The Philips Aquatouch AT890 Wet and Dry Electric Shaver is another of Philips brand new shavers, and this one is for those of your who prefer to have a wet shave. We liked the back-to-basics approach that Philips seemed to have taken with the PowerTouch PT920 and it looks like this has carried over the AT890. Instead of packing it full of features, gimmicks and extras they seem to have concentrated on those neccessary for shaving; cutting, battery life, and comfort.
As I’ve said, the Philips AquaTouch AT890 is the shaver in their new range that will appeal to men who like to have a wet shave with a foam or gel. Previously, Philips reserved wet shaving for their more expensive shavers such as the Philips RQ1180, however the Aquatouch is a mid-range shaver available at half that price. Good news for men who like to shave with foam or gel.
It includes an AquaTouch seal which makes the shaver 100% waterproof. A lot of guys find that shaving with a foam or gel helps to protect their sensitive skin when shaving, and the AT890 allows this; you can shave in or out of the shower, dry shave if you just want a quick shave, or have a full wet shave if that’s what you prefer.
The Philips AT890 also includes rounded low-friction protected shaver heads in order to avoid irritating your skin. The shaver heads adjust as you pass the shaver across your skin, adjusting to the contours of your skin and shape of your face. This causes less friction to occur, which in turn means that you’ll experience less skin irritation. Further protecting the skin, are protection caps that cover the cutters so that the ultra-thin heads do not damage your skin.
In terms of cutting, the Philips AT890 includes Philips’ excellent Super Lift and Cut system. This means that each head has two blades; one blade gently lifts up each hair from your skin so that the second blade can cut it as low as possible. This helps the AT890 to cut as close to the skin as possible.
A new feature included in the AT890 is what Philips call dual precision cutting. They’ve included slots and holes directly on the blades in order to capture short as well as long stubble that might otherwise be missed.
The Philips AT890 also includes an efficient power system and long lasting battery. It’s very quick to charge, and will receive a full charge in just 1 hour. That 1 hour’s charging will provide 50 minutes shaving time; enough for around 2 weeks worth of shaves. No more getting caught with a run down shaver battery in the morning!
The shaver also has a battery indicator built into the handset, and a pop-out trimmer. It also comes complete with a unique hanging shower pouch, which you can use to hang up the Philips AT890 in the shower.
Philips AT890 Features and Specifications
- Aquatouch seal – 100% waterproof. Shave in shower and use a foam or gel
- Rounded low-friction shaver heads adjust to the contours of the skin reducing irritation
- Super Lift and Cut – dual blade technology for close shaving
- Dual precision cutting – holes and slots directly on the cutters capture short and long hairs that get missed
- Quick and efficient battery – 1 hour charging for 50 minutes of shaving
- 2 year warranty
Philips Aquatouch AT890 Customer Reviews and Feedback
Although the Philips Aquatouch AT890 is still relatively new, therre are already a fair few customer comments and reviews for it. So far, there are no negative reviews at all and it seems that almost all of the customers that have commented are very happy with their purchase. As we pointed out at the beginning of this review, Philips seems to have concentrated on the basics here; close cutting, gentleness and battery life so we’ll take a look at what people had to say in these three areas.
From what the customers have had to say, it seems that the Philips AT890 excels in the area that it’s intended for; wet shaving. Almost all of the reviews mentioned that the AT890 works very well when being used for a wet shave, giving a close finish without any tugging or damage to the skin. It seems that if you do like to use foam or gel when shaving or if you find that dry electric shavers can irritate your skin when shaving, then this shaver is a good option.
Many of the reviewers mentioned that they were happy with the results of shaving with the AT890.
“The blades cut close and effectively. I shave every day, although don’t experience ’5 o’clock’ shadow, so this does the job very nicely”
The shaver reportedly also does a good job of protecting the skin from irritation and shaver burn, particularly when used with a foam or gel. In fact, quite a lot of the reviews made a point of noting that they experienced no burn or irritation after their shave which is definitely a good sign for those men who suffer with sensitive skin.
A few of the reviews went into further detail, explaining that they’d never tried a wet electric shaver before, and were quite surprised at how much my comfortable they were than dry electric shavers. They reported that the Aquatouch didn’t pull at the skin, or tear or dry the skin either.
“If you have skin that is easily irritated by shaving, this may well be just what you’re looking for, once you’ve selected a shave gel that best suits your skin and the razor. Try a few out is my suggestion”
Customers were also very impressed with the battery life and efficiency, reporting that the 1 hour charge does indeed give enough juice for close to 14 full shaves.
The efficiency of the battery in the Philips AT890 might well have something to do with the motor, which is apparently extremely quiet. In fact it is so quiet that on review thought that the battery had run out when he turned it on! Quiteness isn’t really high on our list of priorities, but since shaving is a bit dull it’s good to know that you’ll be able to hear your iPod above the motor!
“It is surprisingly quiet when used. I thought the battery was drained when I first heard it” Click here to read full review
As far as the negatives are concerned, not many were mentioned. The most common one, although it still wasn’t mentioned many times, was that a few people felt that the shaver provided better results when wet shaving instead of dry shaving. Although, since the main focus of this shaver is wet shaving this probably isn’t altogether surprising!
If you like to shave with a foam or gel then the Philips Aquatouch AT890 looks like it could well be the shaver for you; it works very well was a wet shaver and customers seem to be really happy with it in this regard. If you favour a dry shave, we’d recommend you go for something else, such as the PowerTouch PT920 but if you prefer a wet shave, or simply want to have more choices then the Philips AT890 is definitely a good, cost-effective wet and dry
