Skull Shaver Platinum Pro Review – Is It Worth The Extra Cash?
Skull Shaver Pitbull Platinum Pro
The Skull Shaver Pitbull Platinum Pro is is at the top end of the price-range of shavers made by Skull Shaver. These ergonomically-friendly head shavers stirred up a craze a few years ago.
Pros
Great ergonomics
Comfortable irritation-free shave
Useful charging indicators
Easy to clean
Quiet
A close head shave
Very convenient shaver for a quick head shave
Cons
A bit pricey
Quite expensive replacement blades to be replaced every 3 months
The Skull Shaver Pitbull Platinum Pro is the most expensive head shaver made and sold by the company Skull Shaver.
I have tested and reviewed the Skull Shaver Palm, Pitbull Silver Pro, and Pitbull Gold Pro, and the only direction to go in was to see what the Platinum Pro could offer with that higher price tag over the other models it displays at checkouts.
The Pitbull Platinum is a designated head shaver with the primary purpose of shaving men’s heads quickly and comfortably. Its ergonomics is one of its biggest selling points.
Brand/Company: The company Skull Shaver first sold its shavers on amazon in 2012, and the business took off from there, with its shavers becoming known worldwide now. The patented design is one of their unique features that had balding men like myself sold on trying one out while on a mission to find the best electric head shaver.
Let’s take a closer look at what the Pitbull Platinum PRO should do for my balding bonce, its features, how it performed after a month’s use, and who it would be best suited for.
Skull Shaver Platinum Description & Features
Unboxed, a buyer gets the shaver with blades attached, a power lead and plug, small cleaning brush, protective blade cap, blue Pitbull travel case, velvet storage pouch, rinse stand, and an instruction manual.
- Handle/Body – The patented design of the Skull Shaver enables it to be held not only at the sides of the body of the shaver, but the user can also place their fingers between the head and the body. The ergonomically friendly design is made to make head shaving easier.
- Detachable Blades – The detachable rotary Japanese stainless steel blades on the Platinum are known as Forte. Skull Shaver Forte blades are the most popular and suitable for most users, whereas Baron blades are more suited for those with sensitive skin, Carver for more coarse hair, and men with less sensitive skin.
- Multi-Directional – Each blade has its own multi-directional movement that helps the head razor move along the scalp’s various contours more easily. The outer section of each blade also moves back and forth.
- Cordless and corded operation – The Platinum Pro can be used either with the power lead attached or charged cordless. A fully charged battery aims to provide 90 minutes of runtime. 2.5 hours of charging gives the battery a full charge.
- LED indicators – The battery life LED indicator is shown in percentage and has Pitbull lit up in italics. A padlock shows on the LED section to show the shaver is locked after holding the power button for about 10 seconds or less to activate the travel lock. The shaver also has an indicator to indicate the need to clean.
- Wet and dry – The Pitbull Platinum is waterproof and can be used to shave wet or dry. Shaving foams or creams can be used for lubrication, and Skull Shaver has recommended using shaving cream to enhance comfort. The shaver can be used in the shower; however, Skull Shaver states that it must be submerged
- Accessories – The Platinum Pro comes with more accessories than any other Skull Shaver, which includes the blue travel case and rinse stand that do not come with models. The shaver also comes with a power lead and plug, small pouch, and small cleaning brush.
- Warranty – A buyer gets a month (30 days), no questions, no risk money-back guarantee, and Skull Shaver pays for the return shipping only for those in the UK or US. Buyers also get an extended two-year warranty with the Platinum model ONLY (applies to USA*), covering products purchased by the company’s official distributors. Buyers pay the shipping for returns, which many previous customers have complained about.
***Warranty – The warranty of 12 months for all shavers apart from the Platinum (2 Years) only applies in the USA. Outside the USA customers get 2 years warranty on all shavers, so the extra 12 months is nothing extra offered outside the US.
The Forte Blades
A razor is only as good as its blades. And, these blades usually have various aggression levels that suit different hair growth and skin types.
