The New Panasonic Arc 3 (Lamdash 3) 2022: All You Need To Know

Panasonic has been on a roll in 2022 with new shaver releases for both the Japanese and global markets.

And after updating the flagship Arc 5 and Arc 6 lines, it was time for the entry-level Arc 3 to get some love as well.

The Arc 3 series has been around for many years, with the very first models released all the way back in 2008.

From then on there have been a few minor visual updates, with the core elements (blades, motor) remaining the same.

The first major update came in 2015 when Panasonic presented the new LT Arc 3 at the International CES.

That generation featured a brand new design and a new outer foil (the blades stayed the same).

Fast forward to 2022 and we have a new Arc 3 generation which is also a complete departure from the previous designs.

Another important change regards the actual name of the shavers.

Panasonic has been gradually dismissing the Arc name from their shaver models, especially on the Japanese domestic market, in favor of Lamdash.

As such, instead of referring to the 3-blade shavers with arched foils as Arc 3, they’re now called the Lamdash 3, at least the ones in this Japan release.

I will still be referencing the old Arc 3 name in this article as it has a lot of equity and many users aren’t familiar with the Lamdash term that is mostly known in Japan.

With that out of the way, let’s check out the new Panasonic Arc 3/Lamdash 3 2022 edition.

Panasonic Arc 3/Lamdash 3 2022 features

1. Design and ergonomics

This is by far the most significant change brought by the new Arc 3 generation and one that sets these 2022 models apart from any of the previous iterations.

When I first saw the images on Panasonic Japan, I was really surprised by the new design approach.

Panasonic shavers usually have a very striking, intricate design. I wouldn’t call it flashy since the color scheme are rather conservative (no high gloss chrome or gold), but there’s definitely a lot going on and I wouldn’t call the design clean.

You can see what I mean in the picture below:

However, that’s not the case here anymore.

With the 2022 Arc 3/Lamdash 3, they went for a minimal design.

In fact, it immediately reminded me of the Xiaomi 5-blade shaver I reviewed a while back:

I must say that strictly visual, the new Arc 3 is impressive. It just says modern, premium, and high-tech.

The colors complement the new aesthetics perfectly. I especially like the less-common ones found on electric shavers, like the red or brown models.

These new colors are just a breath of fresh air in a market oversaturated with aqua and navy blue.

In order to achieve this minimal look, they went with a very simple shape of the shaver’s handle.

Panasonic shavers generally have these deeply sculpted handles with generous rubber inserts with the sole purpose of ensuring good ergonomics and a secure grip.

Looks always seemed to have a back seat over functionality.

That all changed with this 2022 Panasonic Arc 3/Lamdash 3.

While I haven’t got any hands-on experience with them, I know from previous experience that this type of design, with a cylinder-shaped handle, also comes with a compromise in the ergonomics department.

I’m sure it won’t be anything catastrophic, but likely a step down from the previous designs.

Also in an effort to maintain the seamless aesthetics, they ditched the LED screen in favor of a rudimentary battery indicator consisting of a single light that turns red when the battery is out of charge.

That’s it.

I’m personally not a fan of this form-over-function approach, but the new Arc 3 is a prime example of that: no ergonomic handle, no battery level indicator, minimal rubber grips, no grippy thumb rest on the front.

But it looks really sleek and the performance will probably be good as well.

2. 3-blade shaving system

What hasn’t changed — and I mean at all — is the 3-blade shaving system.

Precisely, we have the exact same inner blades and outer foil that come on the first generation Arc 3 (2008):

• WES9068 (ES9068) blades
• WES9087 (ES9087) foil
• WES9013 (ES9013) (foil + blades set)

As usual, these can be bought separately or as a set. The set is more conveniently priced most of the time.

So in terms of actual cutting elements, the new 2022 Panasonic Arc 3/Lamdash 3 doesn’t come with any upgrades.

The existing ones that were carried over from the old generation are actually very good provided the hair is reasonably short.

