Once a warfare lone waged amongst disposable razors, the engineering situation of cramming arsenic galore blades arsenic imaginable onto a razor has taken implicit electrical shavers too. Panasonic’s Arc6 manages to compression successful six cutting implements to hack and slash distant each your stubble successful less swipes, but does it outperform lesser razors capable to warrant its $400 terms tag?

I perfectly hatred shaving, don’t bask sporting a beard, and person nary involvement successful pursuing immoderate imperishable hairsbreadth removal solutions. I besides find shaving with a disposable razor excessively messy, and person stuck with electrical razors ever since my archetypal fewer whiskers appeared. A rechargeable exemplary tin conveniently beryllium utilized astir anywhere, but getting arsenic adjacent a shave arsenic imaginable often requires countless swipes crossed the face, particularly erstwhile tackling 3 oregon 4 days of stubble growth.

For the longest time, I’ve stuck with the cheapest electrical razors I could find, but past twelvemonth I yet decided to splurge connected a pricier Braun Series 7 model, mostly due to the fact that I was funny if spending much wealth would marque shaving easier. The upgrade instantly made shaving little of a chore and was decidedly worthy the $150 I spent, but it’s made maine wonderment if electrical razors proceed to connection improved show if you propulsion adjacent much wealth astatine them. The Panasonic Arc6 is much than doubly the terms of my Braun, but does it marque shaving fractional arsenic arduous?

Fist Impression: Intimidating

When I archetypal pulled the Arc6 retired of its box, I had the aforesaid content arsenic erstwhile I archetypal saw an epilator: intimidation.

To idiosyncratic who’s ne'er utilized an electrical razor before, adjacent the foils and exposed blades connected my simpler Braun razor would marque them hesitant to resistance it crossed their face. But adjacent to the Arc6's 2 lifting blades, 2 titanium-coated stubble-chopping blades, and 2 finishing blades, the Braun astir looks primitive by comparison.

Turning the razor connected and disconnected is simply a elemental one-button affair, and beneath the powerfulness button, you’ll find a presumption show embedded beneath the razor’s integrative housing. One diagnostic I peculiarly similar is that the powerfulness fastener tin lone beryllium activated erstwhile the razor detects it’s being held, different it automatically enters a locked mode, preventing it from accidentally turning connected and draining the artillery portion bouncing astir wrong a toiletries bag.

More Flex Than a Yoga Instructor

The blades connected an electrical razor enactment champion erstwhile the shaver is positioned perpendicular to the face, but that’s not ever an casual presumption to support fixed the contours of each face. To marque keeping the blades flush against the tegument portion shaving easier, the Arc6 uses immoderate utmost articulation.

Reminiscent of the ultra-flexible Steadicam camera rigs Hollywood uses, the Arc6's cutting caput sits atop an articulated mechanics that Panasonic claims provides 22 antithetic directions of movement, including daze absorption to assistance support some the user’s look and the blades.

There are times erstwhile that’s conscionable excessively overmuch flexibility, truthful connected the backmost of the Arc6, there’s a sliding fastener mechanics that tin bounds the head’s movement. Sliding it further besides pops up a trimmer attachment. As with astir electrical razors, the Arc6 is designed to mostly tackle abbreviated stubble, not longer whiskers, truthful Panasonic suggests utilizing this trimmer archetypal to wide retired a longer beard. That’s a atrocious idea. The trimmer is possibly utile for squaring disconnected sideburns, but if you procrastinate connected shaving arsenic agelong arsenic I do, I’d alternatively urge pairing the Arc6 with a dedicated trimmer for dealing with longer whiskers, similar a Philips OneBlade.

A Charging and Cleaning Station I Actually Might Use

I don’t attraction if you unrecorded successful a 1 chamber flat oregon a sprawling cardinal dollar estate, there’s nary specified happening arsenic having capable antagonistic abstraction successful a bathroom; it volition ever disappear. I usually ne'er usage the counter-hogging charging and cleaning stations that galore pricier electrical razors vessel with, and portion the Arc6 tin thankfully beryllium purchased connected its ain without one, the optionally bundled dock mightiness really beryllium worthy keeping around.

Its footprint isn’t terribly gigantic, and it’s got 2 precise utile features going for it.

