Philips Norelco 8140XL SpeedXL Men's Shaver

I loved my previous Norelco. It lasted over a decade. I bought this as a replacement, and it went dead in a matter of months. It just wouldn't hold a charge any longer. I sent it back, and customer service was promt in replacing it. Then the same thing happened again a few months later. This is too much hassle for the amount of money this razor costs. I went and bought a $30 Braun that has been going strong for a couple years without any problem.

When my husband's Norelco was showing signs of old age, he went to Walmart and bought a Braun shaver. He hated it and took it back the next day. Fortunately I had ordered the Norelco 8140 XL as a Christmas gift several weeks ago. When he opened his gift, he was thrilled with it in every respect, especially the length of time before needing to recharge. He also loves the stand that comes with it. A good buy all around.

This is a replacement shaver for me. I have owned Norleco shavers previously. My latest one died because the battery would no longer hold a charge. This is somewhat of an upgrade, in that it has more advanced shaving heads. It does a very good job, gives a close shave and is easy to clean. It can be run on the electric cord, if the battery dies unexpectedly, or it can be charged enough for one shave in about 3 minutes.

My only regret is that its signal lights don't have any indication when the battery is weak and needs a charge.

After using this shaver for the past month I can honestly say it does a very fine job. The shave is close and comfortable. I have an average thickness and growth, and am very pleased with this product. The batteries have yet to need recharging, so I cannot report the length of the recharge.

On the whole, my experience with this razor has been positive. Although I switched from manual razors mainly because I was tired of nicking myself and expected a trade-off in closeness, my girlfriend says that my skin is actually softer now that I used the 8140XL. Definitely give it a week or two after switching from a manual razor to let your skin adjust; my shaves got remarkably better after the first few days of use.

- Pros: Leaves skin softer; shaves upper lip better than any manual razor; hair length after shave is consistent (including on neck); easy and quick to clean.
- Cons: Inevitably misses hairs (although it's hard to tell without close inspection); not quite as close as a manual razor, so you will have to shave every morning if you want a clean-cut look; sideburn cutter not especially useful.

I recommend buying Lectric Shave or a similar product to prep your stubble for shaving with the 8140XL, it makes a small but significant difference in the closeness of the shave.