11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Top of the line
Date of Review: Nov 28, 2007
The Bottom Line: Nice. Real nice.
I go back and forth with electric and blade razors: I like the ease of use and lack of irritation that the electrics give me, but I like the closeness and accuracy of a blade. The last electric I had was a Braun - when they first came out with that whole washing system. I loved the razor, loved the cleaning, but found I still had to use a razor to get the finishing touches - mostly to get my sideburns straight and clean.
So, after a couple of years on the blades, and being tired of the irritation, I decided to see what was new on the electric front. I read a whole host of reviews on this site and others, and became intrigued by the 8228 - Panasonic's new top-of-the-line "Nano" razor.
I finally found a great price - in fact, a price that was just as low as some of the lesser Panasonic models - and pulled the trigger. Here are my thoughts after a few days of use:
First, it's a nice looking razor. It has a faux wood insert (I generally hate anything that involves "faux") that isn't too overdone. It looks modern and sleek. It has an LCD readout on the handle. The storage/charging/cleaning base it big and square, with some industrial looking vents on the front, but it doesn't take up all of my limited sink area.
One of the first things that struck me is that the thing is light! At first I was afraid it was screaming "cheap" it was so light, but then I started to use it. It's not "cheap" light, it's "titanium light" - that's the best way I can describe it. It feels solid, but light. Sturdy, but light. Not like the Braun, which after a while felt like a brick to me.
And the shave, so far, is nice. Close, but I'm sure it will get closer as my beard gets "accustomed" to it. It has a "soft/lock" selector on the head, and if I'd actually read the manual I'd know what it's supposed to do, but in use, I can't really tell the difference. It's easy to navigate around my face, owing in part to it's weight. It appears capable of getting in under my rather prodigious nose, but does require some multiple passes for longer growth.
I've also used it in the shower, with lather, and that was a pleasant surprise, too. I couldn't do that with the Braun, and being able to shave wet as well as dry is a plus for me.
Oh, and it has a clipper that flips out that appears to get in close enough that I can keep the sideburns clean and straight without resort to a blade. I'm keeping my fingers crossed there, but so far so good.
The cleaning station does a good, thorough job - but it just takes too long. I'm sure if I wasn't anxious to play with my new toy, it wouldn't be a problem. But I am, so it is - for now. There are multiple settings on the base unit, and one can choose combinations of various functions - for example, you can drop it in just to charge, or you can hit the select button a few times to clean/dry/charge or dry/charge. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to end the dry only cycle before it's done - and it goes on and on. I finally resorted to pulling the plug, at which point the unit is on standby when you plug it back in. Again, the manual does say something about modifying a program once it's started, but it doesn't look like there's a way to officially abort the drying cycle other than pulling the plug.
The cleaning solution is dry, and you have to add water to a reservoir to get things going. I'm not happy that I'll have to constantly search for the detergent packs from now on, but the solution does seem to do a nice job keeping the razor clean and "refreshed".
Bottom line: I like it. Close, comfortable shave, easy and pleasant to use, wet/dry, with an effective cleaning system.
