Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver: An Excellent, If Basic, Budget Shaver
The Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver: An Excellent, If Basic, Budget Shaver
The Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver is an excellent shaver that you will enjoy using if you want great quality at a low price. The Norelco 3100 Shaver is quiet, comfortable, inexpensive, and can be used while charging. It will work reasonably well on flat-lying and longer hairs. It’s got a great quality of build as well as a popup trimmer.
However, the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver isn’t the closest shave that you could get, and it cannot be used with shaving cream. It also takes eight hours to be fully charged, which is longer than a lot of other electric razors on the market. It doesn’t come with niceties like a cleaning brush or a travel pouch if these things are important to you.
Overall, though, if you do have an eye on the price of your next razor and don’t care so much about bells and whistles, we’re confident that you will enjoy the quality of the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver.
What Is an Electric Shaver?
Most of you probably already own an electric shaver at home, but an electric shaver is basically a razor. There are two main different kinds of electric shavers: rotary and foil. Foil shavers have two rotating cylinders at the top of the shaver. Foil shavers are known for their closeness of shave. Also, generally, foil shavers are more expensive than rotary shavers.
Rotary shavers look like they have small circles at the end. These are the more common kind of electric shaver, and the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver is a kind of rotary shaver.
Typically, there are three rotaries on a rotary shaver, and the head will move to match the angles of your face. Rotary shavers don’t get as close of a shave as foil shavers do, but they do tend to be more comfortable, and there is less risk of nicks. For this reason, a high-end rotary shaver is great for shaving your head solo (you are more likely to cut yourself with a foil shaver if you’re using it for this purpose).
The Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver is a mid-grade rotary shaver. It’s got the typical three-rotary-head setup, and it will give you a reasonably close shave with little chance of nicks or irritation. Norelco calls its rotary setup the “ComfortCut Blade System.”
What Are the Features of the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver?
The individual rotaries of the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver can be depressed inward and will do their best to cleave to the surface of your chin and jaw. The shaving device does a pretty good job of this overall, though it’s worth noting that the heads will not flex outwardly, and the shaving head is unable to pivot. If you wish to have these features, you’ll need to go with a higher-end razor.However, keeping in mind that the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver is designed for those who are on a budget, there is still a reasonable amount of flex and comfort for the price.
The lack of pivoting head means that the shaver isn’t the best choice on the market for those who wish to shave their heads but most will find the performance more than suitable for a basic face shave.
Both Cord and Cordless
The Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver can be used both plugged into the wall and charged, as it has a Li-Ion battery. It’s important to note that the electric razor is not a wet-dry model, which means it can’t be used in the shower. Although it lacks a wet-dry feature, it does have a workaround for the long charging time (again, 8 hours) by using it plugged in.
Most men who are looking to get their shaving done at the mirror quickly in the morning will find that the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver suits them fine in this manner. But if you’re looking for a shave that can be completed in the shower, you’re better off looking at a (likely more expensive) different model for this feature.
Contains a Popup Trimmer
One of the nice features of the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver is that it does indeed come with a popup trimmer for your goatee, mustache, or sideburns. The fact that it contains one at all is pretty impressive, given that it is a budget model and most budget models do not contain one.
However, it’s also worth noting that the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver’s pop up trimmer isn’t exactly the greatest quality that you can get.
If you want a precision popup trimmer for shaving, you’ll need to spend more money on a more advanced model. If you’re just looking for something basic to keep your sideburns in check, or you’re not that fussy about your goatee, you’ll probably find that the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver’s pop up trimmer does well enough in a pinch.
Reasonably Good-Quality Feel
Again, the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver won’t feel the same way as a high-quality electric shaver will in your hand, given that it is meant to be purchased by those on a budget. But this in no way means that the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver feels cheap. It’s got a pretty basic plastic and rubberized-grip build with the metal in the heads. Higher-quality shavers tend to be a slightly-heavier metal feel.
For some, the fact that the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver is lighter in the hand may be a bit of an advantage. Particularly if you have carpal tunnel or some other issue that makes holding heavy objects difficult, the lighter build of the electric shaver may be a plus.
