Best Electric Shavers 2023: top razors for a close and comfortable shave – Which?

We put 12 electric shavers – ranging in price from £20 to more than £300 – to the test, so we can tell you which electric shavers will leave you rubbing your chin and cheeks in amazement. 

Foil and rotary shavers from Braun, Remington, Philips, Panasonic and more were tested by a diverse panel of volunteers with varying hair types and stubble lengths. We recorded how well each electric shaver removed stubble after both one and three days, and also rated manoeuvrability, skin irritation, noise, ease of cleaning and durability.

And a shaver that leaves you smooth needn’t break the bank; we’ve found a fantastic Great Value option that’s often on sale for less than £50.

The best electric shavers from our tests

Only logged-in Which? members can view the electric shaver test results below. 

Join Which? to get instant access to our test results and Best Buy recommendations below.

Electric shaver

Cheapest price

One-day stubble close shave

Three-day stubble close shave

Type

Accessories

Where to buy

Excellent

Excellent

Excellent

Good

Excellent

Good

Good

Good

Excellent

Good

Good

Good

Excellent

Good

Date tested: August 2022, Pricing and availability last checked: 31 August 2022

The electric shavers we tested

All the electric shavers we tested are listed in alphabetical order below. 

Only logged-in Which? members can view the best electric shavers from our tests. 

Join Which? to get instant access to our results and Best Buy recommendations below. 

Barbarossa Brothers Titanium Electric Foil

Only available at Barbarossa Brothers: £79.99.

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Type: Foil

Accessories: Pop-up trimmer, charging cable, cleaning brush

Cheapest cost to replace shaver head: £15 at Barbarossa Brothers.

Braun Series 3

Cheapest price: £52 at Braun Shop UK. Also available at Boots, Amazon, and Superdrug.

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Type: Foil

Accessories: Charging cable

Cheapest cost to replace shaver head: £17.80 at Amazon.

Braun Series 5

Cheapest price: £79.99 at Boots. Also available at Amazon, Braun Shop UK and The Range

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Type: Foil

Accessories: Charging cable, charging stand, cleaning brush, micro comb, body groomer, beard trimmer attachments size 2-7

Cheapest cost to replace shaver head: £32 at Braun Shop UK

Braun Series 9 Pro

Cheapest price: £249.99 at Boots, Braun Shop UK and Amazon. Also available at Argos

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Type: Foil

Accessories: Charging cable, charging stand, cleaning brush, travel case, pop-up trimmer

Cheapest cost to replace shaver head: £45 at Argos.

Carmen Cordless Titanium

Only available at Amazon: £23.99

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Type: Rotary

Accessories: Charging cable, charging stand, precision trimmer, nasal trimmer

Cheapest cost to replace shaver head: N/A

Panasonic 5 Blade ES-LV97

Cheapest price: £124.99 at Amazon. Also available at Panasonic UK

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Type: Foil

Accessories: Charging cable, charging station, pop-up trimmer, carry case, cleaning brush

Cheapest cost to replace shaver head: £50 at Amazon

Panasonic 4 Blade ES-RF31

Cheapest price: £44.80 at Amazon. Also available at Panasonic UK

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Type: Foil

Accessories: Pop-up trimmer, cleaning brush, charging cable

Cheapest cost to replace shaver head: £29.95 at Amazon

Philips Series 3000

Cheapest price: £54 at John Lewis. Also available at Boots, Argos, Tesco and Amazon Panasonic UK

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Type: Rotary

Accessories: Pop-up trimmer, charging cable, carry bag

Cheapest cost to replace shaver head: £20 at Boots

Philips Series 5000

Cheapest price: £54 at John Lewis. Also available at Boots, Argos, Tesco and Amazon

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Type: Rotary

Accessories: Pop-up trimmer, charging cable, carry bag

Cheapest cost to replace shaver head: £20 at Boots

Philips Series 9000

Cheapest price: £330 at Boots and Philips, John Lewis and Amazon

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Type: Rotary

Accessories: Precision trimmer, charging cable, wireless charging base, soft brush

Cheapest cost to replace shaver head: £54 at Amazon

Remington F3 Style Series

Cheapest price: £21.90 at Amazon. Also available at Boots, Currys and Argos

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Type: Foil

Accessories: Precision trimmer, charging cable, wireless charging base, soft brush

Cheapest cost to replace shaver head: £14.32 at Amazon

Remington F9 Ultimate Series

Only available at Amazon: £93.35

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Type: Foil

Accessories: Precision trimmer, charging cable, wireless charging base, soft brush

Cheapest cost to replace shaver head: £23.20 at Amazon. 

