Panasonic 5-Blade Wet/Dry

Highly Recommended – Great shaver The high speed motor and HUGE shaving area give a very fast shave (often less than 2 minutes). The shave is also incredibly close and the best bit - it shaves around those tricky corner areas that my Braun could never touch (no longer have to use a blade shaver to remove the hairs left behind). While the head of the shaver is huge the handle fits perfectly in your hand making it very comfortable to use

Cleaning the shaver is straight forward by removing the foils and rinsing under running water (I dry shave but the shaver can also be used for wet shaving)

The RRP of the shaver is expensive but now that it has been around for almost a year the price has dropped. While it is still costs more than simple shavers the results justify the price Speed and Closeness of the shave

Great product – I have been using a rotary Philips shaver for the last 15 years and was very happy with it. But reading recent reviews about Philips shavers I was a bit hesitant to get another one. I took the plunge with the Panasonic ES-LV67-K841 and the results have been really good. Its quite fast. Does not irritate the skin. Nearly as close as a razor blade shave. Its pretty loud though compared to my previous rotary one but I'm happy overall. Show reply

The best electric shaver there is! – I was a Braun man from 1984 to 2021. I was increasingly dissatisfied especially the latest models, which I tended to use for 3-5 years before changing. Then I jumped the ship and bought Panasonic ES-LV97 (no cleaning station), made in Japan. I have now been using it for about four years. Below are my observations and experiences: A lot, less… Read more ·  2

noise than Braun (my wife always used to comment on the noise every time I used Braun).

It takes a little bit getting used to, to avoid skin burns (if you press a little harder than you need to, you will get skin burns indeed).

The shave is the closest you will ever get in an electric shaver, often closer than the blade.

It is very well balanced and sits in the hand very nicely as opposed to Braun, which always tended to gradually slide the wrong way in the hand and after a while had annoyingly sticky rubbery grips collecting dirt.

The head mobility is one of the best features in terms of range and directions.

The battery lasts me 6-7 shaves. I have a fair bit of face real estate to cover.

Easy to clean without the station. They have a great cleaning brush included, I just squeeze a couple of drops of foamy hand sanitizer you get from supermarket for $3 (it has both, soap and sanitizer), take the brush to it and Bob's your uncle. Then you put a few drops of oil on the foil and you're set for another stubble offensive.

Replacing shaving unit (both foil and blades), takes ~$100 every 18-24 months, which I can live with, but that gives you, essentially, a new shaver.

Overall, Panasonic ES-LV97 is a great product at a reasonable price for the quality.

Great shaver !! My go to everyday – I was sold years ago on the electric shavers with the 3 rotary cutters, but when I went to buy new blades for it I couldn't really justify the cost of the replacement blades and decided to put my hard earned towards a new one, After hours of research I decided to buy a blade type of shaver, I had never really liked them, but thought I'd take the… Read more

chance and I'm glad I did.

I use mine most days and I think you you need to if you want smooth skin all of the time. A hand razor seems to give me about 2 days shave free but not an electric shaver. Don't know why.

First off I must say that my face is relatively smooth without too many wrinkles or tricky areas . So far !!! So I don't know how it would go on other face types. But for me it is nearly perfect. You do have to spend a bit of time to get the perfect shave especially around the top lip and corner of the mouth areas,but very happy with the final result. It's like a baby's bum !!

I would recommend a pre shave skin lotion before using and a special spray for the blades. Now to the best part... It has an automatic cleaning system. At first I thought this was/would be a bit of a gimmick, but no it isn't , it actually works !! You do have to buy special cleaner liquid sachets to place in the unit, but that's fine with me . You do get one in the box along with all the charging cords, travel case and the charging/washing unit.

It holds it's charge strongly and for a long time for a shaver.

This a Japanese manufactured item, so the quality is excellent.

So what's wrong with it ? In my opinion nothing. Obviously electric shavers may not suit all skin types, face types etc, but I have 2 mates who bought one on my recommendation and are over the moon with their purchases.

PROS. Clean smooth shave. Self cleaning Easy to clean the unit Long charge Quality brand and feel. Handy travel case and accessories

CONS. I'm struggling to find any. Some people might feel that the charge/washing unit is a bit big. But I don't.

