Philips SensoTouch RQ1180cc Gyroflex 2D Review

Today, we’re looking at the Philips RQ1180cc Gyroflex 2D Electric Shaver. Previously, we were really impressed with the Sensotouch range; the Philips RQ1250 in particular is good. The RQ1180, which we reviewed previously, is also a great shaver and if you haven’t checked out our review yet you might want to head over there and take a look. The RQ1180cc is the same great shaver as the RQ1180. However, this is the updated version which also includes a Philips’ “Clean and Charge JetClean” stand.

The Philips RQ1180cc Clean and Charge JetClean system is a charging station for you to dock the shaver into. The difference with this charging station, is that it also has an automatic cleaning facility. At the push of a button it will clean, lubricate and dry the shaver all on its own! This means you don’t have to waste your time fumbling around with a tiny plastic cleaning brush any more. As part of the cleaning cycle, the Clean and Charge stand also takes care of the blades, making sure they’re well lubricated and always ready to give a great shave every time.

The Philips RQ1180cc shaver itself remains extremely similar to the Philips RQ1180; the only real difference in this package is the inclusion of the charging stand. However, we’ll quickly summarise the key points here again in case you haven’t read our previous review.

The RQ1180cc is rotary electric shaver, and benefits from Philips’ dual-blade Super Lift and Cut technology. Within each head there are two blades; the first blade lifts each hair gently from your skin, and the second blade cuts it. This means that the hair is getting trimmed off lower than with other shavers, due to it being lifted up and away from the skin first.

The shaver is fully waterproof, thanks to Philips’ Aquatec seal. This mean two big benefits. First, it gives you the flexibility to choose either a wet or dry shave. If you do prefer to shave using a foam or gel, the Philips RQ1180cc can handle that; in fact, you could even shave in the shower if you wanted. Second, this waterproofing makes the shaver very simple to clean; you just flip open the head and run it under the tap after shaving.

Also included is Gyroflex 2D technology, which is designed to help the shaver adjust to the natural shape and contours of the neck and skin. As you move the shaver across your skin, the head adjusts its position and shape according the curvature of the face. What this does is reduce the pressure and friction against your skin that is caused by the hard metal and plastic of the shaver head. With less pressure, there is less friction, and with less friction the chances are you’re going to experience far less skin irritation; a god send for those who suffer with sensitive skin.

Another cool feature of the Philips RQ1180cc is the built-in rechargeable battery, or rather, how quickly it charges. This battery will receive a full charge in around 1 hour. What this means is that if you’re caught with a dead battery, it’ll only take you 10-15 mins to give it enough juice for a full shave. Very handy, and should be very useful to people like me who always forget to charge their shaver before they need their morning shave. The battery will last for 50 minutes on a single charge, so plenty of shaving power for a full week making the shaver ideal for traveling.

Also included is a precision trimmer built-in, which you can flip up and use to trim and shape your moustache (if you have one) or your sideburns. A soft travel case is also included.

Philips RQ1180cc Features and Specifications

Philips RQ1180cc Features and Specifications

The RQ1180cc has not been on the market for very long, but already there is a fair amount of customer feedback to be seen. We’re also going to combine in the feedback that we’ve got on the previous RQ1180 model as well, since it is the exact same shaver, minus the Clean and Charge station.

Customers have been overwhelmingly impressed with the Philips Sensotouch RQ1180cc. It’s early days, as the shaver hasn’t been available for very long, however Amazon have yet to record any negative customer reviews of the shaver. So far, 100% of reviews are highly positive 4 or 5 star reviews. We’re going to take a look at those to get an idea of what people thought of the Clean and Charge JetClean system.

Most people who mentioned the JetClean cleaning system were very impressed, saying that it was very easy to operate. Simply drop the shaver in, press a button and the JetClean system will get to work cleaning, lubricating and drying of the shaver. One customer referred to this as the “super clean” function. One thing that a couple of people mentioned is that it wasn’t really necessary to use this all the time; people felt that the majority of the time simply rinsing under the tap was easy enough and gave a good enough clean. They recommended that the “super clean” mode is best used once a week to thoroughly clean out the shaver and make sure the blades are ready or the next weeks shaving.

“For a super-clean, there is the automatic cleaner which is amazing, but I haven’t felt the need to use it more than once a week”

In terms of the shaver, we’re going to refer to feedback from the previous model, since it is the exact same shaver and there is a huge amount more data available since it’s been around for quite a long time. Satisfaction with the shaver is very high, and some 90% of customer reviews found were extremely positive, 4 or 5 star reviews

Almost all of the positive customer reviews noted that the shave provided by the Philips RQ1180cc was very good. In fact, the overwhelming majority of reviews praised the closeness of the shave very highly, with several people pointing out that it gave them the best shave they’ve experienced from any electric shaver.

Another often mentioned feature was the speed of the charging. In general, people said that the Philips RQ1180cc lived up to the promise of a full charge in around an hour. They were also impressed with the amount of time they could use the shaver before it required another charge. Rechargeable batteries are often a major bug-bare in electric shavers, so the fact that this shaver has such a quick and efficient battery and charger is definitely a point in it’s favour.

Quite often, it was mentioned that the Philips RQ1180cc was indeed easier on the skin, as promised. A lot of people mentioned that skin irritation that they had experienced with their previous electric shaver had died down quite a lot since getting the shaver. It did, however, take a few weeks for the skin to get used to the new shaver before this difference was noticed. There were enough customer comments praising the shaver for helping their skin, that we’re quite convinced that Philips’ claims are trustworthy. Another feather in the cap of this shaver; less shaver burn is, frankly, a bit of a god send.

“This shaver has a great soft touch, and very quick – no need to go over the same spots”

There weren’t a huge amount of negative comments. One of the problems that people experienced was they they found the head somewhat difficult to remove for cleaning, however we think this is relatively minor problem. Since the shaver is waterproof, a good run under the tap should be all it requires to give it a clean after each use. For that reason, the head shouldn’t need to be removed too regularly.

Another point to note, is that you may need to adjust your shaving technique to get the best out of the Philips RQ1180cc. The recommended shaving motion is in small circles, and this is the motion that must be used in order to benefit from a close shave. Several people mentioned that it took them a few tries to get used to this technique, but that the difference in results was obvious when they did. This technique also causes much less skin irritation, so it is habit well worth getting into.

We already knew that the Philips RQ1180cc would be a great shaver, since the previous model was so highly praised and a bit of a best seller. The inclusion of the automatic JetClean system does sweeten the deal (and it does exactly what it says on the tin). If you think the one-touch cleaning feature is something that you’d make use of then we have no hesitation to recommend the RQ1180cc. Bare in mind though, that the Philips RQ1180 (without the jet cleaner) is still available to buy (at the moment anyway), so if you’re happy to clean the shaver yourself we recommend going for that one and saving yourself £30. Overall though, the RQ1180cc is top-notch and definitely a safe purchase. A deserving 4 stars.

 

Philips Sensotouch RQ1180cc Gyroflex 2D Review Summary

Note: customer reviews have been paraphrased for space saving purposes. Please click the links alongside the quotes for full original Philips RQ1180cc review.