I had gotten tired of my old Remington TF 300 electric razor. My father purchased it for me when I started shaving at thirteen, and I just turned twenty-two. The razor never gave that close a shave, and now it couldn’t even hold a charge anymore. The last straw was when I brought it to my aunt’s house in September, and it froze while the hairs on my chin were threaded through the rotor blades.

I’ve seen television advertisements for the Norelco Advantage electric razors, and they looked appealing. They have three razor heads, and they dispense their own “goo” to aid in the shaving process. Upon the endorsement of my cousin, I decided to go for it. I bought the Norelco Advantage 6756 X off of Amazon for $139.99 in September (It’s now $119.99.), and it’s quite possibly the best thing I’ve done in the last six months.

The razor’s housing is an attractive mix of taupe and translucent navy blue, with a silver fixture around the on/off button. There is a plastic cover over the razor heads, and a plastic hatch on the back for the lotion and gel cartridges. The charging base is more navy plastic and extremely lightweight. The power plug has a large bulb on it, so you may need to bear that in mind when determining where to plug it in; the razor should remain charging while not in use. The razor fits quite ergonomically in my hand, and it comes with a navy and yellow carrying case into which it fits quite snugly.

The goo dispensing system is quite innovative. The razor comes with six cartridges each of blue gel and white lotion. Replacements can be purchased online. The two products are used in exactly the same way as each other. You simply open the back hatch of the razor, put the provided pump doohickey into the cartridge (which is basically a mylar-ish pouch with a plastic orifice at one end), and then plug the doohickey into a recess inside the external pump activator. These are all highly technical terms, you know. Anyway, close the hatch and you’re ready to go. Simply depress the easy-to-identify button several times in quick succession to get the goo running (You only need to do with when you first use a new cartridge.), and then press it once each time you want to release a small amount of fluid. The fluid dispensing mechanism is made from a soft, pliant polymer that feels quite organic. I suggest holding the razor away from your skin, dispensing goo until if falls to the middle of the lower razor head (ensuring that the goo is everywhere the razors are), and then reestablishing contact, repeating this each time you no longer feel goo on your skin.

The shave itself is nothing short of incredible! The Remington always used to leave my face with a very dark shadow, and I had to shave again the very next day. The Norelco, on the other hand, shaves almost as closely as the actual razor blade I used last year when I forgot my electric razor over Thanksgiving. I now shave only every other day, which is great. The goo provides a wet shave that is so gentle that I no longer need to use the witch hazel that I always applied after a Remington shave. I prefer the lotion to the gel, because it seems to keep my skin moister for a longer period of time. However, it does look exactly like semen, and both fluids sometimes shoot out in projectile fashion when the button is first depressed during each shaving session.

Cleanup is a total snap as well. The razor captures all of the hair that it shears from your face, so you simply need to open it up and run it under the tap to send it all down the drain. The goo washes off your face with similar ease.

I absolutely love my Norelco Advantage.

(666 words exactly!)

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 139.99
Noise Level: More quiet than most