PanasonicARC5 Electric Razor for Men with Pop-Up Trimmer, Wet/Dry 5-Blade Electric Shaver with Intelligent Shave Sensor and Multi-Flex Pivoting Head – ES-LV65-S (Silver)

I shave my head completely to the baby skin point so this review will be from that perspective.First let me start by saying DON’T buy those gimmicky rotary razors with 5+ heads that make all sort of claims about ease of use and closeness of shave. I’ve tried them all - Remington, Pitbull Skull Shaver, Freebird - and they are all garbage. They take forever, do a terrible job, and always leave patches you have to clean up, and dang are they pricey for such a poor product. They suck, period.This razor is the real deal.I have extremely sensitive skin so using clippers or cartridge razors always left red blotchy spots on my head for days due to the irritation and took forever to get the close shave and look I wanted. That caused me to wait weeks to shave my head, letting it grow out to shave less frequently and save my skin. I wore hats and beanies way more frequently than I wanted to cover the growth, then the irritation. That’s a thing of the past with this bad boy. I use this every day, every other day, or every 2nd/3rd day depending on my schedule and I can keep the fresh shaved bald look with zero irritation in a matter of 2-3 minutes. And the shave is the closest I’ve ever had from an electric razor, it’s practically at blade shave level. I don’t use shave product and I go directly against the grain, however you can use product with this razor.As a note, this thing *can* handle slightly longer hair but it takes a while to get through it and it isn’t where this thing shines. If you shave your head, the best way to use this is to use clippers or a blade to shave your head once, then use this as your maintenance razor to easily keep your look.It’s super easy to clean!! Just a few drops of dish soap, a little water, and turn it on until the soap lathers through the blades. Rinse and you’re done!! This is comparable and, in my opinion, superior to Braun’s offerings with a slightly higher initial cost. This is offset by the fact that you don’t have to constantly buy cleaning cartridges for it like Braun requires.Pros:-Extremely close shave, very close to a blade-Long battery life-Great on sensitive skin, leaves no irritation marks-Easy to clean-Ridiculously fast shave if used as a head maintenance razor-Can be used with or without shave oil/cream-Excellent razor for my fellow bald kingsCons:-Not as great on longer hair-Slightly higher up front cost but offset by ease of cleaning-Not mentioned/discussed nearly enough in forums where men are doing the razor huntThis razor took my head shaving to a whole new level and is worth every penny. If you’re on the fence and this review resonates with your needs, take the plunge, you won’t regret it!*Update* - Almost a year later and this thing is still my favorite razor I’ve ever owned for head shaves. I’m in the process of filming a quick video to show how quick and effective this really is. I would add that getting a good Tea Tree face wash to use on your head, as well as a snail mucin moisturizer to rub on after shaving is excellent. For the Tea Tree I recommend Aromatica’s Tea Tree wash, and for the moisturizer I recommend Cosrx or Mizon’s snail cream.

I bought my first Norelco in 1994 and loved it. Some years ago, I replaced it with a model 8240XL and also loved that one too. Both cut very well and the batteries seemed to run forever. On an impulse, I bought a model S8950 a couple of years ago, because the advertising depicted the swivel head as the greatest invention since the TV remote. This new shaver turned out to be a great disappointment. The cut was awful and after a while, the head fell apart and I had to replace it. The cut from the replacement head was so bad that I decided to buy a new head for my old 8240XL. The new head arrived and low and behold, the cut was even worse than the newer model S8950. I have now come to the conclusion that a senior bean-counter at Phillips Norelco has discovered he can save a few pennies by out-sourcing the blades to a cheap maker and the result is that the quality is now awful. So, buyers don't be persuaded by the reputation of Norelco and older reviews. Look at the current reviews and you will see what I mean. So far as I am concerned, Norelco's reputation is now dead.For me, changing from Norelco was a bit like a change of religion, but I carefully researched the reviews on various brands and models and it came down to either the high-end Braun 7 Series, or the Panasonic Arc 5. In the end, I bought the Panasonic Arc 5 and I am amazed at the incredible cut this shaver gives me. It appears to be well-made and I can now get a very close shave after just a couple of minutes. Love it and my skin feels like it has had a very careful wet shave. I have only used the shaver so far in dry mode.The latest fad is for high-end shaver manufacturers to offer cleaning stations. I bought this model without the cleaning station and I am absolutely convinced that the cleaning station would be a waste of space, money and time. Why complicate a daily chore? The instructions for the non-cleaning station version, that I bought, don't mention the cleaning station at all. Instead, the instructions state to squirt a little liquid hand cleaner and water on the head and then to run the shaver. The result is that a little foam starts exuding from the head and after a 10 seconds or so, I remove the head (easy) and rinse it and briefly dry it. The whole cleaning episode takes maybe 60 seconds.Maybe, after some period of time, I will have to replace the head, but no drama and not very expensive.As a sales and marketing professional, I can tell you that every maker of long-lasting products dreams of offering a product where the purchaser has to continuously buy refills, cleaning packs etc. (Hence printers and vacuum cleaners and expensive fridge filters). If you buy this Panasonic with the cleaning station, you will need to buy packets of cleaning chemicals. If you buy the Braun, you will have to buy expensive cleaning cartridges. Don't waste your money on those gimmicks, they may work, but in my opinion, are completely unnecessary.UPDATE 5/15/2019I have used this shaver for 2 months now and it is absolutely the best shaver I have owned and used in 50 years. I find the speed I shave is much faster than ever before. A few light strokes over an area and my skin is like a baby's bottom (without the smell!). With my previous Norelcos, I used to pound away with shaving cream and the result was nothing like this Panasonic. I did not buy the cleaning station and it is absolutely unnecessary. A quick squirt with liquid hand soap and 10 seconds running cleans it 100%, followed by a quick rinse in warm water. The Norelco is a classic example of a bean-counter buying cheaper components and ruining what was the Rolls Royce of shavers and companies, like Panasonic, quickly jump in and take over the business.UPDATE 11/25/2019I have now used the shaver every day for the past 8 months and I can not praise it enough. In all my many years of using electric shavers, I have to say that this is absolutely the best of all of them all. Even after 8 months, it appears to be as sharp as when it was new. I did not buy the gimmicky cleaning kit and instead, put a few drops of hand washing liquid on the blades a couple of times a week and then run the shaver and the soap bubbles and removes any residues. I have tried using the shaver in the shower a few times, with shaving foam and the result is my skin feels as smooth as a baby's bottom. However, using the shaver dry does give an almost similar shave.UPDATE 5/14/2020I noticed that after 15 months, the shaver still works very well, but has lost its initial amazing performance. It still gives a very good shave, but I have ordered a replacement foil/blades set, as I want it to deliver its original fantastic shave. Leaving it longer would be like running a Ferrari on regular gas when that incredible performance is only available with Super, if you see what I mean?

I purchased this shaver after the trimmers broke on two Braun Series 9 shavers I had. I'm generally happy with this Panasonic shaver. The only minor complaint I have is that I have to put more effort into getting into the tight corners where my upper lip meets my nose. I guess the Braun had blades/screens a little closer to the edge. This shaver is quiter than the Brauns and I like that. It's also easier/less time-consuming to clean without the extra, bukly apparatus required by the Braun. In gives me a good shave (perhaps microscopically less close than the Brauns), is lighter and easier to hold, and does it all for considerably less money than the Series 9 did.