Philips can usually be relied on to make a solid product, and as usual, this one comes up to scratch. It is solid, well shaped, and a doddle to use. Purely from this point of view, that probably makes it one of the best rotary razors available at this sort of money. The triple heads are contour-matching, so it follows the line of your face well, and the pop-up trimmer, athough small, is very effective. The razor holds a charge for a decent time, although for best results, as might be expected, you'll be better off with a fully charged battery.

I have to admit, I don't go a bundle for rotary razors -the fact is, they just don't work all that well for me. Not as well as a good foil razor anyway. Call it a combination of fairly sensitive skin and a very tough beard. Irrespective of technique, I just can't get an especially close shave with them. That's just me though, and I know it's not an issue for most other people. Just be aware that if rotary razors don't suit your skin / beard type, the Aquatouch isn't likely to change your mind.

This brings me onto the Aquatouch / wet & dry part, which after all, is it's major selling point. Does it work? Well, yes and no. It certainly makes it easy to clean -just stick it under a tap (although be careful with the retaining spring on the head, which, though pretty decent, probably won't stand up to excessive shaking. The main point of course is that you can use it with shave gel / cream / foam / whatever, a la a wet shave. In comparison to using ye trad. wet-shave razor of your choice, it's nowhere near in terms of closeness -in fact, I got a closer shave using it dry. However, I suspect this will also depend on the particular shave gel / whatever that is used. I've only been able to try one thus far, which I don't think is particularly good anyway (bought on offer in the local supermarket & using it up), so that might go some way to explaining it. I think the main benefit is elsewhere though -if you have skin that is easily irritated by shaving, this may well be just what you're looking for, once you've selected a shave gel that best suits your skin and the razor. Try a few out is my suggestion.

Overall, while the Aquatouch doesn't entirely suit my particular needs, it's a solid product & should do well. The wet-shave business, although it sounds like a gimmick, does have some merit, and it's a good rotary when used dry too. If you're in the market for something in this price bracket, and you like rotary head razors, this is probably the pick of the bunch.