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Flowbee vs Robocut
Nozzle shape
Flowbee has a wider (rectangular) nozzle which makes it more comb-like and easier to control when you're cutting your own hair.
Noise
(I use ear plugs in both cases)
- Flowbee
Though its no problem for me, I've read that others find the low pitch noise to be a problem, with for example animals.
- Robocut
Well, one wont get rid of the vacuum cleaner and the air flow noise anyhow. I'd say the noise of the machine is in the same magnitude.
Blades (vibrating vs rotating)
- Flowbee (vibrating)
The cutting blades wear out fast, and they are rather costly: $25 for replacement blades + shipping $15 (to Sweden). However the blades can be sharpened (at least to some degree) (see
Flowbee Sharpening the Blades)
- Robocut (rotating)
The blades definitely keep their edge longer than flowbee. Although they don't seem to be replaceable.
After 10 years of usage, every once in a while you get a hair pulled out, a bit scary (although I haven't been scalped yet 😃). Perhaps this is the sign of them beginning to be a bit dull.
Perhaps it should have a Dead_man's switch to increase safety.
Other remarks...
Square screws 😠!!!!
Fragile plastic on robocut
After 10 years of usage it literally begins to fall apart.
Note that it is not because I've dropped it or anything, its just fragile plastic.
The bits that break loose are usually sucked into the vacuum cleaner, which can make them hard to find if you want to glue them back on. Luckily I have been using a bagless vacuum cleaner, so it has been easy to get the parts out.
The hose cracks (image 3) are easy to fix, just take it apart and cut of the cracked part. Of course the hose gets shorter and shorter. Nowadays I use another hose as extension.
Summary
So which is the best one, it's very even and I've changed my mind several times.
Originally I liked the Robocut best.
It is cheaper to buy, less noisy, but will fall apart like cracker bread after 10 years.
Now that I've learned how to sharpen the blades (see link above) I like Flowbee best.
The wider nozzle is a bit easier to handle, although it is noisier.