Best electric shavers for men 2023: From budget to top of the range | Evening Standard

lectric shavers have come a long way since Victor Kiam, President and CEO of Remington, liked the razor so much he bought the company.

These days they don’t just tackle facial hair. They can define and cut your beard and sideburns, trim nose hairs and eyebrows – and all of those reviewed below can be used in the shower. There’s a huge array of products out there but the right shaver can be a useful ally in your grooming armoury.

One of the first decisions is whether to go for a foil or rotary model. Foil shavers use moving blades under a perforated metal cover. Designed for shaving with a back-and-forth motion, they’re good for fine or lighter hair, are quick to clean and can produce a smoother shave, though the long flat head may be harder to manoeuvre around the lines of your chin.

Rotary models have a trio of circular heads and are used in a circular motion to move comfortably over contours. They’re a good choice if your hair is thick, coarse or long, tend to be quieter but most won’t shave quite as closely as a foil head.

Then there’s the question of to lather or not to lather – to opt for a dry or wet shave. Dry shaving is fast and good for quick touch-ups or for use on the go, while wet shaving is when you apply gel or foam and gives more protection for sensitive skin.

All these shavers can be used for both, so choosing the one that’s best for you might just be a matter of cost, personal choice or how much time you have on your hands.

Philips Shaver series 9000 Wet and Dry electric shaver

Philips

The Philips Shaver series 9000 is one of the most premium rotary shavers on the market and boasts a series of high tech features, including a light system that signals when you are pressing too hard or too softly to get the most effective shave. The metallic finish looks good and it required minimal time and effort to achieve a very close shave.

It can be used for both wet and dry shaves – personally I preferred the dry option – and comes with a cable free “Quick Clean Pod” which gets the gunk out of the blades without too much faff.

Very much the Man City of rotary shavers – top of the league but with a price tag to match.

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249.99

Boots

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Panasonic ES-LV9Q 5-Blade Wet and Dry electric shaver

Panasonic

Panasonic say they’ve developed this shaver “based on the art of Japanese Samurai sword-making tradition.” It boasts steel inner blades “nano-sharpened to just 30 degrees” with 70,000 cross-cutting actions per minute. It certainly looks the part and it has a multi-flex 16 direction head – which slides, twists and moves up, down and round to follow the contours of your face.

Plumbing it into the self-cleaning recharger took a bit of practice, but all in all this produced an impressive result with minimal skin irritation. If the Philips Series 9000 is the Man City of the rotary league, this is the Liverpool of the foil championship.

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197.90

Amazon

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Panasonic ES-LV97 5-Blade Wet and Dry electric shaver

Panasonic

Like the LV9Q, this has a distinctive five blade shaving head but is a little lighter on the wallet. The ES-LV97 boasts the same “beard sensor technology” – boosting power where beard growth is heavy and reducing in other areas to ensure an even shave and prevent skin irritation.

Despite the big shaving head, it’s not top-heavy at all. The shaver is well balanced and at just under 200 grams, it’s also pretty lightweight. Not quite as stylish as the more expensive model, but it’s still a good looking and effective piece of equipment.

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124.99

Amazon

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Philips Series 3000 Wet or Dry electric shaver

Philips

This comes in at a much more affordable price than the 9000 but has several of the same features as its more pricey stablemate. More Leicester City than Manchester City.

It has a pivot feature that follows the curves of the face and I found it gave a decent shave without causing too much irritation. It’s lightweight and has a good run time – and again can be used for wet and dry shaves. A very practical model, it now has a trimmer which was absent on older models. Quite stylish in an old school sort of way. For the price it’s hard to argue.

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44.99

Boots

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Braun Series 5 Electric Shaver

Braun

This German-made model looks pretty cool and has three flexible blades that adapt to facial contours for a close shave. I found it a bit noisier than some shavers but it was pretty decent and you’re able to clean it without removing the shaver head.

It doesn’t have a built-in trimmer but the “Easyclick” system means you can quickly swap the head for a precision trimmer attachment (which is included) with minimal fuss. Possibly not the Bayern Munich of the shaver world but certainly a Borussia Dortmund.

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64.98

Boots

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Braun Series 3 ProSkin

Braun

A fairly no frills shaver, the Series 3 from Braun can be found at a decent price with a bit of shopping around and offers similar qualities to many more expensive models.

It’s comfortable to use and quick to charge (it has a five minute quick charge that gives enough juice for a single shave too). The shaver can be used in the shower and on dry land. True, it doesn’t have the pivoting head of pricier shavers but I found I could get a decent shave with a bit of wrist movement and doing a few passes. There’s no fancy extras and it’s a bit shrill noise-wise, but gets the job done.

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54.99

Boots

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Remington F6 Style Series Aqua

Remington

Coming in at around £50, the Remington F6 has two independent flexing foils and an intercept trimmer to give you a close shave at a comfortable price. Its head pivots to follow the contours of your face and tackle difficult areas around the chin.

Quick-charging and with a non-slip grip, it has the feel of some more pricey shavers – and it wins bonus points because you don’t need a dedicated charger or shaver adaptor to power it up. Instead it uses a USB cable which means the shaver can be used with any charger, power bank or laptop when you’re on the go.

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39.99

Amazon

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Remington R6 Style Series Aqua

Remington

This is pretty much the rotary version of the Remington F6. It has similar styling and features – so can be used wet and dry and charged via the USB connector, and comes in at a similar price if you shop around.

It sits comfortably in the hand, is 100 per cent waterproof and has a charge that lasts 60 minutes. I went a bit Harvey Two-Face and tried shaving half my face with the R6 and half with the F6. Results-wise I couldn’t really detect much difference – so it might come down to whether you prefer a rotary or a foil. Either way, a convenient well-priced shaver.

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Argos

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Gillette Labs Heated Razor

Gillette

This isn’t a shaver in the traditional sense, but since it needs charging up before it works it’s made the cut (sorry!). Billed as the “world’s first heated razor,” it’s designed to give the feeling of a hotel towel shave in a barbers thanks to its warming strip – the temperature of which can be controlled at the push of a button. I tended to keep it on the higher setting as it felt nicer on the skin.

The LED display and the way the razor docks magnetically on the charging dock is also a nice touch. It’s got what Gillette calls its most advanced, thinnest and finest blades – and it did deliver a remarkably close shave. However, the cost of the replacement blades (£45 for eight) need factoring in.

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74.99

Gillette

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King C Gillette Style Master

Gillette

Again not a traditional shaver as such, but this cordless trimmer is another weapon in the grooming armoury worth considering for those wanting to trim and edge their facial hair and maintain their stubble.

It’s got three attachments – a short beard comb, long beard comb and stubble comb – and it’s fully waterproof with a 45 minute battery life for in-shower use.

I tackled my eyebrows with it which were beginning to get a bit Bernard Ingham. Despite my fears of an accidental shave off it coped well and was easy to use. Probably not one to opt for if you’ve got a longer beard but very useful for those wanting a quick touch up and trim.

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Gillette

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Verdict

It may be the priciest model on our list but the Philips Shaver series 9000 Wet and Dry electric shaver offers a seriously impressive shave. It’s worth the big bucks.