Philips Norelco 9190XL SmartTouchXL Shaver
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Philips Norelco 9190XL SmartTouchXL Shaver Details
Manufacturer: Philips NorelcoBrand: Philips
Release Date: 2006-06-16
Model: 9190 XL
Color: Black
Product features:
- Razor head pivots and flexes to ensure constant contact with your skin
- Speed-XL heads provide 50-percent more shaving surface
- Three comfort settings adjust to your skin type
- Ultra-thin heads have slots to shave long hairs, and holes to shave the shortest stubble
- Patented reflex action system and "lift-and-cut" technology deliver the smoothes, closest, most comfortable shave
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Customer Reviews of Philips Norelco 9190XL SmartTouchXL Shaver
Customer Review: Overall very good, expensive...
Summary: 4 Stars
I picked up the 9190xl a little over a month ago, so I feel I can make a reasonable review of it now.
I bought the razor after running out of Mach 3 razor heads - I couldn't bring myself to spend $3 on a stupid piece of plastic/metal that I would throw away every week. That said, I did get a very good shave with the Mach 3, so I was looking for something similar in an electric razor. I had an old Norelco rotary razor quite awhile ago, however I had only spent maybe $60 on the thing and it never worked well. I hated it and eventually got rid of it.
The 9190xl is substantially better, needless to say. In comparison to a Mach 3, which I would shave with and against the grain with, the 9190xl is very close, but not quite there in terms of closeness. That's not to say it's bad in any way - in fact, along my chin, it is actually better. So, although it may not be quite as close, you would really have to rub your face all day long to notice a difference, and even then it is hardly anything. If you're not satisfied with this shave, coming from a blade, you may have more pressing issues to address.
Besides giving an excellent shave, there are other major advantages. True to their word, each shave takes approximately 3 minutes once you get used to it. The shaver has a nice, substantial feel to it - very solid. The means of cleaning it - running it through water - is ingenious, if not exceedingly simple. Why you would want to deal with a bulky stand and cleaning solution, when you could run it through water (nearly free!!) for 20 seconds is beyond me. The travel case that it comes with - reasonably nice nylon that is stiffened on one side, works well; fit is very tight and it seems to offer ample protection to the head of the razor (coupled with the not-really-all-that-bad plastic cover). The LCD screen is easy (for me) to read, and a very nice feature.
Now on to the things I would say are not 100%...
Shave time is not really 90 minutes. Mine charges to 85 minutes, but the last time I ran it down, it went from 11 minutes to...0 minutes. It didn't die, but I thought that was odd (and I recharged it anyway). Because I did recharge it after that day's use, I'm not sure if this issue was with the capacity of the battery, or the calibration of the meter. The charging stand is so-so: it works well enough, but it's clear that it is nothing more than cheap injection molded plastic, with a cheap quartz clock to match. Not that I really expected anything more, but I don't think it's deserving of any praise that Norelco gives it. The SmartTouch pivoting system has a gauge on the LCD screen to indicate the relative stiffness of the head. This gauge is not very useful. Often it will be overly sensitive, and a small bump will move it from one extreme to the other, despite that the dial itself may be on the entirely other extreme, i.e. the LCD gauge might indicate as far on the "N" side as possible, when in fact the dial is about as far to the "S" side as can be. Not a debilitating issue, I notice it every once in awhile and it's easy to play around with it for a second until it rights itself.
On the SmartTouchXL system as a whole: I suspect it's a bit of a gimmick. The head does indeed pivot, but not to a great extent and not without undue pressure. The amount of give in the individual rotary heads themselves would seem to supercede anything offered through the pivoting head. I have mine on the medium level, I cannot really tell a difference between this and sensitive, and I have yet to notice the head really moving much when shaving. If your trying to grind your face off with the 9190xl, and applying an accordingly high degree of pressure, then maybe the SmartTouchXL will make it slightly more comfortable. But if your pushing a regular amount while shaving, I don't think it will make much of a difference.
The biggest improvement I can see is in the head design - the SpeedXL heads are very good at what they do. My understanding is that the small holes shave stubble better than do the slots; with the SpeedXL heads, the outer ring is primarily slots with three small patches of holes each, the middle ring has a higher percentage of holes, and the inner ring is all holes. This seems to be a very good design and probably contributes most to the quality of shave offered by the 9190xl.
