CzechCzar
Use the Fat, Luke!
You are right! I read it as "closer = improvement", but the "kinder to sensitive skin" obviously counts as improvement as well.
Panasonic Arc5 2nd Generation Electric Shaver ( An SWCT Review )
- Thread starter Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker
- Start date
CzechCzar
Use the Fat, Luke!
Do you know which one is actually the newer version? That is what I want to purchase sometime next year.
Thank you very much!
Thats actually what I do, I brush out the clippings, and I also hit the shaver foil and blades with a blast of air, from my air-blower machine used to clean computer's and keyboards. But even if I don't get the shaver wet, its a good idea to lubricate the blades anyways, it extends their life, helping to keep them sharp. I have a bottle of Wahl clipper oil that I use on my Wahl clippers, its nothing to put a couple drops on the blades. A full size bottle of Wahl clipper oil is only like 4 bucks so yeah.
Appreciate the comment!
I would recommend that you guys occasionally use the Ultrasonic Cleaning mode, with soap and water, to really clean it out. Also, a 5-in-1 spray lubricates as well as disinfects.
If it makes you happy to spray the cutters with clipper oil I’m sure it won’t hurt anything. However, Braun recommends changing their head cutter combination screen cassette every 18 months. I didn’t pay any attention to that and changed it back in January or February for no real reason except I that I bought the shaver in April of 2019. I thought the cutters were getting a little dull after nearly four years of daily use. They still worked just fine. I have never used any lubricant on the head of the shaver. Braun doe’s recommended that if you rinse the shaver head with water or shave wet, then to use a small amount of light machine oil to lubricant the cutters. I don’t let any water or liquid touch my shaver.Thank you very much!
Thats actually what I do, I brush out the clippings, and I also hit the shaver foil and blades with a blast of air, from my air-blower machine used to clean computer's and keyboards. But even if I don't get the shaver wet, its a good idea to lubricate the blades anyways, it extends their life, helping to keep them sharp. I have a bottle of Wahl clipper oil that I use on my Wahl clippers, its nothing to put a couple drops on the blades. A full size bottle of Wahl clipper oil is only like 4 bucks so yeah.
Appreciate the comment!
The only time I ever had a problem with a screen type electric shaver was when I rinsed my Panasonic ES8103 shaver under the faucet to clean it. The cutter head began to develop an unpleasant odor. When I stopped rinsing it the odor went away.
I have the same Arc 5 as you Chris. I've had it for like 4 years with the charging/cleaning base. It was my primary daily shaver before getting into wet shaving. I still have it and use it all the time for trimming and buffing. From someone who has used practically all the electric razor brands, the Arc 5 is the best foil shaver I've owned. The only negative is the cost of the replacement foil & blades for Panasonic. I'm up to the third replacement since I would usually replace them once a year.
I recently saw that they came out with the Arc 6 which is nuts but really cool. Maybe at some point I'll get one when the price drops.
Conclusion: Panasonic makes the best foil shaver by far!
I recently saw that they came out with the Arc 6 which is nuts but really cool. Maybe at some point I'll get one when the price drops.
Conclusion: Panasonic makes the best foil shaver by far!
Now we get to the root of the issue, how clean is clean? An electric shaver is not a surgical instrument. A razor shaves by scraping your skin which picks up the top layer of dead skin which should be washed off. Electric shavers don’t work like that at all. It’s not a razor blade which might cut your skin and cause an infection. It’s more like a pair of scissors. The cutter clips off the hair after it goes through the screen or the slots depending on the type of electric shaver. Your barber places his scissors under a UV sterilizer because his or her scissors will be used on many different customers. Unless you are sharing your electric shaver, that’s not necessary nor required. Rinsing with soap and water, or spending money on a fancy cleaning station is overkill. Of course, it’s your money and if it makes you feel good then enjoy yourself. I don’t have the time nor the inclination to be that clean.
- Thread starter
- #26
Good to see you LRod!
And I wanted to thank you for taking a moment out of your day, to check out my review, I really appreciate it! 
