8 Best Rotary Shavers for Men of 2019

Rotary shavers are a great tool for improving your daily or weekly shaving experience, as they cut down on time and can offer finer control over the shape and style of your facial hair. But there are so many types on the market that narrowing down the best models is difficult.

We’ve put this guide together and done the research so that you don’t have to! We’ve examined eight different top rotary shavers for men that are each good models in their own right. The right one among them for you, of course, depends on your needs.

In our guide, we’ll go through a quick overview of the shavers and explain how to pick the best ones on the market. Then we’ll break each down individually so you can see why we chose them. Let’s dive into it.

Buying Guide

Before we get into the details, you need to know what things to look for in a great rotary shaver. It’s also important to think about what kind of shaving you’ll be doing before you make a final decision. You won’t necessarily want the same shaver for a thick beard as you might for a clean shave, for instance.

Blade Quality/Comfort

This is the most important aspect of a rotary shaver. Look at how the blade heads of the shaver are elevated and in how many directions they can spin. This indicates whether or not they’re ideal for thicker beards and for cutting further away or if they can cut close to the face as well.

Sharper blades are usually better, but be careful; some shavers have sharp blades but bad head positioning which causes razor burn. You want to find a shaver that can balance blade edge with comfort in most cases.

Some blades are self-sharpening over time and others need to be replaced frequently. These factors add up the lifetime cost of the shaver, so you should keep them in mind when factoring in price.

Battery

Try to find a shaver that offers good charge time in relation to its battery life. There are a few shavers that have really long charge times with only a half hour or so of shave time. These are usually best avoided except for rare circumstances. Most shavers charge with a wall adaptor or USB adaptor, although a few only have one or the other.

Waterproof

Most shavers are at least water-resistant and can be used in the shower. Waterproof shavers are great because they can be used in the bath or be placed in wet environments, like a shower shelf, without worry. Look for waterproofing as a good but not essential feature.

Wet/Dry Shave

Most rotary shavers can do their job with wet or dry shaving conditions, and we generally recommend doing a wet shave for best results. Wet skin opens the pores and allows hair to be removed more easily than when your skin is dry.

Tips for Using a Rotary Shaver

Let’s go over some quick tips and tricks to make sure you get the best experience from your rotary shaver. These are applicable to all the models we reviewed above.

Keep it Charged!

Don’t want until right before you need to shave to check the battery. When you’re not using it, plug it in!

Use Shaving Cream!

Shaving cream is a great addition to any routine. Use it if you experience razor burn frequently or just like to keep your experience smooth and comfortable no matter what.

For Close Shaves, Use a Wet Shaver and Shave in the Shower

You can open the pores of your face by exposing it to hot water, such as in the shower. The resulting shave will be smoother than otherwise thanks to the extra depth the blades are able to penetrate while your pores are opened.

Shave Sensitive Areas First

This also mostly applies to you if you want a close shave. Rotary shavers can warm up as you use them. Because of this, hitting sensitive areas on your face is a good idea. Tougher spots can be left for when the shaver is warm.

Shave Against Your Hair Bend

When shaving, make sure you pull your razor against the direction your hair wants to go. This raises the height of each strand before they’re cut, keeping the shave even across your entire beard.

8 Great Rotary Shavers Comparison Table

1. Philips Norelco Shaver 4500

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Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

For our first rotary shaver, we’ll look at the Philips Norelco 4500. This shaver is a solid all-around model that lacks flashy displays or extra gizmos. What it does offer is a comfortable shave due to its dual-precision heads. These are made with very small slots and holes that trap your beard hair for quick cutting and allow the shaver to work comfortably with both longer and shorter facial hair. The three-head shape follows the contours of your facial structure to hug your jawbone and shave closely without irritating or harming your skin.

You can use this shaver for both dry or wet shaves. It’s not entirely waterproof, but limited shower use is certainly fine due to its AquaTec seal. Because of the seals, you can wash this shaver without worrying about damaging its internal mechanisms.

The Norelco 4500 comes with a pop-up trimmer that we love. The small, finely-cut blades are perfect for getting at thin moustache hairs or fixing sideburns. If you like to maintain an immaculate beard of any style, you’ll appreciate this functionality.

It’s shaving time is decent, too, producing a run time for about as long as it takes to fill the battery. An LED indicator on the bottom of the shaver lets you know when you need to plug it in for a boost. If you’re looking for a shaver that’s super-comfortable for longer beards and or clean shaves and price isn’t an object, you’ll want to pick up the Norelco 4500.

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2. Solimpia Electric Shaver for Men

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Editor’s Rating: 4.2/5.0

The Solimpia Shaver is a good model if you travel frequently or if you’re on a budget. It’s got three rotating heads that are elevated a little higher than many other rotary shavers. This means that it’s exceptional at trimming beards that are thicker than not. It’s not the best shaver at contouring; you’ll find that its blades can irritate the skin if you let them get too close. However, when it comes to thick hair these blades can make short work of your beard. You can modify the power settings on the shaver to lean towards precision or speed.

It does come with a pop-up trimmer like the kind we talked about with the Norelco 4500, but this trimmer is flimsy and might break easily as you use it. The trimmer is a good novelty but doesn’t complement the shaver’s main focus, which is facial hair further away from the skin.