The Forte rotary blades are said to be aimed at those with normal skin and hair, which covers most people. Now, if a user has very coarse hair, like a black guy may have tight curls – for example, they might improve the shave when using the blades Skull Shaver named Carver (that is theory and not a fact of my experience with Skull Shavers, though).
On the other hand, Forte blades (come with the Platinum) and Carver (come with the Silver) may not be the best compared to the Baron blades made by Skull Shaver for those with more sensitive skin. This should only make any difference when shaving the face as this is where most of us have skin irritations and sensitives.
My advice would be – if the Skull Shaver Platinum ticks all the boxes for you, then go for it. And, then you can always purchase other Skull Shaver blades in the future to try out as they are all sold separately.
Skull Shaver Platinum Accessories
Accessories! This is one of the main differences between the Gold and Platinum, the additional accessories.
The Platinum comes with the Rinse Stand. This is very useful for cleaning and rinsing the shaver, and it’s pretty cool when used as a shaver stand. It is solid, and the bottom is heavy, which prevents the shaver from toppling over.
The stand is worth having but not essential. I like it!
The Platinum also comes with a blue lightweight travel case. This is useful not only for travel but for storing the shaver and accessories as well.
A useful velvet pouch is also provided to protect the shaver.
How well does the Skull Shaver Pitbull Platinum Pro perform and Shave?
I had a good idea of how the Skull Shaver Platinum would perform as I have used all the other models.
Recently, I’ve used some top-of-the-range electric shavers like the Braun Series 9 Pro (foil shaver) and Philips S9000 Prestige (rotary shaver). So it was going to be interesting to see what I felt about face shaving after using the best electric facial shavers available on the market (of course, I had to lower my expectations on the facial shaving aspect).
Dry Shaving from 1 – 3 Days
The maximum growth I use these types of shavers for is about three days, and the Skull Shaver Platinum shaves the head with ease with up to 3 days of growth. If I had more than three days, I would get the hair clippers on it first.
I still love the ergonomics of the Skull Shaver, and I am glad they got a patent on the design. How many copies would be on Amazon now if they did not grab a patent (smart move Skull Shaver)?
If I use the shaver daily or every other day, I can whiz around my head with the shaver in a few minutes and be off getting along with my day. Very convenient!
Now, about facial shaving. I am able to shave my face with the Platinum Pro, but I don’t get anywhere as near a good shave as I do with some other electric shavers, especially the top-end shaver models. On the first couple of occasions of using the Pitbull Platinum I had some patches left over on my face, and when I spent some time going over the patches, it did cause a little irritation.
Note: When using a new electric razor, safety razor or any other shaving tool do give yourself a few shaves to get used to the new shaver. It may take a few rounds before the skin stops reacting to the new type of razor.
Wet Shaving
The company Skull Shaver encourages wet shaving and using shaving creams to improve the comfort of shaving.
I do get a more comfortable head shave when using a shaving lubricant, and I can have a great shave when using cream in the bath or shower. However, dry head-shaving is fine and comfortable already, and if time-saving is important and lack of shaving lather mess, then there is no need to wet shave.
When wet shaving, a user does need to keep plenty of foam, soap, or cream on the face; otherwise, the shaver blades will kind of judder along the skin.
Overall Shaving Experience
The Skull Shaver Pitbull Platinum is a designated head shaver that gives a good head shave that’s close enough and user-friendly. Not as close as using a razor like a Gillette Mach 3, which is to be expected.
I do get a little stubble left around the edges of my balding head after shaving. I accept that though, and don’t expect to get the same results I can get from a razor blade.
Not my ideal shaver for facial shaving, but if I was on my travels, I could use it as a head and facial shaver. All about convenience when traveling isn’t it!
Build quality and ergonomics – 8/10
The ergonomics of the patented Skull Shaver is one of the big highlights. I use the shaver with my hand cupped and holding it at the sides; both methods work great.
Although the blade head section does have a slightly cheap plastic look and feel to it, everything about the handle/body feels solid. The blades also function well enough and don’t break despite the cheapish plastic look and feel.
Holding & Grip – 8/10
The ergonomics are ideal for assisting with head shaving, making it a very easy shaver to hold and use.