Panasonic electric razors aren’t great with long, flat-lying hairs and should be used more often in order to get the best out of them.

The three cutters move independently just like before, but in practice it won’t be of much help.

The range of motion is very limited and it takes a lot of force to move the blades, a lot more than you’ll ever use when shaving.

This is a recurring issue with all Panasonic razors regardless of price point, including the high-end Arc 6.

Braun for example does this right with all their shavers — the cutters stick out more, have a generous range of motion and are a lot more flexible.

The whole shaving head of the new Arc 3 can move in 3 different planes: back and forth, left and right, up and down.

It’s the same system as on the previous Arc 3 which I personally didn’t like.

It sounds great on paper, but in practice, it’s not nearly as effective or useful.

In conclusion, we can safely say that the shaving system of the 2022 Arc/Lamdash 3 is exactly the same as before.

3. High-speed linear-drive motor

While I was hoping for an upgrade to the cutting system, the motor fitted to the 2022 Panasonic Lamdash 3/Arc 3 is certainly up to the task.

Panasonic is in my opinion far ahead of the competition in this regard.

Their so-called linear-drive motors are really fast, powerful and reliable and have been constantly refined throughout the years.

The current generation (also fitted to the 2015 Arc 3) is really compact which allows the engineers to fit it inside the actual shaving head.

This means a more direct and efficient power delivery, with no additional linkage to the cutters.

Panasonic’s 3-blade shavers are fitted with motors of various power and hence the performance can vary tremendously.

But the ones in the Arc 3 family (now Lamdash 3) always got the most powerful, 13 000 CPM (cycles per minute) units.

As a side note, Panasonic also has a few 3-blade models fitted with less powerful rotary motors. You can tell them apart by looking at the model names.

• ES-LT6P (Linear drive motor, the most powerful)
• ES-RT37 (Rotary motor, less powerful)

So in terms of raw power, the new 2022 Lamdash 3/Arc 3 will definitely be among the best entry-level foil shavers.

4. AI shaving sensor

Just as before, the power of the motor is controlled by a so-called AI beard density sensor that supposedly analyzes how coarse the hair is and adjusts the power accordingly.

Panasonic says it does that 216 times per second.

I’ve always been skeptical about the usefulness of this technology and I never felt it worked as expected.

It’s more of a feature that looks good in the specs and that’s pretty much it.

The sensor on the new 2022 Arc 3 is always on, you cannot disable it like you can on some older Arc 5 shavers (ES-LV65, ES-LV95).

5. Wet/dry and dry-only use

The vast majority of Panasonic’s globally available shavers are wet/dry models that will only work cordless.

On the Japanese domestic market however there are usually variations sold as washable/dry-only that will also work while charging.

This situation carries with the 2022 Arc 3 series where we have both wet/dry and dry-only shavers.

So if being able to use a shaver directly from the mains is important, you have the option of buying such a shaver.

In the next section I will provide a comparison table with all the available models so you can see the ones that will work while plugged in.

All the new Panasonic Arc 3/Lamdash 3 models are however waterproof and can be safely cleaned with water.

Only the wet/dry models are officially suitable for wet/dry use, ie shaving with cream/gel or in the shower as a safety precaution.

The rechargeable Li-ion battery will allow the user to get approximately 45 minutes of cordless use on a single charge.

The battery charges from 0 to 100% in about one hour and there’s also a 3-minute quick charge feature.

The included charger is of course fitted with a universal voltage adapter and can take between 100 and 240 volts.

You might need a simple plug adapter to charge it abroad though.

6. Automatic cleaning station

There are two variations of the 2022 Lamdash 3 that come with an automatic cleaning and charging station.

The system uses detergent concentrate that must be mixed with water in the station’s tray.

The station automatically cleans, lubricates, charges and dries the shaver.

In my opinion it’s a nice accessory, but not a must-have.

The Panasonic Arc 3 models that don’t include the station cost less and are also easy to clean manually.

