Panasonic Series 800 ES-LV97 Review: a very close shave that finally rivals a razor

I’ve been using the Panasonic Series 800 ES-LV97 for a few weeks now, mostly for daily face shaving and a couple of full head shaves. Before this, I’d been on Braun foil shavers (Series 5) and the odd wet shave with a Gillette cartridge when I wanted a really clean result. I bought this Panasonic because I was tired of going over the same patch three times and still feeling stubble on my neck.

First impression when I switched it on: it’s not quiet, and it feels like a serious bit of kit. The motor has that high-pitched buzz that makes you think it’s actually doing something, and in this case it does. The main thing you notice after a few shaves is that it gets very close, in some areas almost like a manual razor. For an electric, that’s honestly the biggest point in its favour.

I used it both dry in the morning rush and wet with foam on weekends. Dry, it’s already very good. With a bit of foam or gel, it’s even smoother and glides better on the neck. I’ve got fairly thick, fast-growing beard and usually a lot of trouble under the jawline. With this shaver, those tricky spots still need a few passes but I’m not standing there for ages like I did with my old Braun.

It’s not perfect: it’s quite bulky, the noise may annoy some people, and the cleaning station is handy but takes up space. But if your priority is a close electric shave and you’re okay with a slightly larger head and some noise, this thing actually feels like a real step up, not just a fancy new gadget.

Let’s be honest: the ES-LV97 is not cheap, especially if you get it with the cleaning station. It sits in the higher bracket of electric shavers, alongside things like the Braun Series 9. So the real question is whether what you get in daily use justifies the price. In my case, coming from a mid-range Braun that never quite shaved close enough, I’d say yes, mainly because the performance is clearly a step up and I’m not tempted to reach for a manual razor anymore.

When you factor in the cost of razor cartridges over a couple of years, the price doesn’t look as bad. If you’re currently buying premium disposable or cartridge blades regularly, this will likely work out cheaper in the long run, even with replacement foils every 18–24 months. The cleaning solution is also not too expensive, especially as one sachet mixed with water lasts longer than you expect. And you don’t have to run the cleaning station every single day – a few times a week is enough if you rinse the head in between.

Where the value is strongest is for people who want: a very close electric shave + good build + easy cleaning. If you shave daily and care about a clean, nearly-razor-level finish, the money feels justified every morning when you’re done in a few minutes without cuts. On the other hand, if you only shave a couple of times a week, have very light beard growth, or don’t care that much about closeness, this might be overkill. A cheaper Panasonic or Braun would probably be good enough and easier on your wallet.

So, is it good value? I’d call it good value for what it offers, but not a bargain. You’re paying for performance and convenience, and you do actually get both. Just make sure you really want that level of performance before dropping the cash, otherwise you’re paying for features you won’t fully use.

Design-wise, the ES-LV97 is on the chunky side. The 5-blade head is big, and you really feel that when you first use it, especially if you’re coming from a slimmer 2- or 3-blade foil. It took me a few shaves to stop bumping the head against my nose and to figure out the best angle around the jawline. That said, once you get used to it, the wide head is actually handy: it covers more area per pass and picks up more hair, so I needed fewer passes overall.

The handle itself has a decent grip. It’s not slippery, even when used wet with foam in the shower. The weight is around 200 g, so not feather-light, but it feels solid rather than heavy. The centre of gravity is low enough that your wrist doesn’t get tired, even during a full head shave. The buttons are simple: power, lock, and a cleaning button on the base. Nothing fancy that you’ll never use. The display just shows battery percentage and a basic indicator when it’s time to clean.

In terms of ergonomics, the big selling point is the flexible head. It tilts and pivots in several directions, so on flat areas like cheeks it stays in full contact pretty easily. On the neck and jawline, it still requires a bit of technique – stretching the skin with your free hand helps – but it does a better job of staying close than my older Braun. The pop-up trimmer is there and works fine for sideburns and tidying the neckline, but it’s nothing special; it’s more a nice-to-have than a selling point.

