Tell Mr. Steel Beard

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From: AJR

Date: Wednesday, August 05, 2009 10:24 AM

Could you give me a recommendation for a cordless trimmer for sideburns, beard edges, necks, etc.?

I had a Wahl which did a good job, but from what I have read on the internet, Wahl quality has suffered the same fate as most American made products.

Also, I have a Norelco Arcitec 1050cc that is about 18 months old. I know they recommend that I change the cutters every year; but, my beard isn't what it used to be and the current cutters still seem to be fine. I clean them in the jet cleaner system that came with the razor every day after washing out the stubble with water. How do you know when it is time to change cutters?

Thanks for your help.

Allen Russell

Thanks for your note, Allen. Looking at the cordless beard trimmers in the marketplace, there is a mind-boggling selection out there. Besides Wahl (which has a professional line, BTW), there are quality shavers from such makers as Panasonic, Philips Norelco, Remington and Vidal Sassoon. I've been using Philips beard trimmers myself, but developed an aversion to rechargeables due to their short lifespans, in my opinion. There is a message board devoted to men with beards called The Beard Board. It's at http://jefffsbeardboard.yuku.com/ and I suggest asking the same question about beard trimmers in that board. As for the Arcitec 1050 from Philips Norelco, I looked at the manual online and it recommends replacing the heads at two year intervals or when the shaver's display shows a symbol for the shaving heads lit up. I hope this helps.

From: Malcolm Smiley

Date: Tuesday, July 07, 2009 1:50 PM

I have a Braun 360 Complete shaver. Recently overturned the base while shaver was in the base on clean. Now, cleaning pump doesn't activate, shaver doesn't turn on, cleaning cycle is dead. Shaver runs fine and charges. Any idea of how to attempt to fix or where I can find disassemble instructions for the base unit?

Thanks,

Malcolm Smiley

Thanks for your note, Malcolm. I have a feeling that the base for the 360 Complete (type 5651) is not easy to disassemble. I did find a shaver shop which offers a circuit board for the base as well as a replacement base which is Electric Shaver Service of Lincoln, Nebraska. I did a Google search and you can see the 5651 base accessories they offer at http://www.google.com/products?q=braun+%2B+base+%2B+5651 so I suggest asking them if its better to get the base repaired or replaced. I hope this helps.

From: "Mark Phillips"

Date: Tuesday, July 07, 2009 11:19 AM

I've used a Norelco 9190XL for two years. I love it, but it seems to be pulling on my beard more and I wonder if the motor is running down.

I do replaces the heads very regularly.

So question. Find another 9190XL if I can find one somewhere? Is the 8240XL as good? Try an Arcitec (very mixed reviews)?

I need smooth and quiet. The 9190 is both when working right.

Thanks.

Mark

Thanks for your question, Mark. The 9190XL is part of the Philips Norelco SmartTouch XL line. The 8240XL is part of the Speed XL line. While Philips has generally discontinued the SmartTouch XL line, there are still shops on line which offer SmartTouch XL models. The Speed XL line is now the 8200 series. All the product lines I mention use the Speed XL heads, but the SmartTouch XL line has adjustments which the Speed XL and 8200 lines lack. Amazingly, Amazon.com offers (as I type this) a top of the line limited edition SmartTouch XL at a pricey US$379.99. I did a search and found SmartTouch XL shavers and accessories at http://www.google.com/products?q=%22smarttouch+xl%22&aq=f I hope this helps.

From: Vaughn Irby

Date: Tuesday, July 07, 2009 12:07 AM

Mr. Steelbeard,

What are the differences, if any, in the shaves that come from the Philips/Norelco HQ8 heads and the HQ55 heads? Thanks.

Vaughn

Thanks for your note, Vaughn. I don't see a big difference between the two types of heads other than the HQ8 Sensotec/Spectra heads having holes to get the shorter whiskers. Both use Super Lift & Cut technology. The main difference is with the shaver head assemblies as the HQ8 shaving surface is more flexible compared to shavers which use the HQ55 heads which now serve as the universal replacement for the original HQ3 and HQ4 older shavers as well as the Super Reflex or Reflex Plus line. I hope this helps.

From: Shlomo Farhi

Date: Thursday, June 18, 2009 12:14 PM

I have bought many Panasonic shavers over the last few years – all with amazing results… I have one question… are all the foils and razor insides the same? (with the difference being the motor or does the foil and inner blades change from model to model?)

I have the es8078..

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Shlomo Farhi

Thanks for your question, Shlomo. There are different foil and cutter sets available for different Panasonic models. Your ES8078 uses the WES9012PC foil and cutter set. Now the question is whether the WES9012PC foil and cutter set is available in the UK where you live. One shaver retailer has a little used message board at http://www.shavers.co.uk/forum/ so I don't know if that can help, but now that you know which foil and cutter set to get for your Panasonic shaver, you can start looking online for a shop which offers it, if not in the UK, then you can ask if they ship to the UK. I hope this helps.

From: Vanda Ford

Date: Friday, June 05, 2009 11:31 AM

I am looking for somewhere in Roswell, GA who can refurbish a Panasonic ES8097. Please can you help.

Thanks for your note, Vanda. Unfortunately, I could not find an authorized Panasonic shaver repair center in Georgia. The Panasonic web site referred me to a repair shop in New York. Turnpike Appliance in Oceanside, NY. Their web site is at http://www.smallappliance.com/ I hope this helps.

