Features:

  • Sharp men’s shaver blades: Panasonic Arc5 men's electric shaver with five ultra-sharp precision honed 30° Nanotech blades and ultra-thin Arc foil follow facial contours for a quick, close and comfortable shave
  • Wet/Dry electric shaver and trimmer 2 in 1: Built-in pop up trimmer details mustaches, beards and sideburns; Wet/dry waterproof shaver allows for convenient shaving in or out of the shower
  • Multi Flex pivoting head: Panasonic flexible pivoting electric shaver head glides effortlessly to trace the individual contours of face, chin, neck and jaw; Built-in shaving sensor monitors differences in beard density and automatically adjusts cutting power for exceptional comfort
  • High performance motor with a linear drive: This Panasonic shaver is equipped with a linear motor which delivers 14,000 cuts per minute (70,000 crosscutting actions per minute) and maintains peak power up to the end of every battery charge
  • LCD battery indicator: The shaver’s 10 stage LCD shows battery status at a glance; Rechargeable, portable and travel friendly
  • Note: Kindly refer user guide for trouble shooting tips
Norelco vs Panasonic vs Braun

I had a Norelco Sensotouch 3D a few years ago. As others have mentioned, you will not find a quieter motor. It's a great shave but in the end, you will grow weary of having to shave in a circular motion especially if you need to shave around a goatee or other facial hair that you want to remain. I've found that foils allow you to take a few passes going "North/South" and then going "East/West" especially under the jaw line. This is my experience between the newest Panasonic Arc 5 and the Braun Series 9. I never purchase the cleaning system that both brands offer because I think they are an unnecessary expense. If you use liquid soap on the foils and rinse after use, the blades should be clean and fresh for the next use. Panasonic has a somewhat quieter motor than the Braun, which is strange because the Panasonic operates at 14,000 cycles per minute as opposed to Braun's 10,000 cpm. For the Panasonic that's 233 cycles per second. That's amazing speed for the linear power plant. Both mustache/sideburn trimmers leave much to be improved because the cutters are blocked by the shaving heads. A slight advantage goes to Panasonic because it's more visible and useful. As the model Arc 5 states in its name, Panasonic has five cutting foils compared to Brauns Series 9 which has four. I assume the extra foil gives more coverage and opportunity to cut wayward or difficult hairs. I will say that five should be the limit. I can't imagine having more blades like the race in the manual razor market where five seems to be the limit. If a company adds more foils, you will need a wrist brace to handle the increased weight. The Panasonic shaver floats on a 2 axis head where it goes front to back and side to side. The Braun is limited to only front to back. This is a major benefit where the heads more closely follow the contours of your face, chin and neck. Both units allow you to lock the head for sensitive or specific areas. The LED screen on the Panasonic shows time used in minutes and seconds and then the percentage of battery strength. There's an option to use the motor full speed or allow the motor to vary the speed depending on the thickness of the beard. The Braun is much simpler and has five blue bars to show battery level. Although subjective, I would say the Braun does have a better cosmetic appearance. Being generous, I would say that's why the Braun costs $70 more than the Panasonic. They both shave well but I would give the advantage to Panasonic. It gets the neck/throat area almost as close as a blade. It cuts through the whiskers without snagging or getting bogged down. A better shave at a lower cost should appeal to performance and budget conscious buyers. Panasonic wins this competition.

