This shaver is built on the design of the old Japanese-market Panasonic ES-RS10 travel shaver, probably my all time favorite shaver ever (until now). The original blew me away because it was a $25 shaver that worked better than any of the more expensive electric razors I had tried. But it has a few big issues that kept it from being perfect.
1. It absolutely burned through AA batteries. I’d routinely go through a set every week or 2 until I switched to rechargeable AAs, (which cost as much as the shaver)
2. The OEM replacement foil and cutter were extremely hard to find, and wound up costing more than just buying a whole new unit. For this reason I have a graveyard of 5-6 ESRS10 units in a box somewhere.
3. Not waterproof. Not a dealbreaker, but would be super nice. But since it’s best used as a quick touch up shaver for shorter stubble, using it completely dry is totally fine.
Back to the STF101: This is not a mere knockoff- Supreme Trimmer has managed to improve on the original in almost every way, and solved 2 of my 3 big problems with the old Panasonics. It has a rechargeable battery AND can be used corded while charging. THANK YOU FOR THIS! Also, a new foil and blade can be purchased directly from them for half the price of the shaver. That’s what I’m talking about! And from what I can tell so far, the motor seems more powerful than the Panasonic as well, which is much appreciated.
Now if they ever come out with an IPX7/8 waterproof version of this, they will have made the single greatest travel shaver of all time, and you bet I’ll be buying one immediately.
Side note: I keep saying “travel”, but in all honesty if your aim is staying clean shaven and not letting your stubble get too long, this will absolutely work as your main razor. If you tend to let it grow out between shaves, you’ll definitely need a separate trimmer to cut the length down before using this.
Even without being waterproof (which I didn’t expect anyway), they knocked this one out the park! Highly recommended!