My first trimmer was a Panasonic ER411NC. It was a very good trimmer, providing me with an elegant solution to a problem that most men start to have once they reach middle age: nasal hair. The Panasonic has a circular tip that has small, slit-like openings. Inside the tip is a spinning blade. The hair gets caught between the slits and the spinning blade. That is how it cuts. I wrote a review of that trimmer back in July of 2004 and gave it 4 stars.
My second trimmer was another Panasonic, ER421KC. This one had a small LED light to help you see while trimming under your nose. I bought it to replace the ER411NC after it fell off the counter and damaged its blades. The ER421NC is very uncomfortable. Althought it uses the same blade design as the ER411NC, the motor seems to be weaker. It is easily stopped. The spinning blade sometimes cannot cut the hair that gets caught between the slits and itself. The hair can force the blades to stop spinning. It will be hard to remove without pulling the hair out. This is very uncomfortable, to say the least. It will bring tears to your eyes.
I bought this Norelco (the subject of this review) to replace the second Panasonic. The design of the Norelco is different. It cannot be forced to stop by your hair. It uses the same cutting design as your sideburn and mustache trimmer. So far, it has proven itself to be comfortable. However, it does take longer and more effort to trim with the Norelco. You will have to make sure that the hairs that you want to trim are caught between the oscillating blades of the trimmer. And, since the blades are small, this could take a few minutes of your time. Whereas with the Panasonic, all you need do is stick the tip in your nose and move it from side to side. With the Norelco, you will have to be more deliberate. However, it is the most comfortable of the three. Plus, you can use the Norelco to trim your eyebrows, if you need that sort of thing. It is also the easiest to clean out of the three.
I believe this will be a good trimmer for you, if you value comfort above any other consideration. This trimmer is waterproof and it can be washed with warm water.
I don't know of anyone who enjoys trimming the hair in their ears and nose. The task is made more daunting by a market full of underpowered, barely useful powered trimmers. Over the years I have purchased many battery powered nose and ear hair trimmers, most of which end up in the garbage within a year or less. I have tried trimmers from Remington, Conair, Wahl and Panasonic. One had a light and one even had a vacuum, and most of them were wet/dry devices that would be rinsed out with water. All seemed like a good purchase at the time but all of them had the same problem: NOT ENOUGH POWER.
Considering that most of these small trimmers are powered by a single AA battery, the lack of power only makes sense. After all, a single AA battery only provides 1.5 volts of power. Another annoying problem is that most of these devices would not maintain a consistent blade speed. I would find that when first turned on the units would sound fine but as soon as I started to cut the motor would start slowing way down and would begin fluctuating between faster and slower speeds. Of course slower blade speed leads to the potential of hairs getting caught, causing the discomfort of pulling. I can honestly tell you that having your nose hairs pulled is extremely unpleasant. Even though it rarely made a difference, I regularly installed new batteries in hopes that the trimmers would provide more power and fast enough blade speed to prevent pulling the hairs in my nose and ears. Eventually I just gave up and threw the device away and would buy a different model.
Recently I decided to give the Philips Norelco NT9110 Precision Nose and Ear Trimmer a try. The patented tube shave technology promises "no pulling and prevents nicks and cuts." I also liked the looks of the angled head, which claims to give better reach and control. The Norelco NT9110 also doubles as an eyebrow trimmer, which was also an intriguing feature to me. The cost of this trimmer on Amazon is very low so I decided to give it a try.
I received my order within a couple of days and eagerly tore into the packaging to retrieve my new trimmer. Of course in was incased in one of those clamshell cases, which took me no less than 5 minutes to cut and tear open. I HATE those clamshell cases and wish manufacturers would develop a new way of packaging their products! Anyway, I installed the included AA battery and switched the trimmer on. It came to life with a soft hum and I began the task of mowing the hair in my ears and nose. The blade speed remained consistent and there was no pulling discomfort at all. Cleaning the blade under running water is an effortless task. I then placed one of the eyebrow combs on the blade-head and trimmed my eyebrows, which provided satisfactory results.
I have been using this Norelco trimmer now for a couple of weeks and couldn't be happier with my purchase. The NT9110 gives a close cut, provides adequate power and consistent blade speed, and causes no discomfort whatsoever. I also find that the angled tube shaped cutter head is easy to maneuver and doesn't cause as much of a tickling sensation in the nose as the typical rotary trimmers do. This is by far the best nose and ear hair trimmer that I have used and I hope it continues to provide great service for many months or years to come. I am concerned because several other reviewers have stated that their Norelco NT9110 died after only a few weeks of use. I feel that it is extremely important that the owner cleans the device after each use, as the tube shaped cutter is small, and trapped hairs in the cutter assembly could easily cause the blade system to jam. I also recommend placing a drop of blade oil (not included with this trimmer) on the cutter assembly every now and then, to keep it properly lubricated. I think that any moving parts, when rinsed in water, should be lubricated with a light oil to keep the parts moving freely. However, Norelco does not require this or even suggest it in the owner's manual. It is just my personal suggestion. So far I am extremely pleased with the Philips Norelco NT9110 Precision Nose and Ear Trimmer and would highly recommend it to all men looking for a powerful, battery operated trimmer. I will provide an update to this review if my trimmer fails or begins working with less satisfying results in the future. - Nose Trimmer - Norelco - Ear Hair Trimmer - Mens Grooming'
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