I would say the electric shavers are most likely the best thing that happen to men’s grooming within the last 30 to 40 years. That wouldn’t be a hard sell. I remember being younger, some wanted to only go to a barber, there were single blade razors and the disposable ones that came in a very big bag. And there were multiple ones in that bag. There were electric razors but they were just hitting the market. They were expensive, didn’t work too well, which often had men wondering why doesn’t my electric razor give a close shave?
Today is a different story, the high-end ones cost close to $100 and decent models for $50 bucks or below. Some even around $30. The expense comes from replacing the head and its foils. These you’ll end up replacing every 10 to 13 months. But it’ll depend on how well you take care of the shaver and the amount of wear and tear you put on it.
So, whether you buy a $100 model or a $30 model, the quality range can differ. Now I am not saying expensive models do not give great shaves but buy a good quality razor for a low price, you will end up thinking to yourself why the replacements charge you as much as the razor.
The manufactures come up with this model so they can more money from you. The model of offsetting the first price with high upkeep cost can make up for whatever difference.
So, when you’re contemplating buying the $100 model, think if it’s better than the $30 – $40 model? Is it three times better? Most likely the answer will be NO.
Think for a second. Your money is buying blade being driven by a motor gliding across your face. Then the foil quality can protect your face. Now if every manufacture is using the same technology in every foil shaver because it would be safer for the customer, then the blade would be the only difference.
When products are too similar, then the difference in price/cost cannot be justified. Customers will have to decide between the type of rotary heads they would want. It would come down to inline or rotary, but the market is filled with models that can run you less or more with no great engineering developments.
Why doesn’t my electric razor give me a close shave?
You must understand that the barbershop shave, you’re looking for is nonexistent when it comes to an electric razor. It’s not built for that. The razor can only get so close to the skin, but not as close as a safety razor would, or a straight razor would. That’s the trade you make. You don’t get to worry about cutting your neck or face and Vaseline, alum, or toilet tissue on your face. Instead, you’ll get a good enough shave to remove enough hair on your face to not show any 5’ o clock shadow.
The key to a Close Shave with an Electric Razor
You know the secret to getting a close enough shave with an electric razor isn’t hard to explain. But in with this comparison, I hope I can tell you. Consider for a moment, what are the best conditions when you cut your grass.
Let’s say it rains, then you go and cut your grass. You know it’s going to be difficult. The wet grass is going to get stuck under the undercarriage, even the blade will get stuck. Now you’ll have a line of grass every time you pass with the lawnmower.
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1 Reason you are not getting a close shave, is because the shaver is pulling hair.
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Still not getting a close shave, my your foil shaver not working
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Rusty razors won’t work and wont provide close shave
Some electric razors come with trimmer attachments, what are they for?
It’s there for shaping up sideburns and parts of the neck, also it is added as a marketing tactic from the manufacture to get you to buy the product. If you see an electric razor with 1 trimmer attachment vs an electric razor with 2 trimmer attachments, which one are you most likely to buy. The one with 2 trimmer attachments.
Another reason allows your face to get ready for coming into contact with the foil and blades, they do this by trimming the hair to a perfect height so the foils and blades can cut efficiently.
The direction in which you shave matters when you’re trying to get a close shave
I honestly believe that on your face, some hair is harder to groom than other spots. For instance, on your chin, your hair might be difficult to cut, but on your cheeks, it might be easier to shave. Another example would be the mouth up to your ear. Or on the neck to your chin.
You may even notice this when using a regular razor such as a BIC. You can get a different shaving experience when you shave in various directions and push the blade.
This same tactic works for an electric razor, but you want to incorporate a cross pattern direction. Also, you can continue shaving by running the blade in a different direction or in a cross-pattern form too.
You’ll find few manufacturers recommending gliding the razor in circular motions on your face.
When you’re pressed for time or new to this, you might glide the razor over your hair in one way, then in another random pattern just to get all the areas and clean up whichever area you didn’t get the first pass.
But experienced users will know one or two passes won’t give you a close enough shave. Your best bet is to glide it slowly in one pattern or direction, then come back around with a few more passes in other directions.
Clean your razor every day!
Not everyone goes through the trouble of cleaning their device daily. That is a big mistake. There’s a cap on the razor foil head, it can’t hold that much hair, even though many people seem to believe so.
Do you want your foils to last? Then you should be protecting them. By cleaning it, daily. This will lessen the load that you put on the head since your blades are going to fill with dirt, fallen hair, dead skin cells, etc.
Then you end up pushing the razor harder down on your face. Then when you do not clean it, you’ll learn your lesson one day.
The razor stops working and is unusable. You might still want to use it and run it across your face. You end up with a few nicks and ticks from pushing it down on your face so hard.
So, do yourself a favor and clean out the blades a little.
If you have a wet shaver, then wet it a little, hit the foil head gently on the table. Then watch the dirt fall out.
Conclusion
The option of going back to a razor blade might seem like a bad idea once you get the hang of electric razors. Just as long as you clean it off properly. I wouldn’t lose that little brush that it came with if my life depended on it. Utilizing the trimmer feature is important to a quality shave. Think about it, when you shave with a regular razor you clean it off after every shave. Why not do the same with the electric one.