Series 7 Legacy

I've used Norelco shavers for over 40 years on the theory that rotary blades would be more efficient than reciprocating blades. When my old shaver began showing its age I purchased the newest Norelco model. However, I found that the new design, which had a separate trimmer, requiring removing the shaver head and snapping on the trimmer, was inconvenient to use (now where did I put that trimmer?), so I returned it and began a new search. Braun foil shavers seemed to get high ratings and I found a good price on the Series 7 790cc model with the cleaning station. I like the fact that the trimmer is integrated into the shaver and simply pops out with a thumb push. While no electric shaves as close as a razor, this one's certainly good enough for everyday use, and I think better than my old Norelco. I was at first skeptical of the cleaning station, mainly because of the potential cost of periodically replacing the cleaning fluid cartridge. Several on-line commentators, however, suggested that a do-it-yourself fluid refill (made with isopropyl alcohol and lemon essential oil) of the old cartridge would work just as well at a small fraction of the cost (500cc of alcohol costs a couple of bucks and 4oz of lemon oil about $12) and will last for years. I've found that using the cleaning station makes a big difference in the operation of the shaver. Some commentators have suggested that using it just once or twice a week will extend the life of the cleaning fluid, resulting in lower cost. But I've discovered that if I rinse the shaver under the faucet after every shave and then use the cleaning station, I can greatly extend the life of the cleaning fluid and get best shaving results. (The owner's manual cautions against drying the shaver after rinsing. I think this intended to prevent using a face towel on the shaving head, which might result in fibers clogging the slots. I do, however, dry the shaver with a towel, but am careful to simply blot the shaver head so the fibers don't get caught in the slots. This also prevents water from diluting the fluid in the cleaning station). Even using the cleaning station every day, I only need to replace the cleaning fluid every four to six weeks (rinse out the old cartridge and refill with alcohol and 1/2 dropper of lemon oil - a two minute operation). Even after six weeks, the level indicator on the cleaner indicates the cartridge is still "full." I've used the Braun for about six months now. It gives a comfortable and exceptionally close shave (for an electric). The trimmer works well, keeps sideburns from creeping down and controls those wild hairs that seem to sprout from the strangest places. The cleaning station provides a smoother shave and its alcohol base sanitizes the head every day. Best shaves I've ever had using an electric razor.

