I have used the Panasonic ES365H shaver for almost 5 years. The battery was getting weak and the blade/foil were getting less sharp. It was a time to shop for a new shaver. So I got Panasonic ES7017S.

The ES7017S sells for $79 on Amazon.com (I got it for $75 using a $5-off coupon) with no sales tax and the standard shipping was free. I was surprised to find that the shaver arrived only 2 days after placing the order, even though it was supposed to take much longer.

In the Box (Blister?)

The first surprise was the packaging. When I opened the Amazon box, I expected to get a box with the shaver and accessories, but instead I got the “blister packaging”. Yes, it looks better on the store shelves, but I hate opening these things using a knife and then having to discard them. What if the shaver breaks down and I have to ship it back?

Included is the induction charger and travel cloth shaver case (no case for the charger).

What the Shaver Features

The ES7017S is a wet/dry shaver. It has no electric contacts and uses induction charger that is compatible with any voltage (110-240 V, 50-60 Hz). It has a triple-blade design with blades that move in opposite directions to minimize vibration as well as the trimmer for beards/moustaches. I noticed that the shaver is quieter than the old one and vibrates much less. The blades also seem to move much faster.

The full charge time is about 1 hour, which is a significant improvement over ES365H (8 hours). However, I have discovered that the new shaver still uses Ni-Cd battery, which means it is better to completely discharge the shaver before recharging it, at least once in a while to avoid “memory effects”.

I really expected a battery with no “memory effect” – maybe Ni-MH or Li-Ion. The shaver looks attractive and has chrome accents with blue and gray plastic case.

The ES7017S addresses the shortcomings I have discovered in the ES365H. First of all, there is a battery status indicator – a line of green LEDs that show how much charge is left in terms of percentage, so you know in advance when to recharge the shaver.

The LEDs stay on during the shaving and during the charging as well as several seconds after the shaver is turned off or the charging is complete. The blades are sharp and the noise level/vibration is much less than with the old shaver.

Performance and Cleaning

The shaver impressed me with its shaving performance. Although it takes some time for me to achieve clean shave with it, it is definitely an improvement over the previous shaver. The chin/neck is no longer a problem, since the trimmer seems to be sharper.
In fact, the wet shave with this shaver achieved the results I have never been able to achieve by other means (regular razors irritate me and my skin :-) ). The separate shaving heads allow the shaver to reach pretty much everywhere.

The shaver can be washed and the manual provides some useful info on how to clean the shaver using liquid soap, which works extremely well. There are two removable parts – the foil cartridge and the foil frame. The removable foil cartridge simplifies the foil replacement.

The manual says that it is recommended to replace the foil cartridge every year and the blade cartridge every 2 years.

Charger

The induction charger supplied with the shaver has no contacts. The charger has a retractable frame that supports the shaver in upright position as well as the base that rotates to improve the charger’s stability.

The charger should work in any country in terms of the voltage, but you will have to buy a plug adaptor. The full charge takes one hour and you can recharge the shaver at any time. The shave time on one charge seem to be very long. After two days of use, the shaver’s charge indicator is still at 80% without any recharging.

Bottom Line

I am quite happy with my new shaver. It is an improvement over the previous one I had in virtually all respects.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 75
Noise Level: Almost noiseless