Philips Norelco Shaver 9700 with SmartClean, Rechargeable Wet/Dry Electric Shaver with Cleansing Brush Attachment, S9721/89

Superb shave and shaver. A user of multiple electrics, including Panasonic's ES-LV9A-S and Braun's 9385cc foils, as well as DE (double-edged) razors, this is one of the best rotaries I've used (Norelco's 9000 Series Prestige is a worthy competitor). Historic issues with all of these, for many shavers, are that they are either too noisy, too irritating (or too dangerous), too slow, too messy, or too ineffective. The 9700 is quiet, fast, efficient, convenient and comfortable, and provides almost as close a shave as my DE razor using my artisan shaving soaps (a wet shaver), as well as a more consistent and even shave - and the new head design just seems to glide over your face and leave nothing behind. It's also orders of magnitude quieter than any foil shaver, and vibration-free.For the first time in 50 years of shaving with almost every kind of shaving gear, I really can report no negatives with this shaver. The cleaning system is as good as Braun's (and cartridges are less expensive, non-alcohol based and last longer - reportedly 3 months vs. a month), and better than Panasonic's (which requires a separate water tank, can be smelly, and really needs distilled water). The 4 hour drying time is not an issue because I'm not going to be shaving again in 4 hours, but if you really wanted to the actual cleaning only takes ten minutes, so you could rinse and shave again after the cleaning cycle is done before drying was complete. It doesn't sanitize like Braun's alcohol cleaner, but I'm not convinced that having something generating hot alcohol vapor on your bathroom counter is a good idea - I'm not planning on sharing my shaver, and my soap isn't sanitized either. Having a cleaning station at home is very convenient because you just rinse the shaver and drop it in the station when finished shaving, and automatic electronics take care of the rest - completely silent induction drying ensures a dry shave head for the next shave. On the road, you just pop off the top plate with the shaving heads, rinse under hot water, and pop back on - finished cleaning!The shave itself is the most comfortable I've experienced, the battery lasts forever (in my case close to two weeks of shaves without recharging), and it's the quietest electric I've ever used - orders of magnitude quieter than the Panasonics or Brauns. The beard/moustache/sideburn trimmer is not integral to the shaver, but it's far more robust and effective than the pop-up kind, and switching heads is a snap. Norelco has cleverly made this a system razor, so other snap-on attachments like the beard/hair trimmer or facial brush will work as well, without having to purchase another device or carry a separate device when traveling.This design also lets you change out individual comb/cutter sets in the event one is damaged or you don't want to change the entire head, something not possible on most earlier Norelcos. A complete set of cutters/combs with the top plate is about the same price as Braun's or Panasonic's cartridge heads, and you get about a year of shaving with any of them with similar use. A lit indicator tells you when to change heads, but it really depends on your beard and how frequently you shave. Display is large and easy to read, and appears accurate for percentage of charge left; an electronic travel lock effectively disables all buttons for travel or storage. Another well thought-out feature is the 3-speed motor, allowing adjustment for skin sensitivity. I really haven't had to use anything over the medium speed yet, resulting in an extremely comfortable shave for my more sensitive face. It works.Like all wet shavers, you can't use it as a corded razor, but unlike its Norelco wet predecessors, you can connect a cord to recharge it on the road, without carrying around a bulky charging base, and charging is quick (less than an hour for a full charge, or maybe five or ten minutes for one shave). And unlike the earlier Norelcos, the shaver itself (as well as the cleaning station) has an automatic cutoff so you can leave it plugged in after it charges without wrecking the battery. The included carrying case is comparable to Braun's, hard-sided, and superior to Panasonic's; none of them have room for accessories like a cord, although that's probably a good idea considering the jostling it will get in your airline baggage and the potential damage to its plastic exterior - Panasonic's case is the least protective of the lot.This is a dry and a wet shaver, so it works either way, but I have come to prefer a wet shave as more comfortable (for me); nothing like a shaving scuttle and warm lather, a habit I got from my DE shaving days. A dry shave is a great convenience travelling though, so it's good to have both options. As a dry shaver it should be at least as effective as its SensoTouch predecessors (previously the 1200 series, now 8000), and reportedly as comfortable, but I have not personally tested those dry. The new heads for this Norelco are some of the best Norelco has made in my opinion, and are now metal-reinforced and don't require a tool for changing or cleaning heads.It's expensive (though comparable or cheaper than the top-of-the-line Braun or newest Panasonic), but you only buy quality once - highly recommended!

