Philips Norelco 2300 Electric Shaver Review: How Efficient and Worth Buying is this Inexpensive Philips 2300 Shaver?

Philips Norelco 2300 is a new generation rotary shaver that has been revamped from the Philips Norelco 2100 model. As we know the Norelco 2100 was a revolutionary Norelco shaver that became too popular overnight. The manufacturer upgraded some features in the new version of Philips Norelco 2300 and now it is one of the best-selling electric shavers on the market. What’s special in this shaver that made it such overwhelming? In this article, I’ll explain the new generation Norelco shaver with pros and cons that may help you judge the product perfectly.

Overview

• The Philips Norelco 2300 has been designed with ComfortCut blade technology for comfortable gliding over the skin to make the shaving process irritation free.
• There are 27 rounded self-sharpening blades in the shaver that remain sharp until get damaged.
• It’s a cordless/corded shaver that offers 40 minutes of continuous cordless performance with an 8-hour charge. And on the other hand, it’s usable while charging.
• The shaver comes with a flexible shaver head that flexes in 4 directions for efficient and comfortable performance.
• It’s a washable shaver and there is a one-touch-open technology on the head that makes the cleaning process very easy with direct running water.
• There is a popup trimmer on the shaver that helps make the shaving process accomplished with the final touches.

What’s in the Box?

I got the following items after unboxing the Philips Norelco 2300 shaver-

• The shaver itself
• The charging adapter
• A cleaning brush

Since an inexpensive shaver, there is no extra item in the package.

Features and Specifications Analysis

Since a new version model of the older Philips Norelco 2100 shaver, the Philips Norelco 2300 has maximum similarities with the Philips Norelco 2100. In this field, I’ll analyze the new model and describe the similarities and dissimilarities with the predecessor model Philips Norelco 2100.

Self-sharpening Blades

Philips Norelco used self-sharpening blades first time in the Philips Norelco 2100 model, which made the shaver too popular in the industry. Subsequently, the manufacturer used the Self-sharpening blade technology in the newer model Philips Norelco 2300. The advantages of self-sharpening blades are that they are made in a rounded edge shape and stay consistently sharp until it is damaged. I found most of the users are very satisfied with the self-sharpening blades of The Philips 2100 model, which will also happen with the Philips 2300. I noticed there is no significant difference between the Philips 2100 and Philips 2300’s self-sharpening blades.

ComfortCut Technology

The manufacturer used more advanced shaving technology in the new Philips 2300 model, that is ComfortCut head technology. The predecessor Philips Norelco 2100 had 3 CloseCut shaving heads, whereas the new model Philips 2300 has 3 ComfortCut heads. I noticed that the CloseCut heads could shave closer than the new ComfortCut technology. But the ComfortCut heads cut the beard very comfortably with extra care of skin protection. If you observe the ComfortCut blades, you’ll find the caps are made with rounded edges that prevent the pressure of blades and cutting elements to minimize skin irritation.

Improved Battery

The new Philips Norelco 2300 shaver comes with a slightly more advanced battery than the older Philips 2100. The new rechargeable Lithium-ion battery of the Philips 2300 shaver provides 40 minutes of cordless shaving power, whereas the predecessor one provided 35 minutes. But the full charging time of both shavers is 8 hours which is really a long period. Since an inexpensive shaver, we have to adapt the charging time accordingly.

Cordless + Corded Shaver

This feature seems great for this new generation Philips Series 1000 shaver. The Philips Norelco 2300 can be used while it’s charging. On the other hand, the older Philips Norelco 2100 was only for cordless use. Therefore, the new Philips shaver really excels here.

One-touch Open Head Technology

The Philips Norelco 2300 comes with a OneTouch open-head technology that lets you easily clean the shaver inside its housing. There is a small button on the head to open the head with a single press. Moreover, the shaver is washable with direct running water. Therefore, we can directly rinse the shaver head after opening the head housing.

4-D Pivoting Head Technology

The shaving head of the Philips 2300 is fully flexible that moves in 4 directions accordingly. The flexible head ensures maximum skin contact for the curves and hard areas. This 4-directional pivoting head is not new in this shaver, the predecessor Philips 2100 also had the 4D flexible head. But if you compare it with the same range Braun Shaver, the Braun Series 3 has a static head that feels really cumbersome while shaving problem areas. Therefore, the Philips Norelco 2300’s advanced flexible head is really appreciable according to its budget.

Popup Trimmer

The Philips Norelco 2300 and its predecessor come with a built-in pop-up trimmer. I’m surprised with the pop-up trimmer that works perfectly to precise the beards, mustache, and sideburns although a primary budget shaver.

Dry-only Shaver

The Philips Norelco 2300 is a dry-only shaver that works only on dry beards and is not allowed to shave wet beards. Since a cordless + corded shaver, it’s the best practice to use it only in dry condition. Otherwise, it may malfunction, and moreover; if you use it with the wet condition while charging, it may occur electrical shock or other accidents. The older version Philips 2100 was also a dry-only shaver.

