Braun Series 7- 790cc (9595) Pulsonic Shaver

I got this to replace my 5 year old 7680 whose battery was starting to run dry. This new one's okay, but the old model cost $50 less, cuts closer, has a better trimmer and has a more solid "built-in-Germany" feel to it. The new one does not look or feel like a $200 shaver. I'd recommend saving $50 and getting the superior 7680...

I have gone through three different Braun 7526 shavers over the past seven years, that said, I recently purchased a 9595 and Braun has made it more difficult to use the shaver without the cleaning system. I hardly used the cleaning system on the 7526, it was too much of a hassle not to mention not cost-efficient. On the 9595, Braun suggests you can use hot water and some soap to manually clean the shaver. However, Braun has made it difficult to clean with a brush because on the 9595 unlike the 7526, the foil and cutterblock are connected, so it's impossible to clean the cutterblock with the supplied brush. Add to that the annoying "hygiene" meter on the bottom of the shaver that keeps blinking "-" to signify low hygiene even after I have used soap and water to clean the shaver.

The bottom line for me is the shaver works better than the 7526, but the cleaning system is very annoying. Braun is banking on customers using the cleaning system and purchasing refills, and has created the product in a way that it becomes somewhat of a hassle to clean manually. You can still clean manually, but from my experience it won't be as clean as it would have been had the cutterblock and foil not been attached (which would allow for brush cleaning). And yes, I followed all the directions and ran the water the way the instructions said, with the shaver on, but the low hygiene sign keeps blinking. I am seriously considering returning the shaver because I don't need the cleaning system and because of the way Braun has created the product to dissuade people from manual cleaning. It's not even likely Braun will release a 9595 without the cleaning system, because the inherent problem in my opinion is the foil and cutterblock being attached, thus preventing brush cleaning of each segment of the cutterblock.

I've only used the new shaver (Braun 9595)a short time but I find it a great shaver...shaves are really smooth...easy to use and clean. A really
good shaver for anyone looking to purchase one. Highly recommended!!!

The Positives:
This shaver looks great, feels great and very solid in your hand(well built), and the battery seemingly lasts forever without needing a recharge. It also has a lot of power and never bogs down even the slightest bit no matter how fast you try to shave with it or how thick or long the hair is. I also like the fact that it cleans itself and always smells lemony fresh after a cleaning. If you take your time with the shave, you can get a decently close shave, although nothing like a real razor. I find I get the best shave with this razor if I go very slowly over each spot, and go over the same spot several times against the grain but at different angles.

The Negatives:
This razor will actually give you little cuts sometimes on the lower parts of your neck. It doesn't do it all the time, but it does it enough to make me be very careful of it when shaving near my adams apple. Surprisingly, despite it being able to cut you, it often manages to miss hairs right next to where it made the minor cut... which seems odd to me, since the hairs are raised up higher than the skin that it cut. The cleaning solution for this device is quite expensive and can really add up over the course of the year(if you shave every day, you'll go through a single cleaning cartridge once every 35 to 50 days). I generally have to put it into cleaning mode every other shave, and it takes quite a while to finish the cleaning cycle.. during which the thing turns on and off repeatedly while inside the cleaning base. This razor is extremely loud in general and is extremely loud throughout the approximate 15 minute duration of the cleaning. The cleaning is soo loud that I actually had a house guest get annoyed enough by it to go into the other room and stop it mid-cycle once because she couldn't sleep with it going on. There are some hairs on parts of the neck that this thing occasionally just will not pick up and cut. I find that if I do a shave with this razor and then pick up my old 3-circle Norelco razor and do a quick pass over the section where it missed those hairs... the Norelco one instantly cleans up all the missed hairs on the first pass.

Considering how much this thing costs, It's not worth the money. My next razor will be another one of those razors with the 3-cutting circles on the head.

To start with, I will start with Amazon. This item cannot be returned because it has "flammable" material. Pretty lame considering I can empty the liquid and send it back. Will be _very_ careful from now on in buying anything from amazon. My local store takes it back, and I wish I had bought it there to try it out. Very disappointed. If you just want to "try" this shaver(which is probably 90% of the folks), do NOT, I repeat, do NOT buy from amazon.

**Edit** I just remembered that I had searched the entire page for "return" and did not find it. Now there is a note which says it cannot be returned. Now I am even more pissed off with amazon. This is just clearly a way to make people pay. Shame on Amazon.

Now onto the product. First off, I am an Indian guy, with a pretty hard beard and very quick growth.I HATE to shave, and I would pay anything to get a shaver that shaves my beard well and saves me the agony of shaving with a regular blade. I have tried 3 shavers before, but they ended not shaving correctly or having my skin peeling. I was hoping this is "the one", but unfortunately, not. I am writing this review to help out the folks who have a hard beard and skin which is a little sensitive. There were a lot of informative reviews, but I didnt find any reviews that gave me much information.

Let me start with the positives.
1.Much better on my skin. I dont have too sensitive skin(a lil sensitive, all right but not too much), but other shavers I had tried tended to peel the top layer of my skin. I dont mean bleed, I mean just peel, but it was slightly painful and itchy. This one did not ever peel my skin, and I pushed hard.

2. Has the cleaning mechanism, which is AWESOME. I loved it, and I so wish I could use this shaver. Oh well, one day. I am allowed to hope. Maybe Braun will address the Asian/Persian hard beard market someday.

3. For what it did shave, it was closer than any blade I have shaved with. Felt awesome to have such a super close shave. Also better than the Panasonics and Norelco's I have tried before. Doesnt peel my skin, and cuts close.

The bad
1. I have go go over the same areas multiple times. It is pretty clean in the end, but some hair is still left over on my cheeks and chin, one hair here, one hair there. I tried different techniques, but it just might be the direction of my growth which is kinda weird. Goes in all directions. So I have to finish up with a blade. Beats the purpose. Its only a "few" hair, but still..

2. Neck hair. I dont understand why, with all the technology, none of the shavers can do neck hair. it is just painful going over the neck over and over again, and then doing it with the regular blade with my neck stubble. This was one of the deal breakers for me. My neck was red at the end of a shave and sensitive. And I had to do it with the blade in the end. Why is it so hard to do?

3. If you press too hard to get a close shave, you might get breakouts. I got it after every shave I did.

Hope this helps everyone else. And again, if you want to "try" this shaver, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT buy from amazon.