Review of electric razor Polaris PMR 0421RC

The next electric razor model from Polaris presented to us for testing is designated PMR 0421RC and additionally called “Pivot Touch 4D Pro”. How should this designation be understood? The manufacturer claims the presence of a 4D facial contour repetition system, as well as the use of three Pro 5 Blades floating heads and double knives in the razor.

This device is designed for both dry and wet shaving, has an IPx7 moisture protection rating and a built-in trimmer. Without delay, let's move on to reviewing the device, testing it in practice and trying to find out whether all these technologies with non-obvious and noticeable names have an impact on the quality of shaving.

^* Contrary to popular belief, this is not the time limit after which the device will necessarily break down. However, after this period, the manufacturer ceases to bear any responsibility for its performance and has the right to refuse to repair it, even for a fee.

The razor is packaged in a compact cardboard box made in the Polaris corporate style: black background, glossy design elements, an image of the device, as well as a description of its key features and technical characteristics.

However, some stated characteristics raise more questions than they answer. For example, what is meant by «360° floating shaving mobile blades»? How does this 360 degree swimming happen? How to measure and evaluate this angle, and where are these degrees located?

Inside the main package there are several compact cardboard boxes in which the razor and all its accessories are neatly placed. We find this convenient because, if necessary, everything can be easily put back and nothing hangs loose in the box. Additionally, to protect the contents, all items were packed in plastic bags.

When opening the box we found:

• A razor with a protective cover.
• Charger with detachable USB Type-C cable.
• Cleaning brush.
• Case-bag.
• Instructions, warranty card and promotional materials.

The overall configuration of the razor looks quite standard.

The razor looks strict, stylish, but not too expensive — like most Polaris razors. That is, in appearance it exactly corresponds to its price category.

Made from a variety of black plastics, the body includes a matte back, a glossy front, and a ribbed grip area. Decorative elements are also made of plastic and painted silver.

The shape of the device is classic: on top there is a fixed head with three floating rotary knives.

At the front there is a special gripping area with a plastic insert with fine ribbing. Tactilely, it is almost like rubber, pleasant to the touch and providing a comfortable hold.

On the back side there is a trimmer cover and a button for opening it, easily accessible to the index finger.

The trimmer in this razor is equipped with a tilting mechanism, which is activated by a built-in spring. To remove the trimmer, you need to slightly move the button towards you, which eliminates the possibility of accidentally removing the trimmer while shaving.

To put the trimmer back (close the lid), you will need to return it to its place manually. The length of the cutting part of the trimmer is 2 cm.

The back of the shaver provides information about the model and technical specifications, and there is also a warning sticker stating that the shaver should only be cleaned when the power cord is unplugged.

On the front, below the grip area, is the power button, and just below is the Polaris logo and an LED power indicator, which also serves as a charge level indicator. When turned off, the indicators remain invisible, hidden under black plastic.

The fixed head is equipped with three rotary knives. To protect the knives from impacts, a cover with latches made of transparent plastic is used.

The blades are mounted on a movable mount, which allows them to change the angle of inclination in one plane (from the center to the edge). In addition, the blades themselves are spring-loaded and retract easily even with slight pressure. In the initial position, the knife grid rises above the plane of the head by approximately 1-1.5 mm.

The head cover is equipped with a spring and can be easily opened by pressing a button located in the front of the case. After this, you can access the knives (for replacement or cleaning).

Torque is transmitted to the knives using three plastic pins, which are free to tilt in any direction and are easily recessed into the body to provide better grip on the blades.

At the bottom of the shaver there is a USB Type-C charging connector. The length of the wire is 1.2 meters, which, in our opinion, is quite enough to charge the device.

However, upon closer inspection, it is worth noting that the length of the wire could be more generous: our razor is capable of working from the mains. If you need to shave without disconnecting the cord, then the socket should be fairly close to the shaving area (mirror). The kit includes a standard charger that produces 5 V 1 A.

The travel case is made of synthetic waterproof fabric, looks quite budget-friendly, but is equipped with a zipper. This allows you to use it not only for storage, but also for carrying the device. There is enough free space inside the case, so that if necessary, you can place both the charger (if you put aside concerns about possible scratches of the razor body during transportation) and the wire itself. In addition, there is a special mesh pocket inside for storing accessories.

Also in the kit you can find a double-sided brush for cleaning the blades and a bottle of oil for lubricating the blades. These accessories are completely standard and are not particularly interesting.

The instruction manual is a compact brochure printed on high-quality glossy paper. Russian, Ukrainian and Kazakh languages are represented.

After analyzing the instructions, you can read the description of the device, obtain information about the rules of operation, care, storage and disposal of the device.

In general, everything is extremely simple and clear. All steps are accompanied by clear and detailed illustrations, although there could be a little more text. For example, in the illustrations we see that the head cover with knives is detached from the body. However, in practice, we decided to refrain from this operation, since the instructions do not contain a text comment, and the illustration only shows an up arrow. Perhaps you just needed to pull harder?

The device turns on and off using a single mechanical button. During operation (and also while charging), the display shows the current battery charge.

In this section, you may notice an indicator of the connected charging adapter or a low-battery warning (battery icon), as well as an image of a lock (the razor is locked) or a water tap (the device needs to be cleaned).

The lock is activated and deactivated by long (3 seconds) pressing of the power button.

It is recommended to fully charge the shaver before using it for the first time, which usually takes about an hour. In our case, the device was 70% charged out of the box.

Standard shaving rules include pressing the razor to the desired area of the face and performing circular movements, gradually moving to unshaved areas.

Dry shaving is recommended on clean and dry skin. After use, it is recommended to apply aftershave cream to prevent irritation. Wet shaving involves using shaving foam or gel to moisturize the skin and reduce friction.

