Head Shaving - Babyliss Pro FOILFX02

[houmi]

Because of the Pandemic I've started shaving my head, I started with DE Razors, mostly Feather ASD2 (Feather Blade) & Rockwell 6S (#4 with Feather Blade), and using Mach3 Cartridge every once in a while. I re-sprained my ankle requiring me to sit & shave and I started looking for alternatives because I couldn't do preparations as much so tried the OneBlade from Philips. I was really happy with that device, it would give me a decent head shave w/ ATG strokes but not a BBS. Soon I realized that the 4 months blade life being advertised is more like a month, because the head hair is denser and the price of those blades could add-up. So I started reading/posting here as well as reddit to find another electrical solution.

I looked at Clippers, mostly Oster 76 or 10 with 00000 & Andis 000000 blades & Wahl 5 stars Balding clippers, but realized I don't like a corded solution, and since I was shaving my head every other 2-3 days I wanted a solution that worked well with those short subtle hairs and if I could get a BBS feel then better.

Surprisingly I saw that not enough posts or videos talk about foil razors (good old Braun series our fathers use), so I started looking/reading about those and chatting with a few barbers online who gave me their very invaluable pointers. So I narrowed down my choices to:

Braun 7 & 9 Series
Panasonic Arc 5
Andis Pro Foil
Wahl Finale
Babyliss Pro FoilFX02
Pitbull Skull Shaver

Ideally all of these work at difference price points, and they all have their pros/cons - you can read Amazon reviews, but I wanted to get the point of view from Professional Barbers and not a generic website or people who just shave their own head daily, you can look online but there are very few videos but this one was pretty spot on (there are some others as well)

Best Barber Foil Shaver 2019:

I was leaning toward the Wahl at first, but after finding out that barbers have to replace the foil every so often, I decided to choose between Braun 7/9 series, Andis Pro Foil and Babyliss Pro and finally went for the latter.

Obviously I've only had this razor for just a few days, so I can't really say how this razor will work long term but I have to say that I am very impressed so far by its:

- Long battery life
- Very strong at pulling / shaving hair
- BBS feel of a DE/Cartridge razor (yes BBS!)
- Foil & Blade replacements are not too pricey it seems (though unsure how long these will last)

The only drawback so far are the placement of the on/off button (I would have preferred in the middle), hard to keep it smudge-free but those are minor issues.

Just wanted to start this thread for people who are looking into head shaving solution, to look at foil razors as well. I also started shaving my beard with it and I have to say I am very surprised on how well it shaves!

If this works well, who knows I might switch to shave with it and forego DE shaving... though I'll miss my soaps & badger brushes!

 

[houmi]

So It's been over a week I've used this razor and some updated thoughts.

For head shaving, this foil is superb! It gets the job done, very BBS shave. It can be a little bit rough if you have 2-3 days of growth because since it's such powerful razor I'd recommend to do a few WTG pass before doing ATG.

For beard shaving, it's not as good as I thought. At least for me it has difficulty shaving my neck area under my chin. Apparently this is something many wet shavers go through when they switch electric razors and have to shave constantly for 2-4 weeks until the skin is accustomed to the electric foil shaver. I noticed on other forums that this is not razor specific and people with Braun 7 / 9's also can get this issue, though I have also read that those razors are superior for beards & neck shaves.

Many recommended to use electric pre-shave which I have not tried yet.

Overall very pleased still with this for head shaves, for beard shave it gets the job done only @ 90% (face, chin, sides but not neck area), so I've continued doing DE shaving only for my beard.

 

[slybrewguy]

I've got a pretty absurd amount of experience with Braun foil shavers (I've owned 6-7 in the last few years all out of curiosity and acquisition disorder lol) and electric head shaving in general, I'd be happy to share any info. Also, we are starting to get a good little following for Electrics over in the modern shaving systems sub of the general shaving section, pop on over.

 

[fmueller]

I started out into the shaving world with a Braun foil razor. My mom bought it for me in my teens when it was time for me to start shaving. It gave me the most amazing skin rash I ever had, and I dreaded the chore of shaving.

My dad laughed at me, but I considered his DE razor old fashioned and antiquated. Eventually the skin rash convinced me that I had to change something so I started wet shaving with a Trac II - the latest and greatest back then.

To make a long story short, I used the Trac II for about 30 years until last year I discovered DE razors. I've got a few now, including the Slim I used to give my dad a hard time about, and that he now gave me with a big grin.

I also head shave and get the best results with a Gillette New, long comb, flat bottom. I am glad to hear the foil razor is working out so well for you, but for me it is not something I would ever go back to.

 

[houmi]

I've got a pretty absurd amount of experience with Braun foil shavers (I've owned 6-7 in the last few years all out of curiosity and acquisition disorder lol) and electric head shaving in general, I'd be happy to share any info. Also, we are starting to get a good little following for Electrics over in the modern shaving systems sub of the general shaving section, pop on over.

