Flexible Shave with total moisture

I wanted to try Philips shavers for a while now. Mind you, it was a big step for me since I’ve been a Braun man for ages. In any case, I took the leap and got the HQ9190. Having said that and you can read my review on it, it felt “dry” on my face so when Philips came out with the New Moisturizer Shaving Models with the Flex Tracker System, I thought I would give it a go.

So I purchased the Philips Moisturizing Shaving System HS8060.

DESIGN:

Overall design of the unit is, in my taste, very nice looking. The Shaver itself is much smaller than the standard Philips models and thus fit much better in your hand and the blue color gives you a refreshing sense. Evey little thing helps in the morning! The Refill and Charge Stand has a small footprint thus less cumbersome.

USAGE:

- The Razor: As I mentioned previously, the razor handle is much smaller than previous Philips/Norelco models and thus is much easier to hold and more comfortable. The natural curve follows most hands and the buttons (ON/OFF and Moisturizer dispenser) are located conveniently making them easy to reach without looking at the unit. I’ve used the unit dry, with the Moisturizer and in the Shower and in all cases, it works great. Also, it is important to note that the unit is at least 50% less noisy than the HQ9190 from my own perception.

- The Refill and Charge Stand: Without any hassle you insert the NIVEA moisturizer cartridge in the top back of the unit and you twist it in place. The front of Stand shows us when the cartridge needs to be changed. The front is where you rest the Razor in place and push back till you hear a click. It then starts to automically refill the razor with moisturizing cream and charges it. (NOTE: You can also refill your unit manually if you want so in case the stand becomes defective, you can still use the razor.) Now, sometimes I have to push it a couple of time before it clicks in.

- The Flex Tracker System: Obviously this is a Philips/Norelco shaver so you do have three shaving heads but the main difference here from previous models is that the three heads are what I will call free floating. They are truly free floating and also are totally independent from one another thus making them adapting to the curve of your face much better than previous models. This becomes more evident near the adam’s apple where I noticed that it truly fits my face and makes my overall shaving much closer. Also, the moisturizing cream makes you face feels so soft and also makes your shaver just glide thus minimizing burns and scratches.

THE ISSUES:

There have been a few issues which I can’t really say if it’s just temporary but I feel I need to describe them here.

1- As I’ve already mentioned, when putting the unit in the cradle, I found that 1 out of 3 times, it won’t click the first time. Don’t know if I’m being to gentle but it can be a bit bothersome.

2- The Flex Tracking System is a great system but what I have been experiencing is that one of the head, the one that does not dispense moisturizer, keeps on unscrewing itself. At the beginning, I didn’t look and when I started shaving the head would fly off. No injuries, but I could have easily lost the head or damage it or even scratch my face. What I must do it to check it every time I start using it and just make sure it is screwed on. Now, that may be just this head system and when I change it in six months, it will not be an issue but still, this is quite annoying. I called Philips/Norelco about this and they could not give me an answer except to say that the Razor Head system doesn’t fall under the razor’s warranty. However, Philips has seent me a free replacement head anyway. This I consider good customer service. I've replaced the head and I've had no issues since.

3- Cleaning the Flex Tracking System is also a bit of a challenge. I let it run under hot water 30 secs of so after each use but because of the cream, I noticed that the beard stubles will stick to the heads and because of the design you have to use the little brush to clean them.

4- Automatic Refilling hasn't worked a couple of times and I cannot figure out why.  The canister is full so that's not the issue ... it's charging ... again, not the issue ... when it happens, I have to fill the razor manually.

BOTTOM LINE:

Overall I am happy with the unit even with it's flaws. As with any new design, Philips/Norelco needs to correct a few bugs and I'm sure they will. Having said that, the New Flex Heads do shave better and the moisturizer is an amazing addition. As with any new design, Philips/Norelco needs to correct a few bugs.