The best shaver by far – I have used Panasonic, most of my life with a two blade to start with and is always been awesome. I upgraded to the five blade and never had a better shave so easy to clean so easy to use, put it in the little holder and the way it goes. I recommend this to anyone on the market for value for money. It is the best product and quality is a one. Show details ·  1

Very Smooth Results – Great Close Smooth Shave, Tends to miss too many whiskers, Best pop up Trimmer I have used. If I could Mix this with a Braun series9pro That would be the Ultimate Shaver Show details ·  1

Excellent shaver! – Bought it 6-7 years ago, used almost every day, replaced the blades just once. It still looks and works like new, the battery is in perfect condition as well. The cleaning base was dead long ago, but I preferred to clean it manually anyway. The spare blades are expensive, but not needed to replace often. Show details

Only had it 3 days, but so far, best shaver I’ve ever owned – Absolute bargain if you can get it on sale for $250. I’ve been using various Philips shavers for the past 30 odd years, the last one I was never really happy with, I was all set to get a Series 9 Braun when I came across reviews for the Panasonic. To be honest, Panasonic isn’t really a brand that I’d associate with men’s shavers, but boy, I’m glad I got it. Best shave I’ve ever had. Time will tell how well it holds up, but so far very happy.  Show reply

Time saver – After 2 different manufacturers an a 3 blade Panasonic clean shave but 40 mins of rubbing even with gel have found the 5blade clean as shave in 20mins thanx shaver shop excellent service Cheers Ross  Show reply

Cant go back to razors – I have been using these for 2 years now . So used to this that i cant go back to razor . Closest shave ever. No lines , best shave everytime . Charge last for days if not weeks . Parts easily available at shaver shop. Nill issues whats so ever. Works great with shaving gel/foam

Panasonic IN, Philips OUT – Used a Philips for past 42 years, over 6 shavers, but their subborn policy of replacing original robust heads with cheap flimsy head and blades on very expensive shavers and their dismissive response was last straw. New Panasonic is great, excellent quality, great shaving results, the closest and best ever. No cheap head and blades this time.

Best shaver I've had – My girlfriend bought this shaver for my birthday does a great job in very short time easy to use easy to clean Just an all-round superstar of shavers excellent value for money

Blades lasted 5 months only :( – Ok i purchased this shaver from shavershop because they had a money back guarantee. I was wrapped with it initially and now 5 months down the track the blades are blunt and its terrible. I didnt realise the blades would only last a short time or I wouldnt have purchased it. Happy to replace blades every year at $99 but not twice a year!

Doesn't last as promised or guaranteed in the Panasonic Manual – Lasted 8 months (using twice a week, 4 minutes using cutter first). Each shave took longer and longer to get through. shaver shop recommended this for sensitive skin and said the blades only needed to be changed every 18 months to 2 years for approx. cost of $40. If only they had gone into more detail. Manual states replace blades every 2 years… Read more

(based on 3min shave every day, cleaning &oiling after each shave), &to replace the foils once every year. The trimmer is also now blunt. Went to shaver shop to get replacement blades &told that the foil &blades must be replaced together, blades $50 & foils $100. The trimmer can't be replaced, now useless. I complained to Panasonic, told me the blades &foils not covered under warranty (I contacted them 1 month before the 12 months, didn't get back to me until after 12 months and said it was out of warranty....What the? I asked to speak to a manager &now agreed to replace the blades, the cheapest part. So instead of spending $100 on the foils, I'm going to put the blades on Ebay, and put my money towards a Phillips shaver which have far better reviews, and far better pricing, particularly on the blades and foils which come as one for $60!!!

Not worth the premium price – I purchased this shaver in July 2015 because of the, at that point in time, largely rave reviews. I've been using it pretty consistently for 9 months now. It does a very close shave on my face; at least as good as a blade. However I've found it quite patchy on my neck: to the extent that I need to use a safety razor once or twice a week to remove… Read more

the hair that keeps growing there. It was expensive to buy, and it won't be cheap to replace the parts when they wear out, which probably won't be long. The perfect electric razor is yet to be fashioned!

Built-in obsolescence – Would not buy Panasonic again. Disappointed with reliability and longevity compared to my previous brands, always had Braun and Remington. Original unit was replaced twice under warranty! The third unit is now just under 3 years old and effectively dead, due to battery only lasting about 2 shaves and quickly getting worse, and the mechanism… Read more

having developed a severe vibration resulting in poor performance (it seems to be in the mechanism itself, not the replaceable parts).

I was originally swayed to buy Panasonic by The Shaver Shop's patter, with staff telling that "they all use Panasonic" and that the cutters, while more expensive than other brands, last longer. This was UNTRUE as I've actually had to replace cutters more often than with previous shavers.

On the plus side, while it was working, the shaving performance was as good as (though not better than) previous brands, and it is quieter.

