ES 8109 becoming dull I purchased my shaver in February 2008, initially as close a shave as my previous Panasonic shaver; however, my shave has become less effective with time. At just over 4 months, I find myself having to press harder and harder, with more irritation as well as using a razor for touchups... Any thoughts if this is odd behavior after four months, I would hate to have to replace blades every four months (my previous panasonic lasted greater than a year without any noticeable difference)?Thanks for the input... ES 8109 becoming dull I purchased my shaver in February 2008, initially as close a shave as my previous Panasonic shaver; however, my shave has become less effective with time. At just over 4... » Read More ES 8109 becoming dull I purchased my shaver in February 2008, initially as close a shave as my previous Panasonic shaver; however, my shave has become less effective with time. At just over 4 months, I find myself having to press harder and harder, with more irritation as well as using a razor for touchups... Any thoughts if this is odd behavior after four months, I would hate to have to replace blades every four months (my previous panasonic lasted greater than a year without any noticeable difference)?Thanks for the input... « Show Less
1506953
Had mine just over three months. I use it with hot water and hand soap. The blades are definitely less efficient than they were, although still better than my last razor.Out of the posters on this thread, three indicate a life of 3-4 months... Interesting. Guess I'll try the "Tom's brushless cream".J. Thayer, how old are you and how hard is your beard?
1506954
I change the blades every 3-4 months and the foil every year - even then, its not the same as it was when new, even with replacement blades.....Initially it would get every hair on my face and neck - but now it leave hair within a month of changing the blade.
839221
use Tom's brushless shaving cream. The foils last forever and you'll have the best shave of your life. However, the cutters will gradually become dull. After 8-9 months I notice a difference and will replace both the foil and cutters, even though the foil still appears to be fine. I've gone past one year with the same foil and cutters although the preformance is not the best.
2011179
I've had mine 3 years now with no troubles whatsoever. Only small amount of wear on the inside of the foil. I bought this shaver because my last Panasonic wet/dry lasted 10 years!
1212268
I replace the foil when the quality of the shave goes down. I have a tough beard and replaced the foil on my last Panasonic about every 9 months.
233844
I switched to this from a Braun 5-Series. The Panasonic ES-LA63 is an absolute gem compared to the Braun. I NEVER had a shave with the Braun that didn't pull my hairs. Very painful. And if you haven't tried it yet, use the LA63 in the shower: Super close shaves, zero irritation! And your face will be as smooth as a baby's bottom.
2132543
I have a 1000 series that is still going to this day, its between 5 and 10 years old and the foil is still intact, it has outlasted the internal battery which does still work but not for very long. Will not buy anything but Braun again because other shavers I had the foil always went bad in about a years time of use.
57839
I have a Panasonic ES2207 that I guess is older than the ones that are being discussed. My razor was purchased July 29, 2009, and the charger no longer works. The razor didn't work that well anyway and now that I can't charge it, not at all. I had a Remington that lasted for at least 12 years and gave a better shave. Why is it the old products seem to work better than the new ones?
711994
My beard is relatively soft, One blade lasts me for a month or more if i shave just 2-3 times a week, which is my favorite schedule. When I shave every day it last a bit more than a week, about 10 shaves. In general, the sharper a blade starts out, the faster will the edge lose its edge so to speak. The Feather blades are extremely sharp, so one should expect them to last less than an average blade. It is still my favorite, because they are so sharp that i can shave under the nose without a hint of discomfort, not even a tickle. With the Gillette cartridge gizmos, that area was always a slow painful torture. My beard is relatively soft, One blade lasts me for a month or more if i shave just 2-3 times a week, which is my favorite schedule. When I shave every day it last a bit more than a week, about 10 shaves. In general, the sharper a blade starts out, the faster will the edge lose its edge so to speak. The Feather blades are extremely sharp, so one should expect them to last less than an average blade. It is still my favorite, because they are so sharp that i can shave under the nose without a hint of discomfort, not even a tickle. With the Gillette cartridge gizmos, that area was always a... » Read More My beard is relatively soft, One blade lasts me for a month or more if i shave just 2-3 times a week, which is my favorite schedule. When I shave every day it last a bit more than a week, about 10 shaves. In general, the sharper a blade starts out, the faster will the edge lose its edge so to speak. The Feather blades are extremely sharp, so one should expect them to last less than an average blade. It is still my favorite, because they are so sharp that i can shave under the nose without a hint of discomfort, not even a tickle. With the Gillette cartridge gizmos, that area was always a slow painful torture. « Show Less
1742495
Same issue after two years-over which I used the unit only twenty times, so less than a month's worth of shaves for someone using it daily. Just read on the Wahl site that there's a 5-year limited warranty, so I'll give that a try.
809436
I use it weekly and shave each time. Been 6 weeks. I do notice it's not as much.
1198120
Does anyone know if it is possible to use this shaver while it's charging?My old ES8152's battery is getting weak. It won't be long before I can't even shave once on a single charge. It now needs $40 worth of replacement parts, and I'm afraid to invest because I don't know how long it will be before it's unusable. Certainly less than the two years it took me to wear out the first outer foil.
196125
Hello JJI. I have been meaning to respond to your post and used my braun 9595 for the 2nd time only today. I'm a doctor and appreciate your concern which is genuine and as you explain, far from ideal to end up with hairs in your trachy site. Unfortunately, I think you're safer staying away from this shaver for your particular concern since there was a considerable amount of small hairs that fell during my shave today. I could clearly see those hairs in the sink and since they fall out dry, they are more difficult to extract and clean. I don't know if you currently shave with 'wet' razors, but I would imagine that is the safest and cleanest way to shave around the area. Dry hairs tend to be problematic to remove and most likely to elicit the undesired inflammatory reactions although less likely obstruct the area due to their minute size. This shaver does not have a vacuum system and I don't know how it compares to others since this is my first electric shaver. Also, I can't even comment on the quality of shave at this very early stage yet but I'll leave a review in due course. I hope this is useful but please accept this at face value as my opinion only from what I've experienced personally so far. Its worth mentioning that my stubble is slightly thicker than your average stubble. All the best.
1507138
I've had the Panasonic ES8243S (the 4 blade model) to use in the shower every 2-3 days, and only for shaving my head. When initially researching was electric razors are best for shaving your head, Panasonics were usually the ones most people were satisfied with.
980429
I have very sensitive skin around my neck and this is the first razor that does not cause major irritation. I have a Norelco, a Povos and a Remington and the Panasonic is by far the best electric razor I have ever used. I will be using it exclusively in the future. Really well made and holds a charge better than aby of my others. Hope this answers your question. Bruce
2194640
With mine, it started out as a 65 minute shave time, but as I keep using it, it has gone up to 84 minutes. I don't know how far up it will go.
1617291
This probably varies from person to person. I lather my whole face 3 times when I shave and shave 6/7 days a week. I can say for sure it will last 6 months and my guess is it will last roughly a year. This is assuming the product goes all the way to the bottom and it's not shallow, from what I can tell it does go to the bottom, but I obviously haven't reached there yet. I'll update this again when I run out.
2011180
I have also had a Panasonic wet/dry shaver very similar to this for about 15yrs (use it once a wk on face and twice a month on head) and I'm finally looking to replace it with another Panasonic for sure. (Posted this in support of the quality/longevity)
527058
I have had my ES-LA63 for 5 years and now it seems that I have to recharge it about every 5 shaves, before it was around 20 shaves. I have seen the replacement "new Panasonic battery" online for under $20. and am tempted to try it. Great shaver BTW, even better than my Braun.