Panasonic ES8078S Vortex HyrdraClean Wet/Dry Shaving System
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Customer Reviews of Panasonic ES8078S Vortex HyrdraClean Wet/Dry Shaving System
Customer Review: Good Quality Shaver
Summary: 4 Stars
First I'd like to point out the difference between the ES8078S & the ES8077S - the 78 is silver'ish/gray, while the 77 is gold'ish/bronze. No idea why Panasonic doesn't feel this information is necessary, as a consumer I find this little tidbit quite important & I think it is really strange that they don't list the color difference in the specifications, not even on their main website. Personally I much prefer the more neutral silver/gray type color scheme, but people aren't even given a chance to make the choice when the info is MIA.
The razor yields the usual Panasonic quality shave, much nicer than any triple head razor, in my opinion. I find those type to not only miss a lot of hairs, but they tend to pull the hair which can be a little less than pleasant, hence I gave up on them many years ago & have been using the Panasonic Linear for about 10 years. My last Panasonic held up all that time & would still be fine now, but the battery finally stopped holding a charge, so I chose the ES8078S as a replacement. I have never used the Braun or other similar brands so cannot directly compare, but the Panasonic's have always had the fastest motors (13,000 RPM) & the wet/dry feature which is quite convenient for thoroughly washing the razor, even if you prefer to shave dry.
The built in cleaning system works well enough, though I don't like the smell of the cleaning solution very much myself, but it's not really bad & doesn't actually bother me. The quality of the construction & materials is very good, I find no faults here, however, I feel like the indicator lighting scheme could have been better designed. 1) I feel it is backwards that the razor continuously flashes red AFTER it is fully charged. I believe a flashing red light should indicate that something is wrong or that it is in charging mode, not that it is fully charged & ready to go? In my opinion it would make much better sense if it would either have a solid green light, or simply turn off the light when it's charged 2) There is an "extra" charging option when selecting between the various cleaning/drying options. This is completely redundant as far as I can tell, since the razor automatically charges anytime it is placed in the base no matter what, whether you select a cleaning cycle or not, so I'm not sure what it is doing there. Also, again with the flashing lights, this time they're green, but I do feel it would be more appropriate for the lights to either go solid or turn off when the cleaning cycle is complete, rather than continuously flash, which to me indicates some type of activity rather than a completed cycle. So to really summarize on this lighting situation in case anyone from Panasonic might be reading this, flashing lights definitely seem backwards, any flashing should be occurring during activity, not afterwards when the unit is all set to standby indefinitely, at which time the lights should either go solid, or off. With as many different lights as there are on the unit, I can think of several different ways that would seem right to do it, but definitely flashing after charging or cleaning is complete, seems wrong. My previous Panasonic, though a little less complex with the lights, would show red while charging, then green when charged, seems much more logical. I've even thought of opening up the unit & disconnecting the red flashing light, but I don't really want to have to alter it, it just looks all wrong for it to ALWAYS be flashing red when it's sitting around fully charged & ready to go.
I would give the unit 5 stars based on the shave alone, but since there are a few things about the product that I feel could have been done better or are simply backwards, I feel a 4 is more appropriate in this case.
Customer Review: mediocre shave, bad construction, broke in less than a year, horrible service
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this shaver about a year ago to replace a three year old Norelco rotary shaver...one of their less expensive models. I wasn't happy with the way the Norelco was making my face red after shaves, so I decided to try this Panasonic foil wet/dry shaver.
The Panasonic's shave quality was OK, but it turns out it isn't much better than the much less expensive Norelco I replaced it with. It does a good job on the face, but neck coverage is pretty bad. I've been using the shaver every day for close to a year, and I still haven't figured out a good way to get all of my neck. It misses a bunch of spots if I try to shave with gentle/normal pressure. But if I try going over those spots again or add additional pressure, I get a lot of redness, especially around my adam's apple.
I've tried both wet and dry. I've tried shaving in the shower versus wetting down my face in a sink. I've tried shaving gels and/or soap. There's no major improvement with any of those changes.
Oh yeah...and this shaver is loud...REALLY loud. When I'm holding it close to my ears, I'm almost wondering if I should be wearing hearing protection.
THEN...last week it broke. During a shave, all of a sudden the Panasonic went into self-clean mode (a high-pitched vibration). 5 seconds later, it turned itself off. 5 seconds later, it went back into normal shave mode. Self-clean, off, shave mode...over and over again in 5 second intervals. It wouldn't stop. I had to let the battery run out before it'd stop this annoying cycle, which took the better part of the day.
