Many of us share the childhood Christmas memory of us rushing to the tree to see what newfangled toy Father Christmas had placed there. Sadly, we all also share the memory of watching those toys turn into the dreaded “practical gift” territory as the years went by. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful for the suitcase, umbrella, fountain pen and notebooks I have received in my adult years, they’re practical, and I did need them; they just failed to conjure up the same level of excitement as years gone by. This Christmas, I was setting up for very much the same experience, but then I discovered that Philips has teamed up with Star Wars: The Last Jedi with a new range of electric razors, and trust me, these ARE the droids you’ve been looking for.

The range of shavers fuses Philips high tech innovation with Star Wars creative vision to release five different shavers based on characters from the franchise. Choose between The Dark Side, The Light Side, Poe Dameron, BB-8 or franchise favourite R2-D2 inspired designs!

 

I went for the Poe Dameron (played by Oscar Isaac in the movie) model otherwise known as the Philips SW6700, and it’s a beauty. I’ve bought film inspired grooming products from other brands before, and the visual design has never been to this high standard. The attention to detail which I’ll go into later is astounding, and it’s great to see a brand which is synonymous for it’s visual and graphic design on screen, implementing their same high design quality into their products off-screen.

Usability wise, it’s up there with the best of them. Its 8-direction head works well both wet or dry shaving, and as someone with sensitive skin I was a little apprehensive before using the razor dry, but I’m happy to report that it didn’t irritate or feel uncomfortable. A brief look through its various settings and I found the Turbo+ mode. Activated by pressing the X-wing symbol (which is an excellent easter-egg to Star Wars fans), you’ll be able to cut through thicker stubble and achieve a closer shave in less time – something to remember if you’re buying for someone with thick facial hair.

Each design delivers its own unique shaving experience. For example, if destroying planets and building massive clone armies is more “your thing” (and who are we to judge), opting for the ‘Dark Side’ razor might be more suitable. The battery level metre is ingeniously displayed using Kylo Ren’s unique lightsaber design, but there’s more to this than merely visual design. A SmartClick Precision Trimmer allows for the user to shape their moustache, sideburns or perform shape ups which is something which isn’t available on the R2-D2 model, so it’s well worth having a read through all the specific designs on their website below if buying as a gift.

With the Darkside, Lightside and Poe model, you’ll also receive a hard case within the box making them perfect gifts for people who find themselves needing to travel a lot. On the R2D2 model, the lights flicker on and off in the same manner as the sassy droid to which it gains inspiration from.

All in all, I couldn’t recommend these shavers enough not only as a great gift for movie fans but also for as a gift for someone after a top of the range electric razor. Using the Poe Model, I was able to shave the closest and most comfortable shave compared to any other electric razor that I’ve tried. As a Star Wars fan, it’s a well designed and thoroughly considered homage to the franchise; it’s clear that they are developed by a team who understand the franchise and its favourite characters. The collection is an excellent example of practical and well-constructed gifts not having to be boring; a great shaver made better by expert creativity.

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