Philips Norelco Bodygroom 3500

So, it is not just for "balls"... it is GREAT for BALD!!!! I have a variety of trimmer/shavers. Being that when I hit puberty, I started to look like "Mighty Joe Young", I've been trying different methods of removing hair. Each "zone" requires a different tool. I've made mistakes before like shaving against the grain on the insides of my thighs which gave me a dozen or so ingrown hairs that I had to pick out with needle nose tweezers. Not so much fun, especially when your wife walks into the bathroom and you are there with a magnifying glass (you get to a certain age and even your reading glasses don't do the trick), tweezers and sitting there stark naked picking with intense concentration. It makes for interesting party conversation. No... there is a right way and a wrong way and it is very body specific.When I purchased this Norelco, it was intended for: 1) Trimming and asscheeks. 2) Trimming the back while traveling. 3) Possible body use. I was very hesitant to use the foil shaver part as they usually give me a rash. For more sensitive areas, I got a cleancut. They are very expensive and not well made. They have one of the finest foil heads though, which cuts down on slicing the old Mr. Scrotes to pieces. The rotary design tends to pull hairs on occasion. Look, if you have ever tried to smooth out the secret sack then you know that shaving it is like trying to shave a very old, cranky octopus. I digress... so, I tend to not use the foil part. Oh, I've used it on a few, very small spots and it worked ok but I could not trust it on my bell clapper.What a waste, right? Well... at first, not entirely. The rounded edges on the trimmers means that you can run it along medium sensitive skin and achieve an almost invisible result. You can still feel the stubble (and it is annyong when you stand up and that stubble on your Butticus Maximus snags your underroos. The teeth are fairly fine so there is less chance of sucking in some of that thin, fine skin and shredding it like a cheese grater. Still, I would not trust it on the flappy walnut bag.What good is it then? Is this just a "one trick pony" for keeping your asskos smooth?NO, NO, NO!!!!!I found its niche.Recently, I decided to shave my head bald. During this pandemic, I have been cutting my own hair. Considering that this is not a renewable resource, I kept going shorter and short till the other day I just took it down to nothing. I have a metric eff ton of different trimmers for this. Two of them being Wahl professional clippers. However, nothing got as close as a razor... which is a bit of a mess as the shave cream runs down your body while you are doing this. Oh, a PSA... do NOT use mentholated shave cream for this. It drips down one;s body and when it hits one's "globes" it burns like someone peppered sprayed your jewells. That was another cocktail party conversation, the wife walking into the bathroom after hearing me shriek like a ten year old in a Halloween fright house and finding me with my speed bag in the sink and me splashing cold water on it and apologizing to the little fellas. So... razors have their limits.So does electric. I looked at a variety of models including the Pitbull line. The reviews were mixed but they were bad, they all talked about razor burn. That is another reason I don't use rotary or foil razors... that horrible red rash that makes you look like a mangy leper. I looked at the Andis shavers this morning and was about to run with it when I remembered the foil head on my Norelco. I decided to give it a while before I dropped the ducatson ANOTHER hair maintenance products (I have so many that I could open my own "Ye Olde Ball and Body Barber Shoppe". So, I fired it up...OMG!!!! THIS WAS PERFECT. THIS GAVE ME A PERFECT BALD HEAD SHAVE WHICH WAS JUST ABOUT AS CLOSE AS A RAZOR!!!!! There was NO razors burn, no rash and it made short work of the stubble on my head. That was post day three from a razor shave. I don't think that this is going to work as goods on hair that you trimmed with the trimmer... it HAS to be very, very short. This does DOUBLE duty now. It is cheaper than any other bald head alternative. it is fast, It is thorough and it does NOT irritate. Based on this experience, I am more than willing to use the foil head on my hairy, tattood Italian ass.NOTE: I just took a break from writing this to do an experiment...1) This is perfect for taking the hair on one's "flesh sitting cushions" down to almost nothing and then using the foil section gives one a baby smooth butt. This has a future!!!!2) Do NOT use this close to the escape hatch. I just found out that the tender area around Uranus is a bit too soft and folded. In fact, the old chocolate starfish tends to rise up in ridges at the event horizon and those wrinkles in time get snagged. Maybe if one uses one of this REALLY fine trimmer made for a woman's whooha first then one could use the foil but you had better stretch that skin tight. It looks like that might not be a one man job. I am quite sure I will not be able to get the wife to help on that one.3) Do NOT use the foil razor anywhere near the groinicles. It is just a plain no go. Much of the hair near the landing strip grows flat against the skin. Use this and you are simply ASKING for ingrown hairs.So, I will conclude this saga with a recommendation and some advice:1) This is hands down the BEST foil head razor for one's bald head. Just keep the razor clean by rinsing it in water and using the Andis barber clipper spray. I would not use it in the shower. it works best dry. if you skin is snagging a bit and the foil is not gliding, use some talcum powder on your head and neck first. Oh... don't press hard. If your hair is short stubble, it works best simply gliding over. The harder you press, the more you will get irritated.2) Advice on body hair management: Keep the skin clean and make sure it is clean before you start. Never shave against the grain. Never go over any area more than twice. Do not press too hard. EXFOLIATE with a scrubby (a ROUGH one) every time you shower. Use a thick, heavy moisturizer morning and night on any area that you have trimmed very tight or even shaved. I use Cerave moisturizing cream. The softer the skin, the easier your hair can push through as it is growing out. Between exfoliating and moisturizing, you can avoid almost all ingrown hairs and rashes.I realize that I have spent the last hour typing the saga of my bald head, my body hair management and talking a lot out my frank and beans. I just want to help hairy guys out in these, smooth, modern times. Back in the 70's when I was in my teens, hairy chests were all the rage. Now... folks run the other way when confronted with a thatch. There was a time when everyone looked pretty much like they had a badger in a thigh lock. Now, almost everyone looks like a blind mole. Don't be "Mighty Joe Young"... Be "The Sphynx Cat".