I spent at least an hour on the phone with Panasonic shaver support yesterday. I talked to three or four people, each going up the chain in command. The problem? Even though the shaver is under warranty, they asked me to mail it to their service center in Kent, Washington...then wait 30 days for a letter. Once I got that letter, they'd advise me whether they'd be repairing my shaver or sending me a refurbished one. Then they'd presumably fix it...but I'd probably be without a shaver for 45-60 days. When I questioned the support tech, then her boss, then his boss about this policy, they said, "I'm sorry, that's just the way it works. We get a lot of returns, so we can't do it any faster." I asked them how I was supposed to shave if my shaver was gone for 45-60 days, and they recommended I go out and buy a new shaver! What a pointless warranty.
I finally pressed harder and harder as I got higher up the ladder within Panasonic. The final guy said to me, "Just like you, we have a lot of other customers who ask for a quick-exchange policy while their shavers are broken. But unfortunately we can't do that." I asked him if he saw the stupidity in that policy...and he acknowledged my complaint, but said his hands were tied.
So I'm back to my old Norelco rotary shaver for the next couple of months. The funny thing? It's actually giving me a better shave than the Panasonic has been for the past year. I'm wondering if I should even bother sending in the Panasonic for service.
This shaver does have a few positives though. The Panasonic is nice and light, and the battery lasts forever between charges. You could easily go for several weeks without recharging this thing. The long hair trimmer is also the best I've ever used, better than the Norelco I owned previously, as well as better than both of the Remingtons I owned before that. But that's about all I can say that's good. Oh, it's nice looking too.
I was really hopeful with this product, especially because I've never had a bad Panasonic product. Until now. Panasonic, you've let me down.
Customer Review: Closer shave than a razor!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to say that I have been converted. For over 15 years now I lived with a razor. I have a pretty thick beard and it grows fast too. I am the kind of guy that gets a 5 o'clock shadow at noon. I have used every single type of razor out there from disposable to the battery operated vibrating type and from the one blade to the 5+1 blade. I have tried all the brands and ended up feeling the Gillette brand is the best type of razor, but now I find it's not the best shave. I used an electric shaver several years back, it was one of the top of the line Norelco with the incorporated gel. It gave me a pretty bad razor burn and did not get all the hairs; I ended up having to shave as normal. --TRUE STORY-- I am a Manager at my job and on my last annual review the only item I was marked bad was my personal appearance. Not that I dress bad or not wear deodorant, but that they felt I didn't shave often. (I shave at the very least every other day, usually every day). So I felt I had to so something about it. I researched electric shavers thinking I could get a quick shave during my lunch hour in my car or at least on my way to work so it would last longer. I found that Panasonic seems to be leading the pack and was moderately priced and had all the features the expensive models had. The instruction manual is explicit in saying it will take about 30 days to get used to any new shaving method and they assure you will love the Panasonic shaver once your facial hairs get used to the way it is cut. I have been using it for almost 30 days now, and I will not live without it. I have NEVER had this close of a shave before. I can actually go 2 days without getting a shadow. My fiancé has found a new love for touching my face, and I seem to be getting more kisses too! During the first 2 weeks I had to get a couple of the missed hairs with my old Gillette, but today officially I was able to through my Gillette away for good. (My boss has even asked what I am doing different and when I told him, he went out and bought one too, he also loves it now. My fiancé said she would leave me if I stopped using the Panasonic, it's a good thing Panasonic has been around for decades) So, I am raving about his product, but every good has its bad... what the bad? Well, it gets a couple of weeks to get used to the shave, but for the amount of time I am planning to use it and the money I am saving from buying razors every month, I can handle that. The cleaning system is very good, but it takes very long to clean (2-3 hrs) and it is noisy since the base turns the shaver on and off during the cleaning cycles. The cleaning cartage is said to last 3 months whether you use it once a day or one a week. I have not gotten to that point yet, but it is very very easy to clean in the shower with some body wash. I just end up using the base for the drying cycle, which is an option. The batter is very good. In the month I have used it, I have charged it twice but it really didn't need it as it said the charge was good. Overall... excellent product. Could there be a better shaver out there, maybe, will I ever know... at this time, I am not worried about it, I am very satisfied with this Panasonic, and don't think it can get any better. Ohh yea and as for which model to choose from, they are all good, the difference in price and model number is whether it comes with the cleaning base, which I do recommend, and how it displays the battery status. Splurge as little or as much as you want. The product's quality doesn't change. But look at it this way, if your going to keep it for a couple of years, why not get a nicer model now?Customer Review: good wet shaver, mediocre dry shaver
Summary: 3 Stars
I purchased the Panasonic ES8078S Vortex HydraClean Wet/Dry shaver to replace an old Norelco Spectra shaver rather than buy replacement shaving heads. Since my Norelco shaver was several years old, I figured a newer shaver might offer a better shave.
