For my full beard, I tried the Panasonic ER-GB60 and the Norelco BT5210/42. Both were very good shavers. Here is my comparison. In case it matters, I’ve sported a full beard for about 8 years and trim it to 3 different lengths – the goatee area is maintained slightly longer than the sides, and my neck, under chin, and upper cheeks are shaved clean (using a shaver – not a razor).Neutral/subjective differences- The Panasonic cutting head is about 1-1/4 times the width of the Norelco. This means that the Panasonic may give a quicker shave, but the Norelco maneuvers better when trimming just above my upper lip- The Norelco touts its “Lift & cut” technology while the Panasonic touts the 45 degree angle of its blade. I did not notice a difference in the comfort and closeness of either. Both cut well and cut similarly close without the guard- The Panasonic has a little heft to it while the Norelco was super-light. I actually preferred the Panasonic here, but it is pure opinion- The Panasonic’s handle is narrower than the shaving head while the Norelco is narrow at the head and foot, bowing out in the middle. I prefer the shape of the Panasonic, but this is also just opinion- The front of the Norelco is a thin, shiny, silver plastic made to look like chrome. The darker metallic-looking plastic of the Panasonic looked nicer to mePro-Panasonic- Better head range. The smallest Norelco head adjusts to 7mm. The smallest Panasonic head adjusts to 10mm. The ability to trim more ranges without changing heads was a huge deal for me. I generally trim my goatee area to 7 mm, but sometimes go to 9. Also, what my last shaver listed as “7” seems to have been slightly longer than the “7” on both of these, so I’ve been using an 8. This means that I’d have to change heads every shave with the Norelco. If you shave one area shorter and another between 7 and 10mm, the Panasonic is a better choice. I guess on the contrary, if your “short area” is between 7-1/2 and 10mm, and your longer are is 10+, you’re more likely to be able to do it all with the 2nd Norelco head. If your just starting out and aren’t sure what style you will settle on, if you lean towards a shorter beard, the Panasonic makes it more likely that you won’t need to change heads. The Panasonic can even be dialed down to 0 with the 1st head on. I don’t recall if the Norelco can do that. Both brands’ heads are easy to put on and off, but it is still an extra step, and a very important step, since an incorrectly-placed head will mess up your shave. It also is something else that would need cleaning.- Build quality – the Panasonic seemed to be made of heavier duty materials, and it’s power button seemed especially nice compared to the Norelco, whose button seemed more flimsy.- This shaver had a nicer handle. The Panasonic seemed more contoured to my hand, and it seems to be a nicer plastic. I preferred the hard patterned grip of the Panasonic to the thin soft rubberized grip of the Norelco.- The Panasonic comes with a storage bag. It is a cheap, shear bag that won’t last long if you’re at all rough with those kinds of things, but it’s better than no bag at all. The Norelco had no bag at all.- The Panasonic comes with a cleaning brush. The Norelco did not. If you don’t have a small cleaning brush from a prior shaver, then score 1 point for Panasonic!Pro-Norelco- The Norelco does not need oiling. The Panasonic does. I don’t know how annoying that will be, but I think we can agree that not needing oil is better. Panasonic says it should be oiled before and after shaving, but since oiling it preshave makes it harder to clear away hairs, my plan is to just oil after. After several shaves, the oiling does not seem like a big deal.- Norelco’s Lithium Battery should last longer between charges, and should last longer overall, than the Panasonic Ni-MH battery.- Warranty. I know that with warranties, the devil is in the details, and I didn’t do a detailed review. Both shavers come with a 2 year warranty, but the Norelco says that if you register your purchase, the warranty is extended to 5 years. I’m sure the warranties don’t cover normal wear and tear, but to the extent a “defect” might not be noticed until years 3-5, the Norelco has the edge.- The Norelco has lights to let you know when it needs charging. The Panasonic does not have a low battery indicator. It seems to run at full speed until it stops. It’s lighting indicator seems to just relay information when it is plugged in.- Both have regular plug in chargers, but the Panasonic I received is made for a foreign (non-US) plug. It came with an adapter, but a true US plug like the Norelco has is better. From reading other reviews and some of the questions, it seems that this Panasonic model is not available on Amazon with a true US charger.My conclusion: the Panasonic’s better head range, build quality, and aesthetics outweighed the Norelco’s more convenient charging and oil free maintenance. The main advantages of the Panasonic were aspects I will appreciate every shave while the Norelco’s more convenient charging should arise less than once per month and I am not sure how annoying oiling the shaver will be.
