Best Razor I've ever owned

Author's Rating:

Pros: Excellently shaves your face, great battery, self-cleaning works well.

Cons: Replacing cleaning cartridges cost $ unless you do it yourself. Charger/stand takes up space.

The Bottom Line: 
Best electric razor you've ever owned. Self cleaning a big plus.

Author's Review
I have a face that is of medium sensitivity. That means that I can tolerate a more aggressive shave than some, but not all. This razor has the capacity to shave very aggressively if you push hard against your face, or it will be much less (but still effective) aggressive if you push lightly.

First let me mention my experience has been largely with Norelco "lift and cut" razors for 20 years, owning 5 or 6 of them. I've generally liked them until they break. Norelcos last 3-4 years for me and the battery either craps out or the cost of replacement blades makes it worthwhile to buy a new razor. The last Norelco I owned had a defect with the power button and just quit. I've been generally satisfied with Norelcos but decided to splurge and get "the best razor money can buy". This brought me to this Braun.

In my experience, Norelcos seem to only work when they're in that optimum "lift and cut" mode where you have to apply a certain minimum pressure to get the clean shave you want. The Norelcos work much better when the blades are new (and sharp), but as they dull, they start to take more work (more pressure and more passes) to shave and begin to bite. They are also tricky to clean as you have to pop open the head and brush them out. Sometimes you have to disassemble the head and take the tiny blades out of the circular screens. Once I dropped it into the sink (8 parts in all with wet fingers).

Most people don't take the time to clean these things as it takes too much time, they just empty the bulk of the shavings and get on with their morning. The problem with this is the razor never stays clean and these microdots of shavings will accelerate the dulling and wear of the blades. Within 2-3 months, the Norelcos will work so-so and gradually go downhill from here until you spend $20-$40 on new blades after about a year (in my experience).

This Braun razor has yielded a completely difference experience for me. Since it self cleans each time you return it to the charger, the blades last much much longer. I've had mine for over a year now and it works just like new. I expect this is part due to the fact the blades are always getting cleaned and this rids the microscopic precision edges of the blades of oxidizing agents and hair that cause dulling. I don't know how long these blades will last, but at this rate I don't see me replacing them for quite some time.

How this self-cleaning operation works is you set the razor face down in the charger, then you push down the clip on the top of this contraption which shoves the charging terminals into the bottom of the razor. It's at an angle so that the liquid can flow though the razor a certain way.

Once you insert the razor into the base, it "thinks" for about 5 seconds and then begins to make a razor sound for about 30 seconds. It's flushing the shaving "debris" out of the razor. Then there's a pause while it soaks. It seems to repeat this several times and then finishes. The display says "clean" on the front when it's done. Takes about 10 minutes, but you don't pay any attention to it once you're used to it.

The liquid that flows through this razor comes in the cartridge that is in the base. It appears to be alcohol with a slight fragrance. Razor dirt collects in the bottom of the cartridge underneath a screen/filter in 1/4" honeycomb pockets. The system has a "crud detector" that determines when there is too much dirt in the cartridge and will light an indicator indicating time for replacement. For me, these cartridges "fill up" about once every 5-6 months.

Replacement cartridges are $6-7 each, so it's not a huge expense, however I don't replace mine. I simply flush it out with water (takes 5-10 minutes to get the dirt out) then refill it with rubbing alcohol and it seems to work great. This may void the warrantee, but I haven't had any problem and I can't tell the difference. Plus I don't see how rubbing alcohol could hurt anything. The sensor goes off and I'm back in business for 5-6 months.

It's very nice each morning to have a sparkly clean razor, something I've never experienced with electrics. I can only imagine that bacteria must normally live in these razors, but not in this Braun.

As for replacing the foils/blades - they seem to be about 20% less than the Norelco equivalents. You won't replace them near as often anyway since the blades will stay clean each time you use it. Since mine is still like new after 18 months or so, I suppose it will go another 18 months.

The other nice thing about this razor is it has a battery that seems to perform well, no sign of deterioration after 18 months - something I've yet to see in any Norelco I've ever owned. The razor will charge in this base or you can plug the same cord directly into the razor for travel. It comes with a case for this too. Very complete package. But for $150-$180, this is expected. I would have liked to see them throw in a couple cartridges or at least a coupon for some free cartridges.