Rotary Shaver

A rotary shaver is an electric shaver comprised of round cutting heads. The most popular configuration is of three cutting heads, but some travel models only have two.

The invention of the rotary shaver is credited to Professor A.Horowitz. Hailing from the Netherlands, he worked for Philips, and developed the rotating shaving head whilst at their laboratory.

Unlike the foil shaver, which pulls the facial hair up and then cuts, the first rotary shaver cut facial hair at the level of the skin. The moment the hair enters the cutting mechanism, with no form of pulling. (update:Philips has now released a lift and pull rotary shaver)

The original process of cutting hair at skin level, helped to eradicate the possibility of hair follicles becoming blocked under the skin, which can be a very painful result of using a lift and pull mechanism. But, the result was a shave which was not as close.

The adherent's of the rotary shaver, believe that the three headed configuration provides the ultimate design for negotiating the contours of the neck and face. As the heads work independently of each other. The theory goes, that at least one head will be efficiently cutting at any one time.

On the other hand, it's claimed, that the three headed configuration works poorly around the difficult to navigate neck area. And results in a shave which is not as close, in comparison, to a foil shaver.

On a positive note, rotary shavers are believed to be more effective on longer facial hair. The blades are also believed to last longer, on average, than those of a foil shaver. The risk of skin irritation and stubble burn, is believed to be of a lower risk with a rotary shaver, due to the three headed mechanism.

As the original manufacturer of the rotary shaver, Philips tend to offer the largest selection of models. Remington are another brand which produces a large selection of rotary shavers.

Ulitmately you will have to test which is better for your facial hair and skin type. Rotary or foil. Both, however, can take a month of usage, before your skin adjusts.