Ok, for anyone skeptical about this razor, I can't think of a better story than mine. Three years ago, I bought a Braun razor - I believe it was a series 8000 or something like that. It used the Clean & Renew system like this one. That was the best razor. Then this past July when traveling, I lost my razor. I suffer from an acute case of seborrheic dermatitis which makes me break out for nearly ANY or NO reason including if the air goes from hot to cold too fast. My case got really harsh in my mid-30's and I could no longer use a blade razor. I had tried Norelco and all the others to no avail and then I came across that foil razor. It was amazing. So, to have lost it, I was in deep trouble to say the least. I researched and researched and even looked around for the same model on other sites because there just couldn't be a better razor than that one. I found a couple but they were used and I can't stomach the idea of using a razor that someone else has used. So I went back to Braun's site and really dug into this razor. It's their top-of-the-line Braun and my head said get it but I've been fooled before. I was using a blade razor once a week until finally I had reached a point that my face was swollen 5 days each week and I looked like I had been in a fight. It had gotten embarrassing. I stopped shaving altogether for a little while. My beard is slow-growing but VERY coarse. Finally, I broke down and ordered this razor near the end of September - last Friday as a matter of fact. Today, when I got home from work, there was the razor. I was hopeful but trying to keep my expectations low. I took it out of the packaging and plugged it in and set it up for charging - setup took about 2 minutes - plug, plug, slide in cartridge, insert razor. I waited 3 hours for it to charge really not wanting to shave with it because I knew it wouldn't measure up to my other razor and my face would swell and I have a big day at work tomorrow with a lot of face time. But all the more reason to shave, right??? So just now at 10:00, I took the razor out of the charger. First, it felt different - BETTER. It really is easier to grip than the last one and the 360 head of the last one didn't pivot quite as much as this one. This one has a push-button power button rather than the slide like the last one. I was really dreading this. Then, I pressed the button and put it to my face. Don't apply pressure to this razor! Just let it glide over your skin. If you have a coarse beard like I did or if your beard is a little long, make two or three passes but don't press it to your face with any pressure. If your beard is long, do the typical trim to get it prepared for a shave. Then, just glide it. MAN, I LOVED the feel of this razor. In about 10 seconds, I felt at home again with my razor of three years but this one WAS better. IT JUST WORKS. Within 5 minutes, I was clean-shaven and my face was far from broken out - my skin was smooth and actually relieved now that the hair was gone. ABSOLUTELY NO IRRITATION. With the long beard, I expected there to be some pulling as my other razor had done that in its last few months. Not the first hair pulled. Oh, and those few little hairs that lie flat on the throat that you never seem to be able to get, I glided the razor over them just to see the results. Smooth and hairless after two swipes. Better yet, I finished my shave and sat down to read the instructions. I know if any lady is reading this, she's saying "Typical man" at this point. With my old razor, the instructions called for replacing the shaving block every 6 months - those things were about $50. As I read this one, the instructions call for the block to be replaced every 18 months. So I'll have three times the use between block purchases now. If you're not familiar with the Clean and Renew system, just imagine going a week eating every day and dropping the dishes in a sink and coming home to find them all clean and put away and ready for your next meal. That's what Clean and Renew does for you. Just drop your razor in, give it a second to tell you what level of cleaning your razor requires and press the button. When you come back tomorrow, the razor will be ready for you to simply pull from the "holster" and start gliding. I'm so completely impressed with this razor that I WISH I could be a spokesman for Braun on it. I am too ashamed to show my face when I was broken out from the dermatitis but it wasn't attractive at all. This razor allows me to live a more normal life - something a lot of guys don't have to think about when they are choosing a razor. I can't tell you how my stress level has decreased in just a few hours after opening and using the new razor. Guys, if you think you have a tough beard, just try the razor. Ladies, if you have a picky husband who wants those that distribute the lotion, take it from someone who has tried that razor - the lotion dispenser gets clogged and dirty and the razor takes a lot of time to maintain. THIS is a real guy's razor. No maintenance except a little money for the Clean and Renew cartridges - my last razor used one every 4 - 6 weeks and I expect this one will do the same. The razor is always fresh and ready as long as you just press the button. THIS razor will make you WANT to shave - maybe even TWICE a day. Can I give it a higher recommendation? Can I say anything else to make you buy this razor? Well, my last Braun that I loved so much cost all of $300+ if memory serves. This one costs $206.99 at amazon.com. There is NO reason not to use this razor for your beard or not to spend a little extra money on your man to show him you care and make his grooming time a little less stressful. No cuts, no pulling, no hair and no cleaning. It just doesn't get any better than this. BUY THIS RAZOR!

