Remington Shaver, Kosher?

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  • #592511
    pookie
    Member

    i just purchased the Remington R-3130 Flex 360 Corded Rotary Shaver, and i was wondering if this shaver is the type which you have to remove a piece or if this one is good to use? p.s. the sooner i get the answer the better, i really need to shave! thanks!

    #698742
    mw13
    Participant

    As always, all halacha li’maseh shailos should be asked to your LOR, not to anonymous CR members who may or may not know what they’re talking about.

    #698743
    rebdoniel
    Member

    Titanium MicroFlex Ultra and Smart System Rotary models: R9170, R9270, R9370, R9500, R9100, R9200, R9250, R9300, and R9350 (SP-18 and SP-21 Replacement Heads)

    Titanium MicroFlex Rotary models: R-200S, R450, R450S, R650, R650S, R-950 and R-960 (SP-29 / SP-19 Replacement Heads)

    Discontinued models: RR-35, RR-41, RR-42, RR-50, RR-55, DT-35, DT-41, DT-42, DT-45, DT-50 (SP-10 / SP-11 Replacement Heads)

    European models (series): R1, R3, R5, and R7

    According to R’ Dovid Feinstein, the only shavers ok to use without any adjustemtns are the Norelco Rotary Lift and Cut, after the adjustments have been made.

    It seems as if your shaver is no good to use at all, according to these poskim. You may want to contact a posek who is skilled in these areas on the specifics of your shaver, but it seems that R’ Dovid Feinstein does not approve any of the new Remington shavers.

    #698744
    Pashuteh Yid
    Member

    Rebdoniel writes:

    “According to R’ Dovid Feinstein, the only shavers ok to use without any adjustemtns are the Norelco Rotary Lift and Cut, after the adjustments have been made. “

    Am I missing something, because this is a setira minei ubei. First you say there is a shaver which is OK to use without any adjustments, and then you say it is OK after the adjustments have been made.

    Please explain. Also why is it that Remington shavers which used to have a long list that were OK, are now no good. I don’t think they have changed much.

    #698745
    rebdoniel
    Member

    I apologize. The Norelco Rotary Lift and Cut is permissible only after an adjustment has been made. R’ Dovid Feinstein permits NO shavers right out of the box currently. The Remington brands listed are permissible to use out of the box because these are older models which do not involve the same issues as the newer models. The reason why the Remington shavers nowadays are no good is that they don’t function like scissors, but more like a razor.

    #698746
    Pashuteh Yid
    Member

    RebDoniel, I bought a Remington 4130 a while back because I lost my Remington 850. The newer one is shlocky plastic and doesn’t do nearly as good a job. I can’t imagine how the 4130 could be worse halachically. Now every time I shave, it takes me so long that my skin is completely irritated and red. I would give anything to get back the 850. I tried a 950 for a while, and that was even worse. The motor was so slow, you could barely hear it and it barely cut. I think they realized you can’t cut costs and quality so much and still have a working product.

    #698747
    rebdoniel
    Member

    I’m sorry to hear that. When I did shave, I would use the Norelco Lift and Cut and I would send it to have the proper blade adjusted. It worked well for me. Everything it seems is made like dreck nowadays. I think they used to make these shavers in Europe, but now they make them in China. Please note that I am not an expert on these things, but am just relaying information from the Kosher Shavers people who hold like R’Dovid Feinstein and R’ Blumenkrantz, zt’l. There may be other poskim who have different opinions on this.

    I came across this website selling a kosher shaver with the hechsher of R’ Chaim Katz and others : http://koshershave.com/.How good it works, I don’t know, but maybe someone on the CR knows.

    #698748
    Dr. Pepper
    Participant

    I’m at work and I don’t know off hand what kind of shaver I have but my brother bought it for me and sent it to the Star-K to have it checked. One of the Rabbonim who works there checks them for free. According to this Rov (who works under Rabbi Heineman), even within the same model some shavers are kosher and some are not, it all depends on the blades that are put in at the factory.

    As a piece of advice- the way lift and cut works is that there are two parts to each blade- one to lift the hair and one to cut it. If one attempts to remove part of the blade without a special tool the blade may get bent and won’t turn properly. Of the previous shaver which wasn’t kosher I had a jeweler cut off the extra pieces.

    #698749
    Pashuteh Yid
    Member

    RebDoniel, the shaver on that site seems to be more of a trimmer than a shaver.

    #698750
    Moq
    Member

    You can “kasher” a shaver – take each blade, and rub each individual blade (the little ones) on a key several times, not missing any blades – hence blunting, and not letting the blades cut without help from the screen.

    Of course, it will not shave as well, which is the point. Don’t miss any blades!!!

    If you can get someone’s beard hair, see if the blade cuts the hair when the hair is held taunt. and viola.

    #698751

    http://www.koshershaver.org/index.html

    clear directions to easily kasher norelco lift and cuts.

    or they will do it for you (mail in the blades) for mamash free

    #698752

    MW13 wrote “As always, all halacha li’maseh shailos should be asked to your LOR” I strongly belive that the phrase “Local Orthodox Rabbi & its abreviation LOR” should be replaced by something like “Your Personal Halachic advisor” LOR is so vague

    How Orthodox is the LOR? How knowlegable is he in areas other the run of the mill Issur V’Heter? An example I do not ask my Dayan any shailos regarding technology, great Talmid Chachom,Yorei Shamyim and More Hoaroah that he is. He just not have the knack for technology.

    Rebdonel phrased it so well ” You may want to contact a posek who is skilled in these areas on the specifics of your shaver”

    #698753

    great point, okay, from now on everyone please replace LOR by: “YLEIHQTGAPITPAOHIWYHTSS”

    your local expert in Halacha, qualified to give a psak in the particular area of Halacha in which you have this specific shaila

    #698754
    rebdoniel
    Member

    When it comes to psak halacha, my deeling is that due to the complexity of metziut, especially today, in terms of the amount of knowledge needed on areas like economics/banking policies, technology, medicine, food chemistry, animal husbandry, vegetation, chilazon species, etc. it is important to ask very specific sheilos of rabbonim who have takent he time to learn the relevant and necessary metziut. I am learning Issur ve Heter for semicha right now, learn from many halacha seforim, and know iyun in Nashim and Nezikin, Tanach, mefarshim, mussar, chassidus, etc., but this does not make me an expert in the mechanics of Remington shavers, the implications of FDIC policies on Ribbis, gastric juices in cows (treifos), or bug infestation patterns in North American spinach fields. Therefore, once I get semicha, I would defer to the authority and knowledge of a posek who is an expert in the requisite areas should someone ask me a sheila. In the case of the shavers, I can parrot what gedolim and men much greater than I have said on the issue, but would urge anyone who has a shaver that might not be “on the list” to visit a posek who knows enough about the shavers to issue a psak. Individual circumstances also matter- someone with the proper skill may allow a shaver for hefsed merubeh, etc.

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