The history of electric shavers is quite a complex one as many of them root back over a 100 years into the past. While there are brands that are regarded as classic, there are some new ones that are on the ascend due to their shaving prowess & performance.
This article today covers 11 electric razor brands that specialize in different shaving areas for men. Going through their history and ability will leave you as a customer mesmerized.
From garage productions to door to door selling, these brands have gone through all the highs & lows before reaching their metamorphosis into the best brands in the world.
Their stories, struggles and success is not only going to create a picture of what it means to be an electric razor brand, but also remains as a beacon of hope that inspires many to learn how to be triumphant by the end of the journey.
Table Of Contents
11 Electric Razor Brands You Must Know About
Let’s undergo a journey together through the history and accomplishments of 11 electric razor brands that stand out from the rest of the pack for their incredible products that have left millions of customers satisfied over many years.
Braun
If you’ve been wondering about the sturdy build quality of every Braun razor you ever came across, let me tell you the reason – it’s made in Germany. Founded & named after the mechanical engineer Max Braun, the company itself started its journey back in 1921. Later on, it has become the revolutionary company that left behind an example to be followed, as picked up by Forbes.
Over a hundred years into the development, Braun has produced a wide variety of appliances and consumer products during the time. It might come as a shock to you, but Braun started its production with radios in its early days. It wasn’t until the 1950s when Braun shifted its focus to the electric razors, the newest phases of razors we are witnessing today.
The ownership history of Braun is a magical one, as it was obtained by Gillette between 1984 to 2007 as a subsidiary company. Procter & Gamble, an American company, purchased Gillette after that and received Braun as its subsidiary. That’s why Braun is regarded as an American company today despite producing all of its goods in Germany.
Braun shavers are infamous for their fine shaving capability and are regarded as one of the prime close shavers in the current market. Designed with the latest technologies and upgraded features, having a Braun shaver in your closet will always give you a boost in your grooming confidence!
Panasonic
Did you know that the famous Panasonic brand didn’t always go by the name we currently know it so dearly? It was founded in 1935 under the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. who didn’t use the Panasonic name until 1955. Apart from all the many electronic goods they produce, their electric razor has always stood out from the rest in the market.
Currently upholding the Panasonic banner, this company is based in Osaka, Japan. In the international market, the Panasonic shavers came with either Matsushita or National names. So if you have an antique piece lying around at your house containing either of these titles, know that it’s one of the most classic Panasonic razors you could ever find!
In 2008, the company decided to brand all of their products under one header – Panasonic itself. Back in April 2022, Panasonic reorganized their business structure which has prioritized their razor production by a significant margin. For their unique foil shavers, Panasonic’s refined & comforting shaving experiences led them to be classified among the best sensitive shavers in the market!
Philips Norelco
The corporate history of the Philips Norelco shaver brand is truly a remarkable one. Although everyone knows Norelco to be an American brand, it is partially true as it’s a subsidiary of Philips, a Dutch brand popular worldwide. While Philips came into being back in 1891, the Norelco banner wasn’t made available in the market until the mid 1940s.
While Philips was able to sell their products in the European market with their company title, they were however restricted to use the same name in the US market due to a similar name clash with Philco, an American company at that time. This is when Philips introduced the Norelco banner and all of the shavers we use today lay their inception at that incident.
The Philips shaver line began at the brink of WWII. From that point onward, the consumers have witnessed some quality razors they’ve fallen in love with, much like this day. Since Philips hasn’t been very popular in the US market, they opted to stick to the Norelco name even after obtaining Philco.
It was very recently, back in 2006, when Philips decided it was time for them to promote their brand name, they started selling their shavers as Philips Norelco. Be that a ball shaving need or a body grooming, Philips produces some of the best rotary shavers as opposed to other foils to choose from and satisfy our every grooming need with.
Skull Shaver
Skull Shaver LLC is one of the most recent brands to join the electric razor market and fulfilling shaving-related needs has been their main focus till date. Beginning their development in 2010, Skull Shaver introduced the very first batch of their electric razors to Amazon back in 2012. The reception was hugely positive which bolstered them forward into the shaving market rapidly.
The origin story of Skull Shaver is very interesting. Their chief designer John Lyles had been scrolling through the market for a good head shaver but wasn’t able to find any. Then he stumbled upon the idea to make a specialized one themselves.
Thus the unique design was developed and we now regard Skull Shaver as one of the best head shavers known to men, including supreme service to black bald heads.
Wahl
Wahl is wholeheartedly an American electric razor brand who specialize in producing razors, hair clippers and beard trimmers. The company was founded back in 1921 by Leo J. Wahl and the brand is regarded as one of the most technologically superior ones of all time due to their deep investment into R&D.
Over the course of time, Wahl incorporated the latest technologies at the given timelines to produce the most advanced electric clipper men could think of. Back in 1965, Wahl created vacuum clippers for a convenient clipping procedure. Then in 1967, they introduced a cordless line of clippers which stands as an inspiration for further cordless hair clippers.
