We bought samples of foil and rotary men's shavers and asked 16 male panelists to test the type of shaver they usually use. The panelists tried each shaver at home for a week. At the end of each week, they shaved in our lab and let our sensory staffers feel their faces, using sandpaper as a reference. The closest shave made the panelists' faces feel like fine, 1,000-grit polishing paper. We also judged noise and ease of cleaning, and we measured how quickly the batteries ran down.

Men's electric shavers come with either foil or rotary cutting blades. Each type of electric shaver has its devotees. (We haven't tested any women's models lately because they've consistently performed relatively poorly in our tests. But then, there's no reason why women can't use a men's shaver.)

Foil
Foil shavers have floating heads designed to glide over facial contours, with cutters that oscillate behind a perforated screen. The last time we tested closeness of shave, the men's foil shavers, on average, beat the men's rotaries by a whisker.

Rotary
Rotary shavers have three or four floating heads designed to glide over facial contours, with cutters that spin behind a fine grid. They tended to be quieter and easier to clean than foil shavers in our tests.

Current models offer a wide variety of convenience electric shaver features. Check the shaver's instruction manual for details.

Battery Chargers
A full battery charge might take anywhere from 1 to 12 hours and should provide at least seven shaves. Some models allow a five-minute emergency charge, good for one shave.

Automatic Shutoff
A charger that shuts off automatically when the battery is fully charged is a convenience. With some, you need to pull the plug as soon as the shaver is fully charged, or overcharging might reduce the battery life.

Low-Battery Warning
A charge indicator or recharge light on some models warns you when the battery is low.

Power Cord
Some models let you shave by plugging in the electrical cord, a useful feature if you neglect to recharge the battery.

Ease of Cleaning
Most shavers come with a small cleaning brush. Some models can be rinsed clean. And some have a self-cleaning system that pumps a sanitizing liquid through the cutters.

Long-Hair Trimmer
Most shavers have this feature for trimming sideburns or other long hair.

Wet and Dry Shaving
Some models let you shave in the shower.

U.S. and International Voltage
You can use some shavers abroad without a converter.