A real gem at $60!

Reasons for purchasing:

I purchased the Wahl 5000 because of the two previous positive reviews on this site as well as the reputation of the company and their products.

Features:

The Wahl 5000 is a standard corded/cordless two-foil shaving system. It is not capable of being used as a wet shaver. It has a 9,500 RPM motor.

The 5000 is unique in providing three custom foil sets. The "sensitive" foil is for sensitive skin or for first-time electric shaver users. The "Close" foil provides a close, clean shave every day. Finally, the "Super Close" foil provides the closest shave possible. A full-width pop-up trimmer is included for sideburns, mustaches, or longer hairs.

In addition to the above foils, it comes with a nice foil storage box, charge cord, and carrying case.

The 5000 also provides a bar-graph style battery indicator. The indicator has 5 LED bars (4 green and 1 red) that show the number of "estimated" 3-minute shaves remaining in the razor. If you don't use a 3-minute shave, the bars can effectively be interpreted as 20% of the charge per bar.

The shaver charges fully in 30 minutes. During the charge, the LED lights pulsate. When the charge is complete, they will glow solid. Overcharge protection is included.
A 5-minute quick charge function is available to gain a 4-minute shave in a pinch.

The shaver also can be run off of the cord to conserve battery power.

The 5000 claims to automatically adjust to all international voltages.

My kit also included a personal trimmer for the ear and nose. I've not had the opportunity to use this.


Construction:

Overall construction of the shaver seems solid. There were no excessive panel gaps, rattles, and the plastic appeared to be of high quality. The shaver is very well-balanced and easy to hold.

Shaving:

Originally I tried the super-close foil. It lived up to its name (close as a blade in my opinion), but was a little too discomforting for my tastes. (NOTE: After about a month, I switched to the super-close and have stuck with it since)

The close foil seems be a very good compromise. My shave is the best I've gotten in an electric, and it doesn't hurt even after going 2.5 days without shaving. It's able to tackle my thick, layed-down neck hairs without too much difficulty, and the rest of my face is left with very little stubble. I had no adjustment problems with this foil.

The pop-up trimmer is a real pleasure on this shaver. It definitely lives up to its Wahl Clipper heritage. This is the first pop-up trimmer that I've had on an electric shaver that is highly effective.

Battery life seems adequate. My shaves last 5 minutes due to the density of my face. As such, the battery indicator's "# of shaves" indicators aren't as useful, though they're still useful as a indicator of total charge. My initial charge lasted 10 days (I charged as soon as the red light was on; I could have probably went two days more).

Complaints:

My only major complaint on the Wahl 5000 is the vibration. I was very spoiled by my Norelco 3405LC, which had no vibration. The Wahl seems to have a fair amount, though I have grown used to it since I bought it. It shouldn't be an issue for most people and does not affect the balance or performance of the unit.

Cleaning can be a little difficult, though less so than the rotary shaver I switched from. The shaver foil is very easy to remove, and most stubble can be blown out with a few quick breaths of air. The included brush seems a little coarse and inflexible.

The included storage pouch has several faults. First, it is rather flimsy. The top flap doesn't sit as well as I'd like. There's also no hole for the charger, though given the fast-charge nature of this razor, that should not present a problem. The pouch should adequately protect the razor and foils for a trip.

The motor also bogs down occasionally when running off of batteries.

It would be nice to have floating heads, but the shaver seems to do a good job nonetheless.

Customer Service:

When I received my shaver, there was a defect in the super-close head (it was missing a release clip). This was not a functional defect but rather a cosmetic one. I called Wahl and spoke with a representative in their warranty department. They happily agreed to send me a new foil free of charge -- without asking for any receipt or requesting that the defective one be shipped back.

Parts for the shaver should be readily available, as Wahl is a US company. Prices for replacement foils and cutter bars are $7.95 and $9.95 respectively.

Wahl offers a 30-day money back guarantee on the product, and a 2 year limited warranty. The Wahl 5000 is assembled in the USA.

Follow-up:

After 10 months of use with this shaver, I'm still satisfied. I've picked up another shaver, as I'd like to try "wet shaving", but the Wahl will still be my primary choice for travel, and will be kept as a backup shaver.

I'd recommend the Wahl 5000 as a first shaver, or as a secondary travel shaver. It's got the features needed to do its job, and should last a long time.