ES-LA63-S Arc4 Electric Razor

I have been a Braun user for the past 30 or so years although I tried Norelco and that didn’t work out. I had two of the 7500 series razors and they were both getting old with battery problems and no longer provided a close shave despite purchasing new cutter head and comb. I originally decided to upgrade to a Braun Series 7 Razor with far newer technology and found it to be an expensive failure, at least for me. It gave a bad shave, and it actually irritated my skin. I figured this was due to an aggressive comb in the middle of the head. I also didn’t like the fact that you had to use an expensive accessory you plunge the razor into to clean it. The series 7 was a very unsatisfactory experiment and after several months of unhappy use, the store I bought it from gracefully allowed me return it. At that point, I began casting about for a replacement razor and revisited the Panasonic line. I had looked at them before and noted they were very pricey in stores, (when they could be found, even more than high-end Braun); however, the ones I looked at on-line were more reasonably priced and the spec’s were good so I ordered a Panasonic ES-LA63-S Arc4 Men's Electric Razor, 4-Blade Cordless with Wet/Dry from an Amazon vendor. When I received the razor and tried it, I was amazed that it gave me a far nicer shave than either my former Braun 7505 or the series 7 razor I unsuccessfully tried. The technology of the Panasonic razor is excellent, with a very fast moving cutter assembly. The head design is compatible with my skin and doesn’t irritate (unless I press too hard when shaving). I’ve decided that I will not achieve a razor-blade smooth shave with any electric razor so I don’t push it. My shaves pass the “wife” test though so that’s good enough for me and I do not live with a styptic pencil like I did in my early days of blade shaving. It’s waterproof, so I understand you can get an even closer shave if you use a shave cream like Nivea and shave “wet” with the razor. One of the very favorable things I noticed about the Panasonic is how you clean it. They instruct you to just “put a few drops of hand soap” (from a dispenser) on the head and run the razor. Amazingly simple - and you don’t need a complicated alcohol based cleaning accessory for this razor as you do with Braun and Norelco. You can also clean it by just turning it on and running it under the faucet. It even has a “turbo” mode which vibrates the cutter assembly extremely fast – not unlike an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner. This seems to clean the razor really well. I blow on it to try it and lay it on a washrag to completely dry with the head off. The only problem I had with the razor was with the flip-up trimmer. This might be the only weakness in the design of this razor and where it is inferior to Braun. The trimmer would not stay locked in the “up” position so I contacted amazon and received an amazing bit of no-quibble customer service. They advised me that a replacement razor was on its way and to return the bad one in the original box. OK – so I have to go without my razor for a while until they send me a new one? - absolutely not. They emailed me a printable return label to tape to the original box with instructions to either have it picked up by UPS (free) or take it to one of their drop-off locations. Then they told me I could continue using the old razor until the new one arrived within a very short time after I contacted them. This is a great way to solve customer problems with minimum inconvenience and, despite the failure (it can happen) the outstanding customer service made me a loyal Amazon customer for future purchases. All in all, I’m extremely happy with my Panasonic ES-LA63-S razor and with where I bought it on line. As for the price? With a little shopping, I ended up with a four blade electric razor for just over $100.00 that beats both Braun and Norelco.

