BaBylissPRO Barberology Foil Shaver

Original review, Foil FX01: Seems like there's a bit of a misunderstanding with this shaver. You should use clippers or trimmers first and then this. This is for that last bit of stubble you want to get rid of (or just give yourself that 5 o'clock shadow). I've never had a shave so close with even a regular safety razor. Maybe it's just me finally getting the hang of a proper shave. I've shaved my face so close with this, it felt like my skin was silky, baby smooth. I was planning on getting the double foil shaver, but I'm not sure I feel the need, this does a great job. It does use standard batteries, but I've not yet had to put new batteries in this after a few months (and several shaves) of use. I'm very happy with it. I use my trimmers on my beard if it gets too long first and then this to get that close shave. One thing I've noticed is that this foil shaver will get clogged easily, so make sure you pop the top and use the included mini brush to clean out the "beard dust" or otherwise it will get bogged down and it won't be effective. The all metal design is nice, but not all of the shaver is metal, some of it is plastic with a chrome like finish. That's fine. It does pick up finger prints easily, but I don't mind. I'm very happy with it. Foil FX02 (added 6/20/23): I purchased the Foil FX02 a few days ago since Amazon had it 20% off. I couldn't resist the temptation to snag one. I've only had it a few days, but I'll give you my first impressions and I'll come back later and update the review again with more thoughts. Upon receiving the package in the mail, I noted how HEAVY this is. Taking the FX02 out of the box I immediately noticed 1) it's HEAVY, and 2) it's HUGE! Compared to the FX01, the FX02 is a monster. Some of the reviews say that the top piece on the FX01 only fits one way, but the FX02 top only fits one way as well (I'm referring to the piece that holds the foil, not the cover). Right off the bat I couldn't get over how large this thing is. I have smaller hands so for me, holding this is more like a half grip. You can't really wrap your hand around it like the FX01. The battery came with a charge so I was excited that I could use it right away. The charger looks a bit like a phone charger but the cable is permanently attached. The cord is very long, and it is advertised that you can use this while the charger is plugged in. The noise level of the FX02 is about the same as the FX01. It lets you know it's on. There is a slight delay between when you move the switch and when it turns on or off, presumably because there is some smarts in the circuitry to cut off the shaver when the battery is too low. On to the real test: how does it perform? I hadn't shaved in 3 or 4 days (last used the FX01 of course) so my facial and neck hair was a bit longer than the FX01 would've cut. The FX02 made quick work of my facial hair. The FX01 does a nice, close, baby smooth shave for me, at least on my face. The FX02 is a bit more capable with longer hair, and since it's larger you can cut more area at once with fewer passes. It's a good deal faster to shave with the FX02 than the FX01. That said, there are a few drawbacks: The FX02, because it's heavier and larger made my hand hurt holding it even for a few minutes. Perhaps I was gripping it too hard? With a gentle pressure on my face, I was able to quickly shave most of my face and neck to a nice clean look. However, it seems the FX02 leaves random hairs (like, a lot of them) on my face, and especially my neck. It's not enough to be noticeable, but you can feel them, and that annoys me because I want that baby smooth shave! With longer facial hair, the FX02 starts to pluck and pull and give you that pinching feeling like it's pulling your hair. The FX01 simply passes over longer facial hair, the FX02 grabs onto them and yanks. Also, I noticed a bit of irritation from the FX02 during and after shaving on one side of my fast. I'm wondering if this is because the FX02 is new and my FX01 is a few months old now and has worn in a bit, so I'll comment more on that later. To be honest, given how fast this cleaned up my face, I am happy. The FX01 might actually have done a little better on my neck. Why? It's smaller, so you can shave with less pressure and since it contours to the face better, the foil presses against the skin more. The neck is softer and more malleable whereas the face is boney and hard, so the FX02 does a better job on the face. That said, the FX01 is not great at neck hair either. Having experienced the FX01 and FX02 now, I think that the foil shaver should not come last, but rather should be the middle step between trimming (if your facial hair is long), foil shaving, and then a quick finish up with a good quality bladed razor, depending upon how well groomed you want to be that day. I'll admit, I never learned how to properly shave (I'm 37!), so I'm experimenting to figure this stuff out. Up until recently, I always used a blade to shave, even with long facial hair, but was horrified at how fast the razors would dull and get clogged up. With the foil shaver (and a good trimmer), I can get a decent shave in just a few minutes without using an expensive blade and shaving cream. So long barber shop!