Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D electric razor review
The Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D Wet/Dry Electric for men is a versatile shaver and is able to work in both dry and wet conditions with or without shaving gel. The 3D GyroFlex system allows the 3 dual blade independently pivoting shaver heads to work together and hug the contours of your face. Precision lift and cut action provides close shaves and even works great for sensitive skin.
The SensoTouch 3D 1290X/40 is a beautiful ergonomically designed device. It is a pleasure to hold with the beautiful full metal Zinc finish. The wireless rechargeable lithium-ion battery gives you up to 20 days on a 1hr quick charge. It comes with a charging stand, carry pouch, cleaning brush and protection cap and a 2 year guarantee from Philips Norelco. An easy to read full LCD on the 1290X/40 indicates the amount of charge remaining right down to the minute, time to full charge progress, also a cleaning indicator and replacement head indicator helps you remember when to maintain your shaver.
Typically I hate electric shavers with circular heads and use foil shavers since the lift and cut action would give me a somewhat painful shaving experience. The SensoTouch 3D has been a pleasant wet or dry and gives me a nice close shave. The wet experience is quite smooth but what surprised me was the dry shave was very close, maybe better for me. The SensoTouch 3d is great for light to medium growth but mileage will vary of course. If you have a ZZ Top beard, do not expect this to cut through your chin quaf in 2 min. I don’t know of any electric razor that is capable of that. If your Rumpelstiltskin needs shaving, try trimming it first with the SensoTouch Click on Beard Styler, otherwise there’s a built-in trimmer you can use for your mustache, goatee or side burns.
The SensoTouch 3D electric razor can also be purchased with a 1 or 3 speed Jet Clean System that will double as a cradle with the 1280X/42 or 1250X/42 variety. The 1280X/42 comes with a Chromed finish 5 level battery indicator and a 3 setting Jet Clean System while the 1250X/42 comes with a 3 level battery indicator, Black finish and a 1 setting Jet Clean System. The 1250 line gives a slightly shorter usage time at 50 min/17 days vs 60 min/20 days on the 1280/1290. The Jet Clean system cleans, lubricates, and charges the SensoTouch Razor.
Now to the nitty gritty. It is recommended that you replace your shaving head unit annually, RQ12 replacement heads are a bit expensive at $54.99 but at least you get all 3 heads and getting rid of your old worn down shaving head unit is a snap. I recommend rinsing the SensoTouch 3d after each use to keep the shaver efficient and extend it’s life (each of the 3 collection chambers should be rinsed individually) otherwise it tends to get clogged not to mention you may find you will leak hair dust everywhere if the unit is laid on it’s side.
The unit measures 1.2 x 1.2 x 6.2 inches and weighs 1.2 lbs and a full charge is fairly quick at 1hr for 60 min of runtime or a maximum of 20 days, but I would prefer not having to keep the stand with me during travel, since it is necessary to seat the unit in it’s charging cradle when the unit when it’s charging. The SensoTouch automatically switches from 100v to240v for international use and a convenient travel lock is built-in to deter any accidental powering on during transport.
What’s in the Box
- SensoTouch 3D 1290X/40, charging stand, soft pouch for travel and storage, protective cap, power cord, and cleaning brush.
- SensoTouch 3D 1280X/42, charging stand, soft pouch for travel and storage, protective cap, Jet Clean system, Jet Clean solution, power cord, and cleaning brush.
- SensoTouch 3D 1250X/42, charging stand, soft pouch for travel and storage, protective cap, Jet Clean system, Jet Clean solution, power cord, and cleaning brush.
- SensoTouch 3D 1250X/40, charging stand, soft pouch for travel and storage, protective cap, power cord, and cleaning brush.
Available from philips.com retailers for $249.99
