Philips Norelco Qc5550/40 Headgroom Do-it-yourself Headgroomer

I purchased this to save time and money. Rather than visiting the barbershop every three weeks and paying $20 for a "number one all over" buzz cut, I thought I could clip myself once a week in just a couple of minutes before showering. It has worked out splendidly, surpassing my expectations and easily paying for itself.But the purpose of my review isn't to tout the groomer - superb as it is - but rather to mention Phillips customer service. I'd had my clipper for about eight weeks, so I'd used it eight times, when it developed a problem. After running about three minutes, it would screech very loudly and freeze up. I could restart it, but after a few seconds the process would repeat. So I went to the Phillips website and started a live chat with one of their representatives. I'd really wanted to know if there was some way I could lubricate the groomer to eliminate the problem, but after hearing what was happening the representative simply sent me replacement unit. It arrived in about a week, I put the old groomer in the box, attached the prepaid Fed Ex label, and dropped it off at my local Fed Ex store front. It was incredibly hassle free, and the replacement has been running great for several months now. You have to love it when a business stands behind their product so well.UPDATE JULY 2013----------------The replacement is still running without any issues, and I use the groomer weekly, so obviously the first unit I received was not representative of the quality of this product. A pleasant surprise that I've grown very fond of is the charging LED where the power cord plugs in. Most of the rechargeable devices I own have an LED that indicates once the unit is fully charged, but on this groomer the LED starts flashing when it's time to recharge. Unlike other Lithium ion devices, I've never had this unit quit on me; I'm always warned well before the battery is completely exhausted. That's a nice little touch.

Personally I don't allow my hair to grow more than an inch long, and when I saw this product I was sold by the very close buzz and a shaving adapter.First impression is for the price, the build of it is pretty decent. It feels great in hand, compare to some other buzzers this Philips is a bit heavier and you can easily get a grip on it without slipping or getting tired.I did not try the standard or precision guide as I always buzz/shave my head to as blad as I can. I was blown away by how clean, fast and efficient the buzz head was. Unlike some other buzzers I've used this one will not yank your hair as hair gets too long or dense. It glides smoothly and leaves a pretty uniform and clean buzz. Also the rotating head is a BIG plus! No more awkward holding position or untouched spots on the behind as you can hold it however you prefer. I was done buzzing my whole head in 5 minutes.Then comes the shaving part. Listen, this will not be a blade replacement but it'll get you pretty darn close to one. Remember, it works great with hair shorter than a millimeter. I suggest you buzz your head without any guides, as close to scalp as you can then use the shaving unit. Also, push the shaving adapter (head) against your head with a little force because without that contact it won't "shave". Use a little force but not too hard, you want the head to make full contact with your scalp instead of just simply gliding. It will take a little bit longer than buzzing but spend some time and you'll get a pretty close to blade (but NOT same as) shave.Changing and cleaning the head is a breeze. For the buzzer simply pop the unit off and brush hair off with included brush. As for the shaving unit, I suggest you run it under the water (but remove the head from the groomer itself first!) and brush the gaps on the inside unit as the small parts of the hair does stuck in between the gaps. Use the brushing unit and warm water, it's easy to clean.All the bells and whistles that came with the package does make buzzing/shaving easy.Bottom-line, if you prefer very short, buzzed hair style, even bald, this is the unit for you. Efficient, does it's job well and remember this is not a blade substitute but it's pretty darn close.