Philips Norelco 1250X/40 SensoTouch 3D Electric Razor (Series 8000)

UPDATE October 27, 2013:After 2 years and 2 months of owning this shaver, it died. It now displays a flashing red exclamation point and refuses to turn on. It is now 2 months after the 2 year warranty, so it seems I am completely out of luck at this point. It's as if it was designed to fail right after the warranty.I sent an email to Phillips Norelco describing the problem. I'll post an update here if/when they respond.There is no indication in the troubleshooting manual what a flashing red exclamation point means, so I have no idea what's going on with it. There is a description about what to do if you find that it's lighting up that indicator along with two others at the same time, but it doesn't tell you what it is if it's just that one indicator and nothing else.I handled this shaver with kid gloves. I washed it after every use. I never mishandled it. Never dropped it. It was working fine yesterday, and now it won't turn on.The shaver was actually very good. Easily the best I've ever had. My shave yesterday was as good as the first shave I had with the device when it was brand new. It didn't dull in all that time.I originally gave it 5 stars. But I have since demoted it to 3 stars due to the fact that it died after just 2 years. My last shaver was a Braun, and it lasted around 10 years. Even then, it was just the rechargeable battery that needed replacement, and it still worked when plugged into the wall socket.My original review follows:This is my first rotary shaver since I switched to foil shavers back in the mid-90's. Foil shavers have been pretty good for me, and the last one I had was the Braun series 5 foil shaver. I used one of those for probably 8 to 10 years, I think. For the past two years, it hasn't been able to hold a charge, and I had been using it while plugged in to the wall. When the cord starting to become loose, and the shaver spontaneously shut itself off many times during my shave, it was then that I realized I definitely needed to get myself a new shaver.The main problem I had with my Braun series 5 foil shaver was that it took about 10 to 12 minutes to get a good shave. I had to work at it, constantly rubbing my hand against my face and going back over the same area with my shaver. It was a good shave, but it required work. I wanted something that could shave in half the time.That's when I saw the Norelco 1250x/40 rotary shaver and thought I'd give it a try and see if rotary shavers were any better than foil ones. This one is their top of the line rotary shaver, so I figured it would be a good test. Alternatively, there's the Norelco Speed XL rotary shaver, which advertises its speed over all. But I figured I'd give the 1250x/40 a try first.I've now had the Norelco 1250x/40 for over 10 days. At first, I have to tell you, I was not impressed with this shaver. It just wasn't giving me a good shave. It took 16 minutes to shave, and even then it left some stubble. I just gave up, so it might have been 20 minutes or more of work just to get it to the point where my old foil shaver could get to. And because I was constantly going over and over the same areas, pressing harder and harder each time, it was leaving me with razor burn.I was ready to send it back yesterday, but I decided to give it another try. This time I decided to try using it with shaving cream rather than just dry skin. Would that help any? It actually made a HUGE difference!With the shaving cream, I was able to shave in just 2-3 minutes. It got my face clean and smooth with just one or two passes. It was one of the best shaves I've ever had. It was an even better shave than spending 15 minutes with my Braun series 5 foil (admittedly the foil shaver was dry while the Norelco was with shaving cream). There were only a couple areas which required me to go back over, but it was minor. It got 99% of the stubble in just 2 or 3 minutes.UPDATE... Several days after this review, I've been getting better and better at shaving with this shaver as I learn which parts of my face require a little more care. Now I don't seem to be missing any areas at all. I'm so amazed every morning how good my shave is that I ask my girlfriend to feel my face to see how smooth it is. You can't feel anything. It's just skin, no stubble at all. Even 8 hours later, much of my face remains stubble free. The chin and neck grow in fast, though, but that's biology, not the shaver's fault... I've timed my shave with this shaver, and I get to 5 minutes if I'm being careful to go slow and pay attention to detail. With my last shaver, it was taking 