Customer Reviews

Philips HQ7380 7300 Series Rechargeable Rotary Male Shaver

5 star:		(122)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I guess this qualifies as a budget shaver from the Philips range, but you certainly wouldn't know it. OK, it doesn't have any of the fancy Cool Skin features, it's just a standard triple head shaver. Firstly, it charges quickly (less than an hour) and is very quiet in operation. It also gives an extremely close comfortable shave, far better than most shavers that cost a lot more. It can be cleaned under the tap, or brushed out with the included brush. The shaver has 3 LED indicators, one that remains on whilst the shaver is in use, one that indicates when the shaver is being charged, and one that indicates when you have only a small amount of charge remaining. The shaver also includes a pop out trimmer that works extremely well, and a nice travel pouch. The build quality feels excellent, not flimsy like some of the new Philips range. In fact, I rate this shaver far more highly than any of the foil shavers or Cool Skin Philips shavers I have tried recently. All this proves that you don't need to spend a fortune, or have docking stations, multiple LED/LCD displays etc to get a close comfortable shave. Highly recommended, a definite 5 star product!

You can buy a lot of electric razors that dispense moisturising gunge on your face as you shave, that come with complicated docking ports with energy bars and all sorts of bells and whistles. But sometimes, you just want to shave. This razor is simple but very effective. No gimmicks, no complicated refills or bits of plastic or cables to worry about. Just a razor that shaves your face.

The shaver is ingeniously cleanable. After using it you simply flip open the top and run it under the tap for a bit to clean it out. Anyone who has not used a shaver for a while will be familiar with the way they tend to gunge up and become less effective, but this shouldn't be a problem with this. The cleaning works very well, but there is a slight design flaw. The shaver is all curves and soft edges, which makes it very comfortable to hold in the hand when using it, but it also makes it difficult to store. Many razors have a squared-off base so you can store it upright, but all these swoops and curves mean it has a diconcerting habit of rolling over. Also, after you're rinsed it clean, it doesn't quite drain properly because you have to store it on its side. One disc of the shaver will remain damp with makes it feel sticky and ineffective when you next shave.

The shaver itself is very masculine looking, with what looks like brushed aluminium and black rubbery plastic. It's actually all plastic, which is gives the thing a disappointing lack of heft. It feels too light and insubstantial for the way it looks and I'd have like to have had a bit of weight behind it.

Neither of these concerns are a big problem, but are silly design decisions which drops a star from my review.

However, you buy an electric shaver to shave, and for this this is excellent. A close quick shave, with a simple and portable shaver. If you travel a lot, or have no desire for gimmicks, then this is a perfect choice. It charges very quickly, and a charge lasts for ages. It looks good, there are no bits to lose, and it does exactly what it's designed to do very well. Recommended.

Strangely I bought this shaver because I have Leukemia and wet shaving was a problem if I cut myself, Its many years since I had a dry shave, I am very pleasantly suprised by the effectiveness of the Philips shaver and the battery power and being able to rinse the heads in water is a real bonus. Well worth the money.

At the beginning of my shaving career I was seduced by Victor Kiam's claim that his Remington Micro Screen would `shave as close as a blade or your money back'. I therefore bought one and have stuck with the brand for over twenty five years, despite the fact that I've rarely had a decent shave from either a Remington, or any of the Braun models I've tried. Because my skin is too sensitive for a wet shave I've always used electrics and assumed all of them produced poor results.

For instance, with my current Remington, if I haven't shaved for four days I have to scrape, hack and gouge at my face for twenty minutes before ending up with a shave that looks as if it's been achieved with a blunt scythe, or the blade from a particularly rusty ice skate. Furthermore it nips occasionally and this can really smart. It's also so noisy that the couple in the flat downstairs are convinced I own a particularly loud sex aid...

The first time I used this Philips was after going the above four days without a shave. I plugged it in and ran it over my face a few times. It was so quiet and unobtrusive, and above all, pain-free in operation, that I thought it either needed to be plugged in for a while to build up a charge, or was not functioning correctly.

But after feeling how smooth my face felt and then examining the hair chamber, I realised it was the real deal and had delivered an excellent shave in a mere five minutes or less.

Subsequent regular daily shaves have produced less inspiring results - but still a damn sight better than any shaver I've tried before. I'm therefore very happy to have and use this product and while I'm going to continue my quest for the elusive perfect shave, this will do quite nicely in the meantime. Oh... and the fact that you can clean it by running it under the tap is another bonus.

