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Philips Series 5000 Electric Shaver Review: How Efficient and Worth Buying is the New Generation Philips Series 5000 Shaver?
Philips Series 5000 is a line of mid-range electric shavers that come with rotary shaving technology. Philips Norelco recently updated their Series 5000 shaver with a new model (Philips Norelco 5300). Although the Philips Norelco 5300 refers to a new model in the Series 5000, there are two versions of the model. The latest one comes with new advanced technology and more battery power. However, everyone has a different choice for personal grooming; that is why I’m covering both versions of the Philips Series 5000 shavers in this article with comparisons of each other. I think you should read the full article to decide to have your perfect shaving device.
Overview
- The Philips Series 5000 shaver comes with 45 SkinProtect blades for powerful and comfortable shaving performance.
- The rotary shaver comes with a 360° pivoting head for adapting contours flawlessly.
- Philips Series 5000 new version of Norelco 5300 comes with a beard adapt sensor technology that adjusts the shaving power with the beard density.
- It’s a washable shaver that provides wet/dry shaving facilities.
- The new Philips Norelco Series 5000 shaver comes with an extended rechargeable battery that provides 60 minutes of cordless performance with a 1-hour full charge.
- There is a 5-minute quick charging option and a built-in advanced LED display in the shaver.
- Philips newly designed their precision trimmers and engineered them with built-in popup trimmers whereas the older ones come with SmartClick trimmers.
Features and Specifications Analysis
Angular Shaped Rotary Shaver:
The new Philips Series 5000 shaver S5588 comes in a new angular-shaped head instead of older rounded heads.
The rounded head in the older Philips Series 5000 S5203/81 shaver looks like the typical rotary head that may be a better choice for some users.
Personally, I like the new angular shape that feels smarter and more user-friendly than the older shape.
But sometimes it feels awkward while making precision shaves since the head is a bit more elongated outside of the blades.
Moreover, the corners of the angular head may feel inconvenient for some regular rounder head users.
SkinProtect Blades:
Philips Norelco used new SkinProtect blades technology in the new 5000 series shaver.
The manufacturer engineered the shaver blades to provide sharper cutting efficiency along with comfortable and irritation-free glides.
The shaver comes with 45 rounded skin-protect blades that create 90,000 cross-cutting actions per minute.
Philips Norelco is pretty serious about the shaving comfort of their shavers and that is why they are implementing newer technologies to improve the shaving ease.
I observed the SKinProtect blades provide more shaving comfort than the older multi-precision blades of the Philips 5000 shaver.
Flexible Head:
Here you’ll find a great tweak.
Philips Norelco a new 360° flexible shaving head technology in the Series 5 shaver that softly flexes on the face and adapts to the skin contact very intimately.
The shaver head doesn’t swivel like the older pivoting head but the independent flexible heads of the new Series 5000 shaver simply follow the contours and shave off.
But I had to make some more wrist works with the new shaver for shaving tricky areas for its bulky and non-pivoting head.
Power Source:
Philips Norelco enlarged the rechargeable batteries in their new shavers and the Philips Series 5000 new shaver comes with an improved Lithium-ion battery.
The rechargeable battery provides 60 minutes of cordless performance with a full charge.
There is also a 5-minute quick charging option in the shaver that is handy for making urgent shaves when the battery power is empty and I’m on the go.
On the other hand, the older Series 5000 shaver provides 40 minutes of performance with a full charge.
However, the new battery doesn’t provide exactly 60 minutes power of shave I found.
Because I could hardly shave with the new shaver at the last 5-10 minutes of the battery power whereas it slows down during the last period.
It’s better than suddenly turning it off in the middle of the shave though.
Washable Device:
Both Philips Series 5000 shavers are washable that allow easy cleaning with direct running water.
Philips Norelco engineered a new 1-click head technology to open the head chamber for thorough cleaning.
The new 5000 Series shaver is easier to clean with direct running water.
