Just saw this Amazon.com one day gold box deal of the day. RRP is $399USD and retails for a rip off $549.95 at shavershop.com.au (http://www.shavershop.com.au/products/electric-shavers-2/wet…) - the ES-LA83 is the aussie version of the ES-LA93.
For AUS$167 this is a great deal! Its a 4 blade shaver with excellent reviews on amazon.com.
CamelCamelCamel.
It supports 110 to 220 worldwide voltage. It better be cos I just bought 1!
It does. Only if all US electrical products were like that.
yes yes but with ANY product, there's bound to be some bad reviews. Check out the 173 5 star reviews and 40 4 star ones.
Seriously man, your just digging yourself deeper. Anyone that uses amazon knows that over 4 stars with 200+ votes is very good.
Sorry, I had to reply to this and agree with penyekz. Who in their right mind looks at the 17 bad reviews versus the 200+ good reviews and decides negatively against that product? If I thought so pessimistically I would never buy anything.
nope, but a really large majority of the reviews are positive. When I look at products I just look through all the reviews.
Because nobody wants to admit they bought something that's shit.
Well to be fair, it does seem like 6 of the reviews are about crap chargers/cleaning stations which is a bit different to the shaver itself being crap.
FWIW, I'd recommend my recently acquired Braun Series 7 which has been excellent.
I don't know why this guy is getted neg'd so hard. I appreciate his efforts.
When you think about it, most reviews are written in the first few days, when the buzz of buying something hasn't worn off yet.
The neg reviews I read were all written by people who'd been using the razor for months. You don't use it for months if you don't like the product. And who would know more about the product that someone who owns it and has been using it for ages?
Anyway, I for one found him helpful.
are these shipped directly from amazon or is it using a forwarder?
These are shipped from amazon directly. And they charge in AUD instead of USD as well so save on our bank's rip off "international currency charges"
wow, when did this change? So they sell all their stuff international now? not just books/dvds?
Amazon.com/.co.uk/.de/.it/.fr/.es have shipped items other than books and DVDs to Australia for a few years now; you just have to check on an item-by-item basis because many things have manufactuer-imposed shipping restrictions.
And they charge in AUD instead of USD as well so save on our bank's rip off "international currency charges"
Amazon still charges you for paying in AUD through the exchange rate they use; the cheapest way to pay on Amazon is in USD using a credit card with no international transaction fees like a 28 Degrees Mastercard (charge in AUD on 28 Degrees is $163.06 versus $167.84 with Amazon's conversion).
Or the Citibank plus account which was posted earlier :)
Not if you are with ANZ, who charges 3% for foreign transactions, whether in AUD or otherwise. Got stung once by Amazon's costly AUD conversion, then ANZ's 3% :(
Also surprised that LivingSocial did the same thing, seems they are US based, charge in AUD but ANZ hits you.
Doesn't matter me now since I have a 28 degrees card.
Sounds like a great deal!
With impressive reviews like those on Amazon, looks like I'll have snap this one up.
for those contemplating buying this shaver, I say go for it.
I've had mine for a year now. I think its the best electric shaver I've owned.
(I've had Philips and Remingtons)
Its shaves stubbles real quick. My shaving time went from 2-3min each morning to under 40sec.
The only neg if you can call it that, is its noisy. Well its a lot noisier than any shaver I've owned before. Although, after a while you get used to the noise and using any other electric shaver sounds like a moped vs a V8.
Thanks neil for a great website,
and thanks penyekz for a great bargain (which I purchased).
anyone know what time this will end?
Got one, thanks a lot!
wondering when they would ship everything to OZ to stop us been ripped off all the time.
I usually use a Shick Quattro with shaving oil and gel together, and shave against the grain. Has anyone switched from that to a shaver like this? How was it?
I don't have that much facial hair, just stubble every morning.
I've never found one that comes anywhere close to a good manual razor…
Me neither, but I've only used cheap electric razors. I would expect these fancier 14,000rpm ones to be better.
Hmm I just did a razor count and thanks to the Schick cashback deal deal,I have enough razors to last me another 2 years. Do these electric shaver deals come often? Not sure if I should buy it now or wait for another year and a bit before I start looking again. This is only the second cheap-high-cost one I remember seeing in the past few years…
I'd be interested in this too - coming from similar situation (manual razor with gel).
I've recently switched back to shaving oil after using gel for a couple of years… Won't be going back to gel again…
I started with cream, moved to gel, switched to oil, and now use gel on top of oil. That plus a Schick Hydro 5, can give you a face smoother than a polished baby's butt. :)
I've been using butter, it's vastly superior to any commercial shaving cream. My face feels so good, I'm gonna use it all over my body.