10-12 minutes on average. So this is a big improvement in speed, and it's a much closer shave.So I've decided not to return it after all, and I'm actually thinking this is the best shaver I've ever had. Without shaving cream, it just doesn't do a good job at all, in my opinion. That's what was surprising to me. I've never needed to use shaving cream before with electric shavers. But it's fine. I can accept having to use shaving cream if it means I can get a perfectly smooth shave in just a few minutes. That's a trade-off I'll take any day.As for cleaning the shaver, it's a breeze. I'm confused why reviewers here think it's hard to clean. It's not. You run the top part under water for 5 seconds, then you pop open the 3 heads and run them all under water for about 15 seconds. Then you give it a little shake and let it dry on its own. What is so hard about that? Cleaning out my old Braun series 5 foil shaver took several minutes, and it involved tediously using a brush to poke in between the holes in the foil, because oil and hair gunk would block the foil holes after a while. This Norelco 1250x/40 is much easier to clean by comparison. They really designed it well.I really like that it's a lithium ion battery and not nickle cadmium. That means you won't get the battery "memory effect". You can just charge it after every use rather than worrying about letting it run down completely before recharging it. My old shaver was like that, and I was always worried about running out of charge mid-way into my shave.Another huge plus in my mind is the fact that it's very quiet. My old Braun series 5 foil shaver was loud enough to annoy anyone sleeping in the next room. I can use the Norelco 1250x/40 without worrying about waking anyone up. That's nice.The beard trimmer part is not bad, either. A lot of people were upset that it looked like an afterthought instead of a well designed feature. They thought it should extend out further away from the rotary cutter head. Personally, I don't use the trimmer a lot. And if they designed it so that it protruded more than it does now, I think more people would have a problem with that. If you're finding yourself in need of the trimmer a lot, maybe you just need to get a stand-alone beard trimmer in addition to this. Even a $25 stand-alone trimmer would be better than the best built-in trimmer you can find out there.About the only negative things I'll say about this are: 1) the battery is not replaceable, 2) it's unable to use it corded (battery only operation), and 3) the charging stand is pretty easy to topple over. All of these negatives are acceptable to me, since it does give me such a good shave. But yes, having a corded feature would be much more welcomed. And the fact that you need to take the charging stand with you when you go on trips is annoying. I really wish the designers would have done that differently.Oh, and there is one more thing to talk about. The cost of the replacement heads is $60 at this time. That seems like a lot of money to be paying just for the heads. But I'm hoping they don't need to be replaced every 12-18 months like the manual says to do. My Braun series 5 foil cutter blocks definitely needed replacing every 6-9 months or so. But rotary cutter blades, I've heard, last a lot longer. A lot of people say they've never had to replace theirs. But who knows about the Norelco 1250x/40.So in summary:PROS:+ Excellent close shave, with shaving cream.+ Very fast shave in just 3 minutes, with shaving cream.+ Lithium Ion battery.+ Very easy to clean.+ Very quiet.+ Battery level indicator.+ Looks nice.CONS:- Need shaving cream if you want a fast and close shave with it.- Battery is not replaceable. So, 3-5 year lifetime?- Battery only operation, lacking a corded feature.- Charging stand is easy to topple over.- Need to take the charging stand with you on trips.- Expensive head replacement.- Expensive shaver.UPDATE... It's been a few weeks now since starting to use this shaver. I wanted to mention that I tried it with "Lectric Shave" liquid instead of shaving cream. While Lectric Shave was designed for electric shavers, I have to say that I still prefer shaving cream instead. After using Lectric Shave, there was a lot more stubble left, and I had some nicks on my face and razor burn. Shaving cream is a lot better. But Lectric Shave is about 50% better than shaving dry. When you use shaving cream, use it like the manual says: First wet your face with water, then apply shaving cream, then wet your shaver with water, then shave (in that order)... And as for my main review, I still really like the shaver and highly recommend it.

