Philips Norelco 7340 Men's Shaving System

I've owned 3 Norelco shavers in my life. Each lasting more than 10 years. The local repair shop who has serviced my previous 2 Norelco's noted that the new ones aren't the quality of the old. Time will only answer that question but I can state that the 7340 system sold here is a much changed version of what I have used in the past.

First the 7430 is light....extremely light. It is very quiet, something that takes getting used to. It's also the first Norelco I've owned without the comfort control setting. I was initially reluctant since on my previous 2 Norelco's the comfort control setting seemed to affect the closeness of the shave. This particular razor has the HQ8 heads. The higher priced models use the HQ9s. From my research the biggest complaint about the HQ9 head is that it seems to take more time to get a clean shave. Based on 3 weeks of use of the 7340, even without the comfort control, not only do the HQ8 heads shave as fast as my older Norelco's but... Read more

I bought the shaver from Best Buy for $52 three weeks ago. I'm 63 and have been using Braun shavers for the past 25 years because I felt they gave a closer shave than Norelco.

This Norelco, which although is made in China, seems very well made. It is remarkably quiet and comfortable, a pleasure to use. After three weeks of getting my beard accustomed to the shaver I can say it seems to shave reasonably close and gets all the hairs - something my Braun had a problem with.

I just completed a test, shaving half my face with the Norelco, half with my old Braun (not in the best shape), and after judging my beard the next morning, the Norelco easily won. It's not as close as a blade - by 5 p.m I notice a stubble, but considering how easy it is to use (and washable) I really can't complain! an excellent shaver at a reasonable price.

[It's now Dec. 2010 - 2 years later - and it shaves every bit as good as when I bought it. I use it every day and I have... Read more

The good: a good shave; plenty of battery life (at least when brand-new); corded or cordless use; when corded, it shaves really well even if the batteries are nearly depleted; easy to clean (the heads can be rinsed under the tap).

That said: I would have liked an indicator when the battery is down far enough that recharging is indicated, like my old Norelco had. I guess it doesn't matter, since if it stops dead you can finish up with the cord, but I still would have liked a "Time to Recharge" indicator.

The instructions say that, for best battery life, you should use it cordless as much as possible, and run the batteries almost all the way out before recharging. I'd rather have a razor I can use corded all the time, but this is the next best thing.