growth which helped make the shave effortless. The Arc3 is a wet/dry foil shaver so I gave that a try as well. I lathered up with the same cream that I use with my blade and was equally as amazed at how this shaver handled it. For those with sensitive skin who need to shave wet, this shave works great and is almost as fast as a blade. Cleanup is just as easy. Pop off the shaving head and rinse the unit under running water and your done. My most favorite feature with the Panasonic Arc3 shaver is the trimmer. Most all electric shavers have a pop-up trimmer these days but they always seem like an afterthought and in my opinion are pretty much useless. Not Panasonic. This shaver comes with two trimmer guards, each with three height selections. Snap on the guard and select the height and be amazed. This trimmer worked as well as my single trimmer and I didn’t have to change devices. The battery is rated to last about a week on a single charge and I’ve not had to recharge it yet. Charging takes about an hour and there is a five-minute quick charge feature to get one shave in. The Arc3 does not have a corded option which means you can not use it while its charging. With the five-minute feature, this should not be an issue. If I had to find a negative issue for this shave, it would be that it does not come with a travel pouch to hold the separate pieces. I guess that’s what the purple cloth bags when you buy whiskey are for :-) I highly recommend the Panasonic Arc3 shaver.

Ive been looking for this type of shave because the 3 head shavers was always trash in my opinion. This one is perfect

Not cutting close enough takes too much time trying to get a close shave

Shaves without irritation but not as close a shave as with a razor

Great for quick dry shaving for legs and arms you will not end up with nicks or stubble. This is a great dry shaver, if the hair is longer you want to use the trimmer first and make sure the hair is short to prevent the nicks. I have used it for a couple weeks now mainly using to shave my legs. Compared to my old electric razor this thing is great. It's a nice hefty weight that seems consistent with the quality I would expect for the price point. This razor holds a charge way longer than any electric razor I've ever owned. And the visible "charge remaining" gauge is an awesome bonus! Versatile options of using either the rocking "soft" head that moves fluidly with the curve of your leg, or a static head position for more control. The Dry/Wet feature - I usually avoid wet shaving with an electric razor because my hair is usually too soft and doesn't cut well. This razor works for me wet, almost as well as dry! Super easy to clean, just rinse under water. It would be great if they make the shape of the razor more versatile to shave other areas of the the body besides the face. Make it more ergonomic and make the head and handle a little versatile. Even with this slight inconvenience, this razor is WAY better than anything out there for women and does the job like a champ. For this reason, it gets 5 stars from me.

Perfect gift for my husband. Works better than any we have purchased before.

I have used Panasonic shavers for over 50 years. This shaver irritates my skin and I have tried to be patient but have realized it is pulling my beard out in stead of cutting. Panasonic - shame on you!

Great product and serves its purpose as described.

overall, this is a nice easy to use shaver, with a few nice features. It isn't very advanced, and doesn't have a self cleaning device, but that's known when you buy it. It is waterproof, which is nice if you choose to shave in the shower. The main difference between this shaver, and other shavers in the same price range is that it comes with adjustable guides to trim a beard, and not just do a close shave. Use: this is very easy to use. The shaver works like any traditional foil shaver. Gives a pretty close shave and doesn't cause any irritation more than any other foil shaver I've used. The side trimmer works pretty well, and has clip on guards to limit the shave closeness. However, these are basic and a bit limited, but do work well for what they are designed to do. You can set 1,2,3,5,6,7 MM length. Notice 4 is missing, and there are no .5 increments. So if these numbers don't work for you, then this won't work for you. I use a 3, so it works for me though. It trims without tugging, and is nice that it is bi-directional, so don't have to flip the trimmer over when moving the other direction through the hair. Pros: easy to use, shaves and trims well. Charge lasts as expected, and you don't have to charge it too often. Cons: A bit loud. Limited to trim lengths. Does not come with a carry case at all, so you just have loose attachments and shaver guards. Overall: Know what you are buying and it works well, but don't have overly high expectations.

The Panasonic Arc3 shaver is a great foil shaver! This shaver will give you a very close shave, be careful! I got a razor burn the first time I used it even though I have been using foil type shavers many years. This shaver requires very little pressure, keep in mind the blades are curved toward you (that’s where Arc comes from). The shaver automatically increases power to the blades for thicker areas and decreases it for thinner areas. There is a pop out trimmer for shaping and detachable adjustable length guards to trim facial hair to length. This shaver can be used wet or dry with or without shaving gel or cream. You clean it with a little liquid soap, put it in cleaning mode by holding the power button for more than 2 seconds and it runs a short special cleaning cycle. You can then rinse the blades and foil in tap water and let it dry. Panasonic also supplies paraffin based oil to lubricate the shaver after cleaning. The shaver charge lasts up to 3 weeks with daily use depending on shave time, mine is still going strong after 2 weeks. Panasonic advertises the shaver will hold a charge for up to 6 months, I hope it will hold some charge as I plan to use it as a travel razor. There is a special lock mode to keep the shaver from turning on during travel. Unfortunately Panasonic does not supply a carrying case. The razor has a good shape and fits well in my hands, well balanced. Overall this is a very good mid level foil shaver.

Blades are too sharpe to the point to scratch my skin.