This is my 3rd Braun electric. It's also the best yet. I'm more of a minimalist so it took some research and a little leap of faith to splurge for the higher end model. I was also a bit skeptical of the "cleaning station" - just more consumables to maintain. But this is indeed a great system. The Shave This razor gives a nice close shave. Very comfortable overall (one exception later). It seems to vibrate at much higher speed than previous models I've had - this is evident in the audible pitch and in the way it feels. It's smooth and reasonably aggressive in its trimming action so that overall your shave is pretty fast. I find that it does a good job not leaving "stragglers". One noticeable issue is that if I have grown a mid-length stubble (for me thats 3-4 days), this model seems to catch the odd hair with a painful pull more frequently than others I've used. So if you have a couple day old beard going (not too long, not too short) you need to slow down a little. Not sure if thats the foil design or what, but it's a noticeable thing for me. Trimmer works well, is a bit smaller (width-wise) than other's I've had, and it flips out (not slides up) so that it's perpendicular to the shaver body. That has it's advantages in that it stays well clear of the shaving head and you can be a little more precise. Operation Simple, one button on/off operation. Battery and "cleaning" indicators are on the bottom. Big plus is the battery life. This thing will run for a week on a single charge. I leave it out of the charging cradle during the week and only charge it when it gets low (just to prevent battery burnout - not sure if it's that kind of battery). The cord that powers the base can also be used directly with the shaver for travel which is a good design. Comes with a nice travel case, but the case is so form fitting to the shaver, you can't fit the power cord in the case with the razor - that was a bad design decision. Self-Cleaning OK here's the special thing about this model - the cleaning station. The removable head is a more complex part than the simple 2 piece foil and blade of prior models. This is one piece. It removes easily and seems to readily release most clippings that it collects with a few taps on the side of the sink. The shaver seems to go immediately from "Clean" to "Dirty" in pretty much one or two shaves. So basically it wants to be cleaned multiple times a week. I usually run the cleaning cycle once every two weeks to conserve the cleaning solution. The cleaning cycle is really nice. There is a self-contained alcohol/sanitizing solution that slides into the base. The cleaning cycle washes the cutting head with this solution, runs the razor, and dries it. Your shaver indeed comes out feeling and smelling like new. It's a noticeably smoother shave after it's done. Your mileage will obviously vary depending on how often you run the cleaning cycle. The cycle itself seems to take 30 minutes or so - so don't plan on cleaning this right before you need to shave - you put it in the dock, press a button, and walk away for a while. It cycles the razor several times with a drying cycle in between. I've never really waited for the whole process so I'm not sure exactly how long it will go. Summary Great shaver Feels good and works well Holds a Charge Cleaning station is a nice feature (from a skeptic) but will increase your expense in maintaining/operating

I received a Remington MS2-390 back in 2006 as a gift and used it for 6 years before looking for a replacement. The Remington was still working, but the rubber button on the on/off switch was falling apart (though the unit was still working excellently otherwise). About me: I am a dry-shaver. I shave about 15 min after my shower every day and use Lectric Shave before every shave. I am clean shaven, have fairly course straight hair, but the hair on my neck does not always stick out in the same direction. ===================== Remington MS2-390: ===================== The Remington was a nearly perfect unit. It rarely pulled any hairs, cut cleanly and quickly. It was easy to clean, water resistant and could go for 2 weeks on a single charge even after 6 years of daily use. It is also super cheap about $60. However, my favorite feature of the Remington was the sideburn trimmer. You press a button and it rose up about 1/2 inch from it's resting position. While this was supposed to be for sideburns, I used it on my neck once I was done shaving to catch all of those long neck hairs that were missed. These hairs were not always trimmed super closely, but they were pretty close and were then easier to get at for a final pass. This means that you could get a super clean shave quickly with almost no long neck hairs left out. ===================== The Braun 790cc: ===================== After doing much research I bought the Braun thinking that the ActiveLift would do the same thing I was doing with the Remington for shaving my neck. The Braun is much heavier than the Remington and took a bit of getting used to. Once used to it, I notice that my overall shaving time is roughly the same. For the non-neck regions the Braun and Remington give almost the same shave. You have to be very careful with the Braun about the direction in which you are shaving. The foil is not quiet edge to edge (you can even see this in the picture) so if you pull the shaver horizontally across an unshaved area the Braun can easily give you a nasty pull on your hair. I see this as a disappointing design flaw coming from such an expensive razor, but if you are careful in your shaving routine, this is avoidable. With the Braun you also have to be super careful around your lips due to the always constant activelift. If you do not angle the razor properly the activelift turns into an active lip nicker. This is likely unavoidable if you are to include this feature in a razor. Just be aware that you will have to angle this razor so only one of the two foils is touching your face when you are around your lips. Again this is not an issue if you are careful in your shaving routine, but it does take more passes in this area to get a close shave since you are only using one foil instead of two. The Braun does do a good job in the neck region, but it does take a lot of passes. The method I used with the Remington does not work with the trimmer in the Braun and thus I have to use many passes and hope that the activelift does it's job. If you spend enough time the Braun can give you a better neck shave with less irritation. The cleaning system of the Braun is the major selling feature. It is very convenient and even though the Braun is slightly longer in cutting, the cleanup makes up for it. The cleaning system is very loud when it runs. I wish they would program in a delay option to let it run 15 minutes after you press the button so you don't have to hear it while you are finishing getting ready. ================== Conclusion ================== Is the Braun 790CC better than the Remington MS2-390? Yes. Is it $140 better? No. The Braun shaver is ridiculously expensive compared to the Remington which gives you almost as good a shave. The Braun also has small quirks like lacking edge-to-edge foil coverage which you really would expect in such an expensive product. If I had to do it over again, I would have purchased another Remington. However, I do have to admit that the Braun 790CC is a great overall razor and does produce better results when shaving your neck.

