Philips Norelco HQ9 SpeedXL Replacement Heads
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Customer Reviews of Philips Norelco HQ9 SpeedXL Replacement Heads
Customer Review: A good shave regained...however, one concern
Summary: 5 Stars
This product contains three replacement heads for the Norelco 9160XL electric razor. After 1 1/2 years of continuous daily usage the original cutting heads were no longer giving a good shave. I decided to replace the original blades with this set.
The good:
1.)Easy to following instruction for replacement on the package, and the actual replacement process was incredibly simple and easy to do.
2.)The new blades functioned perfectly; because the decline in performance of the original blades was so gradual, it was difficult to believe how much of an improvement these replacement blades provided.
The not so good:
Only one complaint; the packaging. The replacement blade were embodied in a package that made it extremely difficult to actually get at the blades. There were a series of 6 grommet eyelets surrounding the entire package making it very secure. I literally had to force scissors between the layers of cardboard to get around the grommets to eventually get to the blades inside. In a word...frustrating. Plus, a slight slip and a bad cut may have occurred (I think everyone has experienced trying to open one of these newer hard-plastic wrapped items and knows just how difficult it can really be to get at the product inside).
Conclusion:
An excellent set of replacement blades. (I just hope they'll last longer than the 3 months it took for the original blades to start to lose their sharpness). Time will tell; but up to now, so far so good.
However, getting the blades out of this package could be considered a potential hazard.
5 Stars for the product itself, with 1 or 2 Stars off for the needless obstructive packaging.
Addendum Feb 24/08:
Interesting to note that they've changed the packaging on this product (since my original review) making it appear that it's less hazardous to access. However, as I haven't purchase this specific product package, I can't comment on the ease of access (or safety) of the new packaging.
R.Nicholson
Customer Review: Are your current cutter heads clean?
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased the HQ9 heads from Amazon. Easy to find and order, package arrived in a week on the free shipping deal. Outstanding! Popped them into my shaver and was instantly rewarded with a close, comfortable shave.
But it turns out I didn't need new cutter heads after all. I had been neglecting to properly clean my 14 month old Speed-XL shaver. What I thought was dulling cutters was actually a tremendous build-up of GUNK inside the cutter heads. I wish I could show you the pile of gunk I just cleaned-out! The triple track cutters have more sharp edges and corners in them that the earlier single track models (I've been a Norelco man for some 30 years now), and they trap and hold more gunk than ever before. They need to be cleaned-out more often. Once properly cleaned, my old cutter heads delivered a shave at like-new closeness and comfort.
So guys, RTFM and follow the directions! Do a quick cleaning (hot tap water if you have a water cleanable model) about once a week. Once a month, sit down and remove the cutters and clean them thoroughly with the small brush they gave you. Be careful to not mix-up the combs and cutters! You can most likely save yourself the thirty bucks on new heads for another year or so, and keep getting that satisfying Norelco shave :)
Customer Review: HQ9 Replacement Heads for Electric Shavers
Summary: 4 Stars
I have had a Norelco 8171XL electric shaver for almost 5 years and love it. I decided to replace the 3 shaver cutting "heads" as I haven't done that since I bought the shaver almost 5 years ago. So I did replace the heads and didn't really notice a difference in the "old" heads verses the new heads. The instruction manual says to replace the heads every year. In my opinion, that is not needed. In fact, the old heads seemed to be holding their cutting edge just fine and seemed just as sharp as the new heads and just slightly worn down but still had plenty of cutting edge left. So save yourself the money on getting new heads every year. I think its just a ploy to get more money from us. I plan on using these new heads for as long as the shaver will last. Oh, by the way, I decided to clean the "head holder" really good during this switch and my "head holder" got loose and wobbly so that it wasn't staying in place like it used to (the 3 plastic holders were getting out of place rather easily). So I replaced them with a new "head holder" and my shaver looks and feels like brand new no thanks to the new cutting heads.Customer Review: Replace every 2 years.
Summary: 4 Stars
My Norelco shaver was taking noticeably longer and far more passovers to complete my shave.
I knew that it had been 2 years since I switched blades and it was a time for a new one.
When I switched my blades to this replacement head, my shave was noticeably faster and took far fewer passovers.
In my opinion, Norelco makes the best shavers in the market right now. Although their blades do an adequate job, their shavers are not quite as clean as the Gillette or Schick blades. Nevertheless, one cannot beat convenience of electric shavers and the quality of the Norelco shave is very close to the blade shave.
Norelco recommends the users to replace the head once every year. That would be true if you have a lot of beard. If you are a moderate beard grower, then replacing it every 1.5 to 2 years should suffice. Either way, you will see a significant improvement in your shave after replacing your Norelco shaving head.
Customer Review: Great replacements, but an annual change may not be unecessary.
Summary: 5 Stars
Norelco says to replace heads once a year. After owning several Norelco razors, including this one, my experience has shown that they are really good for about 2 years before you'll note a degradation in the quality of the shave.
The instructions they provide consist of a couple of pictures on the package. However, these are very easy to replace. Just remember to orient the blade correctly when you drop them in. There are two little tabs on each blade that have to be oriented right. If the blade doesn't seem to sit correctly, turn them until they drop down.
When you get a new Norelco razor or replace the blades on your current one you may not get the best shave for a week or two. It takes a while for the blades to "break-in. " As such, don't be disappointed if the first few shave with new blades do not seem as close and smooth as you expected. Give them a couple of weeks, they will improve.