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Philips Series 3000 – Model Philips Norelco 3500 Review: How Efficient, Powerful, and Worth Buying Is the Philips Norelco Series 3000 Shaver?
Philips Series 3000 is an affordable line of electric rotary shavers, and the Philips Norelco 3500 is one of the most popular models in the Series. The manufacturer recently revamped the Philips Norelco 3500 model with a new look and more advanced features. It’s time to discover why the Philips 3000 series shaver is too popular on the market.
Overview
- Philips used their ComfortCut blades in the Series 3000 shaver for comfortable shaves with smooth results.
- There are 27 self-sharpening blades on the shaver head that works together for fast and flawless performance. Since self-sharpening, you do not need to replace the blades occasionally.
- The new Philips Norelco 3500 shaver comes with a 5-D pivoting head that flexes softly to adapt to the facial contours.
- Philips used their upgraded premium Lithium-ion rechargeable battery in the shaver that provides 60 minutes of cordless performance with a 1-hour full charge.
- The Philips 3500 shaver is 100% waterproof and comes with OneClick open-head technology to make the cleaning process easier.
- It’s a wet/dry shaver offering fast and refreshing wet shaves together.
- The shaver has a built-in pop-up trimmer for precision trimming and detailing.
- There is a 3-level battery indicator in the shaver for shaving precautions with battery power, and moreover, there is a 5-minute quick charging option.
What’s in the Box?
Since an affordable grade shaver, it doesn’t come with too many accessories. I got the following items in this Philips Series 3000 shaver package.
- The Philips 3500 shaver itself
- A travel bag
- Charging cord
- Manual and warranty card
- A protective cap
Features and Specifications Analysis
ComfortCut Self-sharpening Blades:
All the Philips Series 3000 shavers come with ComfortCut blades that feel pretty sharp and comfortable to shave efficiently. The ComfortCut blades have rounded edges to provide irritation-free shaves without nicks and cuts. But the new Philips 3500 shaver comes with self-sharpening blades that were not used in the older versions. You know, self-sharpening blades can retain the sharpness for a longer time and provide the equivalent performance until gets dull. That’s why I prefer self-sharpening blades to general steel blades.
5-D Pivoting Head:
Philips Norelco upgraded their pivoting head in the new Philips 3500 shaver that flexes in 5 directions to adapt to the contours. Although it’s not the best flexible head, I think it’s good enough in its price range to provide flexible performance. The older Philips Series 3000 shavers featured 4 directional head that was not much adaptive to the facial curves. Since the shaver has a limitation in its shape, it cannot flex like a premium pivoting head for more precision shaving.
Power Source:
It’s a cordless shaver that comes with a Lithium-ion rechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery provides 60 minutes of cordless shaving performance with a 1-hour charge. Here the new Philips Series 3000 shaver excels all generations. Even the premium Philips Norelco shavers like the most advanced Philips s9000 and Series 7000 come with an identical backup of 60-minute cordless performance. On the other hand, the shaver provides 1 full shaving juice with a 5-minute quick charge for an urgent shave. In conclusion, the Philips Norelco 3500 is a great choice in terms of cordless backup.
Popup Trimmer:
Philips Series 3000 shavers come with a built-in pop-up trimmer for precision trimming and detailing. It’s really a useful feature in a shaver to make final touches for accomplished shaves. It’s really an admirable feature in the Philips 3500 shaver since an inexpensive product.
100% Waterproof:
The Philips Norelco 3500 is 100% waterproof and it allows you to clean with direct running water. In addition, the new Philips Series 3000 shaver comes with one-touch-open head technology. The one-touch button allows me to open the head housing easily to rinse. It’s a very new technology in the new generation Philips shavers that is really very useful I found.
Wet/dry Shave:
Since a 100% waterproof device, the Philips Series 3000 shaver 3500 allows me to shave under the shower. It’s really a rare feature for such an affordable shaver. Moreover, the shaver allows me to shave wet/dry. I used it with shaving gel for getting refreshing shaves and the result was pretty good. Therefore, you can have wet shaves with your favorite shaving liquid besides quick-dry shaves.