On the negative side, the manufacturer's claim of 30 minutes shaving time from a 1 hour recharge is utter pants. I've found it to be more like fifteen minutes. But other than that I can't fault it at the price.

The HQ7380 is what you could call the slightly less well-off cousin of Philips 8000 and Arcitec series' shavers. It has a flexible head and Philips proprietary (and very effective) Lift and Cut system which pulls the hairs up before cutting them below the hairline. Some people have said that this system promotes in-growing hairs, but I've never had a problem with it and to my mind it certainly gives a close shave on the neck and face. It isn't so successful around the mouth where the size of the cutting head means that I can't get as close to my nose as with a good foil shaver. It also has Philips standard hair trimmer, which I unfortunately find to be a bit awkward to use due to its angle in relation to the shaver body.

The real differences between the 7380 and its richer family members are what has been omitted, rather than what has been included. It lacks the triple-track cutting heads available on some models so you don't get as much cutting area, and this does seem to have an effect on the overall standard of the shave. It also doesn't come with a Jet Clean station, although I've actually found the Jet Clean to be somewhat lacking as a cleaning solution so this isn't perhaps too much of a problem. It's a real relief that the 7380 is tap washable, which in my opinion is a more effective way of keeping it fresh. It lacks an LCD screen, instead giving you battery information by two red and green coloured LEDs. This means that you don't unfortunately get any detail on how much charge remains, nor can you tell when the shaver needs cleaning; minor inconveniences perhaps.

As a final affront to its public-school cousins, the 7380 eschews their Lithium-Ion rechargeable batteries in favour of Nickel Metal Hydride ones - a backwards step without any obvious reasoning. Ignoring the fact that they're old technology, NiMH batteries generally give less running time from a charge, should only be discharged completely before recharging and have a shorter lifespan. Philips claim that a 1-hour charge will give around 10 days of use, although adhering to the `discharge before recharge' maxim might gain you a bit more run time, whilst not doing so may lessen both it and the batteries' lifespan.

Made with a rubber and plastic body, the 7380 feels like the kind of shaver you'd see Action Man, rather than James Bond, using; it wouldn't look out of place in any bathroom but it can't compete with, for example, the Arcitec range which has raised the bar for style so the rubberised appearance is something you either will or won't appreciate. I've found on previous Philips `washable' shavers that cleaning them under the tap invariably results in water eventually getting into the body and, despite the 7380's tough construction, I have concerns that the same could happen here. I guess only time will tell, although in this case the lack of an LCD screen could actually work in the 7380's favour as the segments on my older Philips no longer all work due to water ingress.

Purely on its shaving ability, the 7380 is good, giving (for me at least) a closer shave than comparable foil shavers; it's lacking in a few areas, as I've already said, but this is to an extent compensated for in the price. My advice however has to be to spend a bit more and upgrade to one of Philips' more fully-equipped models as some of the features available on those are something you'd most likely end up missing and wishing you had. It's because of these omissions alone, and not its overall shaving ability, that the 7380 gets 3 stars and not 4.

My husband's comments are as follows:

I have for many years had a corded Philips shaver but required a battery one for use in hospital and so automatically chose another Philips model. I was not disappointed in my choice of the HQ7380. I required one which would recharge quickly which this model does in one hour. It runs for about a week, a little less than advertised but long enough for me. It is extremely quiet and gives a good shave with an effective cutter as well. I have no complaints at all except that getting through the initial packaging is a bit of a nightmare and should be made easier. Overall, well done again Philips.

Geoff Clark

I had bought this Shaver after a lot of research and analysis on the internet (primarily Amazon & a few more sites which are known for their detailed and realistic reviews) of what Electric Shaver would give me the best features at an optimal price and the Philips 7380 won hands down! I was using an Electric Shaver for the first time in my life & wanted one to gift to my Dad as well (Even he doesn't use Electric Shavers) and I must say my choice was excellent!

I would have given it a 5 Rating easily (and wanted to) had I not experienced its fragility a few days back :-(

I will explain that below but first let me highlight its amazing features which have thoroughly impressed me -

1. Super-Quick Shaves - I save a good 8-10 minutes every day while getting ready for office since it gives me Super-Quick Shaves! No hassle of applying foam on full face evenly, shaving properly, checking twice if the shave is good, washing, cleaning & blocking the washroom for so long. Now I shave quickly & that too right in my Bedroom using a mirror giving me a much cleaner and smoother shave than a normal razor!