I have tried a few different methods of shaving - Gillette, Wilkinson Sword, Schick cartridges, old fashioned safety razors etc and was never really too impressed or that good at shaving...I find shaving a bit of a pain and look homeless after 3 days. I did a lot of research around electric razors and had a few reservations, then I saw just before Christmas this razor was on special offer.It arrived with the older style Smart Clean Pro - not the one with the bars that go around the unit. I had a replacement sent but this was still the old version and I couldn’t be bothered with the faff of trying to explain to the amazon customer service people what the problem was! The cleaner works fine - I shave, put it on the cleaner and go to work so I wouldn’t even notice the light bars anyway...!In terms of shaving - it does a take a little getting used to and sometimes, for me, it misses the odd longer/random hair. But it is clean, mostly consistently close and comfortable - very infrequent pulling and no razor burn on my fairly sensitive skin. This is when dry shaving.Wet shaving is a completely amazing experience. I use a badger brush and art of shaving cream. With this razor it is a great shave, very comfortable, very close and the best time I have had shaving!Apart from the niggly and probably not important cleaner difference, this is well worth a few hundred dollars! I hope it lasts a good few years!

I am not indebted to Braun or Phillips Norelco in any way, and I use the razor. I originally bought a Braun Series 9 'top of the line' razor. I didn't like it's shave, it's noise level, the length of time to do even a fair shave. So I got credit from the seller and bought the Phillips Norelco S9721/89 razor that came with a charging/cleaning stand. I love it! It is much quieter than the Braun. Shaves in less than half the time. Gives a much better, closer shave with NO irritation. Something that didn't affect my decision is that it's less expensive than the Braun PLUS the cleaning solution is alot less expensive.I will mention some things that you should know. Although you can charge the razor by directly plugging the cord into it as you might expect. The same cord MUST be plugged in at a 45 degree angle into the charging stand. Something NOT mentioned in the manual and counter-intuitive. Also, don't use any coupons that come in the case right away. If you register it, there are better prices AFTER registering.All in all, I love the Phillips Norelco S9721/89 and strongly recommend it.

I had a foil shaver that I used for quite a few years before this and I found it would give me razor burn from time to time. This shaver gives me a very close shave without any razor burn whatsoever . It's very well made & very quiet . I also love the fact that I can rinse the blades after every shave and the charger cleans the shaver when it's on the charger . I'm very happy with this purchase .

Siempre me he comprado la rasuradora más avanzada.... por q tengo mucha barba y es importante para mi... en esta ocasión se nota la tecnologia me deja la piel de bebe sin tener que dar muchas pasadas.... el samartclean se me hizo espectacular recomiendo mucho comprar la rasuradora con el.... la pones a cargar y te limpia la rasuradora dejandola limpia como si fuera nueva....!

El artículo llegó incompleto le falta la parte para rasurar la patilla cambié mi calificación ya que regrese el artículo y me lo cambiaron este llegó excelente y hace su trabajo muy bien la cara me la deja como pompi de prinsesa

La máquina es muy bonita, proporciona una afeitada suave, no irrita la piel y el sistema de cabezales rotatorios es excelente. Buena inversión.

Me gusta: 1.-Diseño. 2.-Adaptación de hojas rotatorias al contorno de afeitar 3.-Duración de carga de batería. 4.-Suavidad de afeitado aún cuando se presionen las hojas contra el rostro.Puede Mejorar: 1.-Duración de ciclo de limpieza. 2.-Duración del afeitado, toma más tiempo que afeitadoras eléctricas de hoja. 3.-Para usar el cortador de vello largo hay que desmontar el cabezal rotatorio.En general vale la pena el equipo, el afeitado es bueno.