ES-LA93-K Arc4 Men's Electric Razor

This shaver is NOT made in China, as one reviewer inaccurately stated. It's made in Japan and is clearly marked on the shaver and on the box. Big Difference! I bought this shaver based primarily on the reviews that I read. I have been using it for approximately three months now and am very happy with my purchase. I am 35 yoa and have been using a blade for the majority of my life, though I do have some experience with various electric shavers. Compared to other electrics that I have used, this Panasonic blows them out of the water. It basically shaves as close as a blade, though it does its very best work when used daily. It doesn't punish you for taking three days off from shaving by pulling at your hair, but it does take a couple more passes to get everything. When used daily, however, it works like a dream and I can completely shave in under 4 minutes. Ergonomically, it feels great in your hand and against your face. I've primarily used it dry, but it can be used with shaving gel/cream and in the shower. It took a little getting used to after being accustomed to using a blade, but after just a few shaves it felt very natural. The quality of the shave is outstanding. I've used the self-cleaning base several times and it works great. The key is to follow the instructions in the User's Manual. Change the cleaning solution at the appropriate time and you should never have a problem. I noticed that one reviewer criticized the base unit because it was too loud. That seems ridiculous to me. Just set it and let it clean as you're leaving for work if you don't like the noise (it's really not that loud anyway). With this shaver, I actually enjoy shaving again. I've had absolutely no skin irritation or razor burn from the shaver. I absolutely love this product and I think it's worth every penny. Plus, I got a GREAT deal on it from amazon. The side burn trimmer is not super impressive, but I've never used an electric shaver that had a great side burn trimmer. They just don't seem to cut close enough. Due to the design of the shaver itself, it actually trims up my side burns rather nicely (without having to use the side burn trimmer). I'm sure it's not the shaver that will meet everybody's needs (what product could really do that anyway?), but I believe it will work very well for most people. I'm giving this Panasonic shaver a 5/5 because its one of the best products I've bought in recent memory. I love it and can enthusiastically recommend it.

In the last 36 years of using electric shavers this is the first electric to ever leave my neck completely smooth and clean of all stubble. And it did so in just a little over 3 1/2 minutes! I've used many different brands looking for the perfect shave over the years starting with Sunbeam, Remington, several Norelco's, and a couple of Braun's, the last being a Series 7. All were top of the line shavers but none could ever get all the hairs and stubble from my neck. I've always had to keep a disposable razor handy to drag over my neck a few times to get all the stray hairs that the electric's missed. But not with this new Panasonic. It get's all the neck hairs and shaves so far below the skin level that my 5 o-clock shadow is a thing of the past! I can get through the entire day now with that fresh shaved look. This shaver is amazing. I tried it this morning in the shower and what a luxurious shave that is. I just used some Dove bar soap and my face shaved smooth and clean. I had a little trouble with it shutting off several times because while you're trying to keep hold of it with all that soap on it you inadvertently keep squeezing the power button. But I remembered it has a lock button, so I just turned it on and locked the button. Problem solved! It took a little longer in the shower because I don't have a mirror in there and had to shave by feel, but the results turned out fabulous! It's something I'll probably only have time for on the weekends though. The cleaning station as far as I'm concerned is far superior to the one that came with my Braun Series 7. I much prefer the smaller and cheaper dry cartridges to the much larger, messier, and more expensive alcohol based ones that the Braun uses. I could only get about 6 weeks out of the Braun cartridges even with cleaning the shaver every other day. The system is not sealed so the alcohol just evaporates whether you use it or not. The water based system on the Panasonic appears to be much better sealed, and of course you could always add a little more water if you needed to, so I can easily see getting 2 to 3 month's out of a cartridge with this setup. I've always rinsed all the whiskers out of the shaver head first (yes, the Braun's head was washable) before putting it in the cleaner base to help keep the load and odor at bay. This helps the cleaner in the base stay fresher longer and also reduces clogs in the system as well for reduced maintenance. I'll probably only use the wash cycle every few days with the Panasonic because it cleans up so well under the faucet with just using the "turbo" cleaning method. The cost of these cartridges through Amazon's subscription purchase is only $2.83 each. I have been paying $4.33 on average for the cartridges for the Braun, and then they only last 6 weeks. So this will be a nice savings if I can get a few month's out of these. I feel the cleaning system is worthwhile because it keeps my shaver clean, fresh, and dry so much better than if it was just left up to me. And Panasonic's cleaning station allows me to select "dry only and charge" (where the Braun's doesn't) so on those day's when I choose not to use the cleaning cycle, I can still dry the shaver head in the station which I feel is important to the longevity of the blades. Plus since there's no alcohol in the system, it won't erode the finish on the shaver like it did with my Braun. All the paint flaked off around the base of the head on my Braun due to the alcohol. I'm really enjoying my new Panasonic shaving system. The only gripes I have with it all have to do with the way it's programmed to do certain tasks. Let's start with the base. This is an excellent system and cleans the shaver immaculately. However, who in their right mind would program it to dry the shaver for 1 1/2 hours! That's right, the fan runs for an hour and a half to dry the head. That's ridiculous! The cleaning cycle only takes 10 minutes, and that's fine. But it shouldn't take more than 20 to 30 minutes max to dry the head with the fan. Who comes up with these things? Then there's the infamous flashing blue light display that it reverts to after the battery is fully charged. What would make any one ever think that the customer would be happy with a blue beacon in their bathroom flashing all night long!?! How absurd is that! When the shaver is done charging the light should just go out - end of story. But no, it has to flash and light up the whole room endlessly flashing like a little lighthouse. Who-ever is in charge of programming these shaver's and bases needs to be moved on. In summary, this is the best electric shaver I've ever used. And the cleaning/charging station does an outstanding job keeping the shaver in tip top shape. It is only flawed by a couple of really dumb programming choices. But I've discovered that you can just tip the shaver to one side in the base to make the flashing blue light go out. It doesn't look quite as elegant as when the shaver is straight but it works. You can also stop the drying cycle that way too. Despite these annoying flaws, I still highly recommend this shaver to anyone that wants one of the best shave's that can be had from an electric shaver. Yes, it's that good.