Customer Ratings & Reviews

This does no better than a cheap electric razor. It is only useful for very short hair (5 o’clock shadow) and even then must be used up to 20 times in the same area to clear an area. Even then, my face was left patchy. The build feels flimsy with the wobbly head, which only has two “blades” under the 4 screens. Maybe it works for very light hair on young men, but definitely not acceptable for coarse hair or anything longer than 0.25mm.

Who ever gave this shaver anything above a 2 star must be insane. I bought this shaver for my boyfriend this past Christmas and we were in shock when the shaver wasn’t shaving the hair off evenly. He literally had to sit there and make 10 to 15 passes in the same spot. He had patches of shaved hairs on his head and beard/face (he shaves his head bald) . He then decided to read the directions to make sure there wasn’t anything he was missing. He was following all the instructions properly and even shaving in the direction the pamphlet suggested. Finally, we realized that the shaver has a “built-in sensor”. What the sensor does, it senses the thickness and length of your hairs and then adjust the strength or power accordingly. Well it seems the shaver never likes to adjusts to “full power”. Therefore, reason why this shaver sucks!

Ok, I admit it, I'm really surprised at how well the Panasonic Arc 5 shaves. I wanted a shaver that was completely shower safe and washable, not just partially rinse-able and the Panasonics are really the best at that. I figured I would give it a weeks worth of shaving to try it out. The Arc 5 is great, way better than my old rotary. Even the first shave was very smooth with no straggling whiskers or feeling like I had to go back over an area. I found myself spending less time shaving than usual because I didn't have to feel for the rough spots that needed more attention. It's actually gotten better after a week. The entire week, I never felt like I needed to shave again to go out in the evening. I'm sold! When you open the box, the first thing you notice is the huge, 5 element foil head. I was worried about beard edges and tight places, but it works fine; really surprising. There was no real problem shaving in tight places. It also comes with a proprietary world voltage (100-240v) charger, brush, oil, and case. Charging was quick, 20% to 100% in about 40min. The graphical display tells you the charge in 20% increments. After the first week of shaving, the Arc 5 is down to 60%, so two weeks on a charge is easily achievable. The head is hinged so that it will rock side to side and kinda roll forward and backward. It allows the head to follow the contours of your faces or neck easily. If you prefer you can lock the head in place and control the angle with the handle. And there is a small, popup trimmer which is actually useful because it isn't too large. It's also mercifully quiet for a razor. Cleaning consists of squirting some handsoap into the head and rinsing it clean, very easy. The Panasonic Arc 5 shaver is an excellent razor which provides a close, clean shave quietly and quickly. I highly recommend it. I'm sure you will find it a superior shaver.

Expensive for the quality. Does not give a clean shave. Hard to shave tough facial hair.

Worked nicely for the price i paid but had stopped working completely after 6 months. I plan to mail it in on warranty but frustrating that i should have to do so. To much hassle to have to get it repaired so I'm frustrated.

It’s been about two weeks or so of decent shaves. Not every day because I don’t have to shave every day anymore. It has been plugged in continuously between shaves, the book says that there’s no problem with that. This morning I tried to shave, unplug the shaver, hit the power button and nothing! I can’t get it to start I don’t know what’s the matter with it but it’s not good.

I’m still getting use to a foil blade razor compare to manual razor. This razor seems to well constructed and a quality product.

Mixed bag for me. The good is that this shaver does not seem to irritate my neck area like my previous one did. The disappointment comes with closeness of the shave. There are areas of my face and neck that this shaver will not remove my beard, even after numerous attempts. I actually have to get my old shaver out to get a clean shave in those areas. If parts of your beard lay flat, this shaver will not cut the hairs.

I would not recommend this item. The shaver pulls facial hair and does work well.

Talk about a razor. It does not get very close to your face. Feels like it takes forever free to get to that point. Bad part is I bought two of these for my sons and neither one of them like it and I traded did not like it either.

decent enough but lacks the power and doesnt really cut the hair as i expected it too.