Wet/dry Shaver:
Since the Philips 5000 Series shaver is 100% washable, you can shave under the shower with the shaver.
Moreover, it’s a wet/dry shaver that offers to have fast dry shaves and refreshing wet shaves.
Therefore you can use your favorite shaving cream, gel, or foam to have refreshing shaves with maximum skin comfort.
Both the new and older version offer the wet/dry shaving feature that you can have any time, anywhere.
Autosense Technology:
The manufacturer used SensIQ auto sense shaving technology in the new 5000 series shaver. Consequently, the shaver can read the beard density and length to adjust the shaving power accordingly. The beard adapt sensor works effortlessly for making the shaving process efficient and comfortable.
Popup Trimmer:
The new Philips Series 5000 shaver Philips Norelco 5300 comes with a pop-up trimmer instead of the older SmartClick trimmer.
The pop-up trimmer is handy for shaping sideburns and mustaches but not good for trimming lengthy hairs.
If you want to trim off the longer hairs for stubble to operate the shaver for close shaves, you need to take support from a separate trimmer or a professional beard trimmer.
The pop-up trimmer is only for precision trimming.
Therefore, it’s not a good choice for you if you shave your beards occasionally and need trimming most of the time.
But it’s not an issue if you already have a separate trimmer or intend to buy a separate trimmer for trimming longer hairs.
Travel Lock:
The Philips Series 5000 shavers come with a travel lock mechanism.
Travel lock keeps the shaver secured from unintentional turning on from accidental press or outer hit.
It’s very easy to activate and deactivate the travel lock with a single press and a 3-second holding of the power button.
There is a lock icon in the LED display on the shaver to be sure about the travel lock when active and inactive.
LED Display:
The shaver comes with a 3-stage LED display on the front side.
The display is useful for knowing the battery power, travel lock indication, and cleaning indication.
It also shows the charging progress while putting into a charge.
Both versions of the Philips 5000 series shaver come with a user-friendly LED display.
Built Quality
The new Philips Series 5000 shaver comes in a mostly matte finished appearance.
This has a longer handle than older versions with an angular-shaped body instead of the rounded one.
The shaver may feel bulkier than the older ones since it has a fat girth and a long body.
The angular shape of the heads are useful for shaving hair very comfortably and easily, but some user may feel uncomfortable with the lengthy edges and corners.
It features contour-friendly flex heads but the actual shaving head does not pivot for shaving tricky angles of the face and neck which is why I had to do more effort for the accomplished shaves.
Philips used innovative one-click-open head technology to make the cleaning process easier than I felt very convenient.
While seeing below the head section, Philips placed their logo and Series 5000 model number there; where placed the power button in the older model.
Philips placed the power button in the middle of the shaver in the new 5000 series shaver.
The power button in the new shaver feels inconvenient to me since my grasp covered the button while operating and turns off the shaver with the unintentional press of my thumb.
So I think the middle place of the button is not a good idea for the shaver or it could have a rubber-coated protection to disallow easy-press turning on.
Philips is now pretty emphasized on the battery power of the shavers and the new 5000 series shaver comes with a larger battery for 1 hour shave.
The LED display feels pretty useful for battery power indication and travel lock indication.
I always like to keep the travel lock activated while placing it in my bag or gadget drawer.
That is why electric shavers with travel locks like the Philips Series 5000 are pretty convenient for me.
The dialog in the advertisement “beard adapt sensor” is not much useful for electric shavers I think; since it always needs to run the highest power for efficient shaves.
However, the built quality of the new Philips Series 5000 shaver feels pretty sturdy and handy although there are some inconveniences.
Performance
The performance of a shaver is the key aspect you need to consider while choosing one.
I tried the shaver personally and professionally and got pretty convincing results along with some small difficulties.
The shaver gave me a very close shave every time but I had to make more passes than the premium shavers.
I found the shaving closeness is satisfactory for me although it takes much time to accomplish.
