I've also tried a bunch of electrics. Each had their good and bad sides. Ultimately, I cam back to blades. I do LIKE to have an electric handy, especially to carry in my car for when I suddenly discover I forgot to shave (VERY common), and the best one I had was not that expensive, it wasn't a rotary head.
Above all, I'd suggest thinking ahead, if you get an electric: find out FIRST, how much the replacement blades and foils are. You WILL have to replace them regularly, and due to the vagaries of metal wear patterns, you might have to replace them quickly one time, and after a much longer time another time.
Be sure to get a replacement blade/foil kit AS SOON AS YOU GET THE RAZOR. You don;t want to have to START looking for one after the thing starts pinching you and tearing out our hair.
For me, the maintenance was just too annoying, and the shaves never that good. I tried and ditched contact lenses for the same reason. If you are someone who finds it easy and pleasurable to attend to things like changing your cars oil on time, turning your mattress, mowing the lawn every week, and all that sort of thing, you'll probably enjoy electrics just fine. If you're like me, and resent every extra maintenance task that gets tacked into your life, you'll want to stick to blades.

Thanks again to everyone's constructive comments; I'm still shopping. Overall it sounds like norelco makes some of the better models.

I have been wanting to try an Eltron rotary. I had found that the least expensive Norelcos worked as well as the most expensive ones. Now that the patent expired Eltron is hands down the lowest cost - 1/2 the price of the least expensive Remington. The Eltron replacement parts are sold as replacement parts also to fit Norelco.

I wonder if the Eltron wouldn't be just as good at least it is not as big an investment. They are at eltronshavers.com

On the other hand for a little less I could buy a replacement battery pack on ebay for my original Norelco... decisions... decisions...



There has not been much pressure either way as I have gotten used to the Remington rotary (which was the cheapest Remington rotary I could find on sale a few years ago ~$25)...and it is still working fine.

I bought a cheap electric Emerson electric razor. Thats what I got a cheap razor. I like the old two edge razor.

yeah i wonder if the eltron will be garbage...if anybody has tried the eltron rotary norelco clone please speak up!

If memory serves, the one I tried was either Remington or Norelco ... can't remember precisely, but what I do remember is that the 'cutting' of my beard was more like having individual hairs tweezed out one at a time ... I now use nothing but a Gillette blade (Mach 3) razor ... $13.95 for 5 blades that last more than a month - that's about $168 a year in blades, but the shave is a lot better and a lot less painful ...