Aramis Lab Series for Men Electric Shave Solution 100ml/3.4oz

I have tried various electric pre-shave options and here is my list from best to worst. You might have different results as it kind of depends on your skin type, which other online reviews don't take into account.Shaving was performed with a Braun Series 9 shaver, then a few months later with a Panasonic Arc 5 (ES-LV9Q). Shaves were performed either daily, or at 3-4 days growth. The Panasonic shaves closer with less irritation and heat build up in my experience.The pre-shaves I have tried out are as follows; Williams Lectric Shave, Aramis Lab Series, Mennen Afta, Freelette Pre/After Shave, Spieck, Remington Facesaver stick, and SuperShave ElectraSmooth oil.1. Williams Lectric shave: Liquid is pretty thin and drips all over the place, mainly on the container, need to wipe it off before putting it back. Smell is pleasant, not overpowering. It does a decent job of lubricating and preventing the foils form heating up. Can still feel some stubble along the back of jaw near ears afterwards. Would rate about a 3.5 out of 5.2. Aramis Lab Series; Liquid is thin, spreads easily, little to no scent. Lubrication is best of all the ones I have tried. Razor foils never heat up and allows the razor to shave really close. No stubble felt in the jaw/ear area. Would rate this about 4.5 out of 5 stars due to it being the most expensive, but bottle lasts long time anyway.3. Mennen Afta per shave; More of a lotion based compared to liquid like the previous two. Spreads easily, has a pleasant strong smell. I would say it is not as close as the Williams. Also, while shaving it gets thicker and causes razor to drag, heating up foils. Would give it about 2.5-3 stars.4. Freelette pre/after shave; This is a lotion based product. Has a very strong smell like soap. Only tried it once as the smell was way too strong. 2 Stars5. Spieck Pre-electric Shave; Clear liquid. Cap seals securely and doesn't drip/leak when pouring out. Has a pleasant scent (reminds me of Brut). Lubrication was about on par with the William Lectric shave. Foils got warm, and was a pretty close shave. 3.5 Stars6. Remington Facesaver stick; Talc powder based stick. It is messy, when you apply it goes on pretty thick and has a perfumey smell to it. When you start shaving talc fall everywhere. Foils heated up and got HOT using this product rather quickly. Closeness was about on par with the Williams and Spieck. Made a mess of the razor and cleaning station. Would rate a 1 of 5 stars.7. ElectraSmooth for Men; Oil based pre-shave. This was a pre-shave oil. Was about as thick as vegetable oil. Had a pleasant scent. Lubrication was pretty good, although the razor didn't move about as freely as with the Lab Series, and the foils got warm. Definitely have to take a shower afterwards with this one. Was a decent shave, but can see where it and the whiskers would accumulate in the cleaning station/razor since it is a thick oil. Rate it about 3 of 5 stars.There you go. I found the Lab Series to work the best for my skin/beard type (normal type for both). The Lab series is the highest price on the list, however provided the closest shave with least irritation. Also, a bottle lasts many months, so saving $5-10 over say 6-8 months and not dealing with razor burn is worth it to me.

I use electric shavers for a long time, usually top of the line ( Phillips Norelco, then Panasonic Arc5 and now Braun 9). Started applying Aramis Lab Series liquid few years ago. Before that was using Lectic Shave. I can tell you right away - there's a huge difference between Aramis and Lectic! And even bigger difference if you don't use any pre-shave lotion at all and are shaving with electric razor dry. Of course it's all subjective and greatly depends upon your skin and beard, but it my case effect of using Aramis is nothing short of spectacular. First comes much improved closeness of shave, even with top of the line shavers that are very good to begin with. Second I feel less irritation. And last but not least, this lotion reduces shaving time while providing better results. I know all this because on one occasion I went on a business trip without any pre-shave liquid at all. And then another time, I forgot to reorder Aramis and had to live for 10 days with Lectic. So I had ample opportunities to compare and, man, there was no compassion but plenty of irritation and less than stellar quality of the shave than I was used to.The trick it to apply UNIFORMLY (so there are no uncovered spots) the lotion to your face on a DRY skin. Then just use the LIGHT touch (don't press it) holding your shaver PERPENDICULAR to the surface. Shaving head will comformably glide with reduced friction over skin. When done just splash away your face with water.Of course there are downsides, like with everything:1. It's expensive. But you don't have to use a lot of it per each shave. And then again to me results are worth it.2. The lotion creates sort of oily film on your skin that serves as a lubricant. I'm ok with it and it easily washes away but some people may not like this sensation. Also some of it is left on your razor's head, so you have to clean/wash it more frequently. On the other hand it lubricates the cutters which is a good thing.3. It has a slight scent that I can't really define. I'm neutral to it, but you may not like it.4. The lotion is manufactured in UK, apparently in small batches by a small boutique firm. As such you have to order it in advance since it takes time to be delivered by Amazon. At least that was my experience.

As others have said it works very well -- non-greasy, almost odorless, evaporates quickly on the skin, no electric razor drag, and leaves you with a smooth skin after the shave. But for such a high price (US$24) for just a few ounces, I found myself becoming annoyed that -- even being very careful splashing a small amount in my hand -- it ALSO causes the lotion to drip and run down the plastic bottle, no matter how I do it. This means an extra step to clean up, as well as a small waste of the product, which is why I deducted a star from my rating. It should not be hard to produce the product with a dripless spout, especially given the "luxury" cost to the customer. As a result, I'm not sure I'll re-order it (even though I'm a long-time Aramis fan) ... it might be worth shopping around for something else. Hopefully at a lower price.