Photo: Andrew Liszewski | Gizmodo
Once a war fought only between disposable razors, the engineering challenge of cramming as many blades as possible into one razor has taken over electric razors as well. Panasonic’s Arc6 manages to squeeze six cutting implements into cutting and trimming all your stubble in fewer strokes, but does it outperform lesser razors enough to justify its $400 price tag?
I absolutely hate shaving, I don’t like beards, and I have no interest in pursuing any permanent hair removal solutions. I also find shaving with a disposable razor too messy and have stuck with electric razors since my first whiskers appeared. A rechargeable model can be used pretty much anywhere, but getting a close shave often requires countless swipes across the face, especially when dealing with three or four days of stubble growth.
For a long time, I stuck with the cheapest electric razors I could find, but last year I finally decided to splurge on a more expensive Braun Series 7 model, mostly because I was curious if spending more money would make it easier the shave The upgrade immediately made shaving less of a chore and was definitely worth the $150 I spent, but it did make me wonder if electric razors continue to deliver improved performance if you push them even harder money. The Panasonic Arc6 is more than twice the price of my Braun, but does it shave half as hard?
Panasonic Arc6
A premium electric razor with six blades mounted on an ultra-flexible cutting head that provides a very close shave, but at an expensive price.
Panasonic Arc6
A premium electric razor with six blades mounted on an ultra-flexible cutting head that provides a very close shave, but at an expensive price.
WHAT IS?
An electric razor with six cutting blades and intelligent stubble control to automatically adjust the power of its electric motor as needed.
PRICE
$400 on its own, or $500 with a cleaning and charging station.
I LIKE
The charging station can be filled with soapy water and doesn’t require expensive refills, and the razor has a quieter cleaning mode if you prefer to run it under water.
I do not like it
Not only is the razor expensive, but the replacement blades, which need to be replaced every 1-1.5 years, are $115.
Initial impression: intimidating
When I took the Arc6 out of its box, I had the same impression I had when I first saw an epilator: intimidation.
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The Panasonic Arc6 razor (right) next to a Braun Series 7 razor (left). Photo: Andrew Liszewski | Gizmodo
For someone who has never used an electric razor, even the exposed foils and blades of my simplest Braun razor would make them hesitant to drag it across their face. But next to the Arc6’s two lifting blades, two titanium-coated stubble cutting blades, and two finishing blades, the Braun looks almost primitive by comparison.
Information including the remaining charge level of the razor is provided by glowing icons and hidden numbers under the razor housing. Photo: Andrew Liszewski | Gizmodo
Turning the razor on and off is a simple matter of a single button, and below the power button, you’ll find a status display embedded under the razor’s plastic casing. One feature I particularly like is that the power button can only be activated when the razor detects that it is being held, otherwise it automatically enters a locked mode, preventing it from accidentally turning on and draining the battery while bouncing inside a toiletry bag.
More Flex than a yoga instructor
Electric razor blades work best when the shaver is placed perpendicular to the face, but this is not always an easy position to maintain given the contours of each face. To make it easier for the blades to stay flush with the skin while shaving, the Arc6 uses extreme articulation.
The Arc6’s cutting blades are attached to an extremely articulated head designed to hug the face. Photo: Andrew Liszewski | Gizmodo
The Arc6’s cutting head, reminiscent of the ultra-flexible Steadicam camera setups used by Hollywood, sits on an articulated mechanism that Panasonic claims provides 22 different directions of movement, including shock absorption to help protect both the user’s face and the blades.
A pop-up cutter can be used on the back to square the sideburns, but I wouldn’t use it for larger trimming jobs. Photo: Andrew Liszewski | Gizmodo
There are times when this is too much flexibility, so on the back of the Arc6 there is a sliding locking mechanism that can limit head movement. Sliding it further also brings up a trimmer attachment. As with most electric razors, the Arc6 is primarily designed to tackle short stubble, not longer whiskers, so Panasonic suggests using this trimmer first to clean up a longer beard. It’s a bad idea. The trimmer might be useful for squaring sideburns, but if you put off shaving as much as I do, I’d recommend pairing the Arc6 with a dedicated trimmer to tackle longer sideburns, like a Philips OneBlade.