The astir convincing crushed to usage a dock similar this is that it makes cleaning the razor effortless. You conscionable instrumentality it in, property a button, and the dock does the rest. Many companies usage the dock arsenic an accidental to merchantability overpriced proprietary cleaning cartridges afloat of detergent that request to beryllium regularly replaced—which is different crushed I ne'er utilized the 1 that came with my Braun razor.

But the Arc6's dock features a pop-out tray you conscionable capable with a premix of h2o and detergent. It’s casual to replenish and cleanable retired arsenic often arsenic needed, though Panasonic does powerfully pass against utilizing thing different than its ain peculiar razor detergent. These travel successful small pouches and besides service to lubricate the razor’s cutting head.

The different diagnostic I similar astir the Arc6's dock is that it includes a built-in drying fan. It’s not arsenic aggravated arsenic a stroke dryer—a bedewed razor won’t beryllium adust successful a substance of minutes—but it does expedite the drying process, which reduces the hazard of mold oregon different undesirable growths appearing.

Is the dock necessary? I would accidental no. You tin prevention yourself $100 and conscionable drawback the Arc6 razor itself. Cleaning it manually is arsenic elemental arsenic applying immoderate manus soap to the blades and activating a cleaning mode that increases leaf oscillations erstwhile you clasp down the powerfulness fastener for a mates of seconds, past popping disconnected the blades and giving everything a speedy rinse and dry. It’s effortless, cheaper, and space-saving.

But What Does My Face Think?

Despite having an intimidating fig of blades, the Arc6 provided 1 of the gentlest shaves I’ve ever had with an electrical razor. My archetypal shave tackled astir 3 days worthy of growth, and connected immoderate parts of my face, the Arc6 was capable to hack distant the stubble and permission a comparatively creaseless spot of tegument successful conscionable a azygous pass.

The wide thought of having truthful galore blades is that they each absorption connected antithetic lengths of hairsbreadth arsenic they expanse crossed the face, yet leaving thing behind. When utilized much often connected days with little stubble growth, the Arc6 did an awesome occupation astatine leaving creaseless tegument behind. However, if you privation the smoothest results, you’ll inactive request to walk a fewer minutes going implicit immoderate areas again and again to woody with random stragglers. I usually walk astir 10 minutes connected a shave aft a mates of days of letting my look tally wild, but the Arc6 decidedly chopped that down rather a bit.

The effectiveness of the Arc6 volition diminish arsenic the blades dull implicit time, but what I liked adjacent much astir the razor was the flexibility of the cutting head. My Braun shaver offers question successful conscionable 1 direction, and it’s uncommon that I decorativeness a shave without astatine slightest a nick connected my Adam’s Apple arsenic a result. The Arc6 dealt with this country easily, leaving creaseless tegument down and nary cuts to woody with afterwards. Like the comfy thrust you’ll get successful a $100,000+ sedan, the Arc6 makes shaving acold much pleasant.

Worth the Splurge?

The $400 question (or $500 if you privation that charging/cleaning dock too) is whether the Panasonic Arc6 is worthy the splurge?

It surely provides the astir comfy electrical shave I’ve ever had, but adjacent with a marque caller acceptable of crisp blades, I inactive recovered myself having to spell implicit the aforesaid areas of my look again and again to get each past portion of stubble. That’s 1 of the drawbacks of utilizing an electrical razor, and 1 that Panasonic hasn’t solved with the Arc6.

Do I deliberation it’s amended than the Braun Series 7 I’ve been utilizing for the past year? Absolutely. The Arc6 deals with a fewer days maturation with ease, and its quality to lucifer a face’s contours greatly minimizes the hazard of nicks oregon cuts. Is it a indispensable upgrade? You won’t beryllium disappointed with the splurge, but astatine $400, you tin astir apt inactive walk fractional that overmuch wealth and extremity up with an fantabulous shave from an electrical razor. The Arc6 is expensive, and adjacent much truthful erstwhile you origin successful that Panasonic recommends replacing the cutting blades each twelvemonth oregon year-and-a-half, depending connected use, which volition acceptable you backmost $115 each time. Do you request a Rolls Royce? No. Would you bask each 2nd of owning one? Yes, and the Arc6 delivers a likewise satisfying experience.