I am happy to hear that you have had a functioning shaver for 4-years now, that is excellent! My story is pretty much the same as yours. Since I can't do carts, my Arc4 was my primary shaver when I first came to B&B, until I fell down the DE rabbit whole that is, and bought a bunch of razors lol. But at the end of the day, that old Arc4 was brutal, so had to find something better. That was one of the reasons why I so easily fell into the DE rabbit hole in the first place, I was looking for a better shave.
Now days I use an electric shaver the same as you, for buffing away those missed whiskers when I was aiming for an BBS with my DE, and for trimming them side burns. Well, the good news about the blade and foil costs, is simply to buy the basic 2nd generation set, which you can get for 47 dollars right now. Sure, the 3rd generation gold roller foils are rated to be more comfortable, but they cost quite a bit more. If I was daily shaving with my Arc5, I would have to replace in 1-year too.
But since my Arc5 is not intended for daily use, since I am primarily a DE shaver, I should be able to get more then a year worth of use out of mine, at least I would hope anyway lol. Yes, we've been talking about the Arc6 a little bit on the forum. Only a handful of us have purchased that shaver, but most of us seem to agree that the additional cost of the Arc6, is not really worth it, diminishing returns and all that. Plus the blade and foil set costs for the Arc6 are over 100 bucks, crazy!
And your darn tootin right Panasonic make the best electric foil razors. HEHE
Great review and follow up posts! I've had an Arc5 for a while, maybe 8(?) years. I've never replaced the blades or foil but since I primarily wet shave the Arc5 sees limited use. I can't see investing in the cleaning station as the shaver is so easy to clean under the faucet. I may start oiling the blades; I haven't up to this point as there is nothing about oiling in the owner's manual.
I have to admit, as nice as the Arc5 is I have a 15-20 (!) year old Norelco that is kind of falling apart but still shaving, and the Norelco gives me a slightly better shave than the Arc5. Some do better with foil, some do better with rotary ...... the old YMMV thing.
I have to admit, as nice as the Arc5 is I have a 15-20 (!) year old Norelco that is kind of falling apart but still shaving, and the Norelco gives me a slightly better shave than the Arc5. Some do better with foil, some do better with rotary ...... the old YMMV thing.
It's one of the "cool skin" models and per eBay pics it looks like the 7735, but holy magoly eBay pricing is $200!! I paid about $30-40 for it. Still holds a charge and still shaves well (with original cutters) but the head attachment is broken and I have to be careful how I hold it as if the head comes off it is tricky to get back on.
I once had a Norelco that I liked even more because I figured out how to replace the batteries, but on the 2nd replacement I somehow got them in wrong and the shaver (literally) went out in a blaze of glory.
The trimmer on my Arc5 is stuttering. I hope it stays on as I use the trimmer more than the shaver.
Although
I started shaving as a teenager with a Norelco, (Now Phillips), two head plug in shaver. It had a flip top head for easy cleaning. Because it had no batteries, it lasted over ten years. Today, you can still buy plug in shavers, but they are the lowest priced shavers available. I figure we live in a throw away society and if my Braun dies, I will send it to the landfill and buy the latest version new shaver.
My Braun 7893S was purchased in April 2019, and it’s still working perfectly. My experience with Panasonic shavers was excellent except for the trimmer failing. I use the trimmer to trim my mustache about once weekly.
I started shaving as a teenager with a Norelco, (Now Phillips), two head plug in shaver. It had a flip top head for easy cleaning. Because it had no batteries, it lasted over ten years. Today, you can still buy plug in shavers, but they are the lowest priced shavers available. I figure we live in a throw away society and if my Braun dies, I will send it to the landfill and buy the latest version new shaver.
Concur. It bugs me, but like many other things there is nothing that I can do about it.
Outstanding thread with great contributions. I was a dyed in the wool electric shaver for many years. No longer have interest in electrics. However, here's my $0.02: It seems like I've had something like 50 electrics in my lifetime. If I had to use one, it all comes down to only two. A Panasonic or a Norelco. If closeness is what you're chasing, Panasonic is the way to go by a mile. If 'a comfortable shave' is your bag and 'micro closeness' isn't what you must have, Norelco is the way to go.
