When making your first purchase for an electric Shaver, there are definitely things you need to consider. One important aspect you need to know is what type of shaver do you want? A foil shaver or a rotary shaver? They are both very effective but serve different purposes.
In this page, we will try to compare the two to help you understand the benefits of each and ultimately be ready to make the choice that is right for you. So lets start:
Qualities of a Foil Shaver:
- Designed so that parallel blades vibrate left to right under a light, rectangular metal cover (known as the foil).
- Great for sensitive skin because of this foil design which captures hairs through the small holes that cover the blades.
- Preferred choice for those that seek a close and precise shave.
- Vibration rate is very high.
Qualities of a Rotary Razor:
- Designed to handle longer hairs with no directional pattern of growth.
- Covers a larger area than a foil shaver therefore reducing the time required to shave.
- Preferred choice for people who don’t shave often and don’t want a super close shave.
- Much quieter than their foil counterparts.
The first electric shaver ever made was a foil style back in 1923 by Jacob Shick. The first rotary shaver came after by Philips in 1939. The two have been the primary styles still used to this day. So which one is the one for you?
Let’s take a simplistic look at what your needs are and then your decision will be quite clear.
Choosing The Right Style For Your Needs
This article is focused on just giving you a quick comparison between these two type, and to give you a good sense of which one you will need. To adequately assist in narrowing your final decision, we’ve made the following table that focuses on the needs that you may have and then the type of shaver that excels at that particular need. Feel free to count each need as a +1 and add up the total sum to figure out your decision.
Needs | Type of Shaver |
| Close, razor like shave | Foil |
| Fast shaves | Rotary |
| Lightweight for travel | Rotary |
| Lower price | Rotary |
| Sensitive skin | Foil |
It is definitely to be noted that foil shavers tend to be more expensive as they have more powerful motors that tackle hair head on to provide a razor like shave. We hope that this table helps in your decision making process and that you are ready to commit to your first electric razor.
