Wahl Lifeproof 7061 Electric Shaver

Summary

If you want a tough foil shaver with days and days of battery life that you can rinse under the tap without a second thought, the Wahl Lifeproof gets straight to the point. We tested the 7061-117 model in Spain, the same reference listed on Amazon.co.uk, on two days’ stubble, dry and with foam, and a single charge gave us 17 shaves. In the UK it isn’t sold by Amazon itself but by a third-party seller, Scan Direct UK.

The neck needed three passes dry and two with foam, with some touching up under the jawline and around the Adam’s apple. The chin and moustache came out practically even, and the trimmer in the centre of the head helps with short stubble and slightly longer hairs.

A full charge took 1 h 01 min and five minutes of quick charging was enough for a complete shave. It cleans under the tap in 1 min 20 s, with no station or cartridges, and comes with a soft travel pouch. It was kind to the skin, with mild irritation dry when going over the Adam’s apple, and less with foam.

On the downside, it doesn’t warn you when the battery is running low, the cutting unit needs cleaning and oiling from time to time, and the pouch protects it less than a hard case.

We recommend it if you want a durable foil shaver with lots of battery life, for wet and dry use and with a trimmer for sideburns and outlines, that you can take on holiday without the charger.

Analysis and verdict

Closeness of shave – Score: 8.3/10

It’s a flexible foil shaver with a trimmer in the centre of the head, which deals with slightly longer hairs before the foils pass over them. Wahl presents it as a shaver built to withstand knocks, with a firm grip, and says it can be used dry, with foam or in the shower. The foils flex to follow the shape of your jaw and chin.

Dry, on two days’ stubble, the neck needed three passes and a touch-up under the jawline. Running a hand against the grain, we found slight roughness on the lower neck and under the jawline, especially around the Adam’s apple, with isolated short hairs where the stubble grew in different directions. The chin and moustache were practically even.

With foam, two passes were enough, with a touch-up around the Adam’s apple. The chin and moustache came out even and, although there was still slight roughness under the jaw and lower down, fewer loose hairs were left than dry.

Foam reduced friction and helped the foils glide better. The final closeness was practically the same both ways, but with fewer passes wet, so if you have a few spare minutes in the morning it’s worth shaving with foam.

With foil shavers it usually works best to move in straight lines against the grain without pressing too hard, and on the neck it helps to stretch the skin a little with your other hand. That way the foils catch crooked hairs more easily and you save yourself a pass around the Adam’s apple.

What we liked most about the head is its central trimmer. On two days’ stubble it helped with both the short growth and the slightly longer hairs, and for tidying sideburns and outlines there’s also a pop-up precision trimmer.

Battery life – Score: 9.1/10

This is the best thing about this shaver. Wahl quotes 90 minutes of battery life and in our test we got 17 shaves of about 5 min 15 s each, 89 min 15 s in total, spread over 17 days with no recharging in between. The manufacturer’s figure holds up almost to the minute.

If you shave daily, that’s more than two weeks without thinking about the charger, and if you shave every other day, more than a month. Each shave took us just over five minutes, full face and neck, so it’s easy to do the maths for your own routine. For travelling it’s a real relief, because on a normal trip you don’t even need to pack the cable.

A full charge took 1 h 01 min, in line with the hour Wahl states, and five minutes of quick charging gave us a complete shave. If you forget to charge it one day, by the time you’ve washed your face you’ve got enough battery to get by.

The one catch is that it doesn’t warn you when the battery is low. In our test it switched off without any warning, so it’s worth keeping count or charging it every couple of weeks out of habit. With the quick charge, though, being caught halfway isn’t a disaster.

The box includes a USB cable but no USB wall charger. You can charge it with your phone’s charger or from a USB port, which is the most convenient option when you’re travelling.

Comfort and cleaning – Score: 8.2/10

Ten minutes of continuous use left the head slightly warm. There was occasional tugging under the jaw, with thick hairs or ones lying flat against the skin.

Dry, we noticed mild irritation on the lower neck, especially when going over the Adam’s apple. With foam it was less and the shave felt smoother, so if you have sensitive skin you’re better off using it wet.

