Philips Norelco 7865XL Quadra Action Rechargeable Cord/Cordless Shaving System
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Customer Reviews of Philips Norelco 7865XL Quadra Action Rechargeable Cord/Cordless Shaving System
Customer Review: Best electric I've had
Summary: 4 Stars
This Norelco (actually made by Philips) one was bought to replace an older shaver (I've used Norelco, Philips and Panasonics over the years.) This one is more efficient (faster, better shave) than my older one, and an amazingly amount quieter. What do you know- this time, "new and improved" really is accurate! What I like: the shaver fits the hand well, the pivoting blade heads fit the face and as a result shave quite well. The battery strength indicator, consisting of bright LEDs showing the percentage of charge remaining in 20% increments, is very useful, and the flip-up hinged shaver head section is easy to clean with warm water (I still have to consciously force myself to do this!) They have also "shrunk" the half-egg shaped power transformer, and you can use 100 - 220 volts to plug / charge, a good thing for someone who travels globally as I do.
What I don't like: the pop-up trimmer is only fair - it works, but it's actually not as effective as the one on my old shaver! The deep well holding the head rotors shafts is not so easy to clean with a brush, particularly with the hinged head; they are still using a non-user replaceable NiCd battery; the gimmicky cutter head plate section with holes seems merely that - gimmicky, not useful for any real shaving.
Tips: After cleaning the head / blade assemblies, allow them to dry fully and spray-lubricate with something like "Shaver Saver." When power seems low, turn the shaver on and allow to discharge fully before reccharging - these are, after all, still NiCd batteries with the "memory" effect. These tips have allowed my previous electrics' battery - and cutter head assemblies - to last a long time (I have a heavy beard - even with a blade shaver, I have to shave again in the afternoon if I have a dinner appointment.)
Recommendation: This is a very good, easy to use, quick and quiet electric shaver - the best I have ever used. It packs easily for travel, and though it is a bit finnicky to clean, I like it because it does the job I need it to do. Given the several deficits, I'd never give it four stars if not for how it handles its ultimate function - shaving my beard.
Customer Review: good shave; don't like the power switch
Summary: 4 Stars
The 7825XL, 7845XL, 7865XL and 7885XL models are all basically the same razor, differing only in the way they display battery/charging status (anywhere from 1 LED to a complete tiny LCD display). The shaving peformance is fine for me -- not as close as a wet shave but that's a good thing for me personally because the closeness of wet shaves makes my face break out. Every 3-7 years I buy a new Norelco and they get incrementally better each time.
I'm writing to warn about one feature. Every shaver I'd had up to this one had a physical slider switch to turn it on and off. This models has a push button. This means you can't tell BY TOUCH whether it's on or off. This is critical for me because I usually shave in the car (sitting in traffic) with the stereo blaring and I can't hear the shaver (especially since the newer models are pretty quiet). I turn it on and off a lot as traffic conditions change.
Further, when the battery is low, my previous shavers would just run slower and slower until they came to a gradual stop. This one slows slightly (imperceptably to me, really) and then just "falls off the cliff" and stops cold. So you don't get any warning really that it's about to run out -- if I knew it was running down, then I'd shave a lot faster!
And this is where the tactile power switch feedback is important: if the battery's totally drained, but I'm not done yet, I'll leave it off for a minute and then turn it on for 5-10 seconds of shaving before it dies again. With the push-button power control this is really confusing because you're never really sure what's on and off. It turns out the the power button is like a pulse that gets sent to an internal microcontroller (I'm guessing), so after it's been off for a while the power "position" doesn't matter, it's really off. You just push to reboot the thing.
So, my 7825XL was robbed out of my car last night and I'm buying another one of these, so I guess that's an endorsement. But I'm bumping up to the next higher model with better battery status indication ...