A charging and cleaning station I could really use
I don’t care if you live in a one bedroom apartment or a billion dollar estate, there is not enough counter space in the bathroom; it will always disappear. I generally never use the charging and cleaning stations that many more expensive electric shavers ship with, and while the Arc6 can thankfully be bought on its own without one, it might be worth it worth keeping the optional dock.
The charging and cleaning dock adds $100 to the price of the Panasonic Arc6. Photo: Andrew Liszewski | Gizmodo
Its footprint is not very giant and it has two very useful functions.
Head cleaning is not automatic when the razor is inserted into the dock. Photo: Andrew Liszewski | Gizmodo
The most compelling reason to use a dock like this is that it makes cleaning the razor easier. Just attach it, press a button and the dock does the rest. Many companies use the dock as an opportunity to sell overpriced proprietary cleaning cartridges full of detergent that need to be replaced periodically, another reason I never used the one that came with my Braun razor.
Instead of expensive cleaning cartridges, the Arc6’s dock lets you mix your own with water and detergent. Photo: Andrew Liszewski | Gizmodo
But the Arc6’s dock includes a drop-down tray that you just fill with a mixture of water and detergent. It’s easy to refill and clean as often as needed, although Panasonic strongly cautions against using anything other than its own special detergent. These come in small bags and are also used to lubricate the cutting head of the razor.
The dock also includes a drying fan for wet razors, but it’s small and takes a while to fully dry the razors after cleaning. Photo: Andrew Liszewski | Gizmodo
The other feature I like about the Arc6 dock is that it includes a built-in drying fan. Not as intense as a blow dryer, a wet razor won’t dry in minutes, but it does speed up the drying process, which reduces the risk of mold or other unwanted growth.
You can always skip the dock and clean the Arc6 manually, which even includes a special mode for rinsing it under the tap with hand soap. Photo: Andrew Liszewski | Gizmodo
Is the dock necessary? I would say no. You can save $100 and grab the Arc6 Razor. Cleaning it manually is as simple as applying a little hand soap to the blades and activating a cleaning mode that increases the oscillations of the blades when you hold down the power button for a few seconds, then remove the blades and give everything a quick rinse and dry. It’s easy, cheaper and saves space.
But what does my face think?
Despite having an intimidating number of blades, the Arc6 provided one of the smoothest shaves I’ve ever had with an electric razor. My first shave dealt with about three days of growth, and on some parts of my face, the Arc6 was able to cut the stubble and leave a relatively smooth patch of skin in a single pass.
The general idea of having so many blades is that each one focuses on different lengths of hair while writing down the face, leaving nothing behind. When used more frequently on days with less stubble growth, the Arc6 did an impressive job of leaving the skin smooth. However, if you want the smoothest results, you’ll still need to spend a few minutes going over some areas over and over again to deal with the random lags. I usually spend about ten minutes shaving after a couple days of shaving my face, but the Arc6 definitely cut that down quite a bit.
The effectiveness of the Arc6 will diminish as the blades dull over time, but what I liked even more about the razor was the flexibility of the cutting head. My Braun shaver only offers one-way motion, and as a result, it’s rare for me to finish a shave without a nick on my Adam’s apple as a result. The Arc6 treated this area easily, leaving smooth, cut-free skin to treat later. Just like the comfortable ride you’ll get in a $100,000+ sedan, the Arc6 makes shaving that much more enjoyable.
Is the overthrow worth it?
The $400 (or $500 if you also want that charging/cleaning dock) question is, is the Panasonic Arc6 worth it?
Although smooth and effective, the Arc6 is not a complete revolution in electric razors. But it is certainly a step forward. Photo: Andrew Liszewski | Gizmodo
It certainly provides the most comfortable electric shave I’ve ever had, but even with a new…