The downside of the design: noise and bulk. The sound is a higher-pitched whine than Braun, and if you’re shaving early with people sleeping nearby, they’ll probably hear it. The head also makes it a bit awkward under the nose and around tight corners. It’s not a deal-breaker, but if you’re expecting a sleek, tiny device, this isn’t it. It’s built more for performance than for being discreet or pretty.

The battery is rated for about 50 minutes, and in real life that seems about right. With daily shaves of 3–5 minutes, I easily got over a week without needing a recharge. The display shows percentage, which is much more useful than vague bars. After five shaves, I was usually still around 70–80%, so you’re not constantly worrying about it dying mid-shave.

Charging is simple: drop it into the cleaning/charging base or plug it directly into the shaver. I mostly used the base because it lives on the bathroom shelf and it’s just easy to drop it in. A full charge takes roughly an hour. I never actually ran it down to zero; the lowest I saw was around 20%, and even then the power didn’t feel weaker. There’s no obvious drop-off in performance as the battery goes down, which is good – some cheaper shavers feel sluggish when they’re low.

The only slightly annoying point is the 2-pin plug. If you don’t have a shaver socket in your bathroom, you’ll need a 2-pin to 3-pin adapter. Not the end of the world, but something you have to think about. Also, this is a wet & dry shaver, so like most of them, you can’t use it plugged in for safety reasons. If you forget to charge it and it’s flat, you’re stuck until it gets some juice, so it’s worth the habit of dropping it on the stand.

Overall, the battery side is pretty straightforward: it lasts long enough, charges fast enough, and you don’t have to baby it. For travel, you can easily leave the base at home and just take the shaver and cable. With my normal routine, I’d be comfortable going away for 1–2 weeks on a single charge if needed, especially if I’m not shaving every single day.

I’ve got fairly normal skin, not super sensitive but I do get redness and a bit of rash if I overdo it, especially on the neck and where the beard swirls. With this Panasonic, the first thing I noticed is that it cuts so efficiently that I don’t need to go back and forth over the same spot as much. That alone reduces irritation a lot compared to my old shaver. The foils glide pretty smoothly, and the floating head keeps decent contact without having to press hard.

Dry shaving, I’d rate comfort as good but not ultra-gentle. You feel the power of the motor and the closeness of the cut. If you drag it slowly over the same area repeatedly, you can get some warmth and mild irritation, especially if your skin is already a bit dry. When I used a pre-shave lotion or shaved straight after a shower, it was noticeably more comfortable. Wet shaving with foam is even better: the glide improves, and my skin felt calmer afterwards, almost no redness.

The so-called “responsive beard sensor” is hard to measure, but I did notice the motor sound changing slightly on denser areas, like under the chin. In practice, it seems to keep the power up when it hits thick growth. I never felt it bogging down or pulling, even after three days’ growth. On the neck, which is my problem zone, it did a cleaner job than my Braun Series 5 with fewer missed hairs along the grain changes. I still needed to stretch the skin and do some short strokes in different directions, but it didn’t chew up my skin.

If your skin is extremely sensitive, I’d say start with short, light shaves and maybe use a pre-shave or foam. This shaver clearly prioritises closeness over being ultra-mild, but because it’s so efficient, you’re finished faster, which in the end is kinder to the skin. For my mix of thick beard and medium sensitivity, it’s a good balance: close enough that I don’t feel sandpaper by midday, and comfortable enough to use daily without looking like I’ve been attacked by sandpaper.

In the hand, the ES-LV97 feels solid. It’s mostly plastic, but nothing creaks or feels cheap. The head clicks on and off firmly, the pivoting mechanism feels tight, and after several rinses under the tap and a few cleaning cycles, nothing has loosened up. It’s made in Japan, and you can tell they didn’t skimp on the mechanical parts. I’ve knocked it over on the sink once already (my fault), and it survived without any visible damage or change in performance.

The blades are stainless steel with a 30° edge, and combined with the foil they’re clearly sharp out of the box. After a few weeks of daily use, I haven’t noticed any drop in cutting performance. The cleaning station helps here: by regularly rinsing out hair and sebum, it should keep the foils and blades from getting gunked up and dull too fast. You can also just pop off the head and give it a quick rinse if you don’t want to run a full cleaning cycle every time.

