Philips S5588/38 Series 5000 Electric Shaver

Philips makes the world’s best-selling electric shavers, and the S5588/38 Series 5000 Aqua Touch exemplifies the high standards of design, manufacturing, and quality to which Philip’s holds every one of its products.

The Series 5000 S5588/38 combines the comfort of a wet shave with the ease and convenience of a dry shave, leaving your face incredibly smooth, soft, and free of irritation. This is one of Philip’s latest shavers and is our top recommended “rotary” electric shaver picks.

Philips S5588/38 Key Features

• Protects skin ten times better than ordinary razor blades.
• Patented AquaTec makes the shaver entirely waterproof.
• Heads flex in five directions for the ultimate close shave.
• Includes SmartClick Beard Trimmer for a neat, even-looking beard.
• Charges quickly – one hour provides up to 17 shaves.
• Includes 2-pin UK plug and hard traveling case.

Philips S5588/38 Series 5000 Overview

Keeps Skin Looking and Feeling Great

Each face is unique – no two lips, noses, jaws, cheeks or necks are the same. And the skin which covers the face is far from smooth – rather, it’s unevenly textured, and follows the contours of the bones beneath it, rising and falling, protruding and receding. It’s no wonder that so many men experience nicks, cuts, redness and irritation after shaving. A traditional razor causes the edge of the blade to make constant, direct contact with the skin.

The Series 5000 shaver uses a unique system which prevents the blades from actually touching your skin. Because the shaving heads are rounded and smooth, the amount of micro-cuts (cuts you may not be able to see, but can definitely feel) are reduced by a factor of 10, when compared to a regular razor.

Saves Time, Improves Comfort

The Series 5000 features Philips Lift & Cut, which lifts each hair before cutting, removing even short stubble with ease.

The shaver heads have a multi-directional flexing action, moving in five directions to hug the unique contours of your neck and face.

The result is a closer, more comfortable shave, with fewer nicks and less soreness or redness. The unique cutting and flexing action of the Aqua Touch means making fewer passes – not only does this cause significantly less irritation than an ordinary razor, it’s faster!

Clean Shaven or Neatly Groomed – The Choice is yours

The Philips Series 5000 delivers a clean, baby-smooth shave every time. But if you’d rather sport a tidy beard, you can. All that’s necessary is to click the shaver head off and attach the five-setting SmartClick beard trimmer.

From smooth skin to stubble, or a short, neat beard, the S5588/38 electric shaver has you covered. Both the beard trimmer and shaver are completely washable, making it easy to keep them clean.

Over Two Weeks of Cordless Shaves from a Single Charge

Rechargeable batteries have come a long way. The Aqua Touch charges in just one hour, providing 50 minutes of runtime. That’s the equivalent of approximately 17 shaves! It’s easy to recharge the battery – just plug in the included adapter cable. Should you happen to forget, a five-minute quick-charge provides enough power for a single shave.

Rotary Technology Captures and Cuts Every Hair

Electric shavers use either foil or rotary systems. The former requires that the shaver be moved linearly – in straight lines. The trouble is, facial hair doesn’t grow in a straight line – it grows in different directions.

All Philips shavers utilize a rotary system – each shaving head can rotate independently, allowing you to move the shaver over your face in circular motions.

As such, you can capture and cut every hair, regardless of in which direction it grows. The result is a closer, more consistent and comfortable shave.

Use Wet or Dry

A dry shave is quick and convenient, and Philips’ meticulous attention to design and manufacturing means that shaving dry is a perfectly comfortable experience.

If you still prefer the feeling of a wet shave, the Series 5000’s technology allows the shaver to be used with your favourite gel or cream.

My Impressions and Review Conclusion

I’ve shaved my face a lot of different ways over the years – wet or dry, with disposable razors, safety razors, electric trimmers, foil shavers, rotary shavers – you name it, and I’ve probably tried it.

But after all this time, I keep going back to Philips shaving products. I had high expectations for the Series 5000 S5588/38, and I wasn’t disappointed.

All the Philips shavers I’ve tried have been well-built, but this model didn’t just feel solidly made – it felt light and comfortable to hold.

The lighter weight made it easier to move over the contours of my face, especially the tricky areas like my jawline, and the underside of my neck, where the hair likes to grow in different directions.

If you’re a bit short on time (who isn’t, these days?), you’ll probably appreciate that this shaver has both a battery status indicator and a light which reminds you to rinse off the shaver heard or beard trimmer after each use.

I was happy for these features – I know they’re helping me keep the battery topped up and the shaver clean and running as well as possible.

I also enjoyed the fact that the S5588/38 can be used with gel and in the shower, and can attest to the extremely close, comfortable shave it provides.

I’m prone to razor burn and skin irritation, but this Philips shaver leaves my face feeling smooth every time.

This shaver has many positive feedback reviews and high star ratings from customers on Amazon, and other major retailers around the world.

Related: Philips Series 5000 S5579/50 review