Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K Electric Shaver Reviews

People have been asking me about the Panasonic Arc 4 for a while now. While I’ve used other Panasonic shavers in the past, it’s been a while. Overall, I’ve been happy with my Braun shavers, and haven’t seen any reason to switch brands.

That changed a few weeks ago when a friend of mine got two shavers for Christmas and offered to sell me one for cheap. I took him up on his offer and brought my new baby home. Since I love doing this stuff, I couldn’t wait to open the box.

Let’s take a look at what’s inside.

Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K Electric Razor

What’s in the Box?

Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K – 4 blades shaver

The first thing I noticed about the Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K was the wide head with 4 blades. The handle almost looks too small, but it’s ergonomic and fits well in my hand. It comes with a clear plastic foil cover, as well as an owner’s manual. There’s a separate instruction sheet for manual cleaning.

Travel case: The travel case is made of tough, shiny leather, and is large enough to carry the shaver and the charging cord, but not the cleaning base.

This isn’t really a big deal since you can charge the Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K two ways; directly from the cord, or through the cleaning station. The cleaning station comes with a water reservoir and one cleaning cartridge.

Panasonic Arc 4: Performance Shaving

I prefer to shave dry, so that’s how I tested the Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K electric shaver. I found that it shaved quicker than my older Panasonic mostly because it’s got such a big head. I usually do 5 or 6 passes when I’m shaving, and I found I was able to get away with 3 or 4 passes with this shaver.

Linear motor

The motor is powerful and runs at 14,000 CPM. This is an upgrade over the older Panasonic LV65 line, which was much slower and required more passes.

It runs quietly, without a lot of loud buzzes, which is another major improvement.

The 360-degree head pivots smoothly and makes it easy to shave with or against the grain. The main thing with the Panasonic ES-LA93-K, as with many shavers, is to hold it directly perpendicular to your face. Tilting a little bit is fine but tilt too much and you’ll soon be shaving with the side of the razor.

Although I was very happy with how close of a dry shave I got, the Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K can also be used wet. It’s waterproof, so you can use it in the shower or just rinse it aggressively.

Other reviews I looked at agree, and if anything it looks like you’ll get even better performance if you’re using shaving lotion.

Functionally, the Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K is not worse than the Braun Series 9 9295cc or Braun 9290cc, and If you’re happy with the Panasonic Arc 4 you should stick with it; you may not be any happier with the Braun Series 9.

Braun Electric Shaver Series 9 9295cc

Built-in sideburn trimmer:

I did try out the built-in sideburn trimmer, and it left a nice clean line without tickling too much. The blades are tiny, so I definitely wouldn’t use it for anything more demanding than a quick sideburn trim. That said, it stows easily in the back of the shaver and is a nice add-on.

User-Friendliness

This Panasonic Arc 4 shaver is very convenient to use. To start with, it has a locking button on the neck that temporarily locks the head in place. This is awesome if you’re like me and have trouble handling a shaver under your nose or around your chin.

The handle features a bright LED display that shows you how long you’ve been using your Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K, and how much battery life you have left.

It will charge fully from a dead battery in about an hour.

You can charge it on the cleaning station, or plug it directly into the power cord.

This makes it extremely convenient for travel since you don’t have to take the cleaning station with you.

While you’re on the road, you also don’t have to worry about your electric shaver accidentally turning on and running out of juice. This is thanks to a lock toggle on the handle, that prevents the power button from working while it’s locked out.

Accessories

The cleaning station is easy to use and set up. Simply fill the reservoir to the fill line and slide it into the back of the cleaning station. Make sure you press the reservoir down until it clicks, or it may not fit correctly.

After that, remove the protective plastic tabs from the top and side of the cleaning cartridge, and insert it into its slot under the reservoir. One cleaning cartridge lasts for about 30 cleaning cycles, and a 3-pack of cartridges costs less than a pack of manual razor heads.

Charging/cleaning station cord

When you put your shaver in the base, it will begin charging by default. On the right side of the base are a couple of lights, one for “clean” and one for “dry”. You can press the “select” button under the lights to clean and dry your shaver, dry it only, or leave both lights off to charge only. A cleaning cycle takes about an hour.

If for some reason you need to remove your shaver in the middle of the cycle, just unplug the unit to reset it.

Panasonic Arc 4: Ease of Use

Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K is extremely intuitive. There are no complex settings to fiddle with and no extra buttons. Just the power switch, the power switch lock, the headlock, and the button that activates the sideburn trimmer. It’s hard to get confused with a device this simple.

If you prefer to clean your shaver manually, Panasonic makes that easy, too. The foil cover removes easily, and because the Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K is waterproof, you can safely wash the blades and foil under running water.

Panasonic recommends using soap, and I found that one pump of hand soap does go a long way to freeing up stuck hairs. If you clean your electric shaver manually, make sure to put it in the base and set it to the dry setting. This will keep rust from building up, and greatly increase the life of your shaver.

Related post: Panasonic Arc 5 Electric Shaver.

Ease of Use Pros and Cons

Panasonic Arc 4 replacement blades

When it debuted, the Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K was very expensive. It retailed for significantly more than any other shaver on the market, which made a lot of people decide to take a pass on it. Within a few years, the price dropped significantly, and now you can find it for about half of what it originally cost.

Panasonic 4-Blade ES8243A – Shaver Head Replacement Blades

This is still a bit more than most other premium shavers, but you’ll save a lot in the long term with this shaver thanks to cheap, easily-available parts. When you need to replace your foil, you can do so for a very reasonable price depending on where you buy it, particularly if you’re willing to use a generic brand.

Cleaning cartridges cost just a few dollars each and give you 30 cleaning cycles. If you want to make them last longer, you can always just clean your shaver manually, which, as we mentioned, is very easy.

If you really like the Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K but don’t want to pay for the charging station, Panasonic does sell the shaver as a standalone item. It’s only a few dollars less than the entire kit, though, so I’d just get the whole thing.

How it Stacks Up

Compared to my old Panasonic ES-LV65, the Panasonic Arc 4 cut like a dream. Mustache, cheeks, neck, it cut closer and cleaner and didn’t leave low-lying hairs behind.

One thing I would have liked to see on the Panasonic ES-LA93-K would be a set of rotary cutters.

I prefer foils anyway, but some people really like their rotary heads.

If you prefer a shaver with a rotary head, you may prefer some of the Braun shavers I’ve reviewed in the past.

On the other hand, Braun has exclusive blades and foils, which cost a lot more than the generic ones you can use for a Panasonic shaver.

The Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K is also far more comfortable to hold, and the head is less awkward to move around.

My Final Thoughts

This is one of the best electric shavers I’ve ever used. It cuts quickly and covers a lot of areas while leaving a quality, close shave. Earlier Panasonic shavers were awkward around the mustache and chin, but the Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K compensates for its large, rotating head with a lock button that kept me from missing spots in awkward areas.

Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K

Final Verdict

If you’re looking for a premium shaver, it’s hard to do better than the Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K. This shaver is amazing, worth every penny of the retail price. The Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K is a shaver compact, close shave and very good for sensitive skin.

I had been looking at a lot of shavers. Panasonic Arc 4 ES-LA93-K is my second Panasonic shaver after being a Philips Norelco user for over 5 years. The shaves are unbelievably close and the new cleaning station does a really great job of keeping the shaver clean and ready for the next use.

I recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a quick, close shave.