Remington SR9130

Generally speaking, users and expert reviewers agree that as long as you don't have thick, coarse hair, this relatively inexpensive shaver gives a solid, reliable, clean shave.

Works well -- as long as you're not the coarse type

Experts and user reviewers are at often at odds about the Remington SR9130 rotary shaver. Testers for New Zealand's Consumer magazine and another consumer testing group say the pop-up trimmer doesn't work well, but most users say it works just fine as long as you're not dealing with very thick hair. A number of users say the SR9130 isn't good for coarse beards, but one expert tester picks the Remington SR9130 specifically for shaving two or three days' worth of growth from his coarse beard.

The users have the experts outnumbered. They say this isn't the razor for very coarse, thick beards, but it seems to work very well for those with regular and fine beards. It ultimately receives good rankings across the board from a major consumer magazine for factors including closeness and comfort of shave, ease of use, general shaving performance and ease of cleaning. Another expert panel, working for New Zealand's Consumer magazine, agrees, saying it gives a nice, smooth shave. However, we did uncover a few comments that this shaver's larger head and rotary blades make it challenging to shave detail areas, like right below the nostrils.

"It feels good in your hand."

The Remington SR9130 is relatively basic compared to many of the shavers we've evaluated. It doesn't come with an automatic cleaning system or charging stand; you just plug the power cord into the shaver to charge it. On the other hand, users say that the charging stand is an inconvenience on some other shavers. A full battery charge takes about 90 minutes for the SR9130, and it yields 60 minutes (some users report a bit more) of shaving time.

Almost every user and expert agrees that this shaver looks and feels good in your hand. One user points out that the pop-out trimmer doesn't seem to slow the shaver's speed, and several say they like how easy it is to clean: Just open the flip-top and rinse the blades under running water. Reviewers at New Zealand's Consumer magazine find the SR9130 easy to use and clean, as well as nice to hold.

It's oh so quiet

Although we found one complaint from an Amazon.com user that this shaver became loud after a cleaning cycle (he wonders if maybe he did something wrong), most don't comment on the noise or say that it's very quiet. One writes that the Remington SR9130 is so quiet that you have to do a visual inspection to see how well you've shaved because "you have no sound feedback as to when it's actually trimming hairs."

Reasonable warranty matches shaver's good looks

The Remington SR9130 is backed by a standard two-year warranty (heads and cutters excluded), and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Users say that replacement heads, which should be swapped out about once a year, are a little pricy. They cost about half as much as a new foil and screen for competitive foil shavers; expect to spend about $30 for the new head and blade assembly.

There's virtually no cleaning cost -- just rinse with water after every shave and run a drop of dish soap through the blades once a week -- but you are supposed to use a Remington spray cleaner/lubricant (*Est. $4 for a 3.8-ounce bottle) twice a year.

The bottom line

Users and experts alike agree that the Remington SR9130 does a good to excellent job with any facial hair that isn't coarse. It's also one of the least expensive shavers we evaluate in this report.. The Remington SR9130 is only available online in the United States; if you want to buy a shaver in person, the Philips Norelco SensoTouch 3D 1250X (*Est. $150 to $190) is a worthy runner-up.