Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 Wet and Dry Four-Blade Shaver Review
Review by Pete Morris
Panasonic released their first electric shaver way back in 1955, and they’ve been the leader in the market in Asia ever since. Fast forward to the 21st century, and we’re taking a look at the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 Wet and Dry Four Blade Foil Electric Shaver; their latest electric shaver. So what have Panasonic go to offer? Let’s dive in and take a look.
The Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 includes the latest Wet and Dry technology. It’s fully waterproof which means that you have the choice of a normal dry shave, or a wet shave using a foam or gel. The waterproof seal also means that the ES-RF41 is very easily to clean, simply by running it under a tap after use.
Panasonic don’t appear to be the kind of manufacturer who are focussed on gimmicks and features. In fact, almost all of the features of the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 are centred around the shaving experience and providing a closer and smoother shave, and as such the ES-RF41 includes some advanced shaving technology that you don’t see in other shavers on the market. We’re going to take a look at that shaving technology that’s packed into the Premium ES-RF41, but you can see a short video about these features here.
Most foil shavers tend to include 3 foils, but the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 adds an extra foil for a total of 4. This 4th finishing foil lifts and cuts short flat lying hairs that other shavers may miss, cuts down on shaving time for a quicker shave, and cuts hair closer to the skin. The foils have unique honeycomb shaped holes, which help to capture hairs that lie in all different directions.
Another unique feature of the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 is the shape of the foils. They are arc-shaped; slightly curved so that they fit uniformly against the skin as you pass the shave across your face. This unique design evenly disperses skin contact and pressure across the entire foil, which miminised friction and ultimately means less skin irritation.
The Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 also has a flexible pivoting head; this also minimised friction between the foils and skin. The head rocks 8mm up and down and from 14 degrees from side to side, adjusting to the contours of the face to make the shave as comfortable as possible, and to minimise skin irritation.
The blades of the ES-RF41 are the sharpest that you can find in an electric shaver today, as they’ve been sharpened using nano particle technology. What this means is that an extremely fine blade edge of 0.3 microns (around 0.0003mm) has been achieved, reducing cutting resistance for a clean and close cut.
The Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 also incorporates a high power motor that operates at 10,000rpm. This means the shaver should have enough grunt under the hood to maintain performance even through the toughest stubble.
To top off the package, the rechargeable battery lasts for 65 minutes on a single charge, and takes just 1 hour to charge fully. The handset incorporates a 5 level battery indicator LED to show how much charge is left. A carrying pouch, charging stand, and cleaning brush is also included in the package.
We found that most electric shavers were cheapest at Amazon.co.uk, including the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 which is currently available for 45% off.
Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 Price Comparison
Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 Features and Specifications
- Wet and dry technology – choice of a wet or dry shave
- Additional 4th foil lifts and cuts short low lying hair for a closer shave
- Arc-shaped foils fit better against your skin, causing less pressure
- Honeycomb holes capture hairs lying in different directions
- Flexible pivoting head for extra comfort, less pressure and less skin irritation
- High powered 10,000rpm motor – comfortable cutting through toughest stubble
- Quick charging battery – 1 hour charge gives 65 minutes shaving time
Differences Between the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 and the ES-RF31
You’ve probably seen that Panasonic have two electric shavers in the Premium range available. As well as the ES-RF41, the cheaper ES-RF31 model is also available. But they look pretty similar, so a lot of people are wondering what the difference is.
Both of the shavers contain the exact same shaving technology, so no differences there. In fact, the differences between the packages are quite small.
First, the ES-RF41 package includes a charging station which you can leave connected to the mains. When the shaver needs a charge, you simply drop it into the charging station. The ES-RF31, on the other hand, simply connects to the mains directly.
Second, while both shavers have a battery indicator LED, the ES-RF41 has 5 indicator lights whereas the ES-RF31 has only 3.
Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 Review Customer Reviews and Feedback
While there are more bestselling shavers on the market, customer satisfaction is very high with the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41. In fact, we couldn’t find one negative review or opinion about this shaver online. That’s correct – not one! Sounds very promising, so let’s take a look at some of the things that people have been saying about the ES-RF41.
In short, every single customer review and piece of feedback that we read about the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 said that that shave it gave was excellent. Every single customer who reviewed the shaver said they were impressed with the closeness of the shave, and the smoothness of their skin after using the ES-RF41. Having reviewed many different models of shaver in our time, we’ve come to realise that you can’t usually satisfy everyone; you’ll always come across some negative viewpoints, even if they are in the minority. This is simply not the case with the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41; every single customer review came from a happy and satisfied customer who was impressed with the shaving ability of the ES-RF41. Quite remarkable!
“I am pleased to say I am impressed with this razor and having used it a couple of times now, it does leave me with smooth skin and not feeling sore” Click here to read full review
Not only that, but the majority of the reviews also mentioned that this shaver was indeed kinder and gentler to their skin to previous electric shavers. Several people who regularly experienced skin irritaion after shaving, said that this almost completely stopped when they began using the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41. One reviewer went into detail, mentioning that even if he had to go over an area of the skin twice, the ES-RF41 still didn’t irritate that patch of skin. In terms of shaving, this shaver is definitely up there with the Braun Series 7 790cc, the top foil shaver on the market today.
So top marks for Panasonic in terms of performance. The ES-RF41 might not be full to the brim with marketable gimmicks, but it certainly does what it sets out to do: provide a close and comfortable shave that is kind to the skin.
“Used dry, this shaver gives me the best electric shave I have ever had without a trace of discomfort. Take your time and a bit of shaving gel and it gives any blade razor a run for its money.” Click here to read full review
As we previously mentioned, we weren’t able to find any negative customer remarks about this electric shaver. On the contrary, every single review sang the praises of the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41. If there is one area that we think the shaver could be improved, it is in the fact that the cheaper Panasonic Premium ES-RF31 is almost exactly the same. All that is offered in this package for the extra price is the more advanced LED battery indicator and the charging station. That said, the charging station is a generally handy thing to have, and does save you having to fumble around with trailing wires all the time. You can simply plug in the charging station and drop the shaver into it whenever you’ve finished shaving, keeping the battery fully topped up.
We’ll get straight to the point; we’ve been impressed by the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41. Customer satisfaction is sky high, and it certainly seems to deliver on the promise of a close and comfortable shave, without irritating the skin. The ES-RF41 might not be chock-full of features and gimmicks like some shavers (and it loses a few marks due to this fact), but if you’re in the market for a workhorse electric shaver that does exactly what it says on the tin, then you shouldn’t go far wrong with the Panasonic Premium ES-RF41. 4.5 well earned stars!
Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 Review Summary
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Note: Customer reviews have been paraphrased for space saving purposes. Please click the links alongside the customer quotes to full, original Panasonic Premium ES-RF41 reviews.

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