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How we tested electric shavers

To test electric shavers we recruited a panel of 20 volunteers from a mix of ethnic backgrounds with different hair types, so that each shaver was tested on a variety of different hair types. We bought every product we tested. 

Most of the panel tested three or four shavers each and, so that we could get a true and fair comparison of all 12 shavers, three members of the panel spent six weeks comparatively testing them at home.

All three panelists who spent weeks with all 12 shavers agreed on the three shavers we’ve named Best Buys.

Close shave

Each shaver’s ability to deliver a super-smooth close shave was rated on one day of stubble and three days of stubble.

Best Buy shavers will leave you smooth all over. In contrast, the worst shavers will leave you with scratchy patches on your face for the rest of the day.

Manoeuvrability

Particular attention was paid to how well each shaver performed close to sideburns, on the top lip, and around and underneath the chin. 

There’s a real difference between how accurately and closely the Best Buy shavers can shave in these areas, compared with the worst.

Skin irritation

After each shave, each volunteer tester was examined for skin irritation to see if some shavers are more likely to cause inflammation or ingrowing hairs.

Noise

Some shavers make a low powerful buzz, others an irritating whine that will wake the house. We assessed each shaver for how loud and irritating a noise it makes.

Ease of cleaning

After use, we painstakingly cleaned each shaver and rated it for how easy it was to clean. 

Durability

Each shaver was dropped five times from head height to see how robust it was.

Ease of use

With a Cambridge Simulation glove, which allows the wearer to empathise with those who have hand mobility issues, such as arthritis, we assessed each shaver for how easy it was to use. 

All of our Best Buy shavers are easy to use, even if you have limited hand movement. But the worst shavers we tested are really tricky to get to grips with and control if you have a condition such as arthritis.

Foil vs Rotary shavers

The biggest question you’ll face when buying a new electric shaver, is whether to opt for a foil or rotary model. 

Foil shavers

• Foil shavers have straight heads that use blades beneath a fine perforated foil to cut hair. 
• Based on our testing, if you are the type of person who shaves every day, or every 1-3 days (76% of people, according to a survey of Which? members conducted in May 2022), you’re likely to get on better with a foil shaver, rather than a rotary. 
• Our test results reveal that, in general, foil shavers will give shorter stubble a closer shave, and more quickly. 
• They’re also easier to use to get accurate results around the chin, lips and sideburns.

Rotary shavers

• Rotary shavers usually have three circular heads that rotate to lift and then cut stubble captured by the outer, stationary guard.
• Our testing revealed that most people prefer foil to rotary shavers. But a minority do still prefer a rotary shaver. 
• According to our testing, those who leave their stubble to grow for a week or more (22% according to our survey), are more likely to prefer a rotary shaver. 
• This is because rotary shavers are marginally better at capturing longer hairs than foil shavers.

How to buy the best value electric shaver

It pays to shop around. All of our Best Buys are nearly always available on a good deal somewhere. In each shaver review, above, we highlight the cheapest place to buy each shaver the last time we checked.

In some cases you can save well over a hundred pounds by buying the shaver from the cheapest retailer. 

If you’re looking for a good deal, beware of being influenced by extra features and attachments, such as self-cleaning charging bases, travel cases and even wireless charging bases. 

These can make comparing different prices difficult, and they often add hundreds of pounds to the overall cost of the shaver. 

Our testers weren’t that impressed with many of these types of extras, as they take up quite a lot of space in the bathroom and weren’t considered to enhance the experience of owning the shaver very much. 

How to clean

The vast majority of electric shavers are really easy to clean. 

You can do this by running the shaver head under the tap and removing the foil protection to expose the blades, which can then be cleaned with the small brush provided. 

Some expensive shavers come with their own cleaning stations. But the majority of our panel found that these were a bit excessive, considering that cleaning a shaver is very easy in the first place. 

You can save quite a lot of money, if you wish to, by opting for a shaver package that doesn’t have additional extras such as a self-cleaning station. 

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How often do you need to replace shaver heads?

Most manufacturers recommend that you change the shaving head every 18 months.

Remember to consider the cost of the replacements when you’re buying your electric shaver. In each of our reviews we’ve linked to the cheapest places you can buy replacement heads.

Save money by sharpening your rotary shaver head

One benefit of a rotary shaver over foil models is that it’s possible to sharpen the blades yourself, if you own a whetstone. 

If your rotary shaver allows it, you can remove the three circular blades from the shaving head, swirl each blade face down and with light pressure on a whetstone for five seconds each, to make your rotary shaver almost as good as new. 

We’ve tried this out with an old rotary shaver, and it works a treat.