Product Description

The Panasonic Vortex HydraClean Shaver with Convex Cutting System offers the best technology available from Panasonic. The HydraClean System is a modern wonder--this intelligent base includes automatic charge, clean, and dry functions. All these functions can be used together or independently. It uses a water/detergent infused cleansing process instead of hazardous alcohol for safe effective cleaning of the razor. What sets this razor apart from others is the Convex Cutting System. The foils and blades on this razor are arced so they nestle gently into the skin for our closest shave ever, and it uses the industry's sharpest 30-degree blades to achieve even better cutting performance. The adjustable pivoting head helps the shaver follow your unique curves and tailors the range of the pivoting motion to your personal taste, whether you prefer a firm shave or one with more give. At the heart of the razor lies Panasonic's patented linear motor. While standard razors operate at 8,000-10,000 rpm, the Vortex operates at an amazingly fast 13,000 rpm to cut through the thickest of beards. Its wet/dry capability allows you to use it with lather, in the convenience of your shower, or on the go.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34491 in Health and Beauty
• Color: Black
• Brand: Panasonic
• Model: ES8168S
• Released on: 2006-06-16
• Dimensions: 6.00" h x 2.00" w x 2.00" l, 2.36 pounds

Features

• Water-infused hygienic solution cleans stubble and debris from the shaver and refreshes the blades
• Long-lasting cartridge provides superior cleaning power and keeps the blades lubricated
• Intelligent multi-level charging system, Clean, Charge, Dry
• LCD battery capacity monitor
• Convex foil and blade conform closely to the face

Customer Reviews

READ THIS IF YOU WANT THE BEST SHAVER MADE TODAY !
It's not often people take the time to write a review about something like an electric shaver, BUT, this product truely deserves the recognition. Here's what I have found.

I HAVE REALLY TESTED THEM ALL !
I am very particular about spending my hard earned on something that seems cheap or looks like it only cost $5 to make overseas. So I generally tend the gravitate to the higher/highest end of product lines.

I have tested and owned the following:

Norelco's newest Speed XL's 9170XLCC
Norelco Spectra 8 James Bond series
Norelco's Cool shave Nivea lotion dispenser built in (Don't even bother!)
Braun's 360 #8995, Made in Germany-their best model
Panasonic ES8228 Vortex Nano Triple Blade HydraSystem II - A Brookstone Exclusive model but the same as the ES8168S

I have tested all of these over the course of 2 years. They all perform cleaning functions with a cleaning unit, or they can be rinsed under a faucet.

HERE'S THE RESULTS

NORELCO'S
Norelco's newest Speed XL triple blade system is absolutely NO better than the Spectra 8 (James Bond Series) or above. It may actually be worse because of the smaller cutter sizes. It does however provide a comfortable shave that Norelco is most known for. It's easy, smooth and quiet. Anyone can use this shaver and not get nicked. It's a pleasure to hold and almost makes you move in circles which seems to attack the hair from any angle. As good as that is - IT JUST DOES NOT SHAVE AS CLOSE AS A BRAUN OR A PANASONIC. Physics dictate that, the metal ringcups that hold the round blades are just to thick to pull the hair up and clip the hair below the surface as claimed. The cleaning system is huge and not "intelligent" like Braun's. Overall a proven solid performer.

THE BRAUN 360 #8995
This unit has a much better pivoting head design than past models and has a very unique foil that is supposed to grab the hairs more effeciently - well, it definately provides a closer shaver than previous models. This shaver however is WORK. To get a really close shave you need to follow their directions of stretching and pulling your skin tight. Most guys do this somewhat anyway, but to really get a close shave with this unit expect to work at it, AND expect to go over the same area in different directions. The "bar" shaver is just designed that way, YOU provide the attack path on your beard. Not a bad things but certainly more work. Expect to get your closest shave after around 5 minutes at least.
The Braun is the loudest shaver of the bunch, in fact annoying to those in the house. The motor is truley slower than the Panasonic and it shows. It's a clunky unit to hold by comparison to the Norelco, and the Panasonic. BUT, it will definately shave closer than ANY Norelco to date.
Cleaning unit is big bulky and loud but does a very good job. The replacement cleaner tanks are WAY overpriced compared to the others.

