The Series 9000 is Philips’ top of the range rotary shaver, with a pivoting tri-blade head and the option to use it wet or dry. It performs a close shave, is kind to sensitive skin and is mostly a pleasure to use.
The ergonomics are also such that the Series 9000 fits your hand immediately, and feels almost weightless it is just 160g. That isn’t to say that this electric shaver feels cheap or flimsy, as its slimness means it still feels dense.
The trio of circular blades looks somehow more advanced than the straight foil type, in spite of Philips having been making its tri-blade Phili-shave models since 1956. Easy enough, but if you are someone who regularly uses a trimmer, you’d get annoyed at having to hunt around for the separate attachment.
You will have to just be careful. It comes with a rather nice semi-solid travel case, at least. A very simple display is hidden behind the glossy black plastic below the power button, with three simple lines to indicate the battery level, and a tap icon to suggest that you clean the head.
As these rotary shavers benefit from a circular shaving motion, it’s difficult to judge the Series 9000 on a single pass. Nevertheless, it required minimal time and effort to achieve a very close shave, and was specially good at hugging the more difficult areas of the lower neck.
It also requires less of a traditional shaving technique, you do not really need to know which direction your beard’s growing; you just make circular motions around your face and let the blades do the rest of the work.
Be aware, though, that if you leave this or any rotary shaver, for that matter unwashed for more than a few days, they become a sod to clean out.
It is easy enough to pop the front off the head and get the blades out, but those circular blades are more fiddly to get a brush into than their linear counterparts.
Conclusion
The Philips Series 9000 is wonderfully quiet, light and effortless, while as well as attaining a very close shave.