There is no rubberized grip used which could enhance how well the shaver is held and the grip. The sides could be rubberized, and the top of the blade head, which the hands cup when shaving. However, my clever ideas could reduce the attractiveness of the shaver while adding minimal extra function.
Ease of Use – 10/10
Everything from using, handling, and changing the blades is all done easily enough. It’s hard to find fault!
When I used and reviewed the Pitbull Silver Pro I found the blade cover was slightly loose. The Platinum Pro is fine though, and it could have just been a one-off issue with the Silver Pro model I have.
Cleaning and Maintenance – 8/10
The Platinum Pro can be cleaned with a brush dry, under the tap with running water, or with the Platinum Rinse Stand.
I put a couple of drops of antibacterial hand soap inside the blade head to help clean the blades. It cleans the blades up nicely, reduces bacteria, and makes them smell fresh.
The blades are easy to remove and replace, and they come apart easily enough as well for cleaning.
Blades need to be replaced every 3 – 6 months. However, a user may need to replace them more often if they use the shaver more often and vice versa if it’s not used so frequently.
Charging and Battery Life – 8/10
The shaver was fully charged when unboxed and showed 100% charge on the indicator.
Skull Shaver states a full charge lasts up to around 90 minutes of runtime. I have not measured the exact time and usually get about 3 – 4 weeks out of a charge when using the shaver frequently, but not daily.
It takes a couple of hours to charge the battery with the cord and plug provided fully.
Being able to use the shaver plugged in is useful when the battery is unexpectedly flat. We don’t want half a head shave situation when we gotta get out on the town now do we!
Unfortunately, because of the number of shavers, safety razors, and other products I use and review, I am not able to measure the longevity of certain aspects of a shaver, including battery life. Longevity is always an issue with rechargeable batteries, and they will not hold the charge so well after some time and use.
Value for money – 7/10
The Skull Shaver Pitbull Platinum Pro does come at a price and is the most expensive within the range of Skull Shavers available.
The Platinum Pro costs around $219.99 USD (£199 – €199.99).
I was much happier with the cost of the Pitbull Gold PRO, which is around $110.99, £114.99, and in the EU €119.99. However, the Gold is black rather than Platinum and does not have the travel case and stand included.
Keep in mind that replacement blades cost around $34.99 USD (£29.99 – €29.99).
Any Common Consumer Issues, Complaints, or Positive Reports?
There are a lot of positive and negative reports, and reviews. It can seem quite conflictive when trying to find out if the Pitbull Platinum Pro is a good buy or not.
There were a lot of complaints previously about the battery dying very quickly, like after three months or so of use. However, these complaints seemed to have died down, and some reviewers have made reports months later that the shaver and its battery are still going strong.
I have noticed a pattern of users mentioning the shaver being great for head shaving, but they had issues with neck irritation. This makes sense and coincides with my experience.
Fast, comfortable, and smooth are very common users’ comments, which is encouraging.
Final Thoughts – Who is the Skull Shaver Platinum PRO best suited for?
The designated head shavers made by Skull Shaver are one of the best on the market. Yes, they’re more expensive than a lot of the other cheap options, but they are better at this moment in time.
The Platinum is best suited for those that want a Skull Shaver (i.e., this brand) that comes with the hard travel case, and rinse stand, although any of these can be bought separately with any of the other cheaper Skull Shaver models. Of course, you also get that extra 1-year warranty on the Platinum (2 years in total).
Previous buyers of this brand of Skull Shavers might want the upgrade from their previous model. What I have mentioned in the review might tick those boxes for them.
For any gents new to buying a designated head shaver or Skull Shaver, I mostly recommend the Pitbull Gold based on saving cash and not losing any quality or performance. For other guys strapped for cash or not wanting to risk spending over $100, I suggest the Skull Shaver Palm to see if these are the right head shavers for them without breaking their budget.
If you need a great facial shaver as well as a good quality head shaver, then I am likely to point you in the direction of a decent rotary shaver. Norelco Philips makes some of the best, like the Prestige S9000 or even the 7000 Series ($150 +).