The Vortex HydraClean shaver is quite versatile. You can dry-shave with it or, for a closer, more comfortable shave, you can wet-shave with some shaving cream. The shaver is waterproof, so it can be used in the bath or shower. There is a switch that enables you to adjust the shaving head so it will either be rigid or move up and down as it is pressed against your face. I found this feature to be pretty useless. There are no adjustments for closeness of shave. Compared with my old Spectra, dry-shaving with the Panasonic Vortex was a big disappointment. The shave was mediocre at best, which I found most surprising after reading all of the glowing reviews about this shaver. My Spectra dry-shaves closer with dull blades. But the wet-shave with the Panasonic Vortex is as close as a razor. I honestly did not believe any shaver could shave as close as a razor, but this one can if you use shaving cream. Which begs the question: why would you want to use a shaver instead of a razor (which would be far less expensive and easier to clean and maintain) if you are going to use shaving cream?
The shaver can be charged with the AC adapter separately or you can place the shaver in an included holder that will clean, dry, and charge your shaver automatically. A single charge is estimated to last for 2 weeks of shaving, so travel is possible without taking the charger. The holder can be programmed to perform different automatic functions: charge only; dry only; clean & dry only; dry & charge only; and clean, dry, & charge. The full cycle of clean, dry, and charge takes about 3 hours to complete. It is also quite noisy -- you do not want to do this while someone is trying to sleep nearby. The cleaning system uses a special cleaning cartridge that must be purchased separately (the shaving system comes with one cartridge). Each cartridge will last about 30 days before it must be replaced. Oddly, the cleaning cartridge will not last any longer if you don't clean your shaver every day -- it will last only the same amount of time. So you may as well clean your shaver every day. You won't save any money by doing otherwise. Replacement cartridges sell in packs of three for around $12-15 (they are hard to find -- it seems they are perpetually out of stock at most online retailers, including Amazon). So it costs about $50/year to use this shaving system to its full potential. If you prefer not to spend your money on cleaning cartridges, you can clean the shaver with liquid hand soap and water. Obviously, this is not as handy as simply sticking the shaver in its holder for automatic cleaning. A replacement foil and blade set for the Panasonic Vortex shaver currently costs about $50.
If you like to shave in the shower or, for some inexplicable reason, want to use a shaver with shaving cream, you will likely be very happy with the Panasonic Vortex shaver. It will shave as close as a razor. If you are planning to shave dry, however, compared with other premium shavers like the Norelco Spectra you will likely be disappointed with the Panasonic Vortex shaver. It remains to be seen whether or not the Panasonic Vortex will be worth $100/year added cost in cleaning solution and new foil/blades. I suspect it will not.
Customer Review: Serious workhorse
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this in August, 2006 to shave my beard. I selected the Panasonic because I had used dry electric shavers before with no success, and from day one this puppy gave me a close shave with Gillette Edge. I sported a mustache and sideburns back then, and found that the trimmer wasn't ideal for the mustache but did fine with the sideburns.
I was nervous a year later when I got rid of the 'stache for the final time--worrying that the razor wouldn't do under the nose very well. I was wrong--it has no problems with the upper lip--even those pesky hairs that aren't sure whether they're nose hairs or mustache.
In 2009 I decided that I was not going to win the male-pattern-baldness battle and I shaved my head with a Mach 3. After a couple of weeks, I wondered whether the Panasonic could handle shaving my head. I have only used a blade one time since then--a disastrous endeavor that left the back of my scalp a bloody mess. The Panasonic needs several passes now to get everything smooth, but once it's done it is as smooth as the proverbial baby's backside.
In four+ years, I have replaced the blades/screen once (late 2008). The batteries still work for three or four days of face/head shaving, but I think they're starting to go. It's also taking more passes for a smooth shave. I'm writing the review now because I decided I would shop for a new shaver instead of replacing the consumables again, but I think I'm going to get the $35 kit one more time and see if it lasts the year.
The downsides--the cleaner/charger noise drives my wife nuts. I have to try to remember to start the cycle after she has finished in the bathroom or else the vibration resonates for the rest of the day. When I pointed out that $35 to refresh it is substantially less than $200+ for the Braun series 7 or the new LA93, I could see the gears whirring to justify the disparity.
Other downside: The contacts on this model are in little wells on the base of the unit--which sit straight up when in the charger. I had some trouble with the contacts after six months or so, but after cleaning the contacts I began drying them with the corner of a towel every day and I haven't had any more problems. I think the newer models have surface contacts so I doubt this is a problem.
About Me: I received radiation treatment in the '80s over some of my face, so I have both light and heavy beard along with both sensitive and normal skin. The only times I have felt irritation were after going for a week without shaving. I shave in the shower daily.