Panasonic ES-LV95-S vs Braun 9095cc

I recently began using the ES-LV95 after a brief detour with the Braun 9095cc, both flagship shavers from Panasonic and Braun; the ES-LV95 replaces my older ES-LV81. This review is a comparison of the (relatively) new Panasonic with the newest Braun, however contrasting this new Panasonic with the old, the ES-LV95 improves performance and convenience in every respect by comparison with the earlier Panasonic, so I won't reference the venerable ES-LV81 again. Compared to the Braun, the new Panasonic is lighter weight (7 oz vs 8 oz) and slightly slimmer. It's mostly plastic, but then so is the Braun, and esthetics of either is a matter of opinion. The Panasonic has slightly less chrome showing and is a little more svelte, which I sort of favor, so a win for the Panny for appearances for me. The head is larger - about 1/4" wider - and seems more flexible than the Braun's, moving more easily around a true 360 degree axis rather than the Braun's two-dimensional swivel, allowing the Panasonic to adapt to the contours of your face better. It covers more area quicker, and shortens my morning shave by almost half compared to the 9095cc, but does require practice maneuvering the larger head around the corners and angles of your face. The Panasonic has 5 cutters arranged symmetrically (a center flat cutter for longer whiskers, flanked on either side by 2 foils), contrasting Braun's asymmetrical 4 cutters (2 different flat cutters, blue and silver, with a foil on either side). One advantage of the Panasonic is that the cutter blocks and foil can be purchased separately - the foils wear out faster, so may need more frequent replacement, but can be replaced without replacing the cutters. With the Braun, the cutters and foils are one cartridge assembly so you have to buy both. As an addendum, replacement heads for the Braun have been generally unavailable now for more than a year, with the few that are available priced sometimes at more than the cost of the shaver. The Panasonic replacement heads are readily available anywhere, usually $50-60 range for foil and cutter blocks combined. The higher speed cutting cycles of the Panasonic (14,000 cpm) compared to Braun's 10,000 cpm, seem to provide a more comfortable shave (for me) - that's 233 cutting cycles per second (Panasonic), compared to 167 cutting cycles per second (Braun), or 40 percent faster. Braun's "sonic" technology also creates more vibration (and noise) in the head and shaver compared to the Panny. The high speed Panasonic seems to smooth out each pass, and require fewer passes or repeat passes, as opposed to the Braun's "paint mixer" vibrations on your face and in your hand. Neither of course is as quiet as a rotary shaver. The Panasonic shave is definitely closer, with fewer missed spots or random whiskers. Panasonic also has a "sensor" mode on this shaver, which reportedly detects beard thickness and adjusts cutting speed, which it actually appears to do; it does result in a less irritating shave than previous models or the Braun, which could be attributable to this feature. The Panasonic requires a different technique and a lighter touch than the Braun - since it cuts your beard more easily, you don't need to apply any extra pressure shaving to get a close cut; in fact if you press as hard with the Panny as you sometimes must with the Braun, it will let you know you've had a close shave, and not in a good way. Easy does it. Both shavers have a lock for the head, allowing a closer shave around more challenging areas such as under the nose and around sideburns, and both have a pop-up trimmer for trimming along a straight line. Both configurations work equally well for those purposes. Battery longevity seems similar for both shavers, with the nod going to Panasonic for number of shaves per charge because it takes less time to shave; should last a week or more on the road with a single charge. You can charge these shavers with the cord, without the cleaning station, and both are multi-voltage for traveling. Cords are similar with large transformer plugs, and like all wet/dry shavers, you can't use either shaver as a corded shaver but must recharge. Straight cord for the Panny, coiled cord for the Braun. Information on the shavers' LED displays is similar; the Panasonic provides percentage of charge left versus the Braun, which just displays diminishing bars