Z&M Enterprises

The Wall Street Journal WE JUST flew in from the coast, and boy is our pellicle tired. Don't know what a pellicle is? Neither did we before we began inspecting travel shavers, those battery-powered razors meant to power through a 5 o'clock shadow but still fit into a carry-on bag. Electric razors are proving increasingly popular: About half of all households own one, up from about 40% in 2000, according to the International Housewares Association. Travel models in particular have been a big part of the $200 million-a-year shaver business, with manufacturers from Braun to Panasonic saying sales of these take-along models are up as much as 10% over last year.

Why the buzz about travel shavers? Credit new security and baggage rules, with airlines recently limiting carry-on bags to one per passenger. And remember: Those old-fashioned razor blades are still considered carry-on contraband. "We've still spoken to people who've had their nail files taken," says Lynn Staneff of travel catalog Magellan's, which recently began selling travel shavers for the first time in years.

But we wondered whether these little shavers -- with smaller motors and heads than home models -- could cut it. So with the business travel season at its height, we tested five, from a bare-bones $20 model to a fancy wet/dry version that cost about $120. We wanted something lightweight, small enough to slip into a carry-on but powerful enough to give us a fast, clean shave.

Which brings us back to the pellicle: It's a thin layer of skin that's usually scraped away during wet shaving. Men who use old-fashioned razors might find electric shavers initially won't work well on their soft skin and may leave straggling hairs. But as we tested these, our pellicle toughened up quickly and we soon got a shave as close as any.

First up: Remington's MicroScreen Intercept Sport from Discount-Shavers.com. We liked this wet-dry shaver's sporty design, and the rubber grips that could keep you from ropping it in the shower. But this $75 model had a major flaw: It took several hours to charge, and with a dead battery, it couldn't be used even when plugged into an outlet. And while its "triplecut" head supposedly cuts both long and short hairs, we had to do a fair amount of re-mowing to grab strays.

Panasonic's Sonic 3 ($120 from The Sharper Image) has a one-hour quick-charge option to give a dead battery just enough power for a once-over. Plus, it gave us one of our letter shaves. Its "floating triple heads" nicely navigated our neck, a problem area for electric shavers. The down side: Though the site bills this as a travel shaver and it comes with a travel pouch and voltage converter for overseas outlets, it's too big. In fact, we couldn't get the recharger into the travel pouch. But it would still be fine for home use, and could do double duty for short trips.

More affordable was the Franzus cordless razor, $23.95 from TravelGizmos.com. Its gimmick: To recharge, slide out the two prongs and just plug it into the wall. (Prongs retract during use.) Too bad this model was so small that we could barely hold it while shaving -- and the motor bogged down whenever it hit a stubbly area. That made shaving a long, patchy process.

We were surprised by Eltron's mini travel shaver, the smallest shaver we tried -- it's about half the size of a pack of cigarettes and runs on one AA battery. But its 1-inch head managed to give us the fastest shave of all, leaving nary a hair unshorn. And at $19.95, it edged out its pricier competition.

But Braun's Pocket Twist travel shaver made the cleanest sweep: At $19.85 it was the cheapest razor we found, and its design was ingenious. Instead of a removable cap, this razor folds out of its plastic casing, a bit like a switchblade. It's compact, but big enough to get a grip on while shaving. A cleaning brush snaps firmly into place on the razor's

bottom. And though it didn't catch every hair the first time around, this razor always gave us a dependable shave. Most tellingly, it actually bailed us out on a recent trip: We used it while we were waiting for that Remington to recharge.

Does this mean you can toss out your old-fashioned razor? Maybe not. But you can use this one well enough in a pinch -- you can bet your pellicle on it.

Store/Price/Phone -- The Sharper Image; Panasonic Sonic 3 cordless, $119.95; www.sharperimage.com; 800-344-4444 Quality -- Sleek shaver has a display to show battery life and gave us one of our closest shaves. But the charger is bulky, and it takes about an hour to store up enough juice for a shave. Shipping Cost/Time -- Three to five days, $15.95. But site says some orders may take up to ten days. Ours came in eight. Return Policy -- Within 60 days for refund or exchange. Company refunds shipping if item is defective. Phone/Web Experience -- Informative to say the least: Click on "More detail" and you'll learn nearly all there is to know about this shaver. Comments -- Nice, quiet motor won't draw stares in the men's room. But a shaver/charger combo this size seemed more at home at home.

Store/Price/Phone -- ShaverExpress.com; Eltron mini travel shaver, $19.95; www.shaverexpress.com; 443-539-1401 Quality -- This was the smallest and lightest model we tried, with one of the fastest shaves. Runs on just one AA battery. Shipping Cost/Time -- Two-day shipping is $18.95. Return Policy -- Refund or exchange within 30 days. Site pays shipping if item's defective. Phone/Web experience -- Bare-bones site sells shavers, nose-hair trimmers. It doesn't offer tons of info, but gets the job done. Comments -- The motor's loud, high-pitch buzz drove us nuts. Plus, there's no built-in cleaning brush, a drawback when it's time to toss a stubble-filled razor into your suitcase.

Store/Price/Phone -- Magellan's Braun Pocket Twist, $19.85; www.magellans.com; 800-962-4943 Quality -- Best Value/Best Overall. This fast and thorough razor folds out of its plastic casing, switch-blade style. Runs on two AA batteries. Shipping Cost/Time -- $10.95 for delivery in two to three days. Ours arrived on time. Return Policy -- Any time for exchange or refund. Site pays shipping if item is defective. Phone/Web Experience -- We had to scroll through eight pages of items before we found the shaver we were looking for. Comments -- It has a pop-up beard trimmer and a small cleaning brush that fits into the casing. Clever design means it won't turn on accidentally in your suitcase.

Store/Price/Phone -- TravelGizmos.com; Franzus cordless rechargeable travel shaver, $23.95; www.travelgizmos.com; 877-736-7453 Quality -- Plugs directly into the wall with no cord. But this too-small shaver had a tough time with our beard, bogging down when it encountered rough patches. Shipping Cost/Time -- $6.50 is the only option: Ours took four days. For rush shipping, call the company directly. Return Policy -- Within 30 days if unopened; shipping paid if item is defective. Phone/Web Experience -Disorganized: To find the travel shaver, click "gizmos," then "body & hair care." Comments -- This gave us the willies: Shaver's package wasn't sealed and the instructions looked a bit worn. Vendor says the shaver wasn't previously used; that's just how the manufacturer packages the item.

Store/Price/Phone -- DiscountShavers.com; Remington MicroScreen Intercept Sport, $75; www.discountshavers.com; 416-712-7640 Quality -- Sturdy and rechargeable, but when the battery goes dead, you're in trouble: You have to wait a long time before it can hold enough power for a shave. Shipping Cost/Time -- $12.25 for four- to five-day shipping. Ours came on time. Return Policy -- Return unopened within 20 days. You pay shipping unless item is defective. Phone/Web Experience -- Confusing: Type "travel shaver" in the search engine and it offers everything from alarm clocks to women's depilators. Comments -- We liked the sporty black-and-yellow design, rubber grips and pop-up beard-trimmer.