Philips Norelco Genuine SH98/72 Replacement Shaving Heads compatible with Norelco Shaver Series S9000 and 9000 Prestige

I've been shaving for close to 60 years now and most of those were with electric shavers. Whereas I've had several different brands down through the years (and currently own a Braun Series 7 and Series 9 as well as a Panasonic Arc 5), I've always come back to the Norelco rotary shavers. First off, why rotary? Rotary shavers are much quieter and nothing irritates me more in the morning that a loud, screaming shaver (i.e. Panasonic). Secondly, foil shavers almost always produce ingrown hairs on my cheeks while rotary shavers do not. Rotaries are much more easily manipulated across the many contours of your face and ultimately provide a more comfortable, complete shave.As for the Prestige s9000 it is simply the best rotary shaver currently available. The model being reviewed (SP9820/87) is in my view a much better alternative to its twin with the Chi charging pad for several reasons (i.e. faster charge time of 1 hour vs 3 hours; small footprint in my luggage since the case is considerably smaller; smaller footprint on the countertop). It's important to know that the Prestige models lack both a cleaning station which my older s9721 had and the newer 9500 series carries (a cleaning pod). However, these are not needed. In fact, I view them as undesirable since they add unnecessary expense for cleaning cartridges and take up counter space. How do I deal with this lack of a cleaning station? After popping off the head and rinsing it, I then leave it alone on the counter to dry while putting the shaving handle away in its case in a drawer. Once a week I will spray the shaver's blades and combs with Shaver Saver, a lubricating spray available here on Amazon. For those who still have the older cleaning station from the 9000 series which I also have, you can simply remove the Prestige's head, put it on your older 9300 or 9700 shaver and then insert that into the cleaning station for cleaning since the Prestige head with the SH98 blades fits perfectly onto the older shaver and can therefore be used in the cleaning station. Another solution to the lack of a cleaning station is to simply buy the Norelco cleaning fluid (here on Amazon) and put some into a Tupperware container. Once a week, pop off the lid and run the shaver, head down, in the fluid for 15-20 seconds then shake off the excess and let it dry on the countertop. Bottom line: no cleaning station is needed.It should also be noted that there is no charging stand to accompany the shaver, however the usefulness of a charging stand is questionable in my opinion. How often do I charge my shaver? I charge it about once every three weeks for an hour. Therefore I do not need to have it sitting in some stand on my countertop all the time. Instead it is put in its case when not in use leaving the counter neat and empty.A close, comfortable shave is what you will receive. And how close is this shave? Well, close is close. Any closer and you would be removing skin from your face. We have only one face per customer so we need to treat it gently. In my view the Philips SP9820 Prestige is as good as it gets.

This shaving head is probably one of the best Philips has made - and you can tell it's a precision device when you start up your shaver from the sound - and is the perfect complement to the new Prestige model shavers. The newly designed inner retaining rings are the same as the new SH90/72 heads, with a metal reinforcing ring to stiffen them, and the outer matte finish ("Comfort") rings are the same as the 7000 Series shavers - which provide the most comfortable shave of any rotary in my opinion. The actual cutting blades and combs are completely different than the SH90 head, and seem to work well, with a nice balance between comfort and cutting efficiency. You need to allow a time for your face to adapt, per Philips' recommendation, and use a light touch, but well worth the effort. The head does provide a comfortable shave, as close or closer than the SH90 head, and approaching a blade shave in my opinion, but not quite as comfortable as the SH90 for me.And this head does in fact fit the 9700 and 9300 Series shavers, appears to be interchangeable with the SH90 heads, and seems to function fine. The head is are very slightly different in external geometry, with slightly "fatter" outer rings, but also seems to fit the 9000 Series cleaning station as well without issues. Otherwise this head provides the same shave on my 9721 as it does on my Prestige, which is to say excellent. The slightly more robust build on the Prestige, and slightly more advanced tech, may or may not be worth the switch from Philips' venerable 9000 Series to you, but you can certainly use this head on their earlier 9000 models. Recommended.

I've been using a Norelco shaver for 50 years and they just keep getting better. I'm heavy set and have always had a "flabby" neck, especially now with the "turkey neck" I've got at age 78. This new one actually trims my neck without razor burn. I've always liked the Norelco shaver, it's fast and does a great job so I have put up with trimming my neck hair once a week with a blade (generally on Sunday when I have a little extra time). So now what am I going to do with my supply of extra blades?

Philips would like you to believe that this head works only with their "Prestige" line of expensive shavers. That isn't correct. It will work with any 9000 Razor. Why spend $250 or more when you can just pop this onto your existing 9000 series razor? This is the top half of the shaving head. There is no replacing blades individually. Just pop off the SH90 and pop on the SH98. In fact, if you have the the lower half of the SH90 I believe this will also fit a 5000 series. Both the 9000 series (except the Prestige) and the 5000 series work with Norelco's Smart Clean System. Don't let them tell you otherwise. It gives a very close shave. It is hard to compare it to the SH90 because my blades were old. I will say it is a pretty pricey replacement at about $70. It used to be for $50 Philips would sell you the entire head of the shaver. Now, for most replacements they only give you the blades. As I said, this one is the entire top half of the unit. I do want to point out that at the time of writing this review you can also purchase a brand new 7100 Razor between $70-$80 which might be a better value considering it is a similar razor and is the entire unit (with a pop-up trimmer).

perfect