until the final ten minutes of charge. The Panasonic also displays "MIN USED" for a shave, up to ten minutes, when it starts over. I actually find this useful for improving my shaving technique and speed. The cleaning station for the Panasonic is significantly improved over the previous design, which sometimes had problems with leaking solution. The new design uses a detergent solution and a filter tray rather than a cassette - you mix the detergent packet with water in the tray, and I recommend distilled water to avoid mineral build-up on shaver or cleaner. The Panasonic cleaner is water based versus the alcohol based Braun station, but both provide excellent cleaning performance - Braun says their cleaning solution is not compatible with soap, so none of the Braun shavers that include a cleaning station are approved for use with shaving foam or gel. That's right folks - the Braun wet/dry shavers that include a cleaning station are not approved by Braun for use with shaving cream. The Braun alcohol solution is advertised as "sanitizing" the shaver head, but both cleaning solutions provide more than adequate anti-bacterial properties (remember, you wash your hands with soap and water), and neither actually sterilizes the head (important tip - don't share your shaver with anyone boys and girls). The Braun station runs with a couple of minutes of louder buzzing (running the shaver for cleaning), followed by about 40 minutes of a quiet fan cycle, while the Panasonic station runs the shaver a little over 5 minutes, followed by a little over an hour of fan drying; both stations seem to run either comparable cycle at about the same noise level - the fan cycle is plenty quiet for a spouse, partner or family member sleeping feet away. The Panasonic seems to dry the head completely, whereas the Braun is always slightly damp the next morning. Both station/shaver combos occupy about the same counter space and height, with similar controls and information for drying or cleaning, with the Braun being slightly larger and taller. Probably most significantly, the Braun cleaning cartridges cost more than twice as much as the Panasonic detergent packs, require orders of magnitude more storage space, and are flammable; one plus for the Braun cartridges is that they are self-contained like the Philips Norelco cleaning system, requiring no mixing. If storage space is as important as convenience however (and we're talking a minute or so exercise of opening a detergent pack, emptying it into a tray and filling the tray with water - once a month tops), you can store more than a year's worth of Panasonic cleaning packets in the bottom of a bathroom cabinet drawer without noticing, while that many Braun cartridges will fill a substantial part of your closet with flammable liquid. Cartridges for the new Braun cleaner don't seem to last as long as previous units either, less than a month on average for me, shaving daily. Panasonic detergent solution lasts well over a month - going on two months now with the current solution and just as effective cleaning. Cleaning with either station will leave your shaver like new and smelling fresh, but both shavers can really just be rinsed in running water, so you don't absolutely need a cleaning station, although it is convenient. The Panasonic head is much easier to clean manually than the Braun since the foil and cutters are separate. The one minus of the Panasonic compared to the Braun is the travel case - the Braun has a nicely fitted hard leather case, where the Panasonic has their standard "faux leather" vinyl bag, but they do provide a hard plastic head cover. As a side note, there is already a new Panasonic series of shavers (ES-LV6/7/9) on the market that appear similar, with a slightly redesigned head and body, and a similar cleaning station, so the ES-LV95 is not their newest model. Again, be aware that if you are a traditional "wet shaver" - I.e. shaving soap and water - Braun specifically says their only approved Series 9 shavers for shaving foam or gel are the 9040s and the 9080s (the "s" suffix means does not include the cleaning station), NOT the 9095cc. I have used it successfully with a shaving brush and soap, but according to Braun's literature this is an "off label" use and may void your warranty. If you are a wet shaver, technically your only choice is the Panasonic between these two. Highly recommended.