Replacement foils and blades are not cheap, and that’s something to keep in mind. You’re looking at a decent chunk of money every 18–24 months, depending on how often you shave and how tough your beard is. Still, compare that to years of buying multi-blade cartridges, and it’s not that outrageous. Plus, the shaver doesn’t feel like it’s going to fall apart before the blades wear out, which is important at this price.

In terms of long-term durability, I obviously can’t speak for several years yet, but based on the build, I’d expect the body and motor to last a good while. The motor feels strong and consistent, and there’s no weird vibration or rattling. As long as you don’t drop it repeatedly or abuse the head, it should handle regular daily use without drama. Just budget mentally for new foils down the line, because that’s where the ongoing cost sits.

This is the part that matters: does it shave well? Short answer: yes, especially if you care about closeness. On my cheeks and upper lip, the shave is honestly very close for an electric, almost like I did one careful pass with a decent manual razor. On the neck and jawline, it’s not quite razor-level, but it’s the closest I’ve had from an electric so far. When I ran my hand against the grain right after shaving, there was only a faint roughness in a few tricky spots, nothing like the patchy feel I had with my older Braun.

On 2–3 days’ growth, it still performs strongly. I did a test where I didn’t shave all weekend and went at it on Monday morning. It powered through without snagging or pulling, which is where a lot of weaker shavers struggle. The 5-blade head definitely helps grab more hair per stroke. I needed a bit more time than on a daily shave, but nothing crazy – maybe an extra couple of minutes to tidy everything. It didn’t choke or slow down, and I didn’t end up with random long hairs left behind on the neck.

I also tried a full head shave twice. I usually use a foil shaver for that too, and this one did a very solid job. It’s fast on the flat parts of the skull, and the pivoting head adapts well. Around the ears and the back of the neck, the big head is less precise, but still manageable. I finished with a quick tidy using the trimmer and was good to go. The result was smooth enough that my head didn’t feel prickly by the evening, which is exactly what I wanted.

In day-to-day use, my routine became: quick rinse of the head under the tap after each shave, then into the cleaning station every few days. Shave time for a full face is around 3–5 minutes, depending on how fussy I’m being. It’s not the fastest shaver I’ve ever used, but it’s one of the most effective in terms of how much hair it actually clears per pass. If your priority is a very gentle, super-soft shave and you don’t care about closeness, a high-end Braun might suit you better. If you want your electric to get as close as realistically possible, this Panasonic is hard to beat in practical use.

Out of the box, the Panasonic ES-LV97 looks like a proper high-end shaver, but without any over-the-top packaging. You get the shaver itself, the cleaning/charging station, a 2-pin bathroom plug, one cleaning solution sachet, a small cleaning brush and the usual paperwork. No travel case on mine, which at this price I would have liked, but you do at least get the stand that doubles as both charger and cleaner.

The shaver is a 5-blade foil model, which basically means the head is wide and has several different foil sections designed to catch longer, flat-lying hair as well as short stubble. Panasonic calls it a 16D multi-flex head – marketing name aside, in practice it does move a lot in different directions. The motor is rated at 70,000 cross-cutting actions per minute, which sounds like nonsense on paper, but you do feel the power when you hit dense beard growth.

The cleaning station is pretty simple: you pour the sachet into the tray, add water to the line, and then drop the shaver in head-down after each shave (or whenever you feel like cleaning it). Hit the button and it runs through a clean and dry cycle. It’s not instant, but it does leave the head properly clean and dry without you having to think about it. You can also ignore the station and just rinse the head under the tap, which works fine for daily use.

Overall, the package is fairly straightforward: shaver, stand, cleaner, one sachet, plug. No fancy extras, but everything you need to start right away. Just be aware it’s a 2-pin bathroom plug, so if you don’t have a shaver socket, you’ll need to grab an adapter. That’s a small but annoying detail they don’t really highlight enough.