That's a good safety measure too. If you slip and fall in the bathroom you'll always land buttered-side-up on your back, protecting any 'protruding bits' from getting damaged.
Get some good shaving soap (with tallow) and a badger brush. There's no way you'll go back to anything else.
Ha! I meant moving from manual to an electric shaver - sure it will never be as good but does it suffice?
I have a Phillips electric (a reasonably expensive one) and can use it after a day or two of not shaving to just take the ends off. Any longer than that and I need to go back to the manual to get a good shave.
I don't know this model but I previously owned a Panasonic "linear motor" model in this ES family and found it to be a poor product with poor support. My overall impression is that Panasonic is one of those once-great Japanese companies who have lost their way and now do a poor job, at least in Australia.
At the time the "linear motor" story seemed impressive and the shaver was well-reviewed and recommended in a Choice survey.
I was determined to buy one but found it quite difficult locally and was repeatedly told by shaver suppliers (who didn't stock it) that Panasonic was not a good company for them to deal with in terms of supply of product and support and that's why they didn't stock them. At the time I ignored this, assuming it was salespeople just selling what they had rather than what I wanted.
I did eventually find one and bought it, and it was a disappointment from the start. I had always used Phillips rotary electric shavers in the past; the Panasonic did a poor job of close shaving and needed many, many passes, over and over again particularly around my neck, from all different angles, in order to get a finish that didn't feel and look rough.
My conclusion was that the "linear motor" technology was just a gimmick, particularly in a short-travel back-and-forth motion device. Linear motors tend to be used in long-travel unidirectional situations like high-speed trains, not in oscillators.
The Panasonic was appallingly noisy and vibrated to an uncomfortable degree, often leaving my hand feeling strange and uncomfortable for some time after the shave.
The Panasonic was rechargeable, and had a very heavy battery which made the shaver uncomfortable to hold. Despite the weight of the battery, it held enough charge for only 5 shaves when new, rapidly dropping to 3 shaves after a couple of months, and then only one shave by the end of the year. I tried to contact Panasonic to check whether this was normal and whether the battery could be replaced, and their support was woeful. It would have taken a long time to get done, and it would have cost more than a new shaver. They were not very interested.
The combined charger/stand was hopeless and, as the battery was poor, I had to use it all the time. It was flimsy, fragile, inconvenient, and the shaver could easily fall.
Another problem was that the shaver was just too heavy to take travelling.
After a bit more than a year, the thing was almost useless, not even holding enough charge for one shave (and because the charging stand worked by induction - another gimmick - there was no choice about plugging in a power source while shaving).
After that I bought a cheap Phillips three-head rotary action, mains-powered (no battery) on special for $40 as they frequently are at HN/Bing Lee/other discounters.
It is light, quiet, and it shaves far better than the Panasonic, faster, closer, with fewer passes.
I think that the physics of a rotating device at constant speed is far more sensible in a shaver that the physics of a bunch of parts being accelerated back and forth only to stop and reverse at high speed; the latter does not make sense.
I was talking to a guy at Shaver Shop, as they had a particular Philips rotary on sale which a friend recommended. I also had a look at the Panasonics, which were also on sale.
The guy said that they're both good, but he says he'd recommend that people who are used to rotarys stick to a rotary like the Philips, and people who like foils should really try the Panasonic. If they're on-the-fence or haven't used an electric before, he'd recommend Panasonic, which is what he uses personally.
Looking at the large number of 4 and 5 star reviews on Amazon for such an expensive shaver, I guess it's really a case of YMMV - I guess foils suit some people more than others.
I just might take the plunge myself… a number of reviewers mentioned it's as good or almost as good as their manual razors.
Yer this is cheap :\ But I "just" bought a new Braun series 7 shaver and I dont know whether to get this and put it away for a few years lol, hmmm might just get one when mine packs up… eek what to do.
Given that you "just" bought a Braun series 7, Why buy this only to put it in the cupboard for a few years ?
Don't buy stuff just 'cos it's a bargain, dude. Imagine how many times shavers are going to be on sale anywhere between now and 3 years if/when your Braun dies. My previous Phillips rotary lasted me for about 12 years, with only one set of replacement heads. My current one has done about 5 years. Looked after well, a quality shaver will last a long time.
Maybe you'll find your Braun is an exceptional piece of machinery and lasts you 15 years. Go spend the $167 on wine or loose women ;)
I found this Panasonic shaves better than Braun series 7. I have a very coarse beard and Panasonic with oil does the best job. i returned my Braun under their 60 days mney back policy. Check if they still have it.
Repeat
What? You have to use oil with it? That's weird. This doesn't sound like it holds up to a Braun.
No, you do NOT have to use oil with it.
Thanks for the heads up on this deal.