For the last 50 years or so (oops, I just dated myself) I've used the latest and greatest blade razors because no electronic shaver I tried could handle my heavy beard. I get incredibly smooth shaves with my current razor, but shaving with it is literally a pain. If I shave leaning over a sink by the time I'm finished I need a strong pain-killer for my very bad back. Even standing in the shower using a shower mirror hurts, and I don't always want to shower when I need to shave. The result of all this is that I had started going two or even three days between shaves and was looking pretty scruffy. So I decided to try an electric shaver again. After some research it seemed that the Braun Series 7 was probably the best choice for me so, after choking a bit on the price, I placed my Amazon order. And am I pleased that I did! The combination of Braun quality, which has always been superb, and advances in their design and technology since the last time I tried an electronic shaver (probably 10+ years ago) has produced an amazing shaver. The first shave out of the box (after charging) was totally comfortable and extremely smooth and close. Not quite equal to my blade razor, but darn close. At the end of the day, no 5 o'clock shadow. Braun, like all electric shaver manufacturers, says that you need to use your new shaver for a month or two before your skin becomes accustomed to it. I've used my 7 Series for about 10 days now and I've gotten consistently excellent shaves and absolutely no skin irritation. I'm very pleased already but if the shaves get better over the next few weeks, all I'll be able to say is "wow!". And since Braun recommends that you shave with a dry face, I can shave any time without the whole blade production of wetting your face, applying shaving cream, shaving, in my case repeating all this against the grain, rinsing, and finally applying skin moistener. Which means no painful back from leaning over a sink or no need to take a shower. And the whole process of shaving with the Braun takes less than half the time of a razor shave. The result of all this is that I am a very happy camper, shaving every day and getting great shaves. I should briefly mention Braun's charging and cleaning system - it is fabulous. While you can charge with a cord and clean the shaver under running water (very useful when traveling), I highly recommend using Braun's charger/cleaner every day. It does a fantastic job, results in better shaves, and should prolong the useful life of the shaver before you have to change the blade cartridge.