which was maybe a little better but also a lot louder

I've typically used a rotary-style Norelco and never thought about it. Over the last ten years I experimented with Braun, which was maybe a little better but also a lot louder. The last shaver was another Norelco (9200) and being new, it of course worked great - until it didn't. I don't know what changed with them, maybe it started when they got bought by Philips, but whatever the reason, their blade quality has gone down the drain, lasting about one month. Of course it was too late to return it so I decided to go outside the box of the "big two" and try a Panasonic. Just. Wow. Granted, it's still the honeymoon phase (1 week) but this cuts way better than any Norelco or Braun ever did. The real test however will be how well its blade holds up over time. I'll update this review in 6-12 months and let you know, but so far so good. Oct 2017 UPDATE: I continue to be very impressed with this shaver. It sounds corny - it's just a shaver - but as I get older I really couldn't stand shaving. With the Arc5, I no longer dread the Rotary Hell I went through before, shaving and shaving and not much happening. The Arc5 is now three months old and cuts as good as it did the first day. I actually look forward to using it - kind of like driving a very nice car after decades of staying content with just "okay" transportation.

USE DAILY for BEST RESULTS

I use the ES for head shaving. My remaining hair is quite dense and the ES plows through and leaves almost a BBS (baby butt smooth) finish. I used to go through a ton of Schick disposables (which also work great) but now I only use for touching up around ears and beard. At first I almost returned it but then tried something new. Here’s what I recommend: -Shave down w a razor to a BBS finish -The next morning start to use the ES DRY -first go with the grain, then across the grain, then against the grain - pull your scalp taught to tighten up loose skin so mesh gets super close -when finishing ATG, take short, brisk strokes and work on smaller areas -Daily use is compulsory. You can go two days but it’ll take a while to get down to the scalp again. -the ES SUCKS for shaving my neck and jaw. If only using for those purposes I would’ve returned it. -we’ll worth the money. I never would’ve thought an electric mesh razor would work so well. I’m really glad I invested. Now I don’t need to buy stock in a razor company. The pictures are post shave this morning. 90% of an ATG blade shave.

Best shaver or razor imaginable. Absolutely THE SMOOTHEST shave ever.

This is *absolutely* the best shaver OR razor I have ever used, and I have used many. Set aside your Norelco, your Braun... your Harry or Razor of Month club, and even the Viking uber-razor equipment. This shaver will give you and incredibly close shave, whether you have one-days worth of stubble or three-days worth or even five days (use the trimmer on rear for five to seven+ days worth). The charger and cleaning system, all-in-one, is superb. But back to the shaver... amazingly close and smooth shave with no nicks--which is much harder with a double-edge razor, no mater how good you are. Personally, this is my routine with this Panasonic shaver that gives me a better shave than even the best mens "premium" shaving salon/shops in NYC (and I NEVER write reviews this long): 1) Wash your face with very warm water and then wipe it all with a witch hazel product such as

Super Impressive...

I bought the Arc5 to replace an older and much cheaper electric razor that I’ve had for a while. While researching potentials, I narrowed my search down to the Arc5 and the Brain Series 9. Both offer a charging/cleaning system, but for the razor alone Amazon was offering a price that I couldn’t walk away from. I have very sensitive skin and use a straight razor, but never a disposable. I have used a clipper years and have needed to replace my old electric razor for some time, but kept putting it off. The Arc5 and Braun S9 are very similar in every way, both pros and cons as I’ve read tons of reviews. The Arc5 did come with a cover and had a lot of reviews that said the charging/cleaning system had issues and wasn’t worth it. I usually wear a beard of different lengths, depending on my mood, but also wear my head bald. It was kind of cool that I came across a review of someone that uses their Arc5 for shaving his head. I hadn’t really thought about and was leaning towards purchasing both the Arc5 (razor alone) and the Braun S9 system. One for my head and the other for my face. Well, I went with both and got the Arc5 first. The Arc5 is great! I used it on my lower neck because I wanted to see how it felt against my skin. Initially, I was just hmm. I had to do my head anyway, so I decided to use it on my head. HOLY SH...! The Arc5 got so close and without one nick, tug or pull and my head feels so smooth without any irritation. I’m SOLD and wholly impressed for 119.00! It was light, quick and barely used any of the full charge I had. It came with a cover, charging adapter, and pleather case, but I would certainly and highly recommend to anyone that loves, wants or needs a close shave and if you want another option for your head, go Arc5! I will say that whoever designed or decided on the travel case should be slapped because there’s no room for the charger, but I didn’t think that was enough to ding the product.