Cleaning is simple. It rinses under the tap and took us 1 min 20 s by our stopwatch, not counting drying. There’s no station and no cartridges, but the manual recommends brushing and oiling the cutting unit from time to time, and both the brush and the oil are in the box. It’s easy maintenance, although you do have to remember to do it. If you do it right after rinsing, it only takes another minute.

According to its instructions, the foil and blades are changed every 12 months, or sooner if the foil gets damaged. The replacement is reference 7045-100, foil and blades in one unit, and it’s easy to find. It’s an inexpensive spare, although as it’s changed every year the cost comes round more often than with shavers whose heads last eighteen months or two years.

Pouch, accessories and toughness

Wahl says it’s waterproof down to one metre for 30 minutes, so you can use it in the shower and rinse it under the tap without worrying. The body is designed to take knocks, and it has a travel lock so it doesn’t switch on inside your bag.

The box contains the shaver, a foil guard, a soft travel pouch, a brush, blade oil, the charging cable and the instructions. The pouch is light and takes up little room, although being soft it protects less than a hard case, so always put the guard on the foils before you pack it.

If you keep it in your gym bag, its water resistance and travel lock make it very convenient. You can shave in the shower, rinse it there and then, and put it in the pouch without worrying that it’ll switch on along the way.

Who we recommend it for

It’s for you if you want a tough foil shaver with lots of battery life, for wet and dry use and with a trimmer for sideburns and outlines. Also if you travel often and would rather rinse it under the tap than carry a station around. And if you alternate between a few days’ growth and a full shave, the central trimmer makes life easier.

It’s not for you if you need a very even neck in just a few passes, especially with thick stubble or hair that grows in several directions, if you want a cleaning station or a detailed battery indicator, or if you’d prefer a hard case to carry it in.

If you’re the type who forgets to charge things, its battery life is a real help, because one charge lasts for weeks. Just bear in mind that it doesn’t warn you before it dies, so the practical approach is to plug it in on the same day, say every other Sunday, and forget about it.

Pros

• 17 shaves per charge of about 5 min 15 s, in line with the 90 minutes Wahl quotes.
• Five minutes of quick charging for a full shave, and a full charge in 1 h 01 min.
• Central and pop-up precision trimmers for longer hairs, sideburns and outlines.
• Waterproof down to one metre, and it rinses clean under the tap in 1 min 20 s.

Cons

• Three passes on the neck when dry on two days’ stubble, with loose hairs around the Adam’s apple.
• Cutting unit needs oiling and replacing every 12 months, with occasional tugging.

Our test

Test 1: Closeness of shave – two days’ stubble, dry and wet

With two days’ stubble, we shaved the whole face and neck dry and then wet with foam. Afterwards we ran a hand against the grain to find any missed patches, and counted how many passes the neck needed, as it’s the hardest area.

Dry, it took three passes with a touch-up under the jawline and isolated short hairs around the Adam’s apple. With foam, two passes with a touch-up around the Adam’s apple and fewer loose hairs. For you, that means a good close shave on the face and a little going over on the neck, less with foam.

Test 2: Battery life – full charge and daily use until it switched off

We charged the shaver fully, timing it, and used it for one shave a day without recharging until it switched off. We counted the number of shaves, how long each one lasted and whether it warned us before running out, and we also timed a five-minute quick charge.

It gave 17 shaves of about 5 min 15 s over 17 days, 89 min 15 s in total, without any low-battery warning. A full charge took 1 h 01 min and the five-minute quick charge was enough for a complete shave. At home, that means more than two weeks without plugging it in if you shave daily.

Test 3: Comfort and cleaning – ten minutes non-stop and a rinse under the tap

We used the shaver for ten minutes non-stop and noted whether it pulled at the hair, whether the head heated up and whether the skin got irritated. Then we cleaned it under the tap, timing it, and checked which replacement part it takes and how often it needs changing according to the instructions.

There was occasional tugging under the jaw and the head ended up slightly warm. Irritation was mild dry and less with foam. Cleaning took 1 min 20 s without drying, and the 7045-100 replacement is changed every 12 months, or sooner if the foil gets damaged. In practice, it’s easy to look after, as long as you don’t forget the brush and the oil.

If you’d like to know more about what to look for, take a look at our guide to the best electric shavers, where you’ll find the best models we’ve tested and help to choose the right one for you.