From: Lachie Munro

Date: Friday, May 29, 2009 7:38 AM

Thanks for your suggestion, Gary - I did contact Wahl but the model was discontinued some time ago and all spares are exhausted - looks like I'm scuppered!

Regards

Lachie Munro

Thanks for your reply to your posting given immediately below. Unfortunately, I cannot find a source for the Payer Type 30 spares your Payer Contact 4000 uses. You may want to contact Payer directly to see if they still make replacement foils for that model. The URL is http://www.payergroup.com/index_en.php I hope this helps.

From: Lachie Munro

Date: Friday, May 22, 2009 6:17 AM

I have an elderly Payer Contact 4000 razor, which, my little shaver shop man tells me, is still peerless. It indeed works well but I need a replacement foil. My last compatible replacement was actually made by Wahl, (Groomsman Euroflex) but my man can't get spares any more, and I can't find anything anywhere either.

Do you know of any spares suppliers, preferably UK based? Although my cutters are fine, I would probably buy spares for these as well, if everything is so hard to get; just in case .....

Thanks

Lachie Munro

Thanks for your note, Lachie. Because you mentioned that a Wahl part is compatible, have you talked to Wahl UK directly? Looking at the http://www.wahlglobal.com and looking up Wahl UK, I found their phone number 01227 740066 and fax number 01227 367550. You could also click on the web site's contact button to enquire on line. I hope this helps.

From: Uli

Date: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 6:22 AM

Hi Mr Flinn,

I am a German student currently working on a term paper which mainly deals with the European electric shaver markets. Do you have any idea as to where to get relevant statistical data on market shares, sales numbers etc? Unfortunately, the companies (such as Braun/P&G and Philips) do not provide any of the required...

Thank you very much in advance for your feedback!

Regards

Uli

You're welcome, Uli and thanks for your note. I would suggest contacting a trade group such as the International Housewares Association. Their URL is http://www.housewares.org I hope this helps.

From: Paul E. Henfield

Date: Friday, March 13, 2009 7:13 AM

I've had my Remington R875 shaver for a while. The LED readout tells you when it's time to recharge with an indicator reading from 20 to 100 in increments of 20. Well, it's telling me it's time to recharge, but it's not taking a charge. What to do?

Thanks for your note, Paul. How old is your shaver? Rechargeable batteries have an average life span of five years before they lose their ability to hold a charge. I personally prefer to use a corded only shaver most of the time because of this and use my rechargeable sparingly and baby the battery pack when the rechargeable appliance gets older to lengthen its life span. How I baby the shaver is NOT to recharge the shaver until the shaver stops running. I hope this helps.

From: Harold

Date: Sunday, March 01, 2009 2:07 PM

Does anyone have a method and home made fluid to refill the cleaning cartridges for a Panasonic ES8249 (Arc IV nana)?

Thanks for your note, Harold. This gets discussed occasionally in the http://www.shavermeister.com web site, most concerning the Braun cleaning machine formula. I guess it's time to start a new thread in that discussion board. I don't recall a discussion about the Panasonic cleaning cartridges. I hope this helps.

From: Roy Weeaks

Date: Sunday, February 01, 2009 3:57 PM

Hi All: I am considering buying a Panasonic ES 8249K to replace my Braun 360 that is about 3 years old. The Braun works nicely but I have to replace the foil and blade every 60-90 days and that's a little too expensive. My question is how long can I expect to use the Panasonic before replacing the foil and cutters? I have never used a wet shaver using only Williams Lectric shave or Remington dry powder. Also, I have read on other sites that some folks use a shaver for a few weeks to try them out and send the shaver back for a refund. Does anyone have advice for me on that? Thanks much for your sage advice.

Thanks for your note, Roy. Panasonic Australia gave thie following in the FAQ about this model about when to replace the foils and cutters:

This varies from one person to another depending on density of beard, length of time for each shave, type of gel/cream used, method of cleaning and frequency of use.

Because the same question was asked in the Electric Razor Rap at http://jimelliott.suddenlaunch2.com/index.cgi?board=talk&action=display&num=1233521402 I thought I would provide the link here with the resulting replies. I hope this helps.

From: Francois Bezuidenhout

Date: Monday, January 26, 2009 3:23 AM

Hi my name is Francois Bezuidenhout

I have an Rollz Razor 1927 Patent No’s

108531 184514

184515 184754

224578 242717

24218

If you could tell me more about this razor I will appritiate it.

Kind regards,

Francois Bezuidenhout

South Africa

Thanks for your note, Francois. Because this web site is devoted to electric shavers, the Rolls Razor falls outside the subject of this web site because that was a brand of blade razors. There are several resources on the Internet about this safety razor. The best one seems to be http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/3541/Rolls_Page.htm I hope this helps.

From: Chris Mattis

Date: Monday, January 05, 2009 1:38 PM

Hi,

Fantastic site! I'm curious ... what is your main "go to" electric razor?

Thanks,

Chris

Thanks for your note, Chris. The "go to" shaver I use is one I've had for quite awhile now, an old refurb Philips Sensotec HQ8894 shaver. The heads this shaver use are currently used in the Philips 7000 series of shavers. I find the shave very satisfactory with the HQ8 heads these shavers use. I hope this helps.

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