I want to start off with saying that I also own the Philips 7100, BG2040. I was very disappointed with that one but both my wife and daughter like it. I decided to give this one a try, even though by series number, it shouldn't be as powerful and the other one. It's not as powerful but it works much better for me. I also have a set of the new Mangroomers for shaving my back but after using these Philips with the back attachment, I think the Philips are better and about half the cost. I reviewed a set of Philips beard trimmers recently and one of the things I liked about them was their ease of use. Trimmers and shavers are becoming too complex. Push a button, slide an attachment off while holding the button, while standing on one foot. I think Philips is on to something with those beard trimmers and this set of bodygroom trimmers. They've returned to a more basic design, sleek and light but sturdy. The guides snap on so there's no movement at all. The back attachment works way better than I expected and I'll say, for me, works better than the Mangroomers arm extension. You won't be able to reach over your shoulder down to your waist like you can with the Mangroomer but you don't need to. You lose leverage once you reach a certain distance. With these, with back attachment in place, you can reach over your shoulder to about halfway down your back. Then hold on your right side/oblique and get the lower back. It's very easy and because it's not a long extension, you have full control over the movement.The thing I was most worried about was nicks and hair pulling. Like many, I keep most of my body hairless except my legs and arms. These work better than any I've used when shaving below the belt but do recommend using a guard for the first few times. For some reason, the foil/blades move faster on this model than the 7100 model, that reduces the pulling to a minimum.It says the unit is waterproof but I haven't tried it. I do hold it under the sink and rinse it off after using. This and the Philips beard trimmer are my new favorites. They are also made nearly identical in the handle area so maybe this is a different line than they've been making. Either way, it's a vast improvement.

I purchased this item in 2022 and I've used it many times without any issues. It has worked extremely well throughout. It's now 2025 and it unfortunately is not taking any charge from the charger today (May 20th). I tried plugging the charger into different outlets and I even tried another charger from another Phillips trimmer that I have, but without success. The razor itself has malfunctioned. I have no choice but to purchase another one.

I bought this in 2020, and it's still going strong. I also had the previous version before that. Both lasted around three years, and I'm still using the 2020 version in 2023. I believe the battery died on the first one, but that was after 2-3 years. If I pay $30-50 for a shaver to last 2-3+ years, then I'm more than satisfied with that. The previous charger works for this one, too. I primarily use it for legs and armpits, and it's a close shave, though not razor smooth, of course. It works while it's plugged in, if necessary. The replacement head is reasonably priced, and I only replace it once or twice a year. I feel no need to buy the more expensive models in this line, although if I needed something more fancy, I wouldn't hesitate to. It's very reliable. In fact, I've never had any type of problem at all with either shaver. It's not delicately made to where I worry about it breaking any time I lay it down. I highly recommend it, and I will purchase it again in the future.