This is probably one of the best shavers I have ever had. Originally, I had a Phillips Norelco 7130 shaver which has 3 heads but all connected on one platform unlike this one. One of my main complaints with this shaver is the fact that if your hair is longer than a millimeter, you will get pulled hairs all over the place. OUCH! Lots of CRIES for HELP!!! That is no fun. Also, the shaver works in wet situations, but you really need lotion to ensure your skin does not get totally dry. With this new SensoTouch shaver, your problems are solved.The vibration on my original Norelco was like holding a jet engine. I could feel the vibration in my teeth as I shaved, and it was not a pleasant experience. I also had to rub over my skin numerous times to get the shaver to pick up all of my hair, and even then I usually ended up using a manual blade to trim any close excess.Compare that to this shaver - The shave is fast. You will not have much extra hairs on your neck after you use this shaver. It seems to glide smoothly over my skin and cuts very close. It works great when going against the grain. It is great on the chin where you will have difficulty with a flat head. All of my family members love touching my face with this shaver - before, my wife would complain that my face would be scratchy unless I used a razor to manually shave close to my skin - now she cant really tell the difference.There's some fancy technology built into the device that is really for marketing purposes. The 3 heads move independently and while they are very "cool" - I find that they do not really make a huge difference in the shave on the side of the face. The whole head moves around which is good for your wrist but again is more of a "gimmick" than anything else.We are not talking about newfangled technology that CREATES A SCANTILY CLAD WOMAN TO REMOVE YOUR HAIR, instead it's just some heads that flex to accommodate your face. It has a good heft in your hands and will feel comfortable when you are shaving your face.The fantastic thing about this razor is that it has a voltage function that allows you to convert from 110 to 240 volts AC which is perfect for international travels. I know some of the other reviewers have commented on the issue with international travel, but I can say this works perfectly abroad as I have used it in other countries. This works perfectly in England, for one.The charge is great - give it one hour from a dead charge and you're good to go. It will charge while you leave it for the next day so you are always at a full charge when you pick it up. There's a battery indicator which I find to be VERY HELPFUL on my shavers - I do not like to go a few days without charging then have to worry about whether I need to charge this up or not. Regardless, this guy lasts at least 17 days depending on usage (obviously the actual ability is more like an hour nonstop) so you could take it on a vacation and not even need a charger with you! (I don't recommend that... sometimes it's a good idea to throw caution to the wind - this is not one of those times. Pack the charger.)The instructions are very clear. Norelco also tells you to wait a few weeks to let your body get used to it, but I found that my face reacted positively within a few days. YAY NORELCO! It runs well with water - I was able to use it in the shower and was able to grip the razor without qualms. I found that on previous shavers, it might slip around in my hand on the smooth surfaces. No issue with that one here. Comes with a pouch for travel.If you are a picky shaver and enjoy shaving with shaving cream, you can even use that here, as the shaver has special stops to prevent shaving cream from destroying the system as it will with other shavers. GO NORELCO!I compared this guy to my manual razor - Gillette Fusion - which requires that I shave again every few days. I often cut myself at least once or twice while shaving with the fusion, and it is time consuming to pre-lotion, lather, apply evenly, shave off, put on a bandaid, etc etc. The electric shave rolls the skin up and forces the hairs into the blade, which then slices it off nicely without any pain.One negative is that you have to hand-clean each head which is easy to do only sometimes (if it cooperates). This requires opening up each section and cleaning it which, if you are in a rush, feels laborious and time consuming. This is in marked contrast to my original Phillips which was one single head that popped open and allowed me to easily rinse it out. BOOM. Done.If you are a fast operator in the morning, then to make up for this, consider buying this shaver with the Jet Clean system as well, which will set you back an extra $50 plus the cost of the jet clean solution (there are two options for this but I'm referring to the cheaper one). Consider this option if you do not want to have to clean the shaver manually and you want the ease and comfort of just popping it in the cleaner and only needing to replace the solution every so often. The Jet system will also lubricate and charge the shaver as well, so it's a good buy if you can keep it in one place - traveling with it might be a greater burden. That option is found here:  Philips Norelco 1250xcc/42 SensoTouch 3d Electric Shaver with Jet Clean System, Black One final note-this IS an expensive shaver. Compare it to a shaver that costs $75 or $90 dollars, and you're still spending $60 more on a shaver. If you save yourself just 2-3 minutes a day by using this shaver, and you shave every 3 days, that's about 6 hours a year. At a very conservative rate of $10 an hour, you've saved yourself the money after one year of usage. That really adds up over the lifetime of this shaver!!! If you save yourself money, time, effort, and convenience on this shaver, then it's really a solid investment. WARREN BUFFET WOULD AGREE.If this review was helpful, please consider a positive vote. I am happy to provide answers about the shaver and my experience, so feel free to ask any questions you may have!