Update 7/17/17; Update 12/1/12; original review 10/9/10. Update about 7 years later... I'm still using this razor, though I've changed the foil and blades a number of times. At this point the digital display is dead and the razor head is stained with soap/shaving cream that won't come off. But it still works, holds a charge for a long time, and gives a good shave. * * * 12/1/12 After two years I replaced this razor. Could you get more life out of it than two years? Definitely. Why did I replace it? 1. Mold, despite regular cleaning regime. * After about 18-20 months, this razor started to get black mold on/in the plastic under the foil cover, on the part of the razor where the blades are attached. This part of the razor is a light color plastic, so it could be easily seen. It does not rub off; it is in the plastic and like a stain. I should add this problem emerged even though I ALWAYS took off the foil cover, rinsed the foil cap and blade area of razor after use, and left the two parts out on the counter to dry. I can only imagine that not doing this cleaning routine (a quick rinse and putting it in a drawer) would leave one with a very moldy razor. * I tried cleaning the mold with a bleach solution, soap, and hydrogen peroxide. Helped but didn't get rid of it. I'm sure the mold was also within the razor in areas that I couldn't see. * I think this was mostly a cosmetic issue, but I didn't like the idea that there would be mold near shaving blades and my face. * If you have a black version of this razor you probably have the same thing happening, but you don't see it. It might be a good idea for everyone to give their wet razors a dunk in hydrogen peroxide or a bleach solution once in a while. 2. I upgraded to a model with a cleaning stand. * As noted below, I didn't really like that this razor didn't come with some kind of stand. I knew that I wouldn't put a wet thing in a drawer, and if I was going to leave it out on the counter, it felt like it should have a stand. * Because of the mold issue, I upgraded to a model that would have a stand and the cleaning function. I am hopeful that the cleaning function will eliminate the mold problem with my new Panasonic razor. * I will write a review of the new razor, but let me just say here that the stand is big, not very elegant, has very bright flashing lights (you won't want it near your bedroom at night), and very noisy for about 5-10 minutes (sounds like a train, and in a quiet room feels as loud, no joke-- my wife hates it). Summary-- Panasonic makes a great razor, but this mold issue was an unexpected disappointment. 10/9/10. This is an excellent shaver and I've switched happily and probably permanently from blade shaving, only wishing I had switched years ago. But years ago (say 15 to 20) I had used a few different rotary Braun and Norelco electric razors that didn't do a great job, and gave them up for blades. This one works differently, whether it is the ultrasonic or the blade style and motion, so if you think you have tried an electric shaver by trying only one kind, I've learned that you have to try all the different types. This one might be the one for you. I shaved for years with Mach III blades, but even using high quality shaving cream, I came to hate shaving, that knife on my face, which I have to do every day, with a dark beard. This razor give a close shave and it is painless. I continue to shave wet, with no difference than with my blade, and have had no irritation, even with the very first use (so don't be put off by that "you have to get used to it" warning). I actually look forward to shaving now, or at least don't mind it at all. Granted, I still have my Mach III handy, to clean up a few missed hairs, but I do not mind the "extra step," since I get a closer shave than I ever have, and without pain and any cuts. (My routine includes Art of Shaving or Body Shop shaving cream, excellent products, a small amount of cream lathered on with a damp shaving brush.) Shaving is quick with this razor. Its rapid ultrasonic motion creates more lather when you use shaving cream, which makes the shaving even smoother. It takes a few minutes, and you don't have to worry about getting cut. Maybe you can get the same shave with one of the lower priced models, but I am so pleased with it that I don't resent the price. I sometimes wish that I had bought a model with a stand however.

Es muy buena, fácil de usar y limpiar, se carga rápido y puedo usarla unas 6 veces antes de tener que recargarla. Sólo le sugiero a quien la compre que la coloque en el ángulo correcto para una buena afeitada, de resto todo es muy siemple

I have very thick facial hair, and shave twice a day if necessary. I'm also very prone to razor burn on my neck, and my hair grows in literally every direction and mostly flat against my skin. for the past 10 years, I've been using primarily Gillette Fusion blades (proglide, power, etc) with great results. But the blades only last a couple weeks (and I end up using them for a month or more because I'm cheap lol,) so I began using a combo of a Remmington rotary shaver for the bulk of the hair, and the manual razor for the odd ball patches that Rotary shaver wouldn't cut. This worked well for a while, but I still got razor burn, and shaving took ages. I finally decided that paying $5-$6 per cartridge was dumb, and I was sick of razor burn and spending so much time shaving. I ran out of cartridges and bought a Braun Series 3 foil shaver on recommendation from no one, other than I saw it at Target and needed to shave. It worked... okay. missed pretty much every hair that laid flat and it was a pain to clean. I returned it after 2 shaves and decided to get the Panasonic ES LA6 Arc IV based on hours of internet sleuthing. It took a while to get here (1 day in transit, but 5 days to ship out? Are you for real Amazon?) but when it did, it was like a gift from the gods. I tried it out dry shaving with about 3 days of growth (a jungle by all respects) and it had basically no issues getting my face all cleaned up and smooth. It took a few shaves to get onto the process, it's basically like shaving with a safety razor where you shave up and down... except you don't need the cream, water, mess, etc. The best thing of all, is that I don't get razor burn or ingrown hairs anymore, regardless of how often I shave. clean up is easy (I don't have a charging base,) all you do is turn it on, rinse it under cold water, pump some hand soap on it and let it run til it foams, and rinse it again, then let it dry. The hair becomes super fine, almost like a dust or fine dirt. I recently tried wet shaving with it, and the cold water feels great with it, and the shave is even better. Super smooth, quick and painless. Pros: Excellent shave Fast and easy clean up Fast shave (Avg time 3-4min) Good battery life (lasts about 10-15 shaves) Digital display is useful to let you know when you need to charge Apparently the heads last for 2-3 years (don't know how true this is) Cons: A bit loud when shaving near the sideburns Can't shave while plugged in (safety feature of all wet/dry shavers) Recommendation: Disregard other options, buy this.

This is my second Panasonic shaver. It is really good. I love Panasonic brand.

Very good razor nearly as good as a wet shave. The good thing you do not get sore useing it.

Very good shaver. Charges rapidly (1 hour), but it is not operational while being charged.