The SkinProtect blades are friendly to the skin to make comfortable operations without any skin irritation.
So, it’s a good choice for comfortable shaves as well.
It could shave my 2-3 days beard without any hassle which is pretty challenging for foil-type razors.
But the shaver comes with a pop-up trimmer altering the Smartclick trimming attachment of the older model.
The popup trimmer does not trim the longer hairs to make stubble.
However, it’s good enough to make precision trimmings like sideburn shaping, mustache shaping, and more.
In terms of shaving performance, I’m not disappointed with the new Philips Series 5000 shaver.
Pros
- Strong built quality.
- Powerful SkinProtect blades.
- Close and comfortable shaves.
- Wet/dry shaver.
- Very easy to clean.
- Powerful battery.
- LED display.
- Travel lock.
- Smart beard adapts sensor.
- Popup trimmer.
- Quiet performance.
Cons
- Bulky device.
- Miss-placed power switch.
- No travel pouch.
- No extra attachment.
- Needs several passes for a smooth shave.
Verdict
I’ve never seen an electric shaver that doesn’t get any negative feedback and some blame as well.
I checked the Philips Norelco Series 5000 model 5300 very seriously since a new patterned shaver and here I shared my experience and analysis report.
The Philips Series 5000 is a mid-range electric shaver line that comes with some premium features too.
This wet/dry shaver is a good choice for men who want regular close shaves with great skin comfort.
Since an affordable package, it lacks additional attachments that the premium shavers come with.
I think the shaving performance and built quality of the shaver look pretty good to have it as a convenient shaver.
You can skip it and select the premium range Philips S9000 or S7000 shavers for more facilities and robust devices.
I have the 5000 version with the trimmer attachment. IMO the shaver is a 2 out of 5 it’s fails miserably on the neck area, and doesn’t get very close on the upper lip area. The battery is scary when it’s drained it just stops with no warning. I’ve yet to find a shaver no matter the price that really works to my satisfaction.
Hi Wayne,
The older Series 5000 shavers came with a trimmer attachment but the new version comes with a built-in pop-up trimmer that feels more efficient I found. There were lots of objections in the old generation Series 5000 shavers including battery and shaving quality that I found solved in the new 5000 version (model 5300 new). However, as you mentioned you are looking for a shaver that will work to your satisfaction, and no matter the price; I would like to suggest you Norelco’s best creation Philips s9000 prestige. I think it will meet your satisfaction at all criteria. If you are comfortable with foil-type shavers, I’ll definitely suggest the Panasonic Arc5 that is my personal preference and the best creation to change your mind if you are tired of bad experiences with electric shavers.
-Thank you.
I’m trying to replace the heads with no success. These parts do not replace with any ease. the original heads were easy to clean and replace. The 2nd set that was provided with the original purchase have major issues and I can not replace or use the razor. VERY UPSETTING.
Dude i dont know what kind of problem do you have, blades are changing in the same way that pervious rounded gen. of series 7000, 9000 and prestige did. You just pop up top head with button than twist blue ring and comb with blade just comes out. Than do the same in reverse with new blades. Angular series 5000 and 7000 officialy use sh71 blades but u can use sh91 from series 9000 and prestige. I did that and they work like a charm.
I have been using philips shavers for over 60 year, the 5000 model is probably the worst. The head is too large and therefore the blades are too far apart, the space between the blades and the edge of the head is too big making it hard to get a close shave in the upper lip around the nose. I’d imagine it would work well on a flat surface but our face is not flat. It was probably designed by somebody who doesn’t use it. A disappointed loyal customer!
Bought new 5000 series (model S5880) that comes with USB cable but no plug in adapter. Can’t find a USB adapter for this razor on any website except for Panasonics own website. Two adapters listed-one says not available, the other says discontinued!! Can’t use the adapter I have for earlier 5000 series razor, as some idiot redesigned the plug configuration on the end of the model S588. So I now have a razor I can’t use!!!!