Excellent replacement for Braun Series 7 shaving system

Update, 28 April 2020: After using the Panasonic system for about a year and a half, I want to point out two things: First, this is a lawnmower, not a brush cutter. It will give you a great shave every day, but if you let your beard go more than a day or two, long whiskers are a challenge to cut. They simply do not pass through the screen as well as, say, Braun razors. Second, I have not had one bit of trouble with either the razor or the charging/ cleaning station. Still going strong. ====== After 10-12 years, my Braun Series 7 shaving system got 'tired,' and I was about to replace it with the new Series 9. But Braun uses expensive, alcohol-based cleaning fluid, and until now, there hasn't been an alternative. Eventually, the Braun alcohol ate through the plastic plating on the shaver head and housing shoulder, and, while the shaver continued to function, it looked ratty and never felt clean. After the plating flaked off, I started making my own cleaning fluid which worked fine and saved a ton of money, but that's another chemistry story. [If you want the formula, Reply to this review.] I looked at another retailer for shaver recommendations. You know -- the one out of New York, longest running catalog in the nation, has the 'lifetime guarantee' for most products -- that one. This Panasonic shaver system was their 'Best' in category. It's also $100 more plus frightful freight charges for the exact same shaver. I weighed the relative costs and bought from Amazon. The Panasonic shaver and cleaning/drying/recharging station both were pleasant surprises. Usually, one must shave for a few days for beard and blades to get used to each other, but the Panasonic shaver produced a close, comfortable shave first time. After the first shave, I re-read the Panasonic owners manual. (It's a disappointment, but more on that in a moment.) I remembered from the first read that I have options with care of the shaver. I simply could rinse off the shaver, dry the surface with a towel, and dry the innards with the Dry/Charge function in the base. I also can subject the shaver to a full, detergent clean cycle. I chose the former. During the re-read, I was reminded to use a little hand soap and rinse the shaver under running water. I also found the 'sonic cleaning function.' Hold the off/on switch for >2secs, and the shaver goes into a mode that vibrates the blades but not as much as while shaving. This function works with the screen head on and off, and the manual recommends sonic cleaning both ways for a thorough job. Disappointingly, the manual contains instructions that I believe are a mistake. It says to 'Disconnect the adaptor after charging is completed.' It says this for adapter cord connected to the cleaning/drying/charging base or while traveling when the adapter cord is connected directly to the shaver. I neither believe nor intend to follow these instructions, especially when the adapter cord is connected to the base. It makes no sense, and the internal electronics appear to contain some calendar-based reminders that may or may not get lost if power is disconnected for long periods. In addition, there are the typical Japanese > Engrish convolutions that you think Panasonic (and others) would get right by now. Nothing egregious that we can't figure out, but nuance is one thing; incorrect is another. If this thing burns down my house, I'll just order another one from Amazon. After all, Sears used to sell houses, and I figure it won't be long ...

Best razor ever!!

After 23 years ( not a typo ), my Panasonic linear 3D finally quit. I purchased a Braun series 9 for $250 and i ended up returning it simply on the basis that the shave closeness was only on par with my original Panasonic?! The Braun was exceptionally quiet but didn’t impress on the closeness as compared to my 23 year old Panasonic. After purchasing the new arc 5, I understand and believe that the superior motor speed and 5 blades do matter! It’s awefully impressive to think that I will most likely have to own only 2 razors that are flawless machines for more than half my life. Bravo Panasonic!!

Easily Beats Even the Braun 7 - Perhaps the Best Electric Razor at a Steal of a Price

