Philips Norelco Replacement Head for Series 7000 (SensoTouch 3D) and Arcitec

I read many very negative comments before deciding to go the less expensive route and ordering this replacement head for my Norelco 1250X 8000 series electric razor. But, I thought, I'll try this replacement as there were slightly more positive comments than negative ones. Also, I could always bite the bullet and spring for the more expensive one if this one didn't work out. My razor is about 6 months old. However, my beard is very thick and it got to the point that it was taking me about 20-30 minutes to get a decent shave.I wanted to continue to use the Norelco and not revert to my safety razor because after a couple of neck surgeries, I had some rather bothersome scars. It had gotten to the point that I was turning myself into a rather messy "self-sacrifice" every time I shaved with my safety razor. Also, I had spent a bunch of money on this razor and I wanted to get more use out of it.Once my replacement head arrived, I immediately installed it on my razor. After splashing on some pre-shave lotion and letting it dry, I fired-up the Norelco. As I mentioned earlier, it had gotten to the point that I was taking 20-30 minutes to get a clean, smooth shave. With the new head, I was done in 10 minutes and it was a closer and smoother shave than I had ever received with the original Norelco head; even when the razor was brand new!Some complained that the replacement head didn't fit their razor. It fit mine perfectly. Some people complained that it was more noisy to use the replacement head. I can agree with that somewhat. But, I'm shaving, not trying to go to sleep. It's NOT that much more noisy. The ads for this replacement head claims a closer cut. I'm here to say, that claim is very valid. I've NEVER gotten as close a shave from any electric razor I've ever owned as the shave I got from my Norelco with this replacement head.Some complain about the individual floating heads not opening up, individually, for cleaning, as is the case with the OEM head. With this replacement head, the top comes off so all three floating heads are exposed for cleaning, at the same time. Other reviewers complain about the replacement head being made of plastic. I see their point, to a point. But, thus far, I don't see a reduction in quality. And, for ⅓ the cost of the original replacement head and a far, far closer shave, I would'nt care if the head were made of aluminum and wax paper; as long as it does what I want it to do.Norelco has been around for as long as I've been. I can still remember their TV commercials with Santa riding a sled of "floating heads" over the snow, in black and white, no less. One needs to realize that Norelco needs to produce a product that will compete with the rest of the market. And, if they can do that by using a different material(s), sell it for far less money and still have a high quality product, they will do it. Plus, if they allowed their quality to fall, they know they will lose their edge (no pun intended) and eventually all of their customers.Of course, this is just my opinion, based on my experience. I'm not trying to down-play those who have negative experiences with the replacement head. For those who had bad experiences, I would ask them to contact Norelco and discuss the issue with them. There may be a practical explanation as to why their experiences were negative._________________________Update: 3/15/15After using the RQ12+ for about 6 weeks, I can report that it's still performing satisfactorily. I shave about every other day and take the razor head apart once a week for cleaning. I break-down the head into its 10 component parts, wash each, individually, under warm tap water, allow them to dry, reassemble the components and reapply the razor head to the razor. There is a noticeable difference in the closeness of a shave, the longer one goes between cleaning. Once the blades are cleaned, it's like shaving with a new razor.Admittedly, I do miss the pop-up feature of the original blade assembly. But, upon figuring out the trick to disassembling, then reassembling the razor head, after cleaning, I'm not so sure that the design replacement head doesn't allow for a better job of cleaning the razor blades. The "trick" with disassembling, then reassembling the razor head lies with realizing that once the cover is removed, flip it over in your palm and be looking at it from its underside. From there, you can use your fingernails to rotate the orange retaining clips counter-clockwise, then lift them out of the way. Next, using your fingernail, pick out the razor blade from the blade cover. Next, using your finger, from underneath the cover (remember, you're looking at the assembly upside-down), push the blade cover out of its hole in the 3-blade assembly. Repeat this process for each of the 2 remaining blades. Now, clean each component. I use warm, running tap water, from my bathroom sink. Be sure to close the drain or place some sort of strainer over the drain so as to not lose any parts