We were big fans of the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 here at Best Electric Shaver Reviews, and today we’re going to take a good look at it’s sibling, the Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 Wet and Dry Four-Blade Electric Shaver. We’ll take a look at the features and specifications, the differences between the ES-RF31 and ES-RF41, and finally take a look at what the customers have been saying about this shaver. Without any further ado, let’s dive in and take a look.

In terms of shaving technology, the Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 is exactly the same as the ES-RF41. That’s correct, Panasonic have generously included the same advanced shaving technology in the ES-RF31 as the more expensive model!

The Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 is fully waterproof, giving the option of a normal dry shave, or a wet shave using a foam or a gel. This also makes the ES-RF31 extremely easy to clean; when you’re done shaving, you simply need to rinse it under running water to clean out the mechanism.

Most foil shavers use 3 foils for cutting, and this is an area where the Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 is unique. It has a 4th finishing foil, which lifts and cuts short, flat-lying hairs that might get missed by other shavers. The 4th foil also means that you can get a quicker shave (as you won’t need to go back over the same areas as much), and also a closer shave as it is catching those short, awkward hairs that might otherwise get missed.

As well as the 4th foil, the foils of the Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 themselves are also unique, and have been engineered from the ground up to cause less pressure, and therefore less skin irritation. Each foil is slightly curved, which allows them to fit uniformly against your skin as you pass the shaver over your face. This means that pressure is dispersed evenly throughout the foil, instead of concentrated in the centre. With pressure reduced, friction is minimised. With friction at a minimum, less skin irritation ultimately occurs.

The further reduce friction and irritation, the Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 also has a flexible, pivoting head. This means the foils can rock up and down, and from side to side, in order to adjust to the contours of your face and make the shave as comfortable, and as close as possible.

Yet another unique feature of the ES-RF31, is that the blades have been sharpening using nano particle technology. No, I’ve no idea what nano particle technology is either, but the result is the sharpest blades around, with an extremely find edge of 0.3 microns (0.0003mm). Cutting resistance is therefore reduced, and each hair is cut cleanly and closely.

As with it’s more expensive sibling a powerful 10,000rpm motor provides the grunt underneath the hood of the Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 so that the shaver won’t struggle even through the toughest stubble. The battery driving this motor charges in just 1 hour, and provides a massive 65 minutes shaving time. An LED indicator on the hand grip displays the current battery level so that you can keep track of when the ES-RF31 needs a charge.

Panasonic are also throwing a carrying pouch and cleaning brush into the package.

We found that the majority of electric shavers were cheapest at Amazon.co.uk, including the Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 which is currently available for 55% off.

Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 Price Comparison

Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 Features and Specifications

Differences Between the Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 and the ES-RF41

As we mentioned, the shaving technology in the Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 is identical to that of it’s more expensive sibling, the ES-RF41. You’ll get exactly the same shave from this model as the more expensive one. But what are the differences? Well, actually, they’re quite minor.

First, the ES-RF31 doesn’t come with a charging base station. Instead, the the shaver connects directly to the mains while charging. If you think you’d find a charging station handy, you’ll need to buy the ES-RF41 model instead.

The second difference is that the ES-RF31 contains less battery charge indicators on the handle; 3 lights, compared to the 5 which the ES-RF41 includes.

As you can see the only major difference is the omission of the charging station in this cheaper model. If you don’t think you want or need a charging station, we’d recommend buying the ES-RF31 as you’ll save a good £15 over the more expensive model.

Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 Customer Reviews and Feedback

The Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 is not the best selling shaver around, but customer satisfaction is extremely high. As with the more expensive ES-RF41, we struggled to find any negative comments about the ES-RF31. That’s correct; every customer, review, testimonial and comment that we’ve examined has been positive. Customers who purchased the ES-RF31 have clearly been very happy, but what exactly have they been saying? Let’s take a look.

As expected, since the Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 contains the same shaving technology as the ES-RF41, satisfaction was very high with the way that it shaves. Customers were most impressed with the closeness. While it might not be quite as close a result as a manual razor blade, it was as close a shave as quite a few people had experience from an electric shaver. In fact, quite a number of different customers mentioned that the ES-RF31 was the best electric shaver that they’d ever owned. Actually, such comments were made quite often.

“This shaver is fantastic. The results are a smooth clean shave! Ask my wife!” Click here to read full review

Quite a few people also commented that indeed, the Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 was gentle on the skin, causing no skin irritation or burning. Even people who had previously experience a lot of problems with sensitive skin found that the ES-RF31 produced results without causing the same reaction. The arced foils and pivoting head seem to do their job very well, with a number of people remarking that the ES-RF31 definitely caused less friction than other electric shavers that they’d tried.

Another feature that was commonly praised was the battery life. As I previously mentioned, a quick 1 hour charge provides around 65 minutes of shaving time, but some people reported that it lasted even longer than that. This is definitely an appreciated feature, as it’s so easy to forget to charge your shave and end up not being able to have a shave in the morning. With the ES-RF31 this is not the case; even if you did forget to give it a charge and the battery ran out at a crucial time, a quick 5-10 minute would give it enough juice for one shaving session.

“I was very pleasantly surprised by the shave I got from this electric razor. A good clean shave without burning my face. There are many rivals out there at twice the price or more. I doubt that they could be substantially better than this one.” Click here to read full review

Since people were so impressed with the Panasonic Premium ES-RF31, it was very difficult to find any negative comments about this shaver. As a matter of fact, nobody was complaining at all about it’s primary function, shaving, so Panasonic have done a remarkable job with this device. One minor criticism that did come up a few times, was that it is not possible to use the shaver whist it is charging; it must always be used on the battery. However, given that the battery lasts so long and can be charged with enough battery power for a single shaving session within 10 minutes, we feel that this is a very minor bug-bear which doesn’t impact at all on the quality of the product.

55% Off at Amazon.co.uk

Panasonic’s focus with this shaver has clearly been to focus on delivering a great shaving experience, rather than focussing on delivering a huge amount bells, whistles and gizmos. Clearly they’ve been very successful, with an uncanny customer satisfaction rate and glowing references to shaving prowess of the Panasonic Premium ES-RF31. For our money, it knocks the socks off its closest rival, the Remington F7790. As with it’s slightly more expensive sibling, the ES-RF31 is a reliable, workhorse of a shaver. If you’re looking for a no nonsense shaver that does exactly what it says on the tin, we have no hesitation in recommending this shaver, and it earns a top rating of 4 stars.

Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 Review Summary