People who love carbon fiber are also often big fans of good design, it goes hand in hand. The new Philips Norelco Arcitec shaver, which features carbon fiber sides, is the epitome of good design. There are three different models (1050, 1060, and 1090), we take a look at the 1090:
The Philips Noreclo Arcitec is absolutely gorgeous. It features brushed stainless steel housing, mirrored dark silver chrome display lens, and carbon fiber molded panels on the sides. Not only does the razor itself feature a modern design, but the stand, and the travel case are no different.:
The Arcitec features three razor heads, as well as a trimmer. I found the triple trimmer design to work ok, it did an excellent job on flat sections like my cheek, but on places like on my neck it took a bit of work to cleanly remove any hair. Each razor head pivots separately from eachother, so I found myself constantly putting pressure and essentially just using one or two at a time. The trimmer does it’s job, but that razor heads make it hard to see exactly where you are trimming.
After you’re done shaving, you can simply pop open each razor head and run it under water. I really liked the ability to do that as it kepts things easy to clean and it was very fast. I didn’t need to have a huge cleaning unit on my sink, especially since the holder is so gorgeous.
The 1090 model that we have features an LED display on the front which displays a variety of things:
- Number of shaving minutes left so you know when you should recharge
- Low battery warning
- Charging indicator
- Cleaning indicator
- Travel lock indicator
- Shaving head replacement indicator
These were all extremely useful things, and lets just be honest, it looks cool.
Charging only takes 1 hour, and gives you 21 days of cordless shaving time. The stand itself is self-charging, so you do not need to plugin the actual razor. Simply plug the stand in, sit the razor in it, and you’re good to go. If you’re traveling and using the travel case (named the power pod), the case plugs in and will charge the razor. It also features automatic voltage selection, so you won’t have anything to worry about when traveling overseas.
Speaking of the power pod, the thing is huge. The case is bigger than the razor itself, as it is encompassed by it. The power pod design is sleek, and does its job of protecting the razor:
The 1050 model starts at $180 and the 1090 model is $250, although at the time of writing we’re seeing it for $140 and $180 (plus free shipping) at Amazon. The razor is quite pricey, but if you’re like me, and want something that not only looks phenomenal, but also works good, then it’s well worth it. I’m picky about what is on my bathroom counter top, and I’d have no problem paying slightly extra for the Arcitec.