Update: Although I initially gave the Norelco 1250X highest praise, the product has become entirely unusable. The instructions state that the unit should be cleaned after each use by flipping open the heads and running them under water. About ten days ago the razor started to reek. I took out the blades, looked through the grates, and found that they seemed clean and clear. After replacing them, the smell got stronger and stronger, the unmistakable odor of mildew. It is so bad, so appalling, that I can't keep the razor close enough to my face to shave.
I placed a call to Norelco's PR person and she said she was not aware of this being a problem with the razor.
A call to Customer Service gave a different story. Here I was told it doesn't happen that often, but that it does from "from time to time". So, I asked them to swap out the unit.
That is when things went from bad to worse. If this was a bad battery, I was told, they could send out a new unit today. But, since it wasn't, it had to go to "claims". The agent told me that she was in Canada, but claims had to be handled through the US office. It could take up to 7 business days for them to even contact me. By then, I'd need more than electric razor to shave my beard.
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Looking online, I found others had posted about the razor developing a bad odor, one which one person described as the "smell of a dirty mop".
For these reasons (bad smell, horrible customer relations) we're putting the Philips Norelco 1250X/40 on a not-recommended list. If we get a replacement and it doesn't also develop the odor we'll reconsider the product.
***** Original Review Follows ***
Some time in the midst of the dense, languid air of tropical New York in August I decided it was time to shave my beard. It had been a long time since I had last gone beardless. In fact my wife had never seen me without! I first took out the "old growth forest" with the stainless steel lithium Ion Trimmer I reviewed earlier this year. It did a good job of getting me pretty close to the skin, but it was not designed to really get a clean shave without an optional attachment that I didn't have. That's when I turned my attention to the Philips Norelco 1250x SensoTouch 3D electric razor ($199, currently $149 on Amazon).
Now, I'll admit it wasn't my first choice. I had dreams of getting a retro safety razor and shaving lather cup and brush. The problem is that right in the middle of my chin there is a mole that has been the bane of my shaving existence since puberty. No matter how carefully I shave I always seem to nick that protrusion and then I have to try to get it to stop bleeding. Before you know it my morning is like something out of Scorsese's The Big Shave(NSFW).
You see, like many of you, my face isn't perfectly smooth. The blade seems to find every imperfection, highlighting it with crimson.
Enter the SensoTouch 3D. Norelco proclaims it the "ultimate shaving experience with GyroFlex 3D and UltraTrack heads". I wish I could find fault with that. It is, after all my job to criticize. But, let me say this: I've never had a better shave, ever. My face hasn't been this smooth since Junior High School.
Norelco's three head razors are nothing new; I think my first electric razor had three heads. The technology in this new machine though bears as little relationship to that old dinosaur as the Model T does to a Ferrari.
The rechargeable razor holds about fifty minutes of shaving on a single one hour charge, but it can do a fast charge in just a few minutes if you're in a pinch. The three heads sit on a single gimble that flexes as you move it about your face. Each of the three rotary blades has its own independent suspension so when my chin presses into the blades they "give", contouring to the natural hills and valleys. Now, the instructions say my shave will get even better as my skin adjusts to the device, but the truth is I can't imagine getting a cleaner, closer shave. The device is well balanced, has enough heft so you know where it is, but not so much that your wrist grows weary as you use it. A pop-out sideburn trimmer is a nice feature, though it is a bit narrow to get the job done in a single pass.
The razor works either dry or wet. They claim you can use it with gel or foam, but I found that just a bit of water did the trick for me. It doesn't need much maintenance either. Just run the blades under the tap every time you use it and replace them once a year. I can do that, though I wish each head didn't have to be popped open separately. It is a small, but daily inconvenience.
Everything packs into a small traveling case, including the charger if you're going to be away from home for a bit. Frankly, fifty minutes of shaving time covers more than a week for me, so the temptation is to leave the charger at home..
Norelco has a few models with SensoTouch 3D technology and many without. The more expensive unit has a self-cleaning charge stand. I don't find the cleaning process overly taxing so I saved the fifty bucks. I'm sure the three head systems without 3D technology are good, but this one is just amazing. It turns the chore of shaving into a fast, effortless, and bloodless task that takes almost no time at all.
