Model 375 vs 688 vs 362: How to Choose an Electric Shaver

Short answer: the first thing to settle is that these are not three versions of the same product. Model 688 is a head shaver built around seven rotary heads on a 65 mm head. Models 375 and 362 are face shavers with three floating rotary heads. Comparing all three on head count alone is a category error, and it is the commonest way a buyer ends up with the wrong model in the catalogue. Once you separate the head shaver from the two face shavers, the rest of the comparison is straightforward.

Everything below is transcribed from the published specifications of the three models. Where a model does not publish a figure, the gap is shown rather than filled in.

The three models, briefly

Model 688 — 7-Head Rotary Electric Head Shaver. Seven rotary shaving heads on a 65 mm shaving head with a 100 mm handle, an 8,000 RPM motor, a 2000 mAh lithium battery giving up to 210 minutes of cordless runtime, IPX7 water resistance, an LED battery display and a travel lock. Silver electroplated finish, 365.5 g per set. It is designed for head grooming, not for face shaving.

Model 375 — 3-Head Rotary Electric Shaver. Three floating rotary heads, a 2000 mAh battery giving up to 200 minutes, a fully washable body, a digital battery display that reads 100 when full, a travel lock, and both corded and cordless operation. Charging over Type-C, 8 W input, 473.3 g per set.

Model 362 — Triple-Head Rotary Shaver. Three floating rotary heads, a 7,500 RPM motor, an 800 mAh battery giving up to 90 minutes, a fully washable body, a digital battery display, a travel lock and a magnetic protective head cover. USB Type-C charging, 6 W input, and it is positioned for retail, gifting and private label programmes.

Parameter comparison

The differences that change a buying decision

Head count is not a quality ranking — it is a different job. Seven heads on a 65 mm head is a head-shaver geometry, built to cover a scalp quickly. Three floating rotary heads is a face-shaving geometry, built to follow a jaw and a neck. A listing that says "seven heads, therefore better" is comparing a tool with a different purpose. If your market wants face shaving, the 688 is the wrong product regardless of how its specification reads.

Battery capacity, not head count, predicts runtime. The 375 and the 362 both carry three rotary heads, and they differ by more than double on runtime: 200 minutes against 90. The reason is a 2000 mAh cell against an 800 mAh cell. The 688 matches the 375's runtime on the same 2000 mAh capacity despite carrying seven heads, which is the clearest evidence that head count is not what determines how long the product runs.

Corded operation is a real differentiator that gets buried. Only the 375 is specified for both corded and cordless use. In markets where a flat battery during use is a genuine complaint, or where the product is used professionally, that single row can decide a tender. It is not a premium feature; it is a use-case fit.

Water resistance is not two equal words. Only the 688 publishes an IPX7 rating. The 375 and 362 are described as fully washable, which is a construction statement rather than an ingress rating. Those are not interchangeable claims in a marketplace listing, and the difference is exactly the kind of thing a competent competitor will point at.

The 362 is the travel and gift model. It is the lightest to ship in presentation terms, includes a travel case, and has the smallest battery and the shortest runtime. That is a deliberate configuration for gifting and for value-focused retail tiers, not a shortfall.

Which customer and which market each one fits

• Model 688 fits head-grooming channels and bald or close-cropped male grooming ranges, markets where a large shaving head is marketed on coverage speed, and catalogues that already carry a face shaver and need a second, clearly different product.
• Model 375 fits mainstream face-shaving retail, markets that value long runtime and a digital display, professional or semi-professional use where corded operation matters, and channels where the carton weight per unit is not the dominant cost.
• Model 362 fits entry price points, gifting and seasonal programmes, travel and private-label ranges, and markets where a travel case in the box is a selling point at a lower unit cost.
• A three-model catalogue fits a distributor serving several retail tiers, provided the listing copy separates the head shaver from the two face shavers rather than ranking all three on one axis.

Procurement risks to price in before you commit

1. Do not convert "fully washable" into an IP rating in your own listing. Two of the three models publish no ingress rating. If your marketplace listing claims IPX7 for a model that only says "fully washable", you have made a claim your supplier did not, and you own the consequence. Ask for the rating, or write the copy without it.