There’s a cleaning brush included with your purchase of this shaver, giving you what you need to maintain this tool right out of the box. A traveling bag and a head guard are also included. This is great for preserving the life of your blades, which can rust if they’re exposed to water in a wet bathroom constantly without having some dry time. Since all of this comes with a bag, you can keep everything together in a kit and be ready to travel or head to a hotel.

Overall, this is a great pick if you don’t want to spend a lot of money on an expensive rotary shaver. It’s portability and low noise are good perks if you plan to travel often, too.

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3. VENYN 5-in-1 Rechargeable Electric Shaver (Best Value)

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Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

If you like to change your style frequently or you feel that you need different blades for different parts of your beard, check out VENYN’s 5-in-1 Shaver. This comes with 4 different blade heads with different blade lengths and specialties. The sideburns styler, for instance, is very precise and perfect for shaping sideburns or small patches of hair beneath the chin, while the rotary head is good for traditional, 360-degree shaves of the entire face.

An additional, 5th head is a rotary brush that spins and exfoliates the skin. This is a healthy process that can be done once a week and will give your skin a youthful glow. It keeps your beard cleaner and smelling better, too.

Of course, since the heads are all detachable and replaceable, they aren’t as durable as shavers with only one head. The blades might break after a lot of use or if you drop one of the heads. However, the blades are very precise and sharp, so you’ll get a close shave if that’s what you’re after. Be careful not to use the wrong head if you’re only after a trim!

The 5-in-1 shaver comes with a complimentary beard balm for softening and moisturizing your beard. We recommend this shaver if you’re looking for ultimate bang for your buck. You don’t get much better value than 5 different heads for the price of one electric shaver.

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4. Philips Norelco 2100 Electric Shaver

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Editor’s Rating: 4.5/5.0

The next Norelco on our list is the 2100 Shaver. It’s a dry-only model so don’t take this one into the shower. The head can be popped open for a quick rinse when you’re done shaving, but that’s the only water it should be exposed to.

The blades are made with CloseCut tech. They’re perfect for dry, smooth shaves like you’d get with a traditional, manual razor. We like this shaver for that purpose alone, as that’s what it excels at. The blades sharpen themselves over time, keeping the overall quality of the shaver at peak levels no matter how many times you use it. These blades are quite comfortable, too.

This shaver does have a pop-up trimmer much like the first Norelco. It’s also quite good and is perfect for sideburns and other narrow areas.

The charge time is pretty poor, requiring a full work day to get less than an hour of shaving time. We recommend plugging this shaver in when you’re not using it to make sure that it’s always topped off.

Given how affordable this shaver is, we’d recommend picking it up if you keep a clean jaw and would like to streamline your morning shave. You won’t find many shavers better at giving a clean, smooth experience without irritating your skin.

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5. SweetLF 3D Rechargeable IPX7 Electric Shaver (Top Pick)

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Editor’s Rating: 4.9/5.0

The SweetLF 3D IPX7 Shaver is another quality model that does a lot of jobs at once. It’s floating heads can cut thicker beards as well as shorter ones and their blades are designed to last for a long time. The heads snag and cut longer hairs without pulling them, saving your facial skin from constant irritation as you shave.

However, these heads are a little rough on your skin. Closer shaves run a risk of skin soreness or redness, although shaving cream can assist with this issue. A pop-up trimmer negates this downside somewhat, as you can use it to target smaller sections of your face that you want to mold in specific directions.

The shaver is totally waterproof and can be cleaned easily via a one-touch pop-up button that opens the top of the shaver. We recommend using this shaver in the shower for best results.

An LED display is integrated into the handle to tell you how much battery you still have left. The charge time and shave time for this shaver are fantastic; you can double the time shaving as you need for charging. The motor is very quiet as it’s running.

The shaver comes with a USB adaptor or a universal wall adaptor. You can easily take this and use it anywhere in the world, so it’s as good for traveling as it is for keeping at home. This is an excellent shaver for thicker beards and travelers that isn’t too expensive, either.

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6. Hatteker Electric Shaver (Best Budget)

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Editor’s Rating: 4.2/5.0

The Hatteker Shaver is as affordable as it is effective. Its floating heads are excellent at following the contours of your face and can provide wet or dry shaves no matter your beard length. Its motor rotates the blades very quickly, so if you linger in one spot for too long it’s possible to get razor burn. Moving quickly negates this issue, however.

The pop-up trimmer is surprisingly sturdy given the overall price of the shaver. It’s totally waterproof, allowing you to use it in the recommended shower setting. Its LCD display tells you the status of your battery in clear icons and its charge time is quite respectable when compared to its shave time. We enjoy the clarity the display provides. It tells you your shaving time left in numbers, not percentages.

The one real issue with this model is that finding replaceable heads is a headache. The manufacturer isn’t very clear about how to find new blades or heads, so when you eventually want a replacement you might be forced to buy a new shaver.

Overall, given the above caveat, we recommend this shaver if you need a decent model right now and want it for as cheap as you can get it. The shaver does a fine job for all usual shaving tasks until its blades start to go dull.

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