Norelco shavers have always been very comfortable shavers but they were not noted for closeness. I started using a Norelco Double head shaver when I was about 14 or 15. This was before they had floating heads. The top of the shaver popped up on a hinge with the help of a spring. Of course it was a plug in AC shaver. I probably used it from 1962 until about 1973. I would buy the replacement cutters and replace them from a local electric shaver shop every couple of years. For a number of years I shaved with various Ronson/Braun screen shavers until they became prohibitively expensive. This was before they were owned by Proctor and Gamble. I switched to a Remington screen shaver which was a complete disaster, and I eventually threw it in the trash. My previous screen shaver was a Panasonic ES8103 and it did give a very close shave. In my opinion, the Braun and the equivalent model Panasonic deliver about the same level of closeness. Unfortunately, Panasonic replaceme parts are extremely expensive compared to Braun shaver cassette.
CzechCzar
Use the Fat, Luke!
Agreed. Braun is also good. But I am a closeness junkie.
Yes. very expensive, but cheaper than a DE RAS hobby!
CzechCzar
Use the Fat, Luke!
@Star_Wahl_Clipper_Treker how are you getting along with yours? any updates?
- Thread starter
- #38
Hey there @CzechCzar !
I still do my weekly DE shaves, and sometimes occasionally, more often then then that. Having said that however, I should tell you that my Panasonic Arc5, is a beast of a shaver! Unlike electric shavers that I have used in the past, where their motors just stalled out, the Arc5 wants to speed up. It laughs in the face of my whisker insurgence, and delivers them the eviction notice that they deserve.
Not only does it continue to show its resolve unending, but its battery life is almost equally so. I never thought I'd see the day, when I owned an electric shaver, where its battery could last me 3-shaves easily! So, its got the power, its got the battery life, and its even got the looks to show for it. So far the foil is holding together with 0 wear on it, and the blades equally have 0 wear on them, still sharp.
I know that I would get an even nicer, more comfortable shave with my Arc5, if I were to wet shave with it. But wet shaving with an electric shaver equals mess to clean up, that means water usage, by that point, I would be better off DE shaving if I am going to do that lol. I have plans to buy a 3rd generation foil for my Arc5 in the future, it will upgrade my shaver to provide a more comfortable shave even still.
But as you can see, it is only sold as a full set, foil and blades, which drives the cost up higher for this one. This is why its a future plan, not a right now plan. You know its funny, when we join B&B, we will always find some way to fall down one rabbit hole or the other. Believe it or not, electric shavers can also be another rabbit hole. Just where does one draw the line? Well, I think I will draw the line when I got some gold rollers on my skin.
I feel like I am slowly becoming too posh for my own country, am I sure I don't belong in Britain with Paul H Films at my side as shaving adventurer buddy? Well, either way, on Monday, I will be doing my next DE shave. Blood is thicker then water, I'll be working on my BBS.
So yeah, I still love my Arc5, its an awesome shaver. And I've already used it to catch a few whiskers I missed with DE.Oh, did you know that foil shavers are great for trimming your ear lobe whiskers? Yes indeed, its amazing what these little electric wonders can do. You just can't get them up your nose to remove the gold digger whiskers, for that, you need a specialized nose trimmer. Yet another thing I will need to purchase in the future.
I hope you are still loving your Arc5!PS: 17 hot dogs sounds like an interesting idea, one that most certainly would see me in the hospital later. I think I'd rather eat 17 pieces of bacon. Why? Cause bacon is so good, its good on everything, even in my ice cream. I can't believe I just said that!
Unless you also start collecting electric razors
Works great for the ears! And unfortunately, the older you get the more it grows!
For the nose, I can't use nose hair trimmers (the little round tipped ones with the spinning head).
For some reason I must have really sensitive nerves in my nose. I feel a very uncomfortable sensitivity with those.
I have a Norelco trimmer that I use just for that. I just stick in the little corner of the cutting head and it works fine.
That's the way it was done anyways before those nose trimmers existed!
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