The front of the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver is rubberized with striations, which makes it easier to grip if your hand is wet. This is also where the on-off switch is.
It’s important not to hold the razor too tightly since if you do, you might accidentally trigger the on-off switch. However, this was really not an issue for any of our testers, and it probably won’t be for you, either.
Additionally, it’s important to note that there is no travel lock on the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver, so make sure that you take care with where you place it while you are traveling. The lack of a travel pouch makes it even more susceptible to being turned on while in transit. However, it’s also important to note that none of our testers reported the shaver turned on accidentally. It is just something to be aware of.
Included in the Kit
It is important to know what you get when you are buying the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver. Again, as mentioned, there is no blade cleaner or travel pouch included with your purchase, which some may find to be a negative.
However, you do get a reasonable amount of gear with your Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver kit.
The kit comes with the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver, the charging cord, a cap to cover the blades, the user’s manual, the warranty, and a leaflet in the event that you need to order replacement parts for the unit.
The warranty for the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver is good for six months after the date of purchase. Again, this isn’t an unusual length of warranty for an electric shaver of this caliber. If you wish a longer warranty, it’s better to go with a shaver that is of higher quality. However, if having a longer warranty is very important to you, then you can take the warranty card and register it on the Norelco website. This will result in a warranty that lasts for two years, which is fairly impressive for a shaver at this price point. There is also a 45-day money-back guarantee, which is more than enough time to figure out if this is the shaver for you or not. We really like how generous Norelco is with this warranty and guarantee.
Battery Life and Charging
The Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver can take up to eight hours to charge, though most people remark that it seems to be at full life around six hours. However, our reviewers were all using brand-new models; it seems logical that over time it might take more time for the battery to charge. The shaver itself will come uncharged
but since the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver can be used while plugged in, this is not a problem at all as you can use it right away. Again, this is not a wet-dry razor, so you don’t have to sit around and wait for the battery to fire up.
The charging brick that comes along with the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver is surprisingly small; it’s even smaller than some bricks that come with higher-end shavers. Those who have a limited amount of space are sure to appreciate this. When you plug the shaver in for the first time, you’ll find that its lights blink both green and orange while it is charging. Once the battery is totally charged, it will blink solid green. When fully charged, you’ll find that the device gives you around 45 minutes of shave time, which is pretty standard for the industry.
How Does It Shave?
Of course, what you really want to know about the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver is how it treats your face and what you can expect out of it. Overall we are very pleased with this electric shaver, particularly for the price. It is not the best shave that you could possibly get, but you would end up paying nearly twice the price for an electric shaver that would produce a noticeably closer shave than the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver.
Closeness of Shave
The Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver is on par with other budget rotary shavers; namely, it’s not going to give you the closest shave. However, if you have any experience with rotary shavers, you are aware that this is one of the areas that they tend to fall short in overall unless you’re spending hundreds of dollars on a high-end rotary device. If the closeness of your shave is really important to you, then you may want to look into a foil shaver.
Overall, the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver performs on par for its class. Again, if what you want is baby-smooth closeness, you’ll probably want to look into a foil razor. If you don’t mind a bit of the rugged, stubbly look, then the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver will likely do you fine.
Comfort Level
The Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver gives a pretty impressive, comfortable shave. You’ll likely find that the irritation you experience with it is reasonably low, even if you’re the sort that typically experiences irritation when shaving without shaving cream. Provided that you don’t press too hard, you’ll generally find that any discomfort with the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver disappears shortly after use. The shaving heads also tend to stay pleasantly cool, even if it takes you a while to get through your shave.
Working with Longer Hairs
This is where rotary-type shavers tend to shine over foil ones. If you shave on a daily basis, you probably won’t notice this too much, but if you leave your beard for a few days and then wish to mow it down, you’ll need to reach for a rotary shaver rather than a foil one.
The Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver does extremely well on long hairs. Even if you have hairs on your neck, or other places, that tend to grow parallel to the skin, you’ll find that device is able to cleave through them pretty easily. So, if you’re the sort that sometimes goes a few days between shaves, you’ll enjoy the power and comfort of the Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver.
Our Verdict
The Norelco 3100 Electric Shaver is a comfortable, affordable shave.
