Philips Norelco HQ9 SpeedXL Replacement Heads

SpeedXL Replacement Heads for all Norelco SpeedXL and SmartTouchXL Shaving Systems. SpeedXl provides 50% more shaving surface for a faster, smoother and closer shave.
Philips Norelco HQ9 SpeedXL Replacement Heads Features
SpeedXL Shaving Heads for all Norelco SpeedXL and SmartTouchXL Shaving Systems

Philips Norelco HQ9 SpeedXL Replacement Heads Review

This product contains three replacement heads for the Norelco 9160XL electric razor. After 1 1/2 years of continuous daily usage the original cutting heads were no longer giving a good shave. I decided to replace the original blades with this set.

The good:

1.)Easy to following instruction for replacement on the package, and the actual replacement process was incredibly simple and easy to do.

2.)The new blades functioned perfectly; because the decline in performance of the original blades was so gradual, it was difficult to believe how much of an improvement these replacement blades provided.

The not so good:

Only one complaint; the packaging. The replacement blade were embodied in a package that made it extremely difficult to actually get at the blades. There were a series of 6 grommet eyelets surrounding the entire package making it very secure. I literally had to force scissors between the layers of cardboard to get around the grommets to eventually get to the blades inside. In a word…frustrating. Plus, a slight slip and a bad cut may have occurred (I think everyone has experienced trying to open one of these newer hard-plastic wrapped items and knows just how difficult it can really be to get at the product inside).

Conclusion:
An excellent set of replacement blades. (I just hope they’ll last longer than the 3 months it took for the original blades to start to lose their sharpness). Time will tell; but up to now, so far so good.
However, getting the blades out of this package could be considered a potential hazard.
5 Stars for the product itself, with 1 or 2 Stars off for the needless obstructive packaging.

Addendum Feb 24/08:
Interesting to note that they’ve changed the packaging on this product (since my original review) making it appear that it’s less hazardous to access. However, as I haven’t purchase this specific product package, I can’t comment on the ease of access (or safety) of the new packaging.

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