Sound Advice
By Don Lindich
Week 31, 2021
Q. How improved are the Panasonic LV67 and LV97 shavers over the prior generation LV65 and LV95 models? I saw your review and recommendation of the LV67 and LV97, and when pricing them the less expensive LV95 also came up.
R.C., Pittsburgh, PA
A. I have not tried the Panasonic Arc5 LV65 or Arc5 LV95, but I have researched them and received reports from those who own both. The consensus is the LV67 and LV97 are preferred over than the models they replaced, and it is enough of an improvement that it is worth spending a bit more on the newer versions. I checked prices of both generations and they tend to be within $20 of each other. Given you will likely keep the shaver for decades, I would get the LV67 or LV97. If the price difference gets to be in the $40-$50 range the LV65 and LV95 make more sense.
I did a price check before I wrote the column and the LV67, the current top-of-the-line shaver without the charging cradle, is on sale on Amazon for $119.99, reduced from $199.99. That makes it even less expensive than the prior generation LV65 and an absolute best buy in electric shavers. Hopefully the price lasts long enough for readers to take advantage of it.
While we are on the subject of personal care products, I have had a lot of questions and product review offers come in since I first reviewed the shaver. You will see other interesting products featured in the months ahead, some from product categories you may not have even known existed. For today I am going to write about something that most people already own, because I found something that works dramatically better than anything I have ever tried before.
Nose and ear hair trimmers are something I have had a love-hate relationship with for years. I love to see the offending hairs gone, but I have always hated the trimmers themselves. Every one I purchased came from the drug store in a blister pack for around $15, and the quality has always been iffy at best. They trim OK when they are new and the battery (usually a single AA) is fresh, but performance falls off a cliff with use and the batteries seem to get weak awfully fast. After my great experience with the Panasonic LV97 shaver I discovered they also made these trimmers, so I picked one up to give it a try. It is so much better than the drug store blister pack products that it defies comparison. Mark Twain once said about writing, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter. ’tis the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” Well, the Panasonic trimmer is the lightning, the others, the lightning bug.
I bought a Panasonic ER430 trimmer for only $19.99, just a few dollars more than the unsatisfying $15 models I own. I took one of my previous models and turned it on. It spun weakly. I removed the battery and put it in my new Panasonic. The trimmer spun fast and strong, evidence of a high quality, efficient electric motor. The twin blades made short work (pun intended) of any hair they touched, and a vacuum system sucks the trimmed hairs into a compartment in the trimmer for easy disposal. It is rated wet/dry so you can use it in the shower and wash it easily, and it even comes with a cleaning brush and travel case. What a great buy!