2. Super-Smooth Shaves - I was amazed by the shaves I started getting as compared to what I used to get with a Razor. It was a vast and pleasant difference - even with a 2-day stubble! Agreed that you have to go twice (or thrice at times) over the same shaving area but it's totally worth it!

3. Charge Once, Charge Quick & Forget for Days - They say you charge for 1 hour for a shaving time of 30 mins. I say you charge for 25-30 mins only for a shaving time spanning 10-12 days! It is so convenient that you don't need to charge regularly for a good, fast shave.

4. Washable - Now this would be a Good Feature as well as Bad. Let me explain - Good because you don't need to waste time cleaning it after use with a brush. You just wash it over running hot (not boiling but a little more than warm) water, shake it dry and leave it open for drying for a few hours. Bad because, I was exposed to its fragility a few days back while shaking it dry as the whole thing came apart and the cutters and guards got mixed up and even though, it took me some time to put it back in place, I am still missing the best results which I were getting earlier as the manual also says "Note: Do not clean more than one cutter and guard at a time, since they all are matching sets. If you accidentally mix up the cutters and guards, it may take several weeks before optimal shaving performance is restored."

I have yet to contact Amazon/Philips for a replacement to my Shaver. Not sure if I would get one but in either case, I would STILL recommend this Electric Shaver to Everyone with the only care that do not shake to dry the Shaver - just leave it on a Dry Paper to dry up after a few hours! :-( (which is what I do now)

As a long serving Philishave user, I have had three models in my shaving lifetime, I am very pleased with my latest purchase. This model HQ7380 7300 is the best I have ever had. The closest shaves and the quietest motor. I wish that I could stop there, but in one respect the product shows irritating evidence of cost cutting and perhaps a degree of thoughtlessness on the part of Phillips.
By that I mean that the cable for charging / powered use has now become a messy lenght of thin wire which is irritating to handle and almost impossible to store when not in use.
As a Philishave user of a variety of models, I am used to a pre shaped curly flex cable, neat and storable in the case with the shaver. Now it, the wire ( cable is too generous a term ) is long, loose and unmanageable without some dedicated determination on the part of the user to succeed and when wound around it's plug, what do your do with it, as when you let it go, it quickly unwinds and lies there, laughing at you.
Also, what if you have only limited capability with your hands?
I am lucky, such was the general high quality of my last shaver that it's case is as good as new. So I use that old case for the new shaver
and the current case to imprison this new and stroppy flip floppy wire. That is just the storage issue dealt with. It still takes me a couple of minutes to bring this wire to heel and to trap it in the caae I have dedicated to it's control!
This is a good example of cost cutting which is absolutely inappropriate for a quality product with a good history of being well designed in every aspect.
So excellent shaver, now diminished by this cheap and uncontrollable / storable wire which is over long and too thin to handle with ease.

I bought this shaver a week ago after reading the reviews and doing some sums. Best shaver decision I've made. I have sensitive skin and have previously been using Braun electric shavers for many many years, never tried a rotary. Been using the Philips for a week now and this gives the best shave I have ever had. As the foil had gone on my Braun I had not shaved for 3 days the Philips just cut through the stubble as if it wasn't there.
Love being able to clean it by washing under the tap, much better than haveing to fork out for the Braun cleaning fluid packs. When the shaver arrived it was already charged up but it was so quite I thought it must need charging. No so.
I was going to replace the foil, cutter and get a new pack of leaning fluid refills for my Braun. The cost of this lot was almost as much as I paid for this lovely new shaver. No brainer, Go buy one.
Positives: Quiet, Great shave, Clean under tap, Rechargable, Bargain price.
Negitives: None so far.

Very sturdy, and light at the same time. Easy to use. Ergonomically well designed. It gives a very close shave (even with my very thick stubble). Feels comfortable on the face after a couple of uses - you do need to give it a few goes before your beard gets used to it. Equally important and useful is the way you can wash/clean in running water, under a tap. It's totally waterproof. The only thing that's stops me giving the full 5 stars is the fact that the soft case/carrier is only useful for carrying the shaver itself. It's not big enough for the charger/plug if you want to take it on travels (I mean of course you can of course pack the charger elsewhere in your bag/luggage but it would be useful to have a smart case with it for all its accessories).