In that regard, these new shavers come with what Panasonic calls foam through head (automatic translation from Japanese).

Precisely, there’s a slot in the shaving head that allows water to pass through and rinse the shaving head, probably without the need to remove the foil frame.

I personally would still do it and give everything a thorough rinse; I’ve seen this on the new Braun Series 5 as well and it’s more of a gimmick.

Panasonic Lamdash 3 2022 model comparison

At the time of writing, there are 8 variations of the new 2022 Arc 3/Lamdash 3.

The comparison table below sums up the main differences between them.

Model	Use	Cleaning station	Accessories
1. Panasonic ES-LT8B (-A blue), 185g	Wet/dry, cordless only	Yes	Pouch, 1x detergent pack, charger, oil, brush, protective cap
2. Panasonic ES-LT8P (-S silver), 185g	Dry only, cordless&corded	Yes	Pouch, 2x detergent pack, charger, oil, brush, protective cap
3. Panasonic ES-LT6B (-A blue), 180g	Wet/dry, cordless only	No	Pouch, charger, oil, brush, protective cap
4. Panasonic ES-LT6P (-S silver), 180g	Dry only, cordless&corded	No	Pouch, charger, oil, brush, protective cap
5. Panasonic ES-LT4B (-A blue), 155g	Wet/dry, cordless only	No	Pouch, charger, oil, brush, protective cap
6. Panasonic ES-LT4P (-R red), 155g	Dry only, cordless&corded	No	Pouch, charger, oil, brush, protective cap
7. Panasonic ES-LT2B (-K black, -W white), 145g	Wet/dry, cordless only	No	Charger, oil, brush, protective cap
8. Panasonic ES-LT2P (-T brown), 145g	Dry only, cordless&corded	No	Charger, oil, brush, protective cap

As mentioned earlier, the actual shaving performance is identical throughout the entire series, so no differences whatsoever in that regard.

However, there are a few notable differences in other areas, the most surprising being the lack of the sonic cleaning mode on the wet/dry models: ES-LT8B, ES-LT6B, ES-LT4B, and ES-LT2B.

If you don’t know, the Sonic cleaning mode is a special setting that’s available on pretty much every Panasonic shaver that makes the blades vibrate at a really high speed, faster than in normal use, that would help you clean the shaving head effectively and without splashing water around.

At least according to Panasonic’s official comparison page, this Sonic cleaning mode is not available on the 2022 wet/dry Lamdash 3 shavers, which seems odd and arbitrary.

I am surprised by this and can’t find the reasoning behind the decision. I assure you that you’ll still be able to clean them effectively even without the special cleaning mode, but it’s still a feature I would rather have.

UPDATE: The sonic cleaning mode is after all present on the wet/dry models as well, only that it’s rebranded as Bubble making mode since it can also help lather shaving cream should you choose to wet shave. So that’s that.

Another interesting observation is related to the weight and size of the 8 models.

At first sight, they all seem identical.

However, there’s a significant weight difference between the models with 8 and 6 in the model name (like ES-LT8B and ES-LT6P) and the ones with 4 and 2 (like ES-LT4B and ES-LT2P).

Precisely, the latter models weigh approximately 30 to 40 grams less.

However, the battery size and motors are the same.

It would have made sense for the models that come with a cleaning station to weigh more as those require additional hardware, but even some of the shavers that don’t have a station are heavier.

Also, the models with 8 and 6 in the name (ES-LT8B, ES-LT8P, ES-LT6B, ES-LT6P) appear to be larger and the foil frame is a bit bulkier, at least from the official images.

All of them use the same replacement foils and blades, so the performance will be the same. But I do suspect the more compact models (ES-LT4B, ES-LT4P, ES-LT2B, ES-LT2P) will be easier to use thanks to the slimmer shaving head.

In addition to that, there are some other strange differences regarding the accessories.

For example, there are two models that come with a cleaning station: ES-LT8B (wet/dry, cordless only) and ES-LT8P (dry only, cordless&corded use).

