Norelco 8894 XL Spectra shaver Limited Edition, includes Automatic Charging stand with clock, 8894XL
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Norelco 8894 XL Spectra shaver Limited Edition, includes Automatic Charging stand with clock, 8894XL
Customer Review: The Best Norelco Rotary Razor
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this rotary razor at the same time that I purchased a Panasonic ES8095NC linear razor, so that I could compare the two. At the time, this razor was the best Norelco razor available and the Panasonic was the best Panasonic linear razor for sale at Amazon. Here's what I found:1. The Panasonic gives a closer shave, but takes longer to shave. A linear shaver like the Panasonic requires you to shave very closely with/against the grain of your beard. If you aren't perfectly aligned, you shave nothing. A rotary shaver like the Norelco is much more forgiving in this regard. Even if you are slightly crossing the grain, the Norelco will still pick-up and shave your beard. Ultimately, the Panasonic gives a closer shave if you spend the time to get it done right.
2. The Pansonic is less irritating to my skin. Your mileage may vary.
3. The Pansonic has an inductive charger, which means you can just put the shaver into the stand, and it charges. The Norelco requires that you take the unit out of the stand and manually plug it into the charger.
4. This Norelco provides much more information. It tells you
exactly how many minutes you spent shaving, how many minutes are left on the battery, when to clean the razor, and when to change the heads. The Panasonic merely gives you a LED showing the percentage of battery life remaining (i.e., 80%, 60%, etc).
5. You should know that Norelco is owned by Philips. If you read my other reviews, you will find that I have little love for Philips, its customer service, and its products. On the other hand, I have a great deal of respect for Panasonic.
6. Although Philips says that you should use the razor dry, it does work for wet shaving in the shower, and if you haven't tried it, you should at least once. Just buy some shaving gel or creme and give it a try. Clean the razor in the shower when you're done by running it through the water.
All in all, the jury is still out. I like both razors and haven't decided which one that I like best. The Panasonic gives a much closer shave, but takes longer to get the job done right.
Customer Review: Great Shaver! Advances on Quadra Action series!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had this shaver for about 3 weeks and it was fantastic. It gave me minor irritation due to my more sensitive skin but overall it was nothing much to worry about. Definitely nothing worse than a blade! There is a sensitivity dial on it but when you put it on the most sensitive setting it really limits the shaving performance so I decided to always leave it on Normal.It gave me a very close shave, about 90% compared to blade but one has to know, electrics are slower in general than blade! If you want a real clean shave you will be spending 9-10 minutes with electric where you can get the same results or maybe better with blade in 4-5 minutes most!
Also, to prevent ingrown hairs a lot of people recommend using aftershave when you are done shaving with your electric.
I did not experience any electrical problems with my unit for the duration of use. On the other hand, the Polymer LED screen looks awesome and very easy to read while saving battery power! The pictures don't really do the screen justice and you have to see it in real.
I've also used my dad's Quadra Action series which is the one right before this one and the replaced "holes" & "slots" has made a big difference. Also the improved lift&cut system shaves hairs below the skin level more noticeably.
The only reason I returned it was because I wanted to try the CoolSkin (Norelco Advantage) line which has a lotion dispencer and boy, I have to say it was much milder on my skin. Much less irritation and I even tried it with some Edge Shaving Gel and got good resutls! But don't get the 6000 series now cause on May 1st. they are coming out with the Norelco Advantage 7000 series which has the same lift&cut system on this shaver hence I believe a big improvement in shaving quality cause honestly the 6000 Advantage Series didn't really match the 8000 Spectra's closeness but came pretty close. More on par with the 7000 Quadra Action I would say.
Overall I recommend the 8000 Spectra series particularly the 8894XL
Customer Review: Good, but not good enough
Summary: 3 Stars
I would have thought, due to the high price of this shaver, that it would give just an outstanding shave. Not so. Like another recent reviewer, I have a heavy beard, and the shaver really struggles with it.