I didn't know about that sub, thanks for pointing it out! Which Brauns do you use/have ?

I started out into the shaving world with a Braun foil razor. My mom bought it for me in my teens when it was time for me to start shaving. It gave me the most amazing skin rash I ever had, and I dreaded the chore of shaving.

My dad laughed at me, but I considered his DE razor old fashioned and antiquated. Eventually the skin rash convinced me that I had to change something so I started wet shaving with a Trac II - the latest and greatest back then.

To make a long story short, I used the Trac II for about 30 years until last year I discovered DE razors. I've got a few now, including the Slim I used to give my dad a hard time about, and that he now gave me with a big grin.

I also head shave and get the best results with a Gillette New, long comb, flat bottom. I am glad to hear the foil razor is working out so well for you, but for me it is not something I would ever go back to.

So for beard shaving, I am still using DE - I shave my beard now every 2-3 days (Feather ASD2 + Feather Blade)

For head shave this has been working very nicely. I can't head shave with DE anymore, since I can't stand because of my ankle sprain for long and the Foil works well anywhere in the house... Though I think if I were to do it again, I'd spent a little bit more money and get the Braun 7 or 9. Mostly because I get tired of cleaning the head/foil of this electric razor, and I think those come with automatic cleaning devices.

 

[slybrewguy]

I didn't know about that sub, thanks for pointing it out! Which Brauns do you use/have ?



So for beard shaving, I am still using DE - I shave my beard now every 2-3 days (Feather ASD2 + Feather Blade)

For head shave this has been working very nicely. I can't head shave with DE anymore, since I can't stand because of my ankle sprain for long and the Foil works well anywhere in the house... Though I think if I were to do it again, I'd spent a little bit more money and get the Braun 7 or 9. Mostly because I get tired of cleaning the head/foil of this electric razor, and I think those come with automatic cleaning devices.

I'll try to make this really condensed haha:
I clipper buzzed for a few years before trying an old norelco rotary I had under the sink and it wasn't too bad, it really gave me the urge to explore closer cuts then just clippers. I then went through a lengthy stint with different headblade models (and different blades for them) and they really do a fantastic job of a quick, close head shave. I just broke out in terrible bumps on the back of my neck from the multi blades and decided to research options... And found Badger & Blade! Yup, I started traditional wet shaving because of head shaving and not face shaving like most people here. I stuck with that for a long time and went through the usual rotations of products and acquisition disorders that we all do. I got to a point where even at my best it was still taking me 20+ minutes to shave my head... That's just stupid especially considering my hair grows so fast that I go from BBS blade shave to clipper level stubble in 36-48 hours. I then decided to let my hair grow and shave my beard off. I repeated basically the same cycle except with face shaving and found my face to be much more sensitive and picky... Even after several years of technique building, finding the right products, proper prep, etc I still got ingrown hairs and irritation even from just WTG passes. That lead me to try a cheap Braun foil shaver (310s I think, the cheapest one they sell at wall Mart with no base and no pop up trimmer) and it did a darn fine job on my face. This lead me to HAVE to try it on my head and I was extremely impressed!

Sorry, I'm still trying to make this short for you haha.

Since then I've exclusively been using foil shavers and don't even own a single bladed razor anymore (besides my wife's twin blade carts and a sentimental shavette, I don't use either). Electric Razor Acquisition Disorder (ERAD) took over really hard because for the first time in my life I could get near BBS shaves without ingrowns, they were a game changer. I am a Caucasian male but my hair and skin type cause me to face many of the shaving related issues that ethnic men face. I stepped up to a series 3 proskin, then a series 7, then a series 9, then back to a series 3 with the base this time. Me personally, I like a simple device that works and is affordable to maintain, the series 7 and 9 and just too much bells and whistles. I broke that series 3 due to really dumb user error (trying to be cheap with cleaning refills) and gave blades one more go with the same failure rate as in the past. I got a new series 3 and have been using that for some time now. I got another series 7 because I got a great deal on it, used it a couple times, and realized I just like the series 3. Similar to how many traditional shave purists hate pivoting cartridges, I find I have more control over a non pivoting foil shaver. The increase in power as you step up Braun's models just causes skin irritation for me. The motor in the series 3 is plenty strong to cut through my heavy thick beard and/or head hair growth but not so strong it causes irritation. By the way, I always shave my head totally dry and my face with a splash of lectric shave, both before the shower. I can go from 48hr growth on both my head and face to 99% near a BBS with no irritation or ingrowns in 10 mins with my Braun series 3. I don't care what razor, blade, or soap you own or how good your technique is... That's not happening with a blade lol. So yeah, I've given Braun probably $1000+ in the last few years. That's me being a dumb shave enthusiast and not a negative reflection on their products.

