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Occasional Electric Shave?

This is my Arc 5. Bought on sale on amazon Sept 2019. Works like a charm. A lawnmower. I know it's an "old" version but since I can mount the newest foil and cutters when I will need it. It's perfectly fine.
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My experience with Panasonic is very limited so correct me if I'm wrong: that doesn't come with a cleaning base and for 'deep cleaning' they suggest putting a drop of liquid soap on the blades, running it to a froth, then rinsing and drying, correct?

If so, do you actually do that or do you keep it dry and simply brush/tap out hair clippings?

I'm a huge advocate of cleaning bases/systems (I use Braun shavers) but after hearing so many people don't use them I'm beginning to think I'm simply falling for the marketing. I do live in a humid climate, I have very oily skin, and very sensitive skin to oily-ness, so I've always found the cleaning system to bring my shaver back to a good baseline to be used again next time.

I did a little test of just cleaning it with some Dr Bronners peppermint for about a week and It definitely wasn't the same. However, most people who advocate NOT using a cleaning base mention how the buildup of your natural oil is akin to lubricating your shaver with oil every so often. I may have been cleaning 'grime' but not lubricating the shaver with the Dr Bronners method. The Braun cleaning system takes care of everything all in one but if I maybe don't clean it at all then it will stay lubricated?

I'm not a dirty guy at all, I shower usually twice a day every day and am very serious about personal hygiene but in all honesty... After one shave my foil head STINKS lol.
 
My experience with Panasonic is very limited so correct me if I'm wrong: that doesn't come with a cleaning base and for 'deep cleaning' they suggest putting a drop of liquid soap on the blades, running it to a froth, then rinsing and drying, correct?

If so, do you actually do that or do you keep it dry and simply brush/tap out hair clippings?

I'm a huge advocate of cleaning bases/systems (I use Braun shavers) but after hearing so many people don't use them I'm beginning to think I'm simply falling for the marketing. I do live in a humid climate, I have very oily skin, and very sensitive skin to oily-ness, so I've always found the cleaning system to bring my shaver back to a good baseline to be used again next time.

The Arc 5s actually come with a pretty good cleaning system. It's a considerable improvement over their original, which used a cartridge and leaked like a sieve. The minus on their systems is that it requires mixing a detergent packet with water for the solution (the plus is that's it's cheaper), and requires periodic cleaning of the station which can get funky compared to Norelco's or Braun's. A big plus for Panasonic is that the foils and cutters are separate, so dead easy to disassemble and clean with a brush, and the "sonic cleaning mode" actually does work - put a little liquid soap on the head, turn on sonic cleaning and you're done. I use a cleaning station with all my electrics - quick and effective, and does a better job than I could do fiddling with it manually, and doesn't take any of my time - but of all the electrics you could probably skip the station on the Panny and not miss it.

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The Arc 5s actually come with a pretty good cleaning system. It's a considerable improvement over their original, which used a cartridge and leaked like a sieve. The minus on their systems is that it requires mixing a detergent packet with water for the solution (the plus is that's it's cheaper), and requires periodic cleaning of the station which can get funky compared to Norelco's or Braun's. A big plus for Panasonic is that the foils and cutters are separate, so dead easy to disassemble and clean with a brush, and the "sonic cleaning mode" actually does work - put a little liquid soap on the head, turn on sonic cleaning and you're done. I use a cleaning station with all my electrics - quick and effective, and does a better job than I could do fiddling with it manually, and doesn't take any of my time - but of all the electrics you could probably skip the station on the Panny and not miss it.

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Awesome, thanks!

On a side note: I've been bouncing back and forth between my Braun series 3 and my Philips norelco oneblade. I think I'm getting closer shaves with the oneblade. My hair grows super flat and the oneblade picks it up much quicker and easier then the Braun. This isn't a downfall of the series 3 either, I found the same result with the series 7 and the series 9. The only area that the Braun seems to get a little closer is my chin but it's negligible. A small bit of proof: if I shave first with the oneblade then second with the Braun, the shave doesn't get any closer. On the other hand, if I shave first with the Braun then second with the oneblade it does in fact get closer (both by feel and visually). For a control I tried this back and forth experiment with both totally dry, with lectric shave, and with lather. Residual irritation from both is very minor but existent however it's different for both. The Braun gives me minor trouble around my Adams apple and my jaw line, the oneblade gives me minor trouble on the sides of my neck and around my mouth near what you could call the 'handle bar' area (if you grew a moustache that long).
 