However, they only included a single pack of detergent with the former and two with the latter. Why? I honestly don’t know.

Also, the ES-LT2B and ES-LT2P don’t get the textile travel pouch.

Granted, it’s nothing special, but at least you can store the shaver in it until you buy a proper case.

And speaking of which, Panasonic sells one specifically made for the new Arc 3 series.

The part number is ES-2L14, it’s a really nice hard leather case, but rather pricey and will only accommodate the shaver.

In my opinion you’d be better off with an aftermarket hard case that’s a lot cheaper and there’s also room for the charger and oil (you can find several on Amazon.com).

All the 2022 Arc 3 models come with a small bottle of lubricating oil and it’s definitely welcome. Most other brands don’t bother with that anymore.

While Panasonic didn’t mention this explicitly, the models sold without a cleaning station will probably not work with one.

They lack the contact pins on the back needed to communicate with the station.

Luckily, all models feature a travel lock (activated by pressing and holding the power button).

All the models come with a protective plastic cap, again something that’s not explicitly mentioned in the accessories section on the official product page (thanks to John for the heads-up).

Overall, I’d say it’s business as usual with the new Lamdash 3 with nothing significant in terms of both upgrades or missing features (compared to the previous generations).

The most notable is in my opinion the absence of a proper battery indicator, but that’s hardly a deal-breaker.

How does the new generation compare to the older models?

In order to properly answer this question, I will need to actually test it.

However, based on the fact that the most important parts have been carried over from the previous generation — the motor, foil, blades and flexing mechanism — I am pretty certain that the shaving performance will be extremely similar.

So something like the Panasonic Arc 3 ES-LT67 that you can currently get in most countries will probably shave just like the new 2022 models.

I will update this post with a link to my full review once I manage to test one.

Availability and price

The Panasonic Lamdash 3 series was released exclusively in Japan in September 2022.

These models are currently not available outside of Japan.

There’s no official info yet regarding a global release.

Panasonic has been releasing many models exclusively on their domestic market, especially in the Arc 5 range.

But this year things appear to have changed and we’ve seen some models making their way into other markets as well.

For example, the 2021 Arc 5 revision G has been officially released in Europe this year under the Series 900 name.

The 6-blade Arc 6 also saw a global release in 2022 after initially being only available in Japan.

Considering all that, I think it’s possible that we’ll get the new Lamdash 3/Arc 3 maybe somewhere next year.

The price of the new generation seems to be higher compared to the ongoing Arc 3 generation, at least in Japan.

In my opinion the bump in price isn’t really justified considering we’re not getting any significant upgrades; in fact, one could argue that these models are less feature-rich (no battery level indicator, the sonic cleaning mode missing on several models and so on).

Which leads us to the next question.

Is the new Panasonic Arc 3/Lamdash 3 worth it?

At this moment, I’d say probably no.

The current price plus the fact that you’ll have to import one from Japan, so even more money spent on customs and shipping fees, really make it hard to recommend.

The Lamdash 3 is an entry-level foil shaver in Panasonic’s portfolio and you shouldn’t be paying a premium for it.

(Better) alternatives

With the same money, you can easily get a discounted Panasonic Arc 5 (like the ES-LV65 or ES-LV67) which is hands down a better shaver.

Things can change though in the future, especially if Panasonic will release the Lamdash 3 globally and for a fair price.

Speaking of which, the older Arc 3 models are still a viable option and I’m confident you won’t be missing out on anything, except for maybe that sleek minimalist design.

So definitely check them out as well if you’re looking for an affordable but still capable foil shaver.

My picks would be the ES8103, ES-LL41-K/ES-LL21-K or ES-LT67-A (whichever you can get cheaper).

You can find even more options in my roundup of the best electric razors in 2022.

I will update this article if the new Arc 3/Lamdash 3 becomes available outside of Japan.

As usual, if you have any other questions, make sure to post them in the comments below.