Electric shavers? Advice please.

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In August I got sent a Braun series 9 to test from Bzzagent. Absolutely love it and have been using it 4-6 times a week ever since.

Here's my report, which I still stand by...

Prepare for a wall of text!

"Let’s not beat about the bush.

I’m lazy.

In fact, I’m so lazy that I generally grow a beard rather than shave.
The entire shaving ritual is laborious and time consuming. Then comes the skin irritation and the cleaning little bits of hair out of the sink. Finally there’s the point where you notice you’ve missed a bit and have to scrape, treat and clean again.

Then I was given the chance to try out a top of the line electric razor with numbers and letters in its name AND an LED indicator. Quite frankly there was only one way to respond.

“Challenge accepted”

When I received the package I found it had a pleasant heft. Once I delved inside I found a very attractive carry case containing a slick and svelte electric razor, cleaning fluid, a tiny brush, cleaning solution, a charger and Thunderbird 2 (AKA the clean&charge station). Along with a quick start guide (pictographic) and a nicely glossy instruction manual.

The Clean&Charge station is very funky. Touch a button and the entire thing lifts up so that you can insert the cleaning solution. The charger works both directly with the razor itself and for plugging into the Clean&Charge station. The solution pack and the charging cable click into the unit with satisfying clunks that let you know that they’re firmly in place, but a slight wiggle lets you know that as secure as they are you’re not going to struggle to unplug the cable or change the solution pack. One thing that was slightly disappointing was that the tiny brush has no home in the Clean&Charge station (or the carry case) so has the potential for getting misplaced.

The razor itself is a lovely chunk of solid feeling metal which is comfortable and easy to grip. The controls are all in easy to reach places (but not so easy that you can knock them whilst in use) and the shaving head pivots easily but feels secure. The added bonus of being able to easily lock the head in place to maintain an angle when dealing with tricky areas (like under the nose) is a definite benefit. Using the extending trimmer involves turning the entire razor round, but even then it is still comfortable to hold and use. And it comes with a very swish carry case, so if you’re heading off on an excursion you can securely carry your razor with you.

On to the actual product test!

When I received the Braun Series 9 9291cc Shaver I was sporting a moderately impressive beard. However, dedication to the cause and all that! After trimming down the face forest to a sensible level I got going with the razor.

I don’t know whether it was the 40,000 cross-cutting actions per minute, or the five specialized shaving elements, or maybe the SyncroSonic™ technology; but I enjoyed a quick and easy shave on dry skin which resulted in a pretty close shave and no irritation (that’s right, NO irritation!).

Now don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t a perfect shave. Whilst I got a mostly close and clean shave some areas were still a bit rough and trying to get a clean line on my remaining facial topiary was not particularly easy, even with the built in trimmer which was ok but not as good as a dedicated trimmer/shaper. However, given that it took me significantly less time to shave my face with the Braun 9291 than it would using a manual razor I was quite impressed.

Since the initial shave I’ve used the razor almost every day and it has become a part of my morning routine which has resulted in giving me a clean shaven appearance whilst not impacting on the length of time it takes me to get ready. I’ve intentional taken a few breaks from using the razor, however, to test how well it tackles a bit of extra growth. On the first occasion I missed one day, which barely impacted on the time or result. The second occasion, however, was a hefty three day growth which took me about twice as long to shave so still a win!

The razor itself is very easy to keep clean. A rinse under the tap, combined with popping the head off and tapping out anything caught inside makes it look nice and clean and has it ready for the following morning when you’re ready to shave again. However, the “clean&charge me!” indicator generally kicks in about 30 seconds after any use of the razor, even when it’s just come out of the Clean&Charge station. The cynic in me thinks that this could be a way to increase sales of cleaning solution, but as you’re not regularly having to buy new blades (although you should replace the head every 18 months!), shaving gels or creams, pre-shave treatments, after-shave treatments and plasters then shelling out £12 every six months isn’t too bad.

Overall, I’m very pleased with my experience with the Braun Series 9 9291cc Shaver, from the quality and premium feel of the razor itself as well as the supporting accessories, to the ease of use and finally to the results of the shave. If, like me, you are a somewhat lazy shaver and have issues with skin irritation when using a manual razor this is definitely the way forward."
 
String said:
The price tag of the 9 series is why I went for the 7 series. :eek:
Click to expand...

The price tag of the 7 series is why I went for the 3 series :D
However, if it lasts me 10 years it will only cost £22/year.
I still use Protector Blades after a Braun 3 shave so might not need to spend £20/year on them if I have the 9 series.
Also as I get older my stubble is getting harder to remove even with a blade so here's hoping the 9 will suffice.
 
Find my 9 series is far far better for people like myself that forgets or doesn't shave everyday..
Where I find my 7 series takes ages to shave if you don't shave for a few days which then leaves skin irritation..
 
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I've been using a braun series 3 for a few years now, had to change the head once after the old one kept catching hairs. Does the job well enough, and I shave every 3-4 days.
 
I went for the series 7. I was considering the 9 (thanks for the review) but decided against it. Apparently I'm not allowed it until Xmas, so I'm just going to grow it out until then. Works for me as it's damn cold outside.
 
I used some braun & remington shavers back in the day but can't recall the model numbers they were good but I had skin allergies with both brands, but currently am using this one here:

https://www.shavers.co.uk/panasonic-es-rf31-wet-dry-premium-4-blade-men-s-electric-shaver.html

Its ranked no1 on shavers site, I can't complain about it at all Panasonic know and understand build quality and durability, been using them this model for about 2 years and cleaning once a week (top easily pops off and rinses under sink ie blades and foil)
1 hour charge gives me over an hour use and it has 4 shaving blades for good coverage. Battery is still going strong and lasting over an hour also after 2 years.

It did take time to adapt to the new size but it does a lovely job on my sensitive skin, no more allergies or weird rashes that I got with my brauns and remingtons.

Just like all shavers they may claim they capture all hairs on one pass, I doubt such a thing exist on electronic shavers unless you use a blade, so yeah you have to go over it few times, neck and under chin areas are always tricky but it does the job fine there too.

Good thing about Panasonic chargers is again its a company that has thought of everything you can replace the battery no issue and foils and blades, and there cheap too.

Maybe that bruan @ 99 quid is pretty good but always tricky to tell untill you use both!
 
Anyone considering the Braun series 9, just be aware it's been a complete nightmare getting a replacement 'head' cassette... they had a lot of manufacturing issues, and many places wanted £55+ for one.

Amazon have them on 'out of stock' for just under £40 but they're still hard to find.
 
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