2. The 375 publishes no motor speed. Two of the three models publish an RPM figure and one does not. A comparison table that shows 8,000 and 7,500 against a blank invites either an invented number or an uncomfortable question. Get the figure in writing, or leave the row out of your listing entirely rather than implying it.

3. The 688's charging interface is not published. It lists a charging cable as an accessory but does not state the port type. The other two specify USB Type-C. Confirm the port before you print a specification panel or order packaging, because a packaging reprint is a real cost.

4. Runtime figures are "up to", not measured. 210, 200 and 90 minutes are manufacturer maxima at the lowest load. Quoting them as typical runtime is a returns risk in markets with strict advertising rules. If your channel requires a typical figure, ask for the test condition and quote the condition alongside the number.

5. The 362's head is removed by rotation, not by pulling. The published note is explicit: rotate the head assembly counter-clockwise and do not pull it straight up. If that instruction does not reach the end customer clearly, the failure mode arrives as a warranty claim rather than as a support question. Include it in the manual and in the listing FAQ.

6. Two models share a carton quantity but not a carton weight. The 375 and 688 both ship 40 per carton, at 19 kg and 16.25 kg gross respectively. If you plan freight on units per carton alone, the 375 will cost more per kilogram than you modelled.

Recommended buying scenarios

• Building a face-shaving range for mainstream retail: the 375, on runtime and corded backup, with the digital display as the shelf comparison point.
• Adding a second product to an existing face-shaver catalogue: the 688, positioned explicitly as a head shaver, which avoids competing with your own face shaver.
• Entry price points, gifting and travel: the 362, with the travel case and the magnetic head cover doing the presentation work.
• A distributor tender requiring corded operation: the 375, because it is the only one of the three specified for both corded and cordless use.
• Testing a new market with one model: start from the shaving geometry the market actually uses. A head shaver and a face shaver sell into different search terms and different shelves, so the specification comparison is the second question, not the first.

Where to start

Tell us the market, the shaving geometry the market uses and the retail tier, and we will tell you which of the three fits, which rows need to be settled in writing before the order, and which published figures should not be carried into your listing.

For how the specifications are verified on our own programmes, see quality and verification. For the programme structure itself, see OEM and ODM programmes. Related comparison: Q9 vs R8 high-speed hair dryers.

The full published specification tables are on Model 375, Model 688 and Model 362.

If you want the three models checked against your own market and shelf before you commit packaging, Request a Supplier Sample Risk Check — send the target market and the retail tier, and we will return the rows that need settling and the claims your listing should not make.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 688 better than the 375 because it has more heads?

It is a different tool rather than a better one. The 688 is a head shaver with seven rotary heads on a 65 mm head; the 375 is a face shaver with three floating rotary heads. They sell to different search terms and sit on different shelves. Choose on the shaving geometry your market uses, then compare specifications within that geometry.

Why does the 362 run for only 90 minutes when it has the same number of heads as the 375?

Because runtime follows the battery, not the head count. The 362 carries an 800 mAh cell and the 375 a 2000 mAh cell. That is a 2.5 times difference in capacity, and it produces the runtime difference you see. The 688 confirms the same point from the other direction, matching the 375's runtime on the same capacity while carrying more than twice the heads.

Can I advertise the 375 and 362 as IPX7?

Not from the published specification. Only the 688 publishes an IPX7 rating; the other two are described as fully washable, which is a statement about construction rather than an ingress test result. Ask the supplier for the rating in writing before making the claim, or write the listing without it. The claim, and the consequence of making it, would be yours.

Which model is easiest to ship?

On the published carton data, the 688 is the lightest at 16.25 kg gross per 40 units. The 375 ships the same 40 units at 19 kg gross, so it costs more per kilogram. The 362 ships 24 units per carton with the largest colour box of the three, which suits presentation-led channels more than freight-led ones.

Does one model suit both face and head shaving?

No, and this is worth being firm about. The 688 is designed for head grooming, and the 375 and 362 are face shavers with a different head geometry. A catalogue that presents all three as interchangeable lets a customer buy the wrong one, which shows up as a return rather than as a support question. Separate them in the listing and in the shelf.