The best electric shave out there

The flashy Norelco ads finally got to me and I ended up purchasing a new Norelco Spectra. Believe me, I had very high expectations and if this razor didn’t give me the best shave ever then it was going back to the store for a full refund.

The 8825 is the base model in this line. It has none of the fancy LCD’s or lights. Just a small green light below the power button that emits a solid green light while it’s charging and a flashing green light when it is fully charged. There is no low battery indicator so it is probably a good idea to have the cord close by at all times lest you end up getting one of those dreaded “half shaves”. From what I observed from the Spectra models available, this is the only difference between each model so all you are paying for is convenience. The exception is the top of the line 8894 which uses a stainless steel case to improve durability and a lithium battery to extend operation between charges and is probably the best choice for those who insist on all the fancy toys.

These are the base Spectra features :

1. Floating heads: This features was introduced with the micro-action line to allow each head to float independently on your face for a closer shave.
2. Reflex action head : Each head is mounted on a pivoting platform to work in combination with the floating heads to better tackle the uneven areas such as the neck and jaw.
3. Washable: Just give it a quick rinse under the tap to clean ( about 10 seconds of rinsing) with no brushing or disassembly required.
4. Electronic on/off button : The button is sealed to maintain it’s waterproof ness. With no moving parts the button should prove more durable than on the older Norelco models which used mechanical buttons.
5. Sensitivity adjustment wheel : I’ll explain this later.
6. Special heads with holes and slots. : Also more on this later.

Norelco is a real heavy hitter in the razor business and is well known for making quality, durable products and the 8825 is no exception . The unit has a look and feel of quality and my first impression from observing the workmanship is that it’s built to last. In operation it makes a clean, pleasant whir so it also sounds like a quality product. It certainly feels very comfortable to hold but unfortunately it is almost totally curved on all sides. This means that it won’t rest securely when you put it down. My old Quadra had this same curved design and at least 4 times it rolled off the sink counter and hit the floor. Luckily on each of these mishaps, no damage occurred which is a testament to the durability of Norelco products in general. Despite this I still feel uneasy considering that the Spectra is so expensive.

In general the rotaries tend to give a fast, thorough shave but not as close a shave as the foil models. The big disadvantage of the foils was shaving the neck and other uneven areas of the face, where they would leave plenty of loose hairs and an annoying roughness in these areas. The Spectra gives you the best of both worlds. The shave is about as close as you can get from any electric razor on the market and yet, still retains the inherent ability of rotaries in tackling the pesky neck and jawline areas. Normally a shave takes 3 – 3.5 minutes but occasionally when I’m in a hurry in the morning I only have time for a quick shave of 1 to 1.5 minutes. The Spectra gives a far better quick shave than any razor I’ve used so I can at least look acceptable. Another disadvantage of rotaries is that they are more likely to cause irritation to those with sensitive skin. Norelco addresses this by providing an adjustment wheel on the side of the razor that has nine setting between normal and sensitive. Basically, all this does is adjust the stiffness of the floating heads, ‘full normal’ being most stiff and ‘full sensitive’ being least stiff which means that less pressure is required to activate the floating heads. I have confirmed that this adjustment setting makes no difference in shave quality so therefore I recommend the most sensitive setting because less pressure equals less irritation and this is really the key to using rotary razors comfortably. I haven’t figured a use for the stiffer settings but perhaps those heavy handed types or with very tough skin may see some improvement. In my opinion, the Spectra gives less irritation than previous Norelcos and may be the perfect choice for those looking to switch to rotaries from foils
The trimmer is more effective than on previous models. This is the first Norelco that can cut sideburns and moustache hairs effectively.
The 8825 uses a nicad battery which is the old technology ( I believe that the nicad was invented in 1905). The newer Nimh and the newest Li-ion batteries offer a longer operating time between charge and the disadvantage being that they have a much less number of charge cycles . This basically means that the battery will have to be replaced sooner . The Nimh is good for about 4 years and the li-ion about 2 years. Nicads should be good for 5 – 10 years. The 8825 gets about 45 minutes battery life which for me translates to about 2 weeks of use. There is no way to tell if the battery is low so I usually charge it once a week or just as I did with my old razors. It’s important to unplug it after it is fully charged to avoid overcharging, which is the most common cause of battery failure in razors. Charge time from empty to full is about one hour and of course the razor can be operated from the cord if the battery is dead.

The floating heads are very different compared to other razors. Using a bizarre design the cutting portions of the heads use both the traditional slots and holes. It’s the holes that have me puzzled. Norelco claims that they are designed to catch the shorter hairs for a closer shave. The trouble with this logic is that for face hairs to enter these holes would be to break the laws of physics. The slots are designed to channel the hairs into the razor head to be cut but no such channel exists for the hole portion of the head, unlike on a regular foil razor where the natural curvature of the foil acts as a channel. I suspect this is just a gimmicky marketing move by Norelco to attract foil users. Regardless, the shave is wonderful but I’ve got to wonder how much better it would be if Norelco had dispensed with the holes entirely.

Nothing special is included with the package. I had to rip the package to shreds with my pocket knife to get to the manual which was well buried within a reinforced plastic covering and believe me, it contained no useful info. The cord is one of those special types that contain the transformer within the wall plug. This is used to step down the voltage to a more manageable 12-15 volts because high voltage and water do not mix well. It’s slightly larger than the standard razor cords so this may be an issue for some when traveling, a very small issue indeed considering the advantage of being able to wash the razor. The traveling case is way too large and serves little purpose. This is a very tough razor so don’t worry too much about travel damage and leave the case at home.

A 2 year warranty is standard but to be honest with you I've never had a problem with any Norelco razors in the past so I have no ideas about Norelcos reputation when dealing with warranty repairs

The Spectra certainly does live up to all the hype by delivering a fast, close and comfortable shave and I won’t be returning it despite the high price tag. I highly recommend that all blade users thinking of switching and those who have had trouble with electrics in the past avoid the cheaper models and go for the Spectra.