Braun Series 7 790cc

I started shaving with a blade/shave cream, later upgraded to an electric, and finally changed back to a blade. The electrics (yes plural) I've used had left me with mixed feelings. They were all noisy, didn't hold a charge very long, a few gave me razor burn, and nearly all did not last very long. So it was back to a blade..for the past 15 years. A short time ago, I finally accepted the facts that 1) I was not getting a close shave with a blade, even with a new blade inserted, 2) I was tired of the occasionally "nick" that made me look like I should head for the Emergency Room, and 3) I was somewhat angry over the rising price of blades. Thus sparked a quick review of electric shavers, and my choice of the Braun Series 7. The day I ordered this unit, I stopped shaving. Three days later the unit arrived. No, I did not read instructions. I just removed it from the box, and headed to the bathroom to shave(one look in the mirror and I realized I looked like someone on those "WANTED" posters you see in the post office)The unit was easy to turn on and I began. My beard hairs grow in various directions with the area of my neck very sensitive to shaving. On the received factory setting (you can change this), this unit was cutting these hair with little resistance. I remember having to be very careful in shaving my cheeks as I often would get a razor burn no matter what I did. With the Braun, this was non-existent. Now, with a blade, I could shave in about 3-4 minutes and with a 3 day growth of hair, add 2-3 minutes because of having to "touch-up areas" where the blade did not cut the hair. With the Braun I estimate better than 95% of these touch up areas were eliminated on the second pass of the shaver head. The unit head also adjusted to my square chin and stayed flat to my skin over other areas of my face. In short, the shaver was adjusting itself and doing all the work. When I finished shaving, my other half ran her hand over my face and said "This is the smoothest I've every felt your face". Works for me! This unit is light weight, relatively quiet (in comparison to others I've had), has three cutting "levels" easily changed, and has a nifty charger/cleaner LCD screen on the bottom which although a bit hard to read without adequate lighting, gives you quick info on charge level and cleaning. This unit comes with a cleaning station that I have not yet hooked up but will shortly. Per the instruction booklet, this unit cleans the shaving head (with an alcohol based solution) and recharges the unit at the same time. Noted is that the unit can be charged by a cord by itself. When charging the on-off button is lid. When competed charged, the light turns off. The Braun also came with a small cleaning brush and a semi-rigid carrying case. After I shaved I noted that the charge level was on the last "bar". I plugged it in and timed it: 55 minutes to full charge. This REALLY beats the recharging time of some units I had. Overall, a full charge should give 7 days + of shaving time (avg: 8 minutes per shave) Also noted is that based on average shaving, the shaving head should last about 18 months. Easier I think to simply change every 12 months. The shaver head is a "cartridge" easily removed for cleaning. The only thing I miss is a side burn trimmer although the Braun blade head does get close to doing the same. Also noted is there is no plastic shaver head "cap" to protect the blades or blade screen. Important? Right now I don't think so as the semi-rigid case will probably protect just as well. Note here that I won't leave my shaver out on the sink counter but will put it back in its case each time after use. Now for the cost. Yes, it is a bit steep compared to a blade or some of those off-brand machete based electric shavers. But is it worth it? I am sitting here 17 hours after I used the Braun and feel just a small bit of stubble beginning to emerge. PLUS, I don't feel any residual burning from the blades. Gents, I am talking about a close, comfortable, unbelievable shave! I'm giving this Braun 790cc a 5 star rating with my personal "raised eyebrows" and a hearty WOW!. Remembering that you get what you pay for, this shaver is worth the price. I am amazed at the results and yes, I VERY HIGHLY recommend this shaver. ( And as a P.S., do read the instructions. They will help)

My only experience with an electric shaver before this one was a cheap Remington shaver I bought over 10 years ago. I didn't use it very much because it caused more irritation to my skin than even a regular blade. For the last several years I've pretty much only used a beard trimmer to shave with occasional use of a Gillette Mach 3 for special occasions. Even with a higher quality blade like the Mach 3, my skin still gets irritated and shaving more than two days in a row with it really causes problems. The beard trimmer was easy on the skin, but I always looked like I haven't shaved for a couple of days.A couple of weeks ago I finally decided to try an electric shaver again. I knew if I was going to use it regularly it needed to work well and I was willing to spend the extra money to get a good one. After much reading I settled on the Braun 790cc.Since the instructions say give it a couple of weeks for your skin to get used to it, I have made a point of shaving every day. From the beginning, I have had absolutely no irritation after the shave. It's so nice to get a shave that's practically just as close as a razor but without the razor burn. I definitely wish I had tried it sooner. I think the adage of, you get what you pay for, is true for electric razors and I think that was likely the problem with my old Remington.Now, for some specific points about this razor:- Overall Feel - Feels great in the hand. Looks and feels very solid and well made.- Cleaning system - I always hated cleaning my old razor, which means it was never done regularly. The Braun cleaning system works really well and guarantees it will get cleaned regularly since I only have to push a button. It's also nice that it gets sanitized with an alcohol based solution during the process. I've settled on an every other day cleaning schedule. The full cleaning cycle takes about 30min which includes a heated drying cycle. Take note that if you tilt or tip the base with the cleaning cartridge installed it will spill.- Closeness - For me, there is no visual difference between using shaver and a razor. You might could tell a difference by feel, but it still feels pretty smooth to me. The area below the jaw right at the neck requires a few additional passes in different directions to get all the hairs, but this seems to be a common problem area with all electric shavers.Difference between 790 vs. 760:I debated between these two models and ended up choosing the 790. I wasn't sure if I would use the extra features, but it wasn't much more at the time than the 760. Now that I've used it for a while, I can say that I don't think spending the extra money for the 790 is necessary.The 790 adds a quick clean feature, which is supposed to clean the shaver in about 30 seconds if you're in a hurry. I tried it once but don't see myself ever using it. First, it leaves the shaver wet which causes problems shaving unless you take some time to dry it off. Second, the shaver certainly doesn't have to be cleaned before every shave. I've been cleaning it every other shave, but I don't think it would have any problem going longer than that. If I was in a hurry, I wouldn't worry about the cleaning. When I do clean it, I start the cleaning cycle right after I shave so the length of time it takes doesn't matter.The only other additional feature you get with the 790 is a "hygiene" meter. This supposedly tells you how dirty the shaver is. This seems very much like a gimmick designed to make sure you use the cleaning system frequently, ensuring you buy more cleaning cartridges. The hygiene meter goes down by about 1/3 for each shave and seems to have no bearing on how dirty the shaver actually is. The only way to make the hygiene meter go back up is to use the cleaning system. Manually cleaning the shaver does not bring it back up no matter how good a job you do.Overall I've been very pleased with the 790 and wouldn't hesitate to buy another Braun series 7 shaver. However, if you're debating between the 790 and 760, my advice is to go with the 760 unless the price difference is very small.