I should mention that I'm not a new user. I've now owned mine for over a year. If you read the reviews, you'll see that there have been quality problems with batteries in this model. I got one of the bad ones. Norelco exchanged it under warranty. Annoying, but they didn't give me a hard time. The new unit's battery has behaved flawlessly, and holds a charge good for an absurdly large number of shaves.
Besides the long battery life, a feature I *LOVE* is the ability to clean it under the sink. That is really handy, and not just hype.
I haven't seen any mentions in other reviews of replacement shaving heads. Norelco recommends that you replace them yearly. Like the shaver itself, they're very costly. However, after I replaced them, I did notice an immediate improvement in the feel and quality of the shave.
I think as you read the other reviews here, you may come to the conclusion, as I have, that if you have a heavy beard, this unit will give you a very good, but not great, shave. Combine that with the high initial cost of the unit and the high cost of yearly shaving head replacement, and I can recommend this only if you have a light to medium beard and really must have an electric.
Instead, I STRONGLY recommend that you check out the Gillette M3Power razor if you want the best quality shave. It seems like a gimmick, but it works. It's so good that I have switched back to it, away from this electric unit. Not only is the quality better, but it only costs a fraction of this Norelco.
Customer Review: The Best Electric Shaver My Sensitive Skin Ever Felt
Summary: 5 Stars
I've got a multi-ethnic background, which translates into my facial hairs grow in different directions making several opposing grains to work with, and meaning that bladed razors cause no end of ingrown hairs. My beard is also very heavy, and the hairs are very tough. On top of that, I have incredibly sensitive skin, to the degree that cheaper electric razors have caused me to bleed. On the occasions that I've been shaved by a professional barber, I ended up bleeding. That being said, it's incredibly hard for me to shave with any sort of razor without damaging my skin. I've had several other electric razors, including a high end Braun and the best one Remington made, which isn't saying much. This razor is by far the best with which I've ever had the chance to shave. The worst thing that I can say is that it leaves my skin somewhat dry after a few shaves, but that means that I should moisturize more. Being someone who has lived for many years at a time with a full beard, fashionable or not, because the alternative wasn't very promising, this Norelco is amazing.I work in a high-end sales position, dealing with corporate executives, and even with my heavy, fast growing beard, using the sensitive setting on this razor, I get enough of a shave to look good for my client visits. What the other reviewers have said here, in that you have to work with it for a few weeks for your beard to get adjusted to it, does seem to be true. It comes with a 3 week money back guarantee, which means, to me, that there's nothing to lose. The battery life is incredible, it's the easiest razor to clean that I've ever owned, and I can travel with it for a week without depleting the battery. I love it, and just wish it had been produced 20 years ago!
Customer Review: The moment of truth of Philips/Norelco
Summary: 2 Stars
Dear Mr. Bond,After trying your new secret shaving weapon, by the name of "Norelco 8894XL Spectra", let me report about my short experience with it. First of all, I wonder about the name "Spectra". All your fans know, that Roger Moore got rid of Spectra and its vicious leader, Mr. Bluefeld, about 30 years ago. So how come we meet it again today as one of your gadgets? I know. You'll say it's nothing, and you'll probably be right. But the name is a symbol to my main argue, that 8894 is nothing but an old machine pretending to be new.
It's a good shaver, but it doesn't give you the right value for price. I have a 10 yrs. old Norelco 5584XL, that offers more or less the same digital functions of 8894's LCD, and does a good work on my face. Of course, the 8894XL's battery is better, and gives about 30 minutes more of shaving, before recharging it, the designing is more up to date,and you can wash it with water, unlike the older generations. But the 5584XL, looks nice and elegant even today, it's most reliable, and works almost as new. The problem, 007, was, that I tried the 8894XL for few days and did not feel much improvement comparing to the 5584, that can justify spending so much money on it.
I don't know Braun or Remington last models, but in my opinion, if 8894 is Philips/Norelco's best shot, their shaving machine division has reached its moment of truth.
So, Mr. Bond, these are the reasons for not buying your shaving weapon: it looks new, it costs new, but it doesn't work as new.
P.S. If you think about selling your old silver Aston Martin by the price of your shaving machine, please let me know.