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Household<br />
Electric Shavers<br />
The typical guy spends a full day every year removing facial hair. Want<br />
to save time? You could go Grizzly Adams—and attract more bears than<br />
babes—or invest in an electric. —CHRISTOPHER NULL<br />
Braun Pulsonic 9595<br />
$269 • braun.com<br />
A bruiser at nearly half a pound, the<br />
Pulsonic justifies its size and weight<br />
with the <strong>sm</strong>oothest electric shave<br />
we’ve had. The key seems to be<br />
the combination of a pulsing head<br />
(10,000 vibrations per minute) and the<br />
shaver’s Power-Comb system, a row<br />
of teeth between the two foils that lift<br />
up stubborn hairs and position them<br />
for cutting. The base station cleans<br />
the shaver with alcohol and charges it.<br />
WIRED Hands down, the best electric<br />
we’ve tried. Multiple levels of pivot<br />
help the shaver hug the face. Vibration<br />
system is comfortable, almost massagelike:<br />
Shaving actually feels good.<br />
TIRED Base station has huge footprint.<br />
Trimmer sticks out at odd angle.<br />
Cleaning system is loud.<br />
EDITORS’<br />
PICK<br />
Gillette Fusion<br />
Power Phantom<br />
$12 • gillettefusion.com<br />
The razor world knows no limits when<br />
it comes to gimmickry—witness the<br />
absurd one-upmanship waged over<br />
the number of blades on a disposable,<br />
the butt of endless parodies. The Phantom<br />
has an eye-rolling five blades, plus<br />
a slot for an AAA battery that causes<br />
the whole thing to vibrate with “micropulses”<br />
that supposedly reduce friction<br />
and increase glide. But not only was<br />
the vibration technology disconcerting,<br />
we actually got a better shave—quite<br />
good, in fact—when we shut it off.<br />
WIRED Single blade on back works<br />
well for tight spots. Shower-safe.<br />
TIRED Head seems outsized. At up to<br />
$14 for a four-pack, blades are pricey. No<br />
reason to pay extra for battery power.<br />
Philips Norelco<br />
arcitec 1090X<br />
$250 • philips.com<br />
Rotary shavers advance again with<br />
the arcitec, a svelte and lightweight<br />
tool that’s as good as rotaries get.<br />
The breakthrough: heads mounted on<br />
a wildly swiveling pivot, which follows<br />
the face closer than any other model<br />
we’ve seen. Too bad a <strong>sm</strong>ooth shave<br />
requires a fair amount of do-over<br />
work. The arcitec took twice as long<br />
as the Pulsonic, with poorer results.<br />
WIRED Lithe; glides easily over skin.<br />
Includes two charging options: a hard<br />
travel case and an upright stand. LED<br />
indicates charge time remaining.<br />
TIRED So lightweight it’s difficult<br />
to control with precision, especially<br />
on narrow regions like upper lip. Still<br />
missed hairs after lengthy shaves.<br />
Remington<br />
CleanXchange<br />
$60 • remington-products.com<br />
On paper, the CleanXchange looks<br />
perfect. A 60-minute charge gives<br />
you 20 shaves, the device can<br />
be used on battery power or while<br />
plugged in, and five minutes of AC<br />
gives you plenty of time to finish<br />
your face. But when razor meets<br />
beard, it just doesn’t cut it: The<br />
Remington was consistently and<br />
by far the worst shaver we tested.<br />
WIRED Compact and only 6.3 ounces.<br />
TIRED Un-ergonomic. Terrible at cutting<br />
longer hairs. Disposable heads<br />
mean no cleaning but are wasteful<br />
and, at $6 each, not cheap. So loud it’s<br />
actually painful to eardrums when<br />
working on sideburns. Trimmer attachment<br />
failed on each of two test units.<br />
WIRED TEST<br />
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