Built Quality
The new Philips Norelco 3500 shaver comes in a storm gray and black color combination that is completely different from the older versions. The device is mostly covered with an anti-slip rubber grip to make the handle comfortable and secure. I felt the built-in soft rubber feels very good and luxurious. The built quality of the head section is reliable for its 27 ComfortCut blades and flexible head technology. But it’s not enough flexible to pivot precisely to shave tricky areas like the premium shavers. I noticed it has a small button at the front of the head that opens the head chamber with one click. This is pretty adorable in the new shaver where I had to use brute force to open the older one’s head to clean thoroughly. Another interesting update I need to admit that the new Philips 3000 Series shaver comes with a larger battery. The previous versions got maximum negatives for their unreliable batteries, but the new one solved the problem. It comes with the typical popup trimmer of other Series 3000 shavers but it’s not too whimsical. Another noticeable improvement it comes with is the 3-stage LED display that shows charging progress, battery power, and quick charge. I found it pretty useful and thanks to Philips for considering the display update. Overall I liked the new Philips Series 3000’s 3500 model for its built quality according to its price range.
Performance
Since a wet/dry shaver, I tried the shaver both wet and dry for judging the actual shaving efficiency.
The shaver provided me pretty close shave in dry condition.
But I had to make more passes than the premium shavers to get the final shaving result.
The wet shaving results are equally efficient to dry shaving which is great in terms of its price range.
I used it in 1 day and 2 days long beards and it provided me unbelievable close shaves where some premium shavers are awkward for longer beard shaving.
The Philips Norelco 3500 can handle a 1-2 day beard without any hassle and it also can shave a 3-day beard.
But it may show its limitation while shaving more than 3 days longer beard.
It provided me irritation-free results but was not as comfortable as the premium comfort ring technology blades.
I think it’s enough comfortable for regular shaves.
But if you have very sensitive skin and there are some extra sensitive issues in your facial skin, you should avoid this shaver.
While talking about the popup trimmer, it’s quite responsible for doing its job perfectly.
But it cannot trim longer hairs for making stubble which is not a task of a pop-up trimmer tough.
Some premium models come with a separate SmartClick trimmer for handling that task but a popup trimmer is not responsible for trimming off beards.
In conclusion, I found the Philips Series 3000 shaver is pretty efficient in its duty.
Replacement Part
Since the shaver comes with self-sharpening blades technology, it stays sharp longer than other rotary shavers.
But you have to replace the blades like other shavers after a long time of use.
The manufacturer recommends replacing the blades after every 12 months of use.
But I think it may last longer or shorter than the recommended time according to your shaving habit.
I think you should replace the Philips SH30 replacement blades when your current blades start providing dull performance.
Pros
- ComfortCut blades for comfortable shaves.
- Blades are self-sharpening.
- Wet/dry shave.
- Very easy to clean.
- Powerful battery and 5-minute quick charge option.
- Popup trimmer.
- 100% waterproof and secured rubber grip.
Cons
- Very few accessories.
- Takes many passes for accomplished shaves.
Verdict
There are some limitations of accessories and features in this affordable Philips 3000 Series shaver. If you want to have more features and facilities, you have to up your budget and have a premium shaver. However, the Philips Norelco 3500 is a good choice for men who are looking for an inexpensive electric shaver with a wet/dry shaving facility and close shaving result. I found it’s efficient enough and comes with enough facilities in terms of its price range. I’ll definitely recommend this shaver to the user who is tired of bad experiences with affordable shavers.
Related Questions
Can I use it corded?
No.
Can I bring and use it out of the USA?
Yes, it supports universal voltage for worldwide use.
What is the warranty period?
2 years.
Can I shave my head with the shaver?
Yes.
Hi.
My Philips Series 3000 Wet/Dry shaver(aquired Dec 2019) worked well, but it was put on hold for two years. I recently tried to activate it, but there was no indication that it was taking a charge,(no indicator light or moter activation when left plugged in for a couple of hours). I tried the matching cord from my Philips clipper, but the result was the same.
Did I kill the battery by way of neglect? Is it practical to change the battery.
I appreciate you advice.
Gregory K.
Hi Gregory
In your case, the possibility of battery killing is 90%. But you can make a try keeping the device on charge for a long time. If luck is in your favor, the battery may revive. Otherwise, contact the seller if they can replace the battery with a charge.
However, my recommendation is to have a new shaver to be free from further hassle if the battery doesn’t revive.
-Thank you.