THE PANASONIC VORTEX NANO SYSTEM.
I happen to have bought mine from Brookstone, and yes I paid a $50 premium to have their special color (a light beige/silver) with wood grain finger rests and a backlight LCD. It also has the SMALLEST cleaning unit that matches the color of the shaver and is attractive. This keeps my wife happy since it's not a lot of clutter, these cleaning units need to stay put.
THE TRUE TEST OF A CLOSER SHAVE AMOUNGST UNITS
There really is only one way to test the units - shave 1/2 of your face with one unit, the other 1/2 with a different shaver. I did this for many weeks. Almost any shaver is going to feel pretty smooth after you first shave, you'll quickly notice which side was closer by the end of the day OR the next morning.

ANOTHER GREAT TEST - I did this too!
Shave your face with one brand, then immediately shave your face again with another unit. I WILL ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEE THAT THESE PANASONIC VORTEX NANO'S WILL SHAVE YOU EVEN CLOSER AFTER A SHAVE FROM ANOTHER. You will notice this by the "sound" of your beard being cut. It's absolutely amazing!!!

DESIGN AND ENGINEERING WINS ON THE PANASONIC
THREE technologies seem to be completely advanced on the Panasonic as compared to anyone else. They are MOTOR SPEED, 30 DEGREE BLADE ANGLE AND NANO BLADE SHARPENING. Here are my results:
1. Fastest Linear motor 13,000 rpm patented, it makes a BIG difference.
2. Super quiet compared to the Braun and about the same as Norelco
3. The entire head goes IN and OUT and pivots LEFT to RIGHT. This is great because you can push in harder without fear of ruining the cutter foil or nicking yourself.
4. The cutter head is slightly "curved" which makes a BIG differnce when moving in a circular attack.
5. NO vibration incredibly at that speed, and comfortable to hold
6. Cleaning unit is small fast and efficient. Uses WATER in a much larger tank than anyone else and CLEANING detergent cartridge that's a lot less money than anyones. Hey, anyone can sell you alchohol in a cartridge, this is MUCH smarter, cleaner, and more economical.
7. While on the road, you can clean the unit by simply pumping ordinary liquid soap onto the head while it's running, let it suds up, then rinse off and let dry. How cool is that!
8. YES, it can be used in the shower if you want. These units are WELL sealed and WELL made

Well, I hope that helps you save time and money. You could easily get this same unit from Amazon under a different model just make sure it has the following:
1. Nano Blade Technology - a much sharper polishing system for their blades
2. Vortex (convex blades and foil)
3. HydaClean System II

Make shaving fun again, go buy one.!

Panasonic - Amazing Shave
I purchased this razor based on good research and reading various numbers of reviews. Having owned two Norelco razors (with the circular-pivot blades), I was extremely skeptical about spending money to purchase another. After all, these electric shavers are not cheap. I purchased my first Norelco while in the military and I would always get in trouble for not shaving "properly". I then purchased a second Norelco a few years later with the notion that "maybe the newer models would work better". The second razor was a little better than my first, but it still left many hairs untouched. Now, almost ten years after purchasing my first shaver, I decided to give electric razors a third and final chance.

The Panasonic unit is constructed very well. One of the main reasons I chose the Panasonic unit was because it gave me the ability to "wet shave" (even allowing the use of shaving cream). The shaver is a bit loud (louder than both my Norelco shavers), but not loud enough to hurt your ears or disturb someone in the next room. It is better to shave after showering (or while showering), since our facial hairs are softest then. I applied a thin (it has to be thin for the razor to work properly) layer of shaving cream, crossed my fingers, turned on my shaver, and shaved away. The shaver glided effortlessly across my face without pulling or irritating. I splashed water on my face to clean it away after only shaving half of it. I was completely astonished at how well the shaver had performed. It shaved as close as my Mach III manual razor, but without the irritation. Cleaning the shaver was easy. You can choose to auto clean it with the supplied cleaning system, but I opted for the manual cleaning method (since purchasing the cleaning cartridges can get expensive). I cannot comment on durability or long term reliability because this review is based on my first use. Needless to say, I am very pleased with my purchase.

Incredible
I've never liked these cordless razors, my fathers norelco years and years ago would shave you but i always thought of it as more of a trimmer than an actual shave compared to a regular razor shave.

Recently though due to my schedule i have been increasingly busy and thought i would give one of these a shot in case i ever needed a quick shave in the car.

This device is incredible, not only is this the lexus of shavers, it shaved me so damn close that my shave looks as if i had wet shaved with shaving cream and a razor, and this was dry, so i can imagine that a wet shave with a little lather would be incredibly smooth! As it is, the first time i used it, it did leave my face incredibly smooth!

I was unsure when i bought this if it was worth the price, but believe me, this shaver is not your fathers old shaver. This thing is perfect, and to top it all off, it even cleans, charges, and dry's itself! Perfect!

10 out of 10.

I just hope it lasts.