Electric Shavers

May 10, 2020 / Roger Edwards

I have always found shaving a nuisance and a chore. There was a period in my working life where being suited, booted and clean shaven was part of the gig. So every morning began with a battle with the stubble. I won’t waste your precious time recounting all the various brands of razors I tried. Let it suffice to say that there’s a huge amount of bullshit peddled by the male grooming products industry (yes, I’m looking at you, so-called King of Shaves, you self aggrandising corporate gits). Perhaps the biggest one is that there’s an optimum way to shave. This is an utter falsehood. The way your facial hair grows is as unique as that on your head. So it may well suit Jugdish to shave “against the grain” and for Sidney to do the opposite, while Clayton uses his razor freestyle. There is no “one approach suits all”. However, shaving with a safety razor is a separate post altogether. It is because of them and due to my inherent apathy towards shaving per se, that I’ve recently tried using an electric shaver again.

I bought my Dad a Panasonic ES-SL41 Blue Wet and Dry Electric 3-Blade Shaver a few years ago. Due to his declining health and use of blood thinners, it was dangerous for him to use a safety razor. Sadly, he couldn’t manage to shave himself even with this device so he kindly gave it back to me. I shave once a week and grow a goattee beard mainly out of indolence. However, I even find that a chore so I decided to try the electric shaver that’s been sitting in a cupboard for the last year. For reference, the last electric shaver I used was when I was 18. I am now 52. Well the great thing about this Panasonic model is that it’s light, holds a charge long enough for a lengthy shave, is ergonomically shaped both for hand and face and is very easy to maintain. Being able to use it both wet and dry is a major advantage. However, those facts notwithstanding, it only manages to shave about a third of my facial hair in a satisfactory fashion.

I do not doubt that a manufacturer such as Panasonic spends a lot of time and money on research and development. I suspect when they designed this and any other model of electric shaver, they considered the wide variety of face shapes and different ways that facial hair grows. They obviously test extensively. Yet despite all this, I cannot get a decent shave from this specific shaver. It seems to work well around my cheekbones where there is little skin and bone immediately beneath the surface, allowing you to get some purchase. But it struggles with my cheeks and jawline and has zero effect on my throat. It doesn’t matter what direction I shave in (although I get the best results making circular movements), or whether I shave wet or dry. Therefore, either I have a head similar to the Elephant Man or there is simply a percentage of men whose facial structure is suboptimal for the successful use of these devices.

Upon reflection I think the latter or these two theories is the correct conclusion. I think due to the sheer number of different face shapes, it is impossible to design a shaver that is 100% effective for all users. Naturally, that is not something that a company that is in the electric shaver business is going to admit to. I would be very interested to see some data on this subject and find out how many men successfully use an electric shaver and how many men just endure them and suffer and indifferent shave as a result. I have found so far that I can get a slightly better shave with the electric shaver if I take my time and concentrate on specific areas and then finish off with a safety razor. However, that totally defeats the purpose of the exercise, which is to get a decent shave as quickly and as easily as possible. So for the meantime it’s back to a Gillette Sensor Excel for me. Damn you Raheem Sterling (or whoever is the face of Gillette in your neck of the woods). As for electric shavers, maybe I’ll try them again in another 30 years.