Great Budget Shaver...

This is the 4th electric shaver that I have owned and the 2nd rotary type. I have owned the top of the line shaver from Panasonic as well as mid-range units from Braun and Remington.



The same thing has happened every time in the past. I give it two to three months and then I am back to a disposable razor that can shave closer with less hassle and less irritation. The number one reason each time for going back to a disposable was how the electric shaver failed to handle my neck hair. None of them seemed to be able to the job no matter what and then the hassle on the units I had that had an expensive cleaning unit made it a pain to use.



Well I got the bug again to try an electric razor one more time and ended up purchasing this unit. And now after having it for a while I have to say that this is the best electric shaver that I have had. First and foremost it can handle my neck. It can't get it all in one pass but the others couldn't do it no matter how many times I tried! Second being able to just rinse the head under the sink is wonderful. No more cleaning systems that are bulky and expensive with the continual cost of the cleaning solution. Third is that it is a surprisingly close shave. I kind of expected a 5 o'clock shadow by noon with a rotary shaver but that isn't the case here. It is very close to a shave with a razor NO KIDDING!



It isn't the perfect electric razor but it is more than worth the price. There are only two things that stick out with me that could have been done better and both are related to charging. First it takes 8 hours to charge the unit from being almost dead with no quick charge capabilities. You can get around it by just using it plugged in when you are in the middle of the charge. Second is that there is no battery level indicator. It would be nice to have some sort of idea of how much of a charge you have left.



In my book these are just two minor issues that aren't that important to me but keep me from giving it 5 stars. I have and will continue to recommend this unit to friends.More detail ...

Works great but pricey

You don't HAVE to use the cleaning function of the Braun. You can use it like any other shaver and clean it with a brush. But if you don't mind paying ~$60/year on these refills then the cleaning system works great. I hope eventually someone decides to make generic versions of the refills or sells the fluid only so we can refill them (like they do with inkjet printer cartridges). I would NOT take the advice of the guy who recommended using alcohol and lemon juice as a refilling liquid. Lemon has sugar (and other impurities) in it and alcohol doesn't have lubricating agents and may strip the lubricating that the blades need.



Cleaning every other day may seem like a money-saving idea but I have found that even if you don't use it for weeks the cleaning fluid still evaporates and you have to replace it almost as frequently so I figure I might as well get the benefit of cleaning rather than let the stuff just evaporate away.



I hope Amazon starts selling these things directly since buying it from J&R is not a good deal because of the shipping charges. Instead go to Walgreens or some other store that sells the shaver system and buy it there. BestBuy.com sells it for the same price with free shipping. J&R's prices are regular street prices (not 50% off).More detail ...