down the drain. Should there be any any residual left, I use an old toothbrush to remove it.Allow the parts to dry and reassemble the razor head by reversing the procedure. the parts are interchangeable! So don't worry about which component came off of which razor blade. NOTE: WHEN TAKING THE RAZOR HEAD ASSEMBLY APART, NOTE THAT THERE ARE NOTCHES ALONG THE EDGES OF EACH RAZOR HEAD COVER. ALSO, THERE ARE TABS ON THE ASSEMBLY COVER AND ON EACH RAZOR COVER. BE SURE TO ALIGN THE NOTCHES WITH THE TABS IN EACH CASE. OTHERWISE, YOU'LL NOT BE ABLE TO REALIGN THE COMPONENTS AND THEY WILL NOT FIT TOGETHER PROPERLY. Next, drop one of the circular blades into each razor cover. Be sure to place the cutting edges against the inside of the razor cover. Otherwise, the blades will be upside down when reattached to the razor and not cut anything. The final step is to reinstall the Orange retainer rings onto each razor. Again, align the notches on the retainer rings with the tabs on the razor covers. Rotate the retainer rings clockwise until they snap into place. Not much force is needed.It takes me about 15 minutes to disassemble, clean and reassemble my razor blades. It takes about 20 minutes for the parts to air-dry. So, roughly, 30 minutes total. Being as the razor is water-proof and can be used in the shower, waiting for the components to dry isn't really necessary. I just do it. Again, after a cleaning, my shave is just as good as any safety razor shave I've ever had.

Honestly, I was quite confused after reading all the negative and positive reviews, before buying this. However, I have been fond of my Philips Arcitec shaver and didn't want to give up on it, so I reached deeper in my pocket and bought the new replacement head RQ12+.After I started using it, I found most of my concerns melt in great functionality and quality of the product.Let's look at some of the concerns I had:- The newly redesigned head functions differently and opens and cleans differently. Will my shave be just as good as it used to be and will I be able to clean the head without taking too much time?You can view a demonstration video on how the three floating heads work now vs. in the past. I find the new design superior in its ability to adjust to the contours of my face. The combs (slotted metal parts of circular shape) move now in all directions in greater steps than before, making the shave more comfortable and closer.After cleaning you can pull off the top of the head and easily rinse it as well as the base, making the cleaning no more difficult than before. Extended cleaning is also recommended that is more involved and requires the removal of the combs with the rotating blades. Although still very simple, this is not something that needs to be done often. The cleaning of this sort is much more thorough than was EVER possible, so in my opinion, this is an added bonus and not something to gripe about. In comparison with the "flower like" RQ10 head I used to use on this shaver, the only inconvenience of the new model is the fact that you have to lay the top of the head that just got washed somewhere until it dries, instead of just flipping it open but still part of the shaver, as was the case with the prior model.-the redesigned comb now only have two tracks instead of three in the past. Will this extend the length of my shave and will it affect the closeness?Actually, the new design is more efficient. The outside track pattern hasn't changed much and works as before, but the inside has changed significantly for the better in my opinion. The new design now allows for easy trimming of longer non-compliant hair that took many passes in the past before they were sufficiently shortened to finally cut them off closely enough. The design of this pattern resembles Brown's center section of the foil and is designed to effectively catch and cut off the long hair in one pass. It works very well on this shaver and to me this is a big improvement in comparison to all past models. Now I feel I'm getting a close irritation free shave Norelco is famous for and I'm getting this shave in much shorter time than before, with no laying hair left behind!-The price. This is still an area of concern for me. I know from the manual included with the head, that eventually, the replacement combs and blades will be the replaceable parts, not the whole head, although we'll still be able to buy all the other parts of the head as they wear out. I hope that with time, the cost of the comb/rotational blade will come down to the level of the original replacements.-Quality. I really wasn't concerned about that part, and I didn't need to be. I'm not finding the quality has been lowered on this product compared with the previous generation of shaving head.OK, in conclusion, I'm glad I got this head and saved myself more than a $100 in buying a different brand razor. Although there is some slight adjustments in the way this head is used and cared for, the changes are well outweighed by the benefits of the new design providing a closer and a faster shave.