I have used this shaver for a few years now, and the blades still seem to work well. The cleaning station also still does a great job of cleaning, as long as you don't ask too much of it. I love that lemon smell. :) Only caveat is that I keep buying fluid cartridges from Braun, so, like printer ink manufacturers, they've got me hooked for life. But the price per cartridge is reasonable. I would definitely recommend this to my friends. STRATEGIES FOR EXTENDING THE LIFE OF THE FLUID CARTRIDGES. Braun wrangles you in with the fluid cartridges for the self-clean cycle. I try to make the most out of the cartridges with the following strategy: 1. After each shaving use, take about 20-30 seconds to take off the foil, expose the blades, and blow out as much hair from the blades and foil as you can. That way, when you wash it, all that hair doesn't go straight into the fluid cartridge and gunk it up as quickly. Sure, there will be residual hair that the cleaning station can get out, but that's it's job, right? Think about it like this. It's like your dishwasher: you wouldn't overwork your dishwasher by leaving all the food on your plate when you stick your plate into the dishwasher, right? You would wash the plate off a little in the sink, then toss it in the dishwasher. Similarly, with this shaver, just blow out the excess hair manually with your breath or a little brush, the stick the shaver in cleaning station (but don't use the station yet!) 2. The other part of the strategy helps mitigate evaporation and thus cleaning fluid loss over time. I think the solution is alcohol or something, but the point is, the seal between the fluid cartridge and the cleaning station is not 100%, so slowly, fluid evaporates out and the fluid level drops. This is WITHOUT you even using the station to clean the blades. Also, as the cleaning station cycles fluid around the shaver, that too, allows the fluid to be exposed to air, causing more fluid evaporation and loss. So my suggestion is to only run the cleaning cycle maybe every three shaves, which means it will wash it less. (This is unfortunately mitigated by the fact that the shaver knows how often it has been used...and can adjust from the clean level from low, to medium, to high based on 1-3 uses. So a strong wash probably uses more fluid, but hey, I can only do so much before I am defeated by my smart shaver!) I get a cartridge to last about 6-8 weeks, and I shave 3-4 days a week, and run clean cycle once a week. (I don't have a 9-5 job :) ). So if you are shaving every day, I might suggest a cleaning cycle once a week, and you should get similar performance. I realize this is a $200 shaving system, so would the purchaser be that frugal with the cartridges or even bother with this strategy? Hey it's just my advice, you don't have to follow it. SHAVE QUALITY Shave quality is excellent, love the three different power modes. I use the gentle mode for around my lips and chin, medium for the sides of my face, and high for my neck. As they say, YMMV, so see what works for you. The long hair trimmer is SUCH an unsung hero. This thing is EPIC. I used to use it even more than the actual trimmer when I was sporting my 'unkempt' look for a while. Had to ditch it, too many gray hairs on my face now, and they're unevenly distributed. The joys of being in my 30's. Anyways, I love the reach the long hair trimmer has, it sticks out on a little flap that gives you some serious reach, that way you don't have the regular shaving blades right up against your face. One improvement might be to turn off the regular shaving blades with the long hair trimmer is activated? I also love the ease of use of opening the long hair trimmer: it's like a badass little switchblade or something. And the position in which you hold the shaver when the long hair trimmer is open and running is perfect: that hand position forces you to keep the trimmer open, which means it can't collapse back into the shaver while you are using on your face. It's little design features like this that make me recommend products to friends. Happily, I give it five stars. And this is after a few years of use, after the shine of a new product as worn off, and I'm using it as part of the daily grind.

I'm picky when it comes to my shaver. I want a close, fast, shave that leaves my face smooooth to the touch, not a stubble field. I want it to not burn AND I want a trimmer for getting those places around the nose, side burns, and ears that give a finished look to the shave. This shaver DOES IT ALL. It takes a couple of minutes to get that smooth as a baby's cheek feel, but even I can't resist running my hand across the "smooth as silk" surface when I am done. I've had foil shavers for years because they were fast, and close. I tried the rotary brand and returned it because it left me with day old stubble when I was done. The 790 is quiet, the trimmer could put barbers out of business, and LADIES, you should TRY THIS for yourself. Then you will know what being pampered is REALLY LIKE. Because of allergies I do all of the wrong things for getting a close shave; I don't use a pre-shave to dry and set up the beard and I don't use aftershave other than cold water. Yet I still get a fantastic result. I couldn't tell much difference between the sensitive, normal, and other setting in feel or cut. I get a close shave on one pass, not quite as good as my old foil shaver after a few passes, and a much better shave after the second pass. The other part of the 790 system is the cleaner. I used it once after a week and sealed it back up to reduce the alcohol smells. It cleaned the the shaver and left it dry in several minutes and I sealed it up and removed it until the next week. The system works but I won't know if it stretches the shaver head life or not for a year or so. The online price point ($160) is down to where I decided to try it as this model was not around in local stores for under $250-$300. Others have written of ways to reduce the cleaning costs and I'll leave that reading for you to check on if you are interested. Note: the price has jumped over $30 in a month. I would look at the 790 shaver WITHOUT the cleaner at the current $200 price or wait for a price drop. BOTTOM LINE: Fantastic shave quality, quiet, full featured, long lasting charge, excellent trimmer, cleaner/charger combination.

