Philips 8060X Electric Shaver

I've been a Norelco razor man nearly my entire "shaving life." Except for using some el-cheapo disposable razors when I first had to start taking off the stubble back in my teens, I've had a series of Norelco razors, following in the footsteps of my father—I don't remember him ever having anything other than a Norelco razor at home (and I even have a vague recollection of owning a toy razor that had the signature three-headed triangular design at one point when I was very young).

When Norelco came out with the Cool Skin shaving line (originally called the Advantage line), I was hooked, and even wrote a glowing review about the last razor from that line I had purchased. I use electric razor pre-shave, but the lotion dispensing feature of the Cool Skin was the best thing to happen to my sensitive skin in a long time.

When my last razor began not holding its charge for as long as it used to, and when the LED low-battery indicator failed, it was time to search out a new model. I wasn't disappointed that the old one was dying—it had a good long run, and frankly I was just glad I hadn't invested in a new set of replacement cutters, which it was almost time to do again.

My research yielded an unexpected development: while the Cool Skin line was alive and well, it had been radically redesigned. While the familiar three-headed triangle layout of the shaving heads is still there, the heads have been "freed" from the surrounding casing and are elevated to be the only part that comes in contact with the skin. The new design is fundamentally the same as Norelco's (or should I be calling it Phillips-Norelco's, as the Phillips name is getting more prominence?) new Arcitec shaver, except that the Cool Skin has the lotion-dispensing function.

Design
The other noticeable design change is that the razor's body is noticeably thinner and lighter. With other Norelco models, my hand tended to wrap about three quarters of the way around the body of the razor, and it had some weight to it. My hand wraps completely around the new Cool Skin, and the lighter weight took some getting used to—it was a completely different sensation, and I needed to force myself not to push too hard against my skin out of the habit of holding a heavier razor for two decades.

The biggest plus of the new design is the entire point: a closer, smoother shave. We're talking about small degrees of difference, as I always felt I good a good, smooth shave from past versions, but I've noticed that, especially on trickier areas like my chin and neck, that I'm having an easier time getting a close shave.

The new Cool Skin also has a powered lotion dispenser, as opposed to the pump style on previous models. A minor change, but because the lotion is fed directly to the center of the two "top" heads in the triangle, the application of the lotion to the skin is more even than when it fed downward from the top center in the direction of the heads. It also means less wasted lotion, as there no longer is any non-shaving surface area around the razor heads to absorb some of the lotion.

However, that new lotion dispensing system means that the old "pouches" of lotion/gel don't go into the new razor. Instead, you purchase a canister of Nivea for Men lotion, which sits in the mammoth charging station and automatically refills at the same time you charge the razor. I still had some old-style packs of gel that I don't want to waste, so I'm manually applying it to the razor heads; as I use up all of my stash, I'll switch to the new canister system exclusively. Interestingly, with each new canister you use, you replace the plastic chamber that holds the lotion and attaches to the back of the razor. I wonder whether it's the most environmentally friendly design, compared to the foil pouches.

The new design also means there's no collection area for stubble. If you shave over the sink or in the shower, that's not an especially big deal, but if you tend to move around—especially if you haven't shaved for a day or so—you may want to reconsider, to avoid having stubble on the floor.

Although I didn't see it listed on any online descriptions I skimmed, the 8060x does come with a sideburn trimmer. As with most, if not all, recent Norelco models, you detach the regular shaving head assembly by lifting it off, and then snap on the trimmer. It's a bit narrower than the sideburn trimmer from my last razor, but unless you have Elvis Presley circa 1970 sideburns going on, it should be sufficient for occasional touch ups.

Charging
The 8060x comes packed with a charging stand that can best be described as a b-i-g- change from the tiny footprint of chargers for older models, although it does come with what they call a "travel" charging stand, which could be used as your main charger depending on your preference—but you only get one cord, so you can't easily set up two charging locations.

The main charger is bigger so it can accommodate an automatic refill of the shaving lotion. When you snap the razor into the stand, it tops off your lotion supply, and in about 90 minutes it completes charging the razor itself, with enough juice for 40 minutes of shaving. I never had the top-of-the-line versions of the Cool Skin in the past, so I wasn't used to having a battery meter to let me know about how much shaving time I had left (a useful tool when I may be traveling, so I'm not caught with a dead razor on a business trip). The Norelco 8060x has three green LEDs that light up briefly when you finish shaving—three lights fully charged, two lights is about two-thirds charged, and one light is about one-third charged. A red LED lets you know it's time to charge up.

The user's manual recommends not leaving the razor in the charger all the time, or significantly longer than the 90-minute charge time. While that second part can be a bit of an inconvenience, there is seldom a time when I'm not around the house for 90 minutes at a stretch so that I could take the razor out of the charger. It's just a matter of remembering.

Clean Up
Recommended cleaning is holding the razor under hot running water for 30 seconds after use, and removing the heads weekly to brush out any residual stubble from the razor's heads—not exactly rocket science. I have generally followed a routine of soaking all of my razors' cutting heads over the year in rubbing alcohol once every few weeks—I find it helps clean them a little more thoroughly than water and brushing alone and improves the overall performance.

The Bottom Line
As long as Norelco keeps offering a Cool Skin line, that's the product I expect to use. The lotion reduces 'drag' on my face as I shave and soothes the irritation shaving can cause. Honestly, if Norelco ever totally discontinues the Cool Skin line, I might buy one or two to have in reserve for future use—it makes that much of a difference to me.