After shaving, the razor heads should be rinsed under running water. It is important to remember that wet shaving is only permissible in stand-alone mode (without connecting to the mains).

Using the trimmer is not difficult: we pull out the trimmer, trim the hair in the direction of its growth, directing the trimmer perpendicular to the surface of the skin.

Since the shaver can be powered, there is no need to worry about it running out of power at the wrong time. This is a significant advantage, especially when time for morning care is limited.

The general conclusion is that no particular difficulties or problems arose during the use of the device. Everything turned out to be standard and convenient.

The razor requires regular cleaning, recommended weekly, and the shaving heads should be cleaned after every 30 uses.

Maintenance includes cleaning the shaving heads and the area under the shaving unit using a brush. It is also necessary to rinse the razor cavity thoroughly under running water.

If necessary, the shaving heads can be cleaned with alcohol-containing liquid and lubricated with sewing oil.

During testing, we limited ourselves to rinsing the razor under running water, which turned out to be sufficient to maintain it in good condition.

If it's time to replace the knives, open the cover of the shaving module, turn the plastic fastening of the knives counterclockwise, after which they can be easily removed. This procedure can also be performed to deep clean knives, although getting to them with a brush and thoroughly scrubbing out any remaining hair can be a challenge.

When testing cordless shavers, we typically measure the operating time on a full charge and the time it takes to fully charge the battery.

To measure battery capacity, we use repeated switching on of the device at intervals of 5 minutes. Our razor ran for 17 full 5-minute intervals before failing almost immediately after the 18th turn on. Thus, without recharging, our razor worked for 85 minutes (while the manufacturer claimed up to 120 minutes of work).

The battery was fully charged in 55 minutes using the included adapter.

During testing, we checked how well the razor copes with its task, tested the trimmer, as well as dry and wet shaving.

We started our study by evaluating the trimmer's performance. To do this, we decided to let a long beard grow on our face. Thus, we will check how effectively the trimmer will cope with this task. This is what our “experimental subject” looked like at the start of the experiment.

Okay, let's try removing some of the hair on the cheeks and highlighting the contours around the beard. When we turned on the trimmer, we found that it did the job successfully. Despite the lack of a feeling of special power, even long hair is trimmed neatly. The trimmer does not pull individual hairs; most areas on the face were treated in two passes.

The low power of the trimmer may have a slight impact on the overall impression. Unlike professional models, which can handle hair in a «zip-and-done» mode, our compact trimmer hums quietly and sometimes requires re-passing certain areas.

It turned out that the trimmer not only successfully shapes contours, but is also suitable for shaving off long stubble and preparing for a close shave. It cuts mustache hair efficiently, which is often a bit of a challenge for other devices.

While using the trimmer, our razor consumed 12% of its battery charge.

After treatment with a trimmer, the hair remains quite short. It successfully copes with the main task — cutting long hair and creating clear transitions. Now you can move on to the shaving stage.

Result: good.

Our razor provides both dry and wet shaving options. You may want to avoid dry shaving when you have access to specific moisturizers, as this can reduce skin irritation and the quality of the shave is usually just as good. Still, let's check this mode first.

In 2.5 minutes we shaved one half of the face and got a completely satisfactory result.

Most of the face was shaved on the first pass, which took about a minute. We spent the remaining time removing individual hairs.

The shaving quality was good. Naturally, it was not possible to achieve absolutely smooth skin, as when using a T-shaped machine. In some areas, you may feel minimal roughness to the touch. Theoretically, they could be eliminated by shaving more thoroughly, but it is hardly possible to completely get rid of them.

It's important to note that we didn't identify any major flaws, such as visibly poorly shaved areas. We believe that the razor passed the test successfully.

We note that skin irritation is rated as average or slightly below average. Although it is present, it is subjectively felt as normal.

Battery charge has decreased by 2%.

Result: good

To perform a wet shave, we covered the other half of the face with a special shaving cream and turned the razor back on.

This time the sensations turned out to be much more comfortable. The razor glided confidently across the face, causing virtually no discomfort to the skin.

We rate the shaving quality as good, and considering that this is a razor from the middle price category, we can say that it is even excellent. Problem areas were sideburns and other areas that required contouring. Getting to them using knives turned out to be not very easy.

At the same time, the rest of the face — cheeks, chin, mustache — was shaved smoothly, without significant flaws, the first time.

A little stubble remains only in the neck area, but it can be dealt with. Of course, if you don't mind spending a couple of extra minutes.

Result: excellent

Based on the test results, we conclude that the Polaris PMR 0421RC electric razor is a completely adequate offer for its price. Despite the lack of a movable head, the device demonstrated good shaving quality thanks to movable knives that successfully follow the contours of the face.

Advantages include a three-year warranty and the ability to purchase replacement shaving heads (recommended for replacement every two years).

It is important to note that the same blades are used in other Polaris razor models. It is assumed that the shaving quality of different models will be approximately the same, and each user will be able to choose a suitable razor, first of all, taking into account the budget.

As for the Polaris PMR 0421RC model tested, it is ideal for daily shaving and successfully copes with stubble from 2 to 4 days long. For longer stubble, the device comes with a trimmer that easily trims hair to the desired length for shaving and allows you to create clean sideburns and fades.

Additional benefits include wet shaving and corded operation. In practice, this means that you can continue shaving even if the battery is completely discharged, as long as you have an electrical outlet (the charging cord is only 1.2 meters long). The operating time without recharging was slightly lower than the stated two hours, amounting to 85 minutes, but this did not greatly affect the overall impression of using the razor.

Pros:

• adequate trimmer operation
• decent shaving quality
• wet shaving option
• work from the network

Minuses:

• fixed (non-floating) head
• low trimmer power
• actual battery life is less than stated