Preference between foil and rotary shaver is a personal choice, often depending on how well our skin and hair adapt to each kind of shaver. If you happen to choose a rotary shaver over foil, this Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D review is definitely worth reading with most fingers pointing to it as the best rotary shaver.
Presently there are 4 different variants of Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D shavers, and despite being a basic model Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D 1250x/40 is a popular choice. That maybe because the difference is some extra “glittering features” on the top models which may not be needed. The other three variations are the 1250x/42, 1280x/42 and 1290x/40.
This shaver is an excellent choice if you had been struggling on the neck and jaw line to get a close and comfortable shave, especially for wet shaving.
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Prominent Features That Keep Phillips Norelco SensoTouch 3D Ahead
GyroFlex 3D Contouring System: The shaver head is amazingly flexible to tackle any kind of facial structure with ease. It is comprised of 3 independent parts that can pivot around, flex outward, and tilt inward. They called it the GyroFlex 3D system. It is like a free spinning wheel. This system is designed to provide clean and close shaves with minimum pressure and less irritation. However, if you have a thick beard you may still struggle to get the desired closeness and need to revisit some areas. I find Braun Series 7 shaver doing a better job and even better would be the Panasonic Arc 5 ESLV81-k the cost …double the price of SensoTouch 3D.
Ultra-track Shaving Head
The individual head of the shaver comes with 3 specialized shaving tracks meant to catch long hair, longer hair and the short stubble. You probably won’t need to trim your beard before shaving. I never grow a beard more than 3 days and this shaver ably handles that length.
Super Lift&Cut
We all hate cutting hair from the neck and the jaw line areas. Here, you have most of the flat lying hairs. This is the trickiest part and with manual blade we often get razor burns or cuts. I hate a bleeding face and neck when I’m all ready for work! The problem with some electric shavers is that you get irritation or rashes in these areas as you try to get rid of those flat lying hairs. Super Lift&Cut system of 1280x/40 lift and cut flat lying hairs below skin level with comfort and ease.
Wet/Dry Shave
Sometimes we want wet pampered shaving, though I’m not a fan. I can’t stand the hassles of preparing a wet shave every day. I think this is why I adore good electric shavers. Anyway, Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D is capable of giving you a close and comfortable wet shave any day you need it. Some people feel that they get better result with wet shaving from this shaver. The non-slip grip of the shaver is well adapted for wet shaving.
Maintenance and Other Features
Cleaning the shaver is easy with the detachable head. You can easily clean the shaver in the most thorough fashion with the detachable head in less than a minute. I don’t always remove the cutter, but simply rinse under running water. This is why I won’t bother with the Jet Clean System that can clean, lubricate and charge at the same time.
People who hate to clean can pay an extra $30 to get the cleaning dock. It is included with the Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D 1250x/42 variant.
Battery life is good with shaving time of up to 50 minutes. This is like 14 – 15 days shaving for me. I don’t even need to carry a charger while traveling for a short trip. Comparatively, Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D 1290/40 and 1280/42 offer better shaving time of up to 60 minutes.
The shaver is cord free and comes with a travel lock and a protective pouch for a good travel companion. The shaver is amazingly quiet! The quietest shaver among the many top-end shavers I own.
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Downsides
The shaver is not battery replaceable, and that means most people will have to toss away the shaver once the battery gets defective after the warranty period, unless you or someone you know, knows how to disassemble the shaver to replace the battery. But I won’t worry too much as the shaver is designed to last at least 5 years.
It still lacks the closeness of the fast motor linear shavers if you have very thick beard. The stand and charger is flimsy, and you can’t charge without the stand.
Money Back Guarantee and Warranty
Philips electric shavers are very reliable, particularly the Norelco SensoTouch 3D series. Philips is very confident about their 3D shavers and offers 45 days money back guarantee if you decide otherwise. In addition they offer a 2 year warranty.
Overall Thoughts
We, like so many others, think Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D 1250x is presently the best rotary shaver. You won’t find a better choice unless you are looking for foil shaver or a cheaper rotary shaver.
PN has let a lot of customers down. This is a great razor but the replacement heads haven’t been available for months unless you pay 4x retail, even from reliable retailers. Latest is sometime in October, and PN reps aren’t truthful when you call.
You can get the RQ 12+ shaving head as a replacement and it works on all architect and 8000 and 9000 Norelco shaver’s
I bought a Norelco Architect razor years ago and it was the best razor I have ever owned. However, the replacement heads have become so expensive that you can just about purchase an entire new razor for little more than the head replacement. The original replacement heads (rq10) is about $250 and the replacement for that ( rq12+) is still almost $60. Although I love the razor, I am tossing it and purchasing a Braun or other competitor where I can afford the replacement blades. Norelco is driving loyal customers away with their outrageous pricing.
I purchased the Norelco touch 3D shaver and I liked it. I have used it for one year when I found out the blades needed replaced, i called Norelco and I was told I could replace with the RQ 12 but found out they wanted about $60.00 dollars. That is just to much for blades so I think I will go buy the Braun series 7 760cc.