Later on, they made their journey into the beard trimming scene and landed one of the finest mustache trimmers for fashionable men. Currently they are sold in over 150 countries and remain as a favorite device for barbers at every corner of the world. Their success story is far from coming to an end.
Andis
The story of Andis electric razor brand is a family business story that over years of struggle broke out to the international market. Mathew Andis Sr. began his journey of producing hair clippers in 1921. With the help of his wife, he used to produce unique hair clippers in their basement and sold them to consumers traveling door to door.
After a year of initial success, Andis paired up with John Oster and Henry Meltzer to produce advanced electric razors & hair clippers and invested in a factory to produce clippers at a larger scale. Their business took off, and after earning handsome revenues the three partners decided to split off.
As the business initially started like a family venture for Andis, they reverted back to its root and continued that way. Till date, Andis remains as a family business and supplies to many countries in the world. The products they develop today remain as one of the most favorite hair line clippers & edgers for barbers worldwide.
Remington
The history of the Remington electric razor brand is something that began with a weapon-selling company which went through a long journey of corporate buyouts several times. While the E. Remington and Sons company began their venture in 1816, their shavers saw the face of light at the dawn of WWII, back in 1937.
In the course of time, Remington has produced some of the most user-friendly foil shaver devices that are still adored by many consumers due to the shaving quality. The Remington company went through merger in 1955 and the Remington shaver division was sold off to Kiam, another company that masters shaver production in 1979.
It wasn’t until Victor Kiam’s death in 2001 Remington remained under the broad umbrella of Kiam and was sold off to Rayovac in 2003. Rayovac rebranded themselves as Spectrum brands and are producing Remington electric shavers and trimmers even today!
BaByliss
Among the top electric razor brands, BaByliss is a special one due to its approach toward shavers and the quality they are able to provide against budget. Founded in Paris, France back in 1960, the initial BaByliss company specialized in both men’s & women’s care products. Their progress has been steady over the years until they decided to sell the business off.
In 1995, an American group named Conair Corporation obtained the whole of BaByliss production and brought changes to their approach in the market. From that point onward, consumers have seen some unique & user-friendly shavers, flat irons and every other necessary care product being developed by them.
Currently BaByliss electric razors, clippers & trimmers are sold in over 100 countries worldwide. The consumers have never looked for an alternative when they were introduced to the supreme level of convenience these products provided.
Freedom Grooming
Jacob Barson was the one to co-found Freedom Grooming in 2014 and it’s one of the recent electric shaver brands that is currently on the rise. Their unique FlexSeries shavers are some of the highly revered products among men who prefer to keep their head bald with frequent shaves with prime mastery for face and neck shaving duties.
With odd resemblances in product design with Skull Shavers, Freedom Grooming’s shavers deliver what they promise. In the past 8 years, they’ve perfected the shaving so that it can cater to any type of skin or thickness of hair to perform effortlessly and delicately. Men with superior taste often prefer Freedom Grooming shavers over any other brands for their daily shaving!
GAMMA+
Many people don’t know about the deluxe shaving quality of GAMMA+ electric razors. Developed in Italy with a vast research that took over 30 years of time, the products they sell today offer the closest shaves men could ever achieve.
This brand is currently on the trajectory of reaching the pinnacle of the shaver industry within 5 or so years. The closeness of these products’ shaves are truly unmatched and can only be ranked alongside the quality of a Braun or Panasonic razor.
For the price point, taking customers’ suggestions into account and in-depth research overall makes it a desirable brand in general. The technology they have adopted is satisfying and the future of this brand right now looks brighter than ever!
StyleCraft
StyleCraft is another dark horse in the world of premium electric razor brands. Although they’ve been dignified with a wide range of electric shavers over 30 years, only recently this company has managed to create a large ripple with supreme quality of shaves and an unmatched performance.
They not only make electric razors, but also specialize in trimmers, clippers and other care products. Their inclusion of high-technology to the devices leaves the jaws of every consumer dropped and renders them as one of THE shaver brands to have in the arsenal.
The degree of fine shaves is simply magnificent for a brand that is relatively new in the field and the consumers expect them to be one of the top-most brands in the grooming industry very soon!
Thoughts
As we’ve reached the concluding point, we’ve witnessed some of the greatest transformation of electric razor brands into multinational giants over the course of time.
Brands like Braun, Panasonic, Philips etc. are at the top of the chain due to the legacy they have built, and the newer brands like Skull Shaver, GAMMA+ or StyleCraft are here to challenge the king’s throne.
Whatever the future may hold for us, we can’t know that for sure, but what we can do is to hope for the most refined & user-friendly electric shavers to produce from the competition among themselves.
This way, I believe, the customers will come out as the winners. And if not for customer satisfaction, then what are so many shaver brands good for anyway?
