Philips Norelco 8240XL/18 Speed XL Electric Razor ($99.99 Value) 4.2 5 312 339
Best Shaver I've Ever Owned I've been using an electric razor for over 40 years now. I've used the foil razors and also the multiple head savers. For most part I have been a Norelco fan for many years. My older Norelco has been faithful and provided a good shave with replacing the shaver heads and cleaning the shaver head housing on a regular basis. I felt it was time for a new electric razor and again selected a Norelco 8240 XL. This shaver by far is the best one that I've ever owned. The instructions said that I could clean the shaver under running water, which was a major selling point for me. After my first shave, I will admit that I was a bit skeptical on placing an instrument that runs on electric power under running water. But it was still under warrantee and I gave it a quick rinse under the sink faucet. Not wanting water to stay inside the head assembly, I gave it a good shake to release the water droplets and stored the razor on an incline. Not to say that this procedure is necessary, but I just felt more comfortable to reduce any problems from water damage. Now to the shave. This razor is so much more quite than my older Norelco. At first I wasn't sure if the RPM's were getting up to operating speed. However the proof was in the shave. I was extremely impressed with the end result. In the past I have found that most electric razors don't cut the beard hairs that grown on the neck. This Norelco will cut the neck hairs but for me I have to stretch my neck skin a bit to get a smoother shaving surface. This razor is lightweight, cordless and charges quickly for someone that's on the go and doesn't want to stand in front of a mirror. I am extremely pleased with the Norelco 8240 XL would would highly recommend it's purchase to anyone that's in the market for a new electric razor. 02/18/2009
Great shave, but pricey This is my 3rd Norelco rotary razor over the past 15 years or so. In the past I've stayed in the under $50 range because I couldn't really afford more. But, I shave EVERY day so I thought it was worth it to try a more expensive and hopefully better razor.This is a great shave. Closer than my old 6xxx series, even when new.When I started searching, I wanted to get the Norelco 7340 for $39 (around Christmas-time), but I missed that special price, and kept waiting for it to come around again, but it hasn't.If you're willing to spend the $100, I highly recommend this razor. Amazon was a little cheaper, but I spent the extra money at WalMart so I could easily return it if I wanted to. But I already know I'm keeping it.If you want to go about half the price, based on my research (but I've not used it), get the Norelco 7340 for around $52. Or, if you're lucky, maybe it'll be $39 again. 02/23/2010
Fairly Good but not Great I can only compare this to electric razors I've used - in the past 25 years there have been three: a corded Norelco, a rechargeable Norelco, and this Norelco 8240 Speed XL. So, this review is more of "what might I expect relative to my prior Norelcos" than "how does this compare to other razors currently on the market"..Each generation of Norelco has gotten lighter and quieter but also less "aggressive". This might be good for sensitive skin, but it slows down the shaving process..This unit is extremely light compared to what I'm used to with the older Norelcos. When I'm actually shaving with it, I find that it lacks "heft", but when carrying it in luggage, the light weight is much appreciated. Without cord or case (but with head guard) it weighs about 6.5 oz compared with about 8.5 oz for the Norelco it replaced..If I skip shaving for three+ days ("it's not a day off if you shave, it's not a vacation if you take the kids!"), this razor pulls the whiskers worse than any of the previous Norelcos. A solution is to use the sideburn trimmer for an initial "mowing" pass -- but until one gets used to this and figures out the angles, the sideburn trimmer can be a bit hard on the skin. (I think that Norelco recommends using the sideburn trimmer ONLY to trim sideburns - so I'm not following the rules so I probably shouldn't complain about this)..The lack of a "charge remaining" status is a problem. Consider moving up to a model that has that. This is especially important if you're leaving on a trip and don't want to take the charger -- about your only option is to charge it fully just before you go (unless you keep good track of when you last charged it)..The charger cord is bit stiff and seems short so it's annoying to use this as a "corded" razor when the battery suddenly runs out (more likely due to the lack of a "charge remaining" indicator). Actually, I _think_ the user's manual may recommend against using it as a corded razor, although it seems to work fine that way. Mitigating this problem slightly is that the charge lasts quite a long time and it recharges quickly (supposedly, a three minute charge gives you three minutes of untethered shaving - I've not timed this, but it seems about right)..The "pivoting independent" heads work very well around edges - esp. the chin. My older Norelcos didn't have this feature and I'd miss it now..The ability to rinse the head/cutters under running water to clean them is GREAT. Of course, this is now a fairly common feature so it's not a reason to pick this particular model..Unlike the Norelco this replaced, this one has very little "grippy, rubbery" material on the exterior of the case - just a little patch which doubles as a power switch. This makes this razor a bit harder to grip and more likely to slide on a slick surface or slide out of your hand. 09/30/2009
A great shave! Excellent, close shave and fast too! Only slight negative, don't like the cord. It's a bit shorter than past models and I don't care for how it sticks out from the wall once plugged in, would be better if it were flush to the wall. I will just have to get used to this type of cord. The razor itself is excellent, highly recommend! 12/28/2008