This is my second Braun Series 7 shaver, and my third Braun overall. While I’ve only had this particular unit for a relatively short time, it works very much as the previous one, except it’s quieter. I finally wore out the previous shaver after half a dozen years, which seems pretty reasonable for something that I used almost every day. I read a couple of reviews where they talked about a quick death for the shaver, but so far this one is humming along nicely. I have two negative comments: First, I have a tough beard, and while I get a very good shave, the blade only lasts about half of the recommended 18 months before I feel I have to work too hard to get a clean shave. Again, this doesn’t seem outrageously bad, but it does fall short of the advertised ideal. I also found that the finish next to the shaving head deteriorated over time due to the cleaning solution, which I’ve read in a few other reviews. You would think that surface might be replaced with a small piece of stainless rather than the current approach (which appears to be painted plastic), just to maintain the appearance of the unit. It didn’t affect the performance, but it did degrade the overall appearance. In terms of the feel of the unit, it fits nicely in my hand. I like the way the blade conforms to my face while I’m shaving, and the ease of using the popup trimmer. I guess I have average sized hands for a guy, and the shaver is very nice in terms of the comfort holding it, and the weight. All in all, I’m very pleased with the shaver, and assuming it lasts like the previous one, I’ll probably get another one when I finally wear this one out. My true rating is probably closer to 4.5 stars, just due to the minor glitches, but given the overall performance and life of the shaver, I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt with 5 stars. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One year later. Still running flawlessly. I recognize that any electronic/mechanical gizmo can fail, but my experience is that these things really do last. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As noted above, the blades do not last 18 months, at least with my beard. I'm usually closer to the nine or ten month mark before I feel it's too much effort. I went to Amazon to order a new blade, and found that the price I paid last year of $31.45 has now tripled. All of the previous offers on the Internet in the previous price range are "out of stock." Prices on the Braun site are now about $85.00, with prices on the Internet running up to the low hundreds. That jump in price, coupled with the original price of the shaver, makes this a much more expensive option. I wouldn't have even flinched if the price had gone up some, but tripling seems like Braun is just attempting to fleece it's customers. While I still think this is a nice shaver, the total cost of ownership no longer makes sense if the annual price for the blades is $85.00+ (plus the original cost plus the cleaning solution). This jump in price is why I changed my overall rating. Buyer beware!

I now know why it is ranked #1 on many professional sites. The cleaning mechanism is as hi tech as you can get and simple to learn. First time I have not had to follow up a shave with a small throw-away razer to clean up the parts missed - smoothest shave ever. The Model 7 is ranked the best even more so than the newer #8 and #9 models. A little pricey but if you want the best quality you have to be prepared to pat the price of a shaver that will undoubtedly last many many years.

Puedo decir que siempre he usado braun y hasta el momento esta ha sido la mejor que he tenido. Por el precio pensé que me costó mucho pero una vez que la he usado puedo decir que pagaría eso e incluso más. Funciona muy bien con la barba en 1 o 2 mm de largo incluso, cosa que anteriores no lo hacían.

Almost no reviews mention this but this is a breeze to use if you need to shave your head. I actually bought this for this very reason. A brilliant even if somewhat pricey product. Absolutely love it!

I have been using electric razors for the past 10 years or so - Philips, Panasonic, Braun. But this particular Braun product has to be the best so far. I think its smooth, the battery life is excellent, the grip is comfortable, and the ability to clean the razor is extremely useful.

Me gustó mucho es un dispositivo maravilloso