Awesome, thanks!

On a side note: I've been bouncing back and forth between my Braun series 3 and my Philips norelco oneblade. I think I'm getting closer shaves with the oneblade. My hair grows super flat and the oneblade picks it up much quicker and easier then the Braun. This isn't a downfall of the series 3 either, I found the same result with the series 7 and the series 9. The only area that the Braun seems to get a little closer is my chin but it's negligible. A small bit of proof: if I shave first with the oneblade then second with the Braun, the shave doesn't get any closer. On the other hand, if I shave first with the Braun then second with the oneblade it does in fact get closer (both by feel and visually). For a control I tried this back and forth experiment with both totally dry, with lectric shave, and with lather. Residual irritation from both is very minor but existent however it's different for both. The Braun gives me minor trouble around my Adams apple and my jaw line, the oneblade gives me minor trouble on the sides of my neck and around my mouth near what you could call the 'handle bar' area (if you grew a moustache that long).

My experience has been that Braun is not the closest as well. Probably the most comfortable, but maybe just a little closer than a standard 9000 Series Norelco - definitely nowhere near as close as any Panasonic. And my Norelco Prestige is as close as any of my Brauns. Haven't tried a OneBlade, but seems like an interesting concept...
 
My experience has been that Braun is not the closest as well. Probably the most comfortable, but maybe just a little closer than a standard 9000 Series Norelco - definitely nowhere near as close as any Panasonic. And my Norelco Prestige is as close as any of my Brauns. Haven't tried a OneBlade, but seems like an interesting concept...

The oneblade is very interesting for sure. The biggest complaint most people have, and why most people (especially around B&B) dismiss it, is that you can only get about 30 or so shaves tops before the blade needs to be replaced because you will notice a dramatic decline in its performance (ie: closeness of shave, pinching, etc) and a single blade at retail is about $15 so that's $15 every 1-2 months. However, if you buy smart (bulk, stack coupons, etc) you can get these blades for anywhere from $5-$9 a piece which puts them in cheap cartridge territory price wise. If you lather with a brush and use the oneblade against the grain it will give you absolutely the closest final result to a 'perfect' blade shave as you can get without using a blade. I mean that in the sense of very near BBS with little to no irritation and an even shave, meaning not patchy. This is done in less then 5 mins including lathering. It's an interesting animal and one I've grown to like very much. It also is great for lining up facial hair and especially great for hitting the back of your neck between hair cuts. My Braun, even when I used a series 9, had potential to give me a closer shave in some areas (which then resulted in irritation) and a less close shave in other areas resulting in a visually 'patchy' shave. The oneblade is even all around. It also cuts closer and more even then the gillette skinguard.
Similar to an open comb DE, the oneblade likes a bit of growth to cut through. Meaning you get a closer and more comfortable shave if you have 2+ days growth vs using it every day. I believe the longer hairs are fed into the comb more efficiently.
 
The oneblade is very interesting for sure. The biggest complaint most people have, and why most people (especially around B&B) dismiss it, is that you can only get about 30 or so shaves tops before the blade needs to be replaced because you will notice a dramatic decline in its performance (ie: closeness of shave, pinching, etc) and a single blade at retail is about $15 so that's $15 every 1-2 months. However, if you buy smart (bulk, stack coupons, etc) you can get these blades for anywhere from $5-$9 a piece which puts them in cheap cartridge territory price wise. If you lather with a brush and use the oneblade against the grain it will give you absolutely the closest final result to a 'perfect' blade shave as you can get without using a blade. I mean that in the sense of very near BBS with little to no irritation and an even shave, meaning not patchy. This is done in less then 5 mins including lathering. It's an interesting animal and one I've grown to like very much. It also is great for lining up facial hair and especially great for hitting the back of your neck between hair cuts.

Interesting! It looked close enough to a DE that it didn't seem like it added anything, and since I use a DE anyway hadn't bothered. Might look again...or try straights... :001_smile
 
My experience with Panasonic is very limited so correct me if I'm wrong: that doesn't come with a cleaning base and for 'deep cleaning' they suggest putting a drop of liquid soap on the blades, running it to a froth, then rinsing and drying, correct?

If so, do you actually do that or do you keep it dry and simply brush/tap out hair clippings?