Panasonic versus Braun – Always had Braun, but bought this due to its advertising. Initially seemed good - very smooth shave. After a few months the time taken to shave blew out unacceptably and I had to buy new blades at exorbitant cost. I have found that I need to get new blades every 3 months versus every year for the Braun series 5 which is a huge cost for a… Read more

marginal shave improvement at best. The blades on the Panasonic get very hot when they start to wear and then cause rashes despite me using shaving spray on them every time. Panasonic only supply the blades not a matched set of blades plus foil as with Braun, which I suspect is part of the problem. Have not been able to get new blades for some 6 months now due to the demand so have gone back to the Braun. My local Shaver Shop tells me they are getting lots of similar complaints. I would definitely not buy again.

Great smooth shave - sensitive skin and tough whiskers – Update: September 2021 and am still using this same razor! Obviously replaced screen and blades, but otherwise still going. Have noticed the beard trimmer (I use for my sideburns) is starting to struggle, I think it's lost its sharpness, edge, so blade worn from use over the past 6 years! Otherwise it just keeps chugging along... (hope I haven't… Read more ·  5

jinxed myself now!)

Update: see in comments below updated use details.

Still in use October 2020!

Scored one of these for Fathers Day in 2015. Up until then I had been using shaving foam and razors, but the damage to my skin (especially around my neck) was getting bad, so my family bought me one of these electric razors. I have used an old Remington twin blade razor many years ago, so have that memory as a comparison base.

This Panasonic 5 blade worked great from the first shave - I remember the Remington took a few weeks to shave well due to growth direction of my whiskers, and many electric shavers instructions and notes on the internet say this is common. But not with the Panasonic , it just shaved close and really well from the first shave. I had my last razor shave on the Friday, so when I got the new shaver on Sunday morning (for Fathers Day) I had a bit of stubble to test it out on and it shaved close and smooth.

The best bit was no skin irritation. It was very noticeable to the foam and razor shave.

The following morning, heading off to work, the shave was as good and equally smooth with no irritation. It has continued to this day in day out, and copes well with my weekend growth on a Monday morning. I have quite a heavy dense and course whiskers too.

I have used it wet, under the shower, but found it sort of 'gripped' due to the water and so it irritated by skin a bit, a bit of soap or shaving gel would fix it I guess, but I've since continued to use it dry.

Cleaning is so much better than my memory of the old Remington - this is hugely due to the fact it is water proof so you can just clip off the cutter head and rinse both it and the cutters under the tab. Quick spray of some alcohol shaver spray and the cleaning job is finished in less than 30 seconds.

Way overpriced – My old Remington was past its use by date so I decided to lash out and buy a 5 blade Panasonic despite the expensive price tag. It shaves my face well but is useless on the neck or on longer hair if I don't shave for a few days. Replacement screen and blades are also expensive and I am replacing my Panasonic with another Remington for $100 which… Read more

is what the screen and blades cost. Buying the Panasonic was an expensive bad experience that I truly regret.

I wanted to like it – These shavers come with a big reputation and a big price tag to match, but I was willing to give one a go when my Braun 7 series died prematurely last month. With a 60 day try out period I could just return it if I didn't like it. So here's my impression after the first 30 days. The Good - as noted in other reviews, this shaver is powerful… Read more

and the large foil head makes very short work (no pun intended) of my facial area. The shave is the closest I've ever had from 30 years of electric razor use. Pretty impressive.

The Bad - that big foil head that worked so well on my face was truly abysmal at shaving around the neck and chin areas. It picks up any hairs standing vertically first pass, but any hairs lying down simply get left behind. I tried all kinds of shaver angles and stretching to make better contact with my neck and chin but to no avail. The only solution is to use the clipper which left a nasty rash and took forever, nearly 8 minutes according to the timer. This shaver is like owning a high performance car that won't go around corners! The power pack and plug annoyed me too so this shaver is going back for a refund.

Post Review Update

The sales guy at the Shaver Shop convinced me to persevere with the Panasonic shaver to give my skin time to adapt to the different shaving head. I wish I hadn't. It didn't get any better AND I missed the window to return it for a refund. A month ago I purchased a new Braun 720S on special. It feels less well built than the Panasonic, doesn't come with a foil guard, and the carry case is pretty budget too. But, crucially, IT ACTUALLY WORKS! It is sheer luxury being able to shave in a single pass with no skin irritation. My face thanks me every time I use it. The Panasonic has been exiled to the back of my cupboard as a last ditch back up shaver.