All of this considered, I am very pleased with the 9190xl. It was expensive, but I feel no regret buying it. It's not perfect, but I do think it's the best on the market right now (my opinion there, of course, is pretty much completely unfounded but...oh well). I do think you could receive as good of a shave without the pivoting SmartTouchXL head setup, and I would not worry about buying a cheaper Norelco with just the SpeedXL shaver heads. But I'm not particularly inclined to do so, and I'm satisfied as it is and would have no qualms buying another Norelco down the road (assuming it's not for another 5 years).
Description of Philips Norelco 9190XL SmartTouchXL Shaver
Philips Norelco SmartTouchXL combines two revolutionary technologies to shave more with each pass. SmartTouch Contour Following System pivots and flexes to ensure constant skin contact. Speed XL Shaving Heads provide 50% more shaving surface for a faster, smoother and closer shave. Features include automatic charging stand with clock, Personal Comfort Control settings, precision cutting system ultra thin heads with slots to shave long hairs and holes to shave the shortest stubble, Patented Reflex Action System that automatically adjusts to every curve, Superior Lift and Cut Technology, and individually floating heads. Shaver simply rinses clean.The Norelco 9190XL SmartTouch Dry Razor Shaving System is loaded with all the best features Norelco has to offer -- the SmartTouch contour following system, speed-XL shaving heads, an automatic charging stand with clock, and more.
 Get a closer shave with the Norelco 9190XL. View larger. |
The 9190XL enables you to personalize your shave with three comfort settings that adjust to your skin type for maximum comfort in sensitive areas. The centerpiece of Norelco's precision cutting system are the ultra-thin heads with slots to shave long hairs, and holes to shave the shortest stubble. In addition, each head "floats" to align the razor sharp blades and bring them closer to your skin for the smoothest shave imaginable. Of course, no Norelco would be complete without the patented reflex action system that automatically adjusts to every curve on your face, and the superior "lift-and-cut" technology that uses a dual stainless steel blade system to lift hair, and cut it comfortably below the skin level. And once your skin is baby-smooth, simply rinse the razor clean, clip on the included protective razor head cap, and store your 9190XL in the automatic charging stand.
This razor also comes fully equipped with an LCD display with multi-function indicators. So you know that you're razor is tuned just for your face, the display shows your personal comfort setting. The display also features an audible buzzer alarm and travel lock, battery capacity indicators, and a shaving head replacement/cleaning indicator. Plus, the razor comes with a sleek, stylish stainless steel storage pouch and the automatic charging stand features a handy, built-in clock.
 | SmartTouch Contour Following System - Revolutionary contour following system with suspension pivots and flexes to optimally adjust the shaver to your face. Speed XL Shaving Heads - Up to 50% more shaving surface with the three shaving rings for precision cutting and a shaving head protector cap to protect the heads. |
 | Personal Comfort Control® System - Personalize your shave with 3 comfort settings that adjust to your skin type for maximum comfort in sensitive areas. |
 | Precision Cutting System - Ultra thin heads with slots to shave long hairs and holes to shave the shortest stubble. |
 | Patented Reflex Action® System - Automatically adjusts to every curve on your face for flexible, smoother shaving. |
 | Superior Lift & Cut® Technology - Dual blade system lifts hair to cut comfortably below skin level. Stainless steel blades for comfortably close shaves. |
 | Individually Floating Heads - Align the razor-sharp blades closer to your skin for exceptional closeness. |
 | Simply Rinses Clean - Quick and Easy! |
Warranty
Full two-year warranty
What's in the Box
Norelco 9190XL SmartTouch dry razor shaving system, automatic charging stand with clock, protective razor head cap, power cord, cleaning brush, and pouch.
| Compare Norelco Shavers | |||||||||||
 7110X |  7140XL |  7240XL |  7180XL |  8140XL |  8160XLCC |  9160XL |  9170XLCC |  9190XL | |||
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| Replacement Heads | HQ8 | HQ8 | HQ8 | HQ8 | HQ9 | HQ9 | HQ9 | HQ9 | HQ9 | ||
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