I'm a huge advocate of cleaning bases/systems (I use Braun shavers) but after hearing so many people don't use them I'm beginning to think I'm simply falling for the marketing. I do live in a humid climate, I have very oily skin, and very sensitive skin to oily-ness, so I've always found the cleaning system to bring my shaver back to a good baseline to be used again next time.

I did a little test of just cleaning it with some Dr Bronners peppermint for about a week and It definitely wasn't the same. However, most people who advocate NOT using a cleaning base mention how the buildup of your natural oil is akin to lubricating your shaver with oil every so often. I may have been cleaning 'grime' but not lubricating the shaver with the Dr Bronners method. The Braun cleaning system takes care of everything all in one but if I maybe don't clean it at all then it will stay lubricated?

I'm not a dirty guy at all, I shower usually twice a day every day and am very serious about personal hygiene but in all honesty... After one shave my foil head STINKS lol.

I usually just clean it using a small compressor (the one i use for cleaning dust from my pc). Then when the indicator flashes i perform a complete sonic cleaning. That's it . Very easy, Panasonic doesn't really need any cleaning station. Just a waste of money IMO.
 
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The Arc 5s actually come with a pretty good cleaning system. It's a considerable improvement over their original, which used a cartridge and leaked like a sieve. The minus on their systems is that it requires mixing a detergent packet with water for the solution (the plus is that's it's cheaper), and requires periodic cleaning of the station which can get funky compared to Norelco's or Braun's. A big plus for Panasonic is that the foils and cutters are separate, so dead easy to disassemble and clean with a brush, and the "sonic cleaning mode" actually does work - put a little liquid soap on the head, turn on sonic cleaning and you're done. I use a cleaning station with all my electrics - quick and effective, and does a better job than I could do fiddling with it manually, and doesn't take any of my time - but of all the electrics you could probably skip the station on the Panny and not miss it.

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This is the new ES-LV 67/97 (with or without the station). Apart some minor cosmetic changes and slightly different blades, the core specs are identical to my ES-LV65s. And i verified: i can put the "newer" blades and foil on my "old" arc5. So it will remain up-to date.
 
Interesting! It looked close enough to a DE that it didn't seem like it added anything, and since I use a DE anyway hadn't bothered. Might look again...or try straights... :001_smile
I also have a Philips Oneblade but i use it for grooming and manscaping only. With my heavy, barbed-wired beard it couldn't have any chance of success :lol: :lol:
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Electric shavers never worked for me, after I'm done it still looks like I have 1 days worth of stubble left. only worked when I started shaving from 12-13, after that it didn't do much and I moved on to carts, 17 I moved on to DE and now at 23 straights...
 
My experience has been that Braun is not the closest as well. Probably the most comfortable, but maybe just a little closer than a standard 9000 Series Norelco - definitely nowhere near as close as any Panasonic. And my Norelco Prestige is as close as any of my Brauns. Haven't tried a OneBlade, but seems like an interesting concept...
yeah i can confirm this. I tried a braun series 9 form amazon before getting the arc5. Very comfortable but didn't remove everything from my neck. I sent it back to amazon and bought the arc5. Closeness-wise it's like night and day. Believe me. A real lawnmower. The only "drawback": you HAVE to use a light touch (dry) otherwise you can develop redness. But i think this applies to evry kind of razor. So for any serious shaver, this shouldn't be an issue IMO. And anyway, it's just nature of the beast: 14.000 cps, 5 blades, thin folis. You cannot expect an easy driving from a Ferrari. And again i think it applies to every razor: I don't think you play with your cat while shaving ATG with an R41.... :lol:
 
breaking news: my arc5 stopped working today. it doesn't charge anymore suddenly. Maybe a fault in the electronic section, who knows. I'm organizing with amazon for a solution. I'll let you know.
 
breaking news: my arc5 stopped working today. it doesn't charge anymore suddenly. Maybe a fault in the electronic section, who knows. I'm organizing with amazon for a solution. I'll let you know.

This is a long shot, but is it wet? Maybe it has some kind of failsafe to stop one from charging it if it senses wetness, almost like an internal GFCI for lack of a better term?
 
in italy the legal warranty is 2 years. So i'm pretty safe. I just have to receive confirmation from amazon.


Good to know! The Arc 5 is a great shaver, and I haven't had one break yet, but anything electronic can fail (had one Braun and one Norelco go to shaver heaven before their time). The battery is usually the weak spot in electric shavers, so possibly a failure there.
 
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