Built Quality

The new generation Philips Norelco 2300 shaver comes with new ergonomics that feels more attractive and user-friendly to me. It has been made with a gray and black color combination instead of the older fully black and blue surrounding edge. The new device is a bit longer and slimmer than the older Philips Norelco 2100 model which is mostly covered with sure-grip rubber.

I found the new shape fits in my grasp more easily and found it pretty comfortable to hold. Philips used more advanced ComfortCut head technology in the Philips 2300 model for irritation-free shaves and there are 27 self-sharpening blades for efficient performance. I have to admit that the self-sharpening blade technology is pretty useful for making the shaving performance consistent until the blades get damaged.

I observed in research that, the self-sharpening blade is the main reason for the older Philips 2100 model becoming too popular.

There is a one-touch open button on the head (front side) for releasing the head housing to clean inside that I really appreciate. But if you look back to the older model, you had to use brute force instead to release the head. On the front side, there is a sure-grip soft rubber until the end of the power button. Philips Norelco placed an easy-touch power button in the middle of the shaver that I do not like much because it may turn on or off very easily with unintentional touches of the fingers. But the older one’s button was covered with protective rubber and placed in the curve of the neck that doesn’t misfunction with soft touches of the fingers.

However, the rare side of the shaver is fully covered with sure-grip rubber that feels pretty secure and comfortable while operating. The pop-trimmer is located at the rare side that you need to slide up to release and push back to hold it back. While considering the inner power, the new model comes with the same motor as the older ones but the new one comes with a bit more powerful rechargeable battery for 5 minutes more cordless power.

At the bottom of the shaver, there is a charging port that is to recharge and use the shaver corded while the battery is fully drained. The built quality did not disappoint me according to its price range and there are some compelling features too to appreciate the shaver.

Performance

This is the main fact you should consider when choosing an electric shaver. The Philips Norelco 2300 is an inexpensive electric shaver produced in the entry-level Philips Norelco Series 1000 segment. Although an entry-level shaver, the Philips Norelco 2100 was over waved on the market for its great performance and features. The Philips Norelco 2300 is the upgraded model of the overwhelming Philips 2100 with some more facilities and tweaks.

I tried the shaver in every possible way to get the best result and judge the shaving performance. I experienced an overall reaction from the shaver.

While considering the shaving comfort, the ComfortCut self-sharpening blades along with the flexible head provided me an irritation-free and fully comfortable performance. In other words, I hardly experienced such comfortable performance with this kind of inexpensive shaver.

In terms of close shaving, it may show its limitation for coarse beards. I have a very coarse beard and when I tried the shaver on my 3-days beard, the result was not much satisfactory. On the two-days beard, it does a good job but I have to pass the shaver 2-3 times in a place for the closest result. However, the shaver is good enough in 1 day’s beard and I didn’t need to pass again for a perfect shave. This is to admit that, the result is not as close as the premium shavers like Philips s900 or Panasonic Arc5. But it’s pretty appreciable according to its price range.

Since a dry-only shaver, it’s definitely a downside for the shaver who likes to have wet shaves with shaving cream, gel, or water. However, the shaver comes with a premium popup trimmer that does its job perfectly for precise trimming.

I’m fully satisfied with the result of the built-in trimmer. To sum up, the performance is great for men who shave regularly and want to get comfortable shaves every time in the dry shave.

Replacement Head

Although the Philips Norelco 2300 comes with self-sharpening blades technology, you have to replace the head after the current one gets dull. The suitable replacement head for the Philips Norelco 2300 is the Philips Norelco SH30.

The manufacturer recommends replacing the blades after every 12 months but I said to replace them after the current blades get dull because it may last longer or shorter than the recommended period according to shaving habits.

Personally, I do not like the replacement of this inexpensive shaver since the replacement blades cost very close to a new shaver.

If you are supposed to save a bit cost then you can replace the blades. But you can buy a new shaver costing a little more instead.

Pros

• ComfortCut technology.
• Self-sharpening blades for efficient shaves.
• Cordless + Corded shaver.
• Improved battery.
• Flexible head.
• The cleaning process is pretty easy.
• Useful pop-up trimmer.
• Sure-grip design.

Cons

• The full charging time is 8 hours.
• No wet/dry shaving facility.
• The replacement head is pretty expensive.
• No travel lock & headlock.

Verdict

I experienced the Philips Norelco 2300 is a very comfortable and reliable shaver for regular use. But it’s not such a close shaver like that of the predecessor Philips Norelco 2100.

However, it wouldn’t be disappointing according to its budget. Since we can not demand a wet/dry shaver in a primary budget, I do not blame its dry-only shaving capacity. There are some compelling features in this shaver including self-sharpening blades and the cordless/corded option that I found enough for a light and careful user.

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