Panasonic ARC5 Electric Razor for Men with Pop-up Trimmer, Wet Dry 5-Blade Electric Shaver with Intelligent Shave Sensor and 16D Flexible Pivoting Head – ES-ALV6HR (Red)

Best Performing Electric Razor Ever
The Panasonic ARC5 is the best electric razor I have used in forty years of shaving!! The dry shave is almost as smooth as a blade shave with shaving foam. With this razor you can hear the razor cutting the facial hair over and above the noise it makes when running. This helps with shaving as you know when you can move to another part of the face. The ARC5 does a great job below the jaw line. The pop up trimmer is well designed which makes trimming my mustache quick, clean and easy. Highly recommend this razor for a man looking to step up to a high performing daily use razor.

A Really Good Electric Foil Razor
So for historical context, I’ve owned 2 Panasonic ES LA93-K’s over about the last 10 years. Before that I owned an old Braun. I’ve always used electric shavers. I did a lot of research before buying the 93’s and they were a top rated shaver. The only problem I had with them was the battery would die and not charge. Last one lasted 4 1/2 years. They were always like shaving with a Lexus – high quality shavers. Before I bought the last one I tried the venerable Braun Series 7 7865 and the then newest iteration of Norelco. Neither one was as good as my first 93 so I bought another 93. I always liked them but I can’t say I was happy with battery life. Shaves were always close the first 6 months to maybe even a year, but the blades do dull and it took longer and more work to get a close shave. Also, they got progressively louder as they aged to the point where it was very annoying. But they worked. This time out I decided to revisit the world of shaver reviews just to see if there were any new improved entries. I have to heartily recommend shavercheck.com. A really excellent site! I sort of was hoping that either Braun or Norelco had something that had lept ahead of the pack. Yes – there were improvements for certain, but their newest shavers, sometimes costing a small fortune, had their detractors and failings. Again – the shavers that were standing out were the Panasonics. Panasonic has not been standing still. My Arc 4 had evolved to an Arc 5 and an Arc 6. New smaller faster motors. New head designs. New blades. New charging stands. As always – mostly good to great reviews with a few disgruntled owners. On balance it looked like a no brainer to get another Panasonic. So I bought the Arc 5 ES-LV97-K. This shaver comes highly recommended by Ovidiu on shavercheck.com. He is very practical, saying that you’re not going to sacrifice much to the very expensive Arc 6. You’ll still get a very close shave that is not a problem for sensitive skin. So after a month here is what I’ve experienced. The 97 has some definite design and engineering improvements over the old 93’s. The motor IS faster. There are more blades that cut more efficiently. The whole shaver is lighter but very substantial. The head is smaller and swivels in 6 directions. I call it the “bobblehead” because it works so well. It still cleans extremely easy under the faucet or the charger/cleaning stand. BTW, you can wash it manually and just dry in the stand – unlike the new Braun series 9 where you HAVE to run the cleaning cycle using their cartridges, etc., every time you charge the shaver in the stand. This new shaver is A LOT quieter than the old 93’s. It shaves smooth as silk and is a real pleasure to use. My old shavers I had to grind away at my face forever to get a decent shave. The secret with this 97 is let it do its own work. Not too much pressure. Be patient and go slowly. Let it catch and mow down the whiskers. Keep the blades clean (I now clean it manually every 2 days) – it really makes a difference. Keep the foil as flat against the face as possible and of course try to go against the grain (you’ll hear it cutting). Avoid side to side movement which isn’t allowing the blades to cut efficiently. I follow Ovidiu’s advice and lock the head for round radius’s like jaw etc. That works better too. Then unlock for best bobblehead effect. So….am I impressed? You bet! This is really a big step up. I’m still getting baby close shaves in one half the time – yea! My only question now is how sharp will the blades be after 3-6 months? (replacement blades never seem as sharp as OEM). And will the battery live longer than 4 1/2 years? Bottom line – I’m super happy with this shaver – and for the price of $171 – what a good deal!

Vale o que custa.

I have had this shaver since May 2021 and it has been working flawlessly so far. Haven’t even replaced the blades or foil in spite of shaving at least 4-5 times/week. I use it only for wet shaves as it gives a closer shave and doesn’t irritate my face. Cleaning the blades/foil in a bowl with warm rubbing alcohol and small brush every 6 months helps to get rid of caked on shaving cream/hair while prolonging their life and performance. Best to stretch the skin on the neck with one hand to get a close shave. I get a close shave without ever using a regular blade razor!! Side trimmer is small but works well for me as I use it only for trimming my sideburns. Charging is fast and easy. Travel case is handy and shaver charges anywhere.I have used generations of Panasonic wet/dry shavers for decades and this generation works perfectly for me. The older models didn’t do well in the neck or upper lip areas. This razor has been perfect for me!!