While it costs close to £200, Panasonic’s ES-LV9Q is one ludicrously high-tech shaver. Its five-blade cutting system cuts at an incredible 70,000 actions per minute to ensure no facial follicle Braun Series 5 goes unsliced. Meanwhile, its pivoting head moves to trail the different surfaces of your face and a sensor checks your beard density to give the heads more power where necessary.
My issue was that my whiskers are very course and perhaps too course for the regular use of this product as it took quite some time to produce a smooth look and feel. I feel as though when I was younger and had more fluffy whiskers, like when I was in my teenage years, this would not have been an issue. Maybe this product would be most suited to someone who is a bit younger, or who does not have such course hair to shave everyday. A feature I liked I would love to feature on all razors is the attachment that gives the five o’clock shadow look. I found the trimmer to be of use and will continue to use it along with the blades I currently shave with. Victor Kiam’s Remington Products Company became very profitable, branching out into other personal care small appliances, buying Clairol’s personal care appliance business in 1994.
It doesn’t help that in the name of simplicity the Heritage has a single on-off control, with no adjustable settings at all. There is a small detail trimmer on the back, but I also found this underpowered, not to mention awkward to pop in and out of the razor’s body. The short, squat design is pointedly old-fashioned thanks to its ridged metallic finish and low-key colour scheme – a far cry from the ergonomic black obelisks that are more common in the modern razor. Our review unit is chrome and dark grey, while the US also gets the option of a white model that swaps the chrome for brown leather. There’s no cleaning station with this Remington model, of course, because of the low price.
There are pros and cons to the design besides the retro appeal. The shorter shape means this is actually more portable than most modern shavers, helped massively by the decision to charge over Micro-USB, so you don’t need to bring a dedicated charging cable while you travel. Old-fashioned in aesthetic, if not in features, this is still a waterproof, wireless razor, but one that wouldn’t look out of place in an old-timey barber shop. The Remington Heritage Foil Shaver looks the part, but will you after using it? Unfortunately this razor simply doesn’t cut it, with inconsistent results, especially under the jaw.
If the battery is completely dead it will need to be replaced. The origins of the “Remington” name date back to the formation of E. Remington & Sons sold the typewriter company, which became Remington Typewriter Company. This, in turn, merged with Braun Series 5 the Rand Kardex Corporation in 1927 to become Remington Rand. Remington Rand branched out into making adding machines, filing cabinets, punched card tabulating machines, and other office equipment to become a leading office equipment company.