My total came to AUD 169.16
Gents, I bought the same shaver from amazon when it was on sale last time. It is the best shaver money can buy, I have used Braun and Philips before but the advantage of Panasonic is that it can be used in the shower too. I can not recommend this shaver highly enough. If your in the market for a new shaver BUY this one now and don't let this bargain get away. I gurantee you wont regret your purchase. In the shower(wet) it shaves as close as a blade no kidding.
Both Braun and Phillips have a number of models that can be used in the shower.
I bought one of these last year from Amazon. THE BEST electric razor I've ever owned (unboxing pix http://www.flickr.com/photos/ozdj/sets/72157626918082093/)
Only word of advice is that you need to hunt around for the cleaning cartridges as amazon does NOT export Panasonic consumables. eBay etc is your friend for those.
I have one of these too that I bought last year from amazon.
Great Razor has not missed a beat, I dont bother using the unit for cleaning I just rinse with liquid soap using the sonic mode.
Great battery life as well goes for a while and my face has thick and coarse hair.
Around my neck area its not as good and needs a little time to get every follicle however I used to get neck burn and rashes and ingrowns using a razor so thats it why i bought the electric and on that I do not get rashses or ingrowns on my face anymore.
Highly recommend this unit.
so tempting… damn you ozbargains
Damn you OzBargain… now I gots to git me one of those things.
Every few years I get lulled into buying a wet&dry electric shaver: I have a beard that's not overly coarse, but my skin reacts badly to daily blade shaving - so 2 days in 3 I either look like an escaped convict (unshaved), or like someone who has had chemicals spilled on their face (shaved). In the dim past I used to blade-shave on Mondays, wet&dry Tue/Wed, blade Thur, wet&dry Fri… results weren't as good as a blade, but I was still presentable (well, as presentable as I get).
The only one that has ever really worked for me was a Panasonic that I bought in about 1996 (and never cleaned except in a blokey rudimentary fashion), but I lost the charger for that about 5 years ago. I had a Braun once too, but it was a bit pants.
I'll have a crack at one of these jobbies now; that price is equivalent to about 4 months' worth of blades, after all.
Don't keep changing between blade and wet/dry/electric shaving. Stick with one, your skin will adjust after a few weeks (well in the vast majority of cases).
If it doesn't adjust, then try another type, or method, different gel/oil, different direction with strokes etc. But to chop and change every day between blade/electric is just asking for a bad reaction.
does this have the option of leaving a bit of stubble ?
Nope clean shave,
Does have a beard trimmer but not really suitable for stubble
Nope clean shave,
Does have a beard trimmer but not really suitable for stubble
I had a flashback of that comment.
Is it normal for electric shavers not to work at all on some people? I have tried a Braun electric shaver before but I could never get a good shave out of it.
I own this shaver and bought from eBay about 12 months back. It's pretty good. I find there are always a few missing hairs which it will not remove - I need to quickly go over my face with a razor after. But this has always been the case with electric shavers for me. If it bothers you, it's really loud when it is cleaning. Sounds like a tornado and you can hear it cleaning from 3 rooms away.
Keep in mind that your warranty options for this could be limited.
I bought a Phillips/Norelco shaver (i know, different brand) from Amazon and once you are outside amazons 30 day return period you are directed to the manufacturer.
Phillips (and most likely also Panasonic) in the USA refused to deal with international warranty issues. And when contacting them locally they just directed you to the USA.
In the end I had to buy an identical shaver from amazon, put the defective one back in the box and send it back to Amazon for a refund (since it was within 30 days of purchase), keeping the working unit to myself.
Amazon would have exchanged it for you, and remibursed your cost to send the faulty unit back to them.
If you are not a fan of shaver cleaning bath/consumables costs I recommend http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-ES8243A-Rechargeable-Electri… Panasonic ES8243A Men's 4-Blade (Arc 4) Wet/Dry Rechargeable Electric Shaver $121 which does a great job. I have had this model for 2 years and into my second set of blades which were available cheaply on ebay.
Not a fan of electric shavers, after spending over $200 on a philishave years ago (the james bond one), I found it missed hairs and took longer than just grabbing a 20cent bic razor. I'd have to go back over my face after using the electric and I'd always end up with some sort of rash. This is just my opinion, but I'm still scarred from my last electric razor experience. I don't think I could put up another $200 for that same experience. I think I'm going to be a slave to the BIC razors. When will they make a razor that lasts longer…
Have you ever tried a DE shaver? Blades are sharp as sin, and the good ones cost about 10c each.
Damn.. . Just read this comment on the one stars page,
"This review is from: Panasonic ES-LA93-K Men's 4-Blade (Arc 4) Multi-Flex Dual-Motor Wet/Dry Nanotech Rechargeable Electric Shaver with Vortex Cleaning System, Black (Health and Beauty)
This shaver is great while it lasts. Within 2 months of purchase the LCD started to malfunction. Byt the 4th month the cleaning/charging station stopped working altogether and now, in the 11th month it has completely died.