Customer Review: Innovations not worth the price
Summary: 3 Stars
Just brought the 7865 XL Quadra Action shaver to replace my 20 year old Norelco Rotatract HP1318 that died. I was going to replace the batteries again (I replaced them once before about 10 years ago) but the price for doing that has gone up to [$$]. My wife convinced me to shell but the extra for a new one - better technology, new blades, etc. After some research, I decided to go for the 7865 XL because of the new "Quadra Action" blades that are suppose to give one a closer shave. Well, after a few days, the fancy new 7865 is no better than my old Rotatract in closeness. In fact, the sideburn trimmer on the old Rotatract did a better job because of that shaver's better shape. The 7865 XL's sideburn trimmer sticks out about twice as far so it is harder to cut a straight trim. It sticks out so far that the shaver doesn't touch your face so you can't use your face for a pivot point - to steady the trimmer (kind of like trying to write with your hand in the air). I hope it gets easier as I get use to the shaver. Mechanically, both trimmers look similar.
The "Quadra Action" shaving head is no better than the old Rotatract heads. The new "holes" for "short hair" do nothing. Unfortunately, because they cover almost 1/2 of each circular blade, it takes longer to get the (shaving) job done. The "Reflex Action" feature also does nothing extra.
If I had the opportunity to test the shaver before buying, I would have just purchased the bottom of the line Norelco 4601X at half the price or less. The 4601X appears to have the same basic features as my old Rotatract.
I'm not knocking Norelcos, just their fancy, high end units. I've used Remingtons and other non-three circulating blade shavers and they just don't compare to the Norelco system for closeness. The Norelco reliability is unbeatable as well - 20 years of service is just amazing! I give my old Rotatract 5 stars for reliability and performance. The new 7865 XL is almost as good (and hopefully as reliable). I just hate paying extra for all the useless new features.
Customer Review: Definite upgrade from old Norelco
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this razor for my husband for his birthday. He had a Norelco 4845 (I think) for the last 5 years so I know that the products were long lasting. I was looking to buy new blades but they were hard to find so I figured I'd just buy a new razor. Reasons I went with this one--quick charge time (only an hour), the super quick charge in a hurry (enough to jump into a shower while charging, and then quick shave), the charge % indicator, and able to wash the heads under water. All of these were an upgrade from my husband's old razor. In the last 4 months, he has only needed to charge it twice (and he shaves about twice a day, before work and if we go out in the evening--he grows his hair fast, so please don't think it is because the razor isn't doing it's job...he's just like that). He can rinse the heads under water, eliminating the hair around the trashcan when he misses. The charge % indicator and the quick charge is great so he doesn't waken up in the morning and realize he can't shave because it isn't charged. I also think the razor is cutting the hair better (and I know a wife can tell) than his old one.
Reasons for not getting a higher up model--Well, the price was one issue. I spent around $99 at Target for this model. The next highest in the series has an LCD charge % indicator, and I didn't feel it was necessary (and just one more electronic component to deal with). The 8 series looked cool, but comparing the one that was the same price, this one had more features. And it looked like the only difference with the heads was that the spacer for short and longer hairs were alternating rather than two separate areas. I really didn't see the advantage to spending more money for that. So I chose this one.
Customer Review: 0 dollars spent since 1st facial hair growth
Summary: 5 Stars
My mom gave me this as a gift from about 10 years ago. It's an amazing device. I originally complained to my mom when I started growing facial hair and before I could start buying disposable razors - she gave me this. Thanks mom - I've never had to spend a dime for facial shaving products.
PROs
- good battery life
- durable, I've dropped it a few times and actually broke the swivel notch for the trimmer but used crazy glue to repair it - I dropped it again so the notch is loose but seems to be swiveling open/close fine
- make and finish is amazing, no signs of wear and tear, the plastic or material used is perfect for hair or water
- it's easy to clean even when hair gets inside the cracks, just need to tap it a few times and it comes out - unless you want to open the device with some torx screw driver
- easy to take apart for extensive cleaning
- you can take it for travelling easily
- you can shave while it's charging
CONs
- even after over 10 years, nothing comes to mind
So impressed with this brand that I'm looking into their new 3d models. I would recommend this shaver even now competing with the newer models. I think I'm going to rebuild mine and keep it as a back up. It's still available in certain sites even in 2011.