I bought this to replace my Norelco three blade rotary razor. I never used this type of razor and have read its better and smother for sensitive skin so I decided to give it a try. When I first turned it on (at 4:30am) my dog went crazy barking which woke the wife. It's has a high pitch buzzing which is much louder than the Norelco. It is smoother on the skin only because it doesn't cut very well (except for the crack of my mouth when I tried to get shave close). It's hard to maneuver around the mouth and under the nose and leaves a considerable amount of uncut hair, especially on the neck. I have no opinion on the self cleaning. I guess it works but so did pulling the head off my Norelco and running under the water in the sink. I was excited after reading reviews on this razor however after using it for about a month I can now say I am very disappointed and am considering pulling out the old Norelco.