This shaver has never been misused and I have kept it in meticulous order. There seems to be no reason for its death other than poor craftsmanship.
Its a shame Panasonic self such junk at such an inflated price point.
Because I live in Australia and bought it online from Amazon, Panasonic will not honour any warranties.. So it had to be binned.
Very dissapointed "
What about the 200 other reviews whose shavers didn't die? Someone will always get a dud, whatever the product is.
do what i did and buy an identical one and put the defective unit in the box and send it back :-)
Looks pretty groovy, but not sure an electic will give me the precision that I need to keep my goatee protected.
Have never used an electric but having the option to wet shave would probably help to give you the fresh feeling afterwards that I had always assumed would be missing from an electic.
I tried buy a Panasonic shaver from Amazon last year and they would not ship to Australia. Looks like things must have changed.
Yup this one ships to Aus. Shipping cost is around $14.
I ordered the Panasonic ES-LA63-S only last Friday from Amazon and had to use a shipping forwarding company because they said couldn't ship to Australia. Now it seems that they have changed that policy. Argh. :(
it probably depends on whether the order was being fulfilled by amazon or by a different company..
so impressed with Philips Norelco 1250x/40, which i got for $117 bucks delivered last year. I am such an tight arse to buy these cleaning cartridge.
I've had the same Braun for almost 10 years now, and find the foil system works best for me. I hated the Philips triple rotary head I used briefly before that, as I have a very coarse beard. On recommendation from a friend who's had this model for a year now I finally jumped ship and can't wait to try the Panasonic. The lack of fees and great conversion from th 28 Degrees card helps as did the residual $40 from an Amazon gift card I forgot I had since May. Win!!!
I've been using Philips triple rotary shavers happily for 20 years or so. Have changed loyalty and ordered this Panasonic just to try it!
I challenge you to find any product on Amazon with more than, say, 30 reviews, and highly rated by the vast majority, where at least two people have not rubbished that product.
It's very confusing.
WTF??!!
It ends in about 7 hours (so around 5pm'ish AEST)!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/discussion/A31LCY62G103M7
I bought the Panasonic ES-LA63 (10 dollars less) which is the one without the cleaning system. I dont recommend cleaning system is useless.
I have been shaving so many years without it. I don't see any differences.
.
Think of it as a (large) charging dock for your shaver for $10. :)
I shave 3 times a week with a razor and only water. Each razor lasts me… dunno.. 6 weeks.
I feel like I'm doing something wrong when I read this thread :) Comes out smooth, no irritation, no ingrown hairs though.
Although I do have enough hair to get 5 o'clock shadows. And my skin doesnt like being shaved two days in a row, shaving before it's grown back enough seems to cause pimples.
if you're running late, you can use an electric shaver to shave in the car. If you're particularly thick-skinned, you can shave on the train.
You can't do that with a manual razor… unless you're REALLY thick skinned…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJIkkDFBWDI
Some people have robust skin and soft hairs. I have the opposite :(
No warranty in Australia.
Need to use a travel adapter with the power cable.
I'll pass.
Yeah those are things to keep in mind when buying anything from overseas. But in this case, the Australian one with an Australian warranty is $550 at Shaver Shop. You could buy 3 of these, a $3 plug top or travel converter, and still have money left over. :)
Yeah the difference is ridiculous.
Where can I get a decent travel converter online?
I'm a big fan of this style of plug convertor:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Universal-International-Travel-AC…
No poking out bits to damage other items in your luggage, small, compact, and adapts (I believe) any AC plug type to any other AC plug type.
When travelling internationally, I always take one of these, and a lightweight 4 port powerboard.
not a bad deal!
That's a good deal. I just got one
sold out ?
Appears to be, yes. It's now $195.40 and "We are not able to ship this item to your default shipping address".
When items directly sold and supplied by Amazon sell out, it defaults to a third party seller. 3rd party sellers don't ship internationally. Thus, this is sold out.
Just made up my mind to buy one… but evidently took too long.
Now it is $195.40 USD. Still cheaper than in Australia, but annoyingly more expensive than it was 30 min ago!
Electric shavers are not for ozbargainers. Get a DE razor and a badger/boar brush.
Blades are about 10c each (last a week of daily shaves), and shaving soap is so cheap it's practically free.
Better shave and more enjoyable experience.
There's a learning curve, but it's still a no-brainer if you ask me.
not all of us are shaving connoisseurs, we just want a decent shave in short time :P
My g/f ordered one for my birthday while the offer was on. Thanks OP.
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