The heads and foils on electric shavers are delicate and need protection. Other extras: The often-overlooked carrying case is a big plus.We found more elaborate digital displays nice but not necessary. Display: We looked for models that offer, at a minimum, a lighted battery indicator.Ergonomics: A shaver should be comfortable to hold and should easily maneuver around the contours of your face.Although you can usually purchase a cleaning system separately, if you’d like this feature, buying a shaver that comes with one is almost always more economical. Note, though, that automatic cleaners are generally loud (some roar, others just whirr) and bulky, requiring counter space, which may be at a premium in a small bathroom or an apartment. It’s especially convenient to be able to shave and then just pop your razor into a docking station and have it charged and ready to go the next morning. Cleaning systems: Though you can clean almost any shaver manually, a cleaning and charging dock automates the process.A little warm water and a gentle brushing will clean your razor as well as a standard cleaning system. Rinsability: The ease of rinsing a shaver in the sink-especially when you’re traveling-is important.(In practice, we’ve found that shavers with higher pulse rates do tend to smooth the face a little more efficiently, and they reduce the amount of pressure needed to get a clean shave.) These are designed to get your whiskers standing a little straighter, for better contact with the shaver’s cutters. Both rotary and foil shaver manufacturers add pulses and vibrations to their higher-end models. Rotary shaver makers use beard lifters that are built into the dozens of tiny, spinning blades they’re generally scythe-like, so hairs are (in theory) scooped up and pulled taut from beneath the skin line, at which point they can be cleanly cut. In addition to including multiple heads, foil shaver makers add jagged guide blocks that are designed to capture longer, tougher hairs the variable patterns are intended to act as whisker-trapping labyrinths. One way shaver makers have tried to improve closeness, to compensate for the barrier layer between shaver and user, is by employing mechanisms that lift, cut, and guide facial hair into the cutter.

Philips norelco shaver