Capitalism is a two- way street

My recent acquisition of a Norelco 7110x has essentially launched me on a quest to find an electric shaver that works as well as number two son's Norelco 6863XL. Number one son was using a Philips Norelco 6843XL that I got to try for a few days as well. The 6843XL is a midrange cordless rechargeable shaver that "automatically adjusts to every curve on your face for flexible, smoother shaving". It uses Norelco's patented "ReflexPlus 6" system which features their individually floating heads, that lift whiskers to allow cutting below the skin for a closer shave. The "Precision Cutting System" offers ultra thin heads with slots to shave long hairs and holes to shave the shortest stubble. The 6843XL offers a flip up trimmer for sideburns, beards, mustaches, necks, etc. It comes with a charger and cord, manual, and cleaning brush. The 6843XL has LEDs to indicate charging and low battery. It offers 8-hour full charge for up to 30 minutes of cordless shaving. It's backed by a 2-year warranty and a 60-day money back guarantee.

In use, the 6843XL disappointed relative to the performance of the it's elder sibling, the 6863XL. For 50% more money than the 7110x, it offered fairly similar performance. Which is basically a decent reasonably comfortable shave if you take your time and make multiple passes. The biggest difference between the 6863XL and the lesser 6843XL and the 7110x, appears to be power. It's surprising how much difference there is. While the 6863XL cruises through a 24 hour beard effortlessly in very few passes, without pinches or pulls, the 6843XL requires more time, more passes, and offers a few "nips" here and then as is struggles to keep up. It's fine for an afternoon touchup, but when the going gets tough, it doesn't rise to the occasion. It's not "bad" mind you, it's just not what it could be or should be, and it's not quite what I was hoping for. Price has a lot to do with my final opinion of anything. Some forgiveness is in order for entry level pricing, but when I shell out the better part of $60 for a razor that's merely one choice in a sea of other competitive choices, I expect it to perform notably well. I suppose some of that expectation was due to it's lineage and proximity to the excellent 6863XL. The lesser 6843XL has been the most disappointing of these 3 Norelco razors I've encountered in recent weeks, and had I not had the chance to try out two others, I may not have noticed. It offers bargain performance at an upper mid-grade price. It'd be easy to chalk the disappointing performance up to my unrealistic expectations, but I'm going to toe the line and put the pressure back on Norelco, where I believe it belongs....if I spend 50% more for a comparable item, I want to get more in return, and the 6843XL does not offer that improvement. I hope the profits go to a good cause, because that's exactly what I believe prompts the higher price with this one.