Was expecting a much better cut. Results often inconsistent.

Very dissatisfied with the shave poor quality but it was OK for the price

Worked well but was not able to get every spot on my face

The Arc5 shaver does it both ways (wet and dry), but I like it wet REVIEW: Panasonic - Arc5 Wet/Dry Electric Shaver - Matte Black Best Buy Tech Insider Network SUMMARY: I would recommend the ARC5 Cordless Electric Wet/Dry Shaver for anyone starting out or returning to electric shavers. It has a good price point, and high end results. The main thing that would make it perfect is if it could be charged with a standard USB cord instead of a proprietary plug, but that is minor topic for most people. (but even my toothbrush uses a USB cord) CONTEXT: I used to only use electric razors, but I switched to disposable blades about 15 years ago. Ironically, at the time I switched mostly because the cost of replacement razor heads seemingly were too expensive. But now with the 5 blade disposables I am using today, I am probably 2x the cost over a completely new electric shaver each year. DESIGN / QUALITY: It seems well built, and I like the flexible moving head. I like the pop up trimmer, but I wish it were a little smaller for touch up trim work. After reading the documentation (which I usually don’t do), I am worried about how fragile the blades / foils are though I am sure they are no more fragile than any other brand. There are warnings all over the manual that imply don’t look at the foil cross eyed or you will damage the foil. Don’t clean it the wrong way, don’t press too hard, don’t brush it with a cleaning brush the wrong way, don’t use too hot of water…… and on “…they are very thin and deform easily…..”. CLOSENESS: If a new disposable razor is a 10 on closeness of shave, then I would rate the ARC5 a 9 when used wet with shaving cream and an 8 when dry. It takes me about 2 minutes to shave with a disposable, about 3 minutes with a WET ARC5 and about 4 minutes with a DRY ARC5. When using it dry, I felt I really had to press hard and repeat over the same areas to finish the job. Then you need a minute or so to clean it and stow let it dry. After the dry shave, my face felt a little razor burned (2 out of 10). I know you need to use electrics for 30 days to allow your skin to get used to it. I think it is all the repeated hard pressing to get a closer shave. TRAVEL: It has a nice travel case for the charger (by itself). It claims to hold a charge for approximately 2 weeks of dry shaving according to the instructions and average shave time of 3 minutes per day. Since I’m already over that, and I prefer the wet method (which I assume takes more power), I would be a little concerned about traveling with this for more than a few days without the charger. At least the charger is dual voltage for international travel. When I pack for travel, I pack as light and as small as possible. Generally, I have one USB charging brick the size of a deck of cards, that charges my laptops, phones, speakers, headphones, etc. So if I were to travel I would either need to take the charger or a backup disposable razor. Since it works better for me when wet, then I still need to bring foam. In the end I’ve added more weight and more bulk to my packing. CONCLUSION: It is a well made product, it feels like it will last. If you change the foils every 12 months, it is still cheaper than 5 blade disposables which cost about $3-5 each and should be replaced every 1 week according to the mfg. I have no problem recommending this razor to anyone. (TESTED MALE FACIAL HAIR ONLY, NO BEARD, W/MUSTACHE)

For the price it doesn't work as well as a less expensive one I had previously. I thought if I paid more I'd get a better shave, but that's not the case.

Dropped on the carpeted floor once and it just...stopped working, only pulled hair. If you buy this? Make sure you never ever drop it even on a soft surface.

This is not for me. It said give it 30 days because it changes your hair and it does, just for me it isn't a good change. This leaves my chin too long, and has increased ingrown hairs and acne. I wish I could go back and not be stuck with this.

This electric shaver is horrible. It does not give you a close shave. It leaves spots of hair after shaving for 15 mins. I am shocked at how high these reviews were for this product.

I wish I have listen and followed the others review before placing the order. This does not do a good job the 2nd day. I returned it within 7 days.