So that's the kinda quick version. I'm sticking with my series 3. I've got a practically new series 7 with the base, unopened cleaning cartridge, and all the accessories that I'm probably just going to sell cheap to pass a deal along. The series 3 should serve my needs for a while and it's cheap to repair (or even replace) should I need to.

Hope this helps!

 

[houmi]

I'll try to make this really condensed haha:
I clipper buzzed for a few years before trying an old norelco rotary I had under the sink and it wasn't too bad, it really gave me the urge to explore closer cuts then just clippers. I then went through a lengthy stint with different headblade models (and different blades for them) and they really do a fantastic job of a quick, close head shave. I just broke out in terrible bumps on the back of my neck from the multi blades and decided to research options... And found Badger & Blade! Yup, I started traditional wet shaving because of head shaving and not face shaving like most people here. I stuck with that for a long time and went through the usual rotations of products and acquisition disorders that we all do. I got to a point where even at my best it was still taking me 20+ minutes to shave my head... That's just stupid especially considering my hair grows so fast that I go from BBS blade shave to clipper level stubble in 36-48 hours. I then decided to let my hair grow and shave my beard off. I repeated basically the same cycle except with face shaving and found my face to be much more sensitive and picky... Even after several years of technique building, finding the right products, proper prep, etc I still got ingrown hairs and irritation even from just WTG passes. That lead me to try a cheap Braun foil shaver (310s I think, the cheapest one they sell at wall Mart with no base and no pop up trimmer) and it did a darn fine job on my face. This lead me to HAVE to try it on my head and I was extremely impressed!

Sorry, I'm still trying to make this short for you haha.

Since then I've exclusively been using foil shavers and don't even own a single bladed razor anymore (besides my wife's twin blade carts and a sentimental shavette, I don't use either). Electric Razor Acquisition Disorder (ERAD) took over really hard because for the first time in my life I could get near BBS shaves without ingrowns, they were a game changer. I am a Caucasian male but my hair and skin type cause me to face many of the shaving related issues that ethnic men face. I stepped up to a series 3 proskin, then a series 7, then a series 9, then back to a series 3 with the base this time. Me personally, I like a simple device that works and is affordable to maintain, the series 7 and 9 and just too much bells and whistles. I broke that series 3 due to really dumb user error (trying to be cheap with cleaning refills) and gave blades one more go with the same failure rate as in the past. I got a new series 3 and have been using that for some time now. I got another series 7 because I got a great deal on it, used it a couple times, and realized I just like the series 3. Similar to how many traditional shave purists hate pivoting cartridges, I find I have more control over a non pivoting foil shaver. The increase in power as you step up Braun's models just causes skin irritation for me. The motor in the series 3 is plenty strong to cut through my heavy thick beard and/or head hair growth but not so strong it causes irritation. By the way, I always shave my head totally dry and my face with a splash of lectric shave, both before the shower. I can go from 48hr growth on both my head and face to 99% near a BBS with no irritation or ingrowns in 10 mins with my Braun series 3. I don't care what razor, blade, or soap you own or how good your technique is... That's not happening with a blade lol. So yeah, I've given Braun probably $1000+ in the last few years. That's me being a dumb shave enthusiast and not a negative reflection on their products.

So that's the kinda quick version. I'm sticking with my series 3. I've got a practically new series 7 with the base, unopened cleaning cartridge, and all the accessories that I'm probably just going to sell cheap to pass a deal along. The series 3 should serve my needs for a while and it's cheap to repair (or even replace) should I need to.

Hope this helps!

Very insightful post. My father uses cheaper foils as well (Brauns) and my mother and I got him a Braun Series 3 which he loves now. He tried many years to get me into the foils bandwagon for beard shaving, but my face gets very irritated when I used them, even this BabyLiss. I tried the Lectric shave pre-shave but that didn't help and I am sticking with DE shaving for beard.

How do you clean your Series 3 ? Like once a week, day ? Did you ever use the cleaning device for your Braun 7 ?

 

[slybrewguy]

Very insightful post. My father uses cheaper foils as well (Brauns) and my mother and I got him a Braun Series 3 which he loves now. He tried many years to get me into the foils bandwagon for beard shaving, but my face gets very irritated when I used them, even this BabyLiss. I tried the Lectric shave pre-shave but that didn't help and I am sticking with DE shaving for beard.

How do you clean your Series 3 ? Like once a week, day ? Did you ever use the cleaning device for your Braun 7 ?

I am a huge proponent of the cleaning bases with these braun shavers and use it pretty much every time I use the razor. I get around 5 weeks of almost daily use from a single cleaning cartridge with my series 3. Interestingly I got about 4 weeks with my series 7 and only about 3 weeks with my series 9. Something with their respective use and drying must change how quickly the solution evaporates. The series 9 has a fan that runs for 45 mins at the end of the cleaning cycle (dumb!) So I'm sure that doesn't help haha