For one hundred dollars, this electric razor trounces the also-excellent Braun 7, and the technology employed in this inexpensive razor is simply amazing. The vibration rate is incredibly high yet the unit makes little noise during use, and its five-part cutting head gives a cut that is almost unbelievably the same as a manual razor blade. Its more comfortable to hold than the Braun, too, and a good deal lighter, as well. I don't mean to sound like I am beating up on the Braun 7, because I've been impressed with that unit (and the "7" is still made in Germany, a real plus), but when you look at the price and performance of this Panasonic, it's difficult for me to only rate it as the current reigning champion of men's electric razors. The razor head is built of a floating, five-part cutting design, meaning that there are five different cutting panels on the top, each shaped differently to catch the variety of hair follicle shapes and sizes as the cutter head passes over. The head can also be fixed in place if you prefer a non-floating head, or need to do some precision cutting on a particular area. This is accomplished with the single flip of a switch. As I say, in spite of the extremely high vibration rate, the unit is not loud at all, making a pleasing buzzing sound that is much quieter than other razors I have tried. The head slides over the skin with effortless ease, even without using additional cream or liquids (although those may be used as desired.) This is a wet-dry razor, so you have all the options: before shower, during a shower, or after a shower. My beard hairs are notoriously tough, yet this little guy cuts them with ease even before I take a shower. It's really quite impressive. With a little practice, you can get your cut to feeling essentially as a razor blade would (and Panasonic reminds us that, when switching to a new hair cutting technique, you should give it 30 days for the hair to adjust to the new approach.) Yes, it's actually made in Japan. But that's not its only selling point. For cutting ability, Japanese construction, price, and comfort, I have to give this five stars. Note: People are, unfortunately, reporting problems with the replacement head, and I am unable to comment on that, but for ninety-nine dollars, even if you had to replace the entire unit in a year, you'd still be paying less than premier disposable razors which I have to replace every week and cost $2.50 each or more. I suspect there are some lesser-quality replacement blades out there. You can probably avoid this by purchasing the newer Panasonic ES9036 replacement blade, which is marked "Made in Japan" (search Amazon for ASIN B0742G6G8P). But don't let any of those comments about replacement blades deter you. Once you try this unit out, I'd be surprised if you were not as pleased as I.

5 stars - YES. It's that GOOD. But "Love"? No - It's still only a shaver.

I stuck with Panasonic when looking to buy this time around, due to the fact that my former shaver (ES 8249S) was still giving me one heck of a good shave - even after lasting for SO MANY years. I used it "dry" when in a hurry - then "wet", when I wanted to enjoy the experience a bit more. Personally, I use the electric shaver with a nice shave soap and brush, (sacrilege - I'm sure, to many of the straight-razor purist out there). The old shaver was top of the line in its day. So when it was again time to replace its "damn expensive" foil/cutter combo, I decided to see what Pany is advertising currently, to be "their latest/greatest". When I saw the "ES- LVXX" series, I was at first "numbed" by the sting of the price tag - as anyone would HAVE to be, unless extremely wealthy. I am certainly NOT. But..... like most men with any testosterone left, I just had to buy it anyway. Well was it worth $250? No! (No shaver could be). But does it shave well? Oh yes - Let me tell ya. I thought the head width would be a problem - 5 foils to drag over your face....Can it do enough flexing to never miss a contour? In spades - indeed it can. This shaver - even dry without ANYTHING on my skin - delivers baby-hiny smooth shaves every single time. It is effortless, fast, quiet, and perfect. I use a decent shaver soap with a boar or badger brush for "lube delivery". But it only enriches the already-luxurious experience, to spoil me totally with each shave. The bells and whistles on this shaver are also over-the-top. The running water clean-up makes it "no maintenance", super-sanitary, and very fast. And it would shock me to find a pampering professional Barber to be able to provide me with a shave any better.. It's that good. I feel not even "fuzz" - when I rub my face after it's shaved and dried. I just don't see any room for improvement - honestly - except one thing: Panasonic needs to lower the outrageous pricing of both the shaver and its replacement foil/cutter assembly. But I seriously doubt that they will. You don't need the fancy vibrating "well" cleaner available either. Running water does the job thoroughly and easily, using the "cleaning mode" initiated by holding down the power button for 2 seconds. It's also a beautiful looking thing - trimmed out with dark ebony and that midnight-blue display. I am sure that Norelco, Braun, and other popular brands have their flagship models too. But I can't think of even a small reason to try them after using this ES-LV65-S Arc5. I have enjoyed close shaves before, but this isn't just "close" - It's BARE. If you can afford spending this kind of money on such, I have to recommend it. I believe that it is the finest shaver of our time, at this moment.

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