Hello Panasonic – Love my gadgets and love my electric shavers. I also like to update them about every 3 years due to technology advances. So it was time! First of all it had to be foil shaving for 2 big reasons: Firstly they are much much better on sensitive as the rotary just mauls my skin. Second big reason is they provide a closer shave than the rotary. So now… Read more

to do a little research. My Braun Series 7 was an awesome shaver so thought best to look at a new offering from the respectable company. To my surprise there was none but read that a Series 9 was widely available in other parts of the world. Reviews were on a par with Series 7 which are excellent. So far so good. I also could see that they had bumped it up to a 4 blade to try and match another great shaver from Panasonic which had 5 blades. Now started my inquiries as to it's availability in Australia. First the Shaver Shop had no real idea so I decided to go straight to Braun. In doing so I was redirected to Proctor and Gamble and sent them an email. Before I got a response I also called them only to be advised they have no idea and to wait until I see something in the media. The email followed and was equally as non informative. That was not good enough and right then Braun lost me as a customer for now and perhaps for good! I thought it was terrible customer service not being able to provide simple information which I am sure is available for a shaver which is available for the rest of the world!

Anyhow, I soon realised that there was another shaver as good, if not better than the Series 7 and that was the Panasonic 5 blade foil shaver so decided that was the way to go. So I purchased the Panasonic ESLV65 which I still did despite the very high price tag for these shavers. I really do think that all these companies need to drop their prices a notch or two as seem a little ridiculous!

Anyhow, one week in must say I am very happy with my ESLV65 and comparing with the Braun Series 7 there is only one thing that I can say in comparing and that is that the Panasonic shaves to the same level of closeness in half the time which is a very good thing. Also is a little quieter but that is not really a big thing at all. So summing up both are great products and will not disappoint but if you do not like shaving and want to spend less time doing so then the Panasonic wins. I also dry shave as putting shaving gel on my face sort of defeats the purpose of electric shaving convenience. The results are excellent and the closeness of the shave super impressive and my skin feels great afterwards with no irritation which is extremely important to me.

Hello Panasonic and goodbye Braun (at least for now)

Ideal for sensitive skin. And daughters – I have been a razor man since I was old enough to shave. I had an older Remington that my dad bought me, but the abrasion from the shaver and the rubbing and the skin stretching meant it wasn't a good fit. Even with the razor, I couldn't shave closer than once every 5 days, or my face would get this painful red rash. Now I have two beautiful girls… Read more

who won't kiss daddy when he's "spiky". Great.

Time for research. One review mentioned that the Arc5 (5-blade) Panasonic Wet/Dry gets a shave as close as a razor (insert critical eyebrow lift here) and is ideal for sensitive skin. More research, followed by a special offer on Amazon coinciding with Christmas.

So I got one as a present to me. As a curiosity there is a note that falls out of the packaging that says "Please use this shaver and no other for 30-days before you make up your mind, as it takes a while for your face to adjust." Not promising. At this point I have a seven day growth. I plug it in to charge (this fills up surprisingly quickly) as I read the manual. I soap up and apply the shaver. Not a promising start. I go over the same areas again and again, and again and again. This is going to take some getting used to. I use up 60% of the charge in about 25 minutes before I'm done. The face is clean and it is indeed as good as a razor if not better.

I await the painful razor burn to set in. Nothing.

I wait exactly 60 hours and try again with soapy water. Perfect. The bristles are short and stand up, the razor does its job fantastically. 2minutes 28 seconds later (it has a timer so you can challenge yourself to set a PB) I'm done. Again good job and no razor burn.

I have assembled the auto cleaning thingy, but so far I have only used it to charge and dry the shaver. The cleaning and rinsing is very quick by hand.

The only issue I have found is the area where it goes up to meet my hairline is difficult to shave, even with the built-in trimmer, so that doesn't look perfectly sharp, but the rest is great.

What did I get for Christmas? Lots of Daddy kisses :)

Technology has come a long way – I have had this shaver for 3 weeks now. If I want I can return it for a full refund up to 60days - that's all part of the service with Panasonic - but I don't want to return it!! I have had the Braun Series 7 Shavers for the last 3 shavers that I have purchased and I have to say that the build quality of the Braun is terrible! All of the 3 shavers… Read more ·  3

were returned during warranty for paint peeling off the case and for the sudden increase in their noise levels. The last one I sent down 2 weeks ago - The Shaver I sent for Service under Warranty was a Braun Series 7 390cc-4 Hugo Boss Edition - the Shaver that was returned to me had a different body and was not a Hugo Boss Special Edition - I complained several times but Braun (Proctor and Gamble in Australia) didn't really seem interested and still haven't replied to me emails!! The Panasonic Shaver is quiet - shaves me in half the time - easy to clean in the self-cleaning recharger and does just the best job. I love this Shaver and wish that I had changed from Braun much sooner than this!! That's the end of Braun for me after 15 years. Welcome Panasonic - a new world of shaving!! Quiet - Easy to Clean - Reliable - Looks Great!! New Price needs to come down to be affordable!!