Braun Series 7- 790cc (9595) Pulsonic Shaver

Amazon.com should be ASHAMED. I'm sorry. I was a huge amazon.com fan until I needed to return this Braun Series 7 Top-of-the-line shaver "new and unopened" due to receiving an identical one as a gift. The invoice says "Returns are easy". When I bring up the purchase on the website it says "Click here for returns". BUT you CAN'T return it. No matter what. You trustingly click that purchase button and you're STUCK WITH IT! Certainly, used personal items can't be returned for obvious health reasons. But a new, unopened product this expensive with tamper proof packaging what has never been used that they won't even acknowledge is shameful and unacceptable. No warning on the invoice. No notice on your confirmation page before you purchase. Just a big fat expensive suprise! Anywhere else I checked said they'd gladly accept the return. Amazon won't. No reasoning, no explanation. Just sorry you're out of luck. Thow it out or give it away, but don't look at us. Unless you are brave or omniscient and know that you will never ever need to return it to amazon, buy it ANYWHERE ELSE BUT here at Amazon.com.

Sorry Braun for the 1 star. I wish I could have given even less stars but it's not your fault. Your Braun Series 7 - 790cc Pulsonic Shaver is fantastic and deserves 3.5 - 4 stars (the is no razor that shaves as close as a blade so none are perfect and none deserve 5 stars--plus your alcohol based cleaning system that will run at least $75/year to use is overpriced and a rip off. Make it cheaper, especially after charging $290 for the razor. At least printer manufacturers realize they are ripping you off for the ink cartridges and practically give away their printers to rope you into spending money endlessly on their refills. The shaver works amazingly well compared to many others I've used, it's built well so far, and is easy to use. The cleaner does keep it clean and hygenic. It deserves 4 stars, minus 1/2 to 1 for the cleaner refill ripoff ($6-7/mos for $0.50 worth of rubbing alcohol?, which evaporates even if you don't use it daily) with it's unsitely cleaning unit that has to sit on your countertop forever due to the evaporating rubbing alcohol. The shaver is terrific though.

Buy one, enjoy it, just DON'T BUY IT FROM AMAZON no matter what you do because they WILL NOT have anything to do with returning it for ANY reason, whatsoever, no matter what! The web site actually (literally) tells you to throw it away if you try to return it and when you email amazon.com they tell you to give it to someone else as a gift (verbatim). So when you're about to drop $200-$300 dollars on this razor, spend it elsewhere where there is actual service and respect for you. Any other store will gladly accept it new and unopened (just as amazon promises but won't) if you decide you don't want it, don't need it, have two, etc. and refund you in full. Amazon WON'T. You are STUCK WITH IT no matter what happens. It's too expensive of an item to take the risk with amazon...unless you have friends who are used to $250 gifts or a deserving trash man.

Caveat Emptor: BUYER BEWARE!!!!! Don't say I didn't warn you.


Update 12/13/08:
After a second email to Amazon.com I received a suprising email back that they were going to fully refund my money for the item and did apologize. I can't tell you how suprised I am or how appreciative but don't count on this in the future. Don't expect to be able to return the shaver, but thank you Amazon for making right. My faith is restored, but future buyers beware and be sure before purchasing. Thank you amazon.

I have owned electric shavers on and off over the years. Usually, I just fall back to using the blade as the electric shaver gets frustrating to use. With this Braun, I am having a very good experience and much better than any electric shaver I have used in the past. So far, no desire to go back to blade because of frustrations of dealing with an bad electric razor. This Braun was expensive, but worth the cost from a convenience and quality of shave stand point. The only question I have is long term use - will I feel the same 12-24 months from now.

Here are some key things to keep in mind if you are going to buy it or you have it, to get the most of of it:

-Keep it clean. The automatic cleaner makes a huge difference. I find if I clean it every 2-3 days with the auto-cleaner and the blue liquid it comes with, my shave is 10 times better. Keeping it clean is key.

-Although not always needed, Electroshave splashed on the faces helps the shave go a bit smoother. Also, if you have not shaved in a few days, Electroshave or something like it + this Braun makes shaving a piece of cake.

-Give it a few weeks for your face to get used to the electric shaver. It gets easier and better each week you use it. Also, they shave will never be as close as a razer, but this Braun gives you a shave that looks very good and very smooth.

-The convenience of this Braun makes it all worth it when compared to the normal cream and razor. For me, the trade offs are now worth it since the Braun is the first electric to give me a great shave.

I have three other Braun shavers. The newest is 360 complete, and the other two are a couple years older. All are self-cleaning. I like to have my primary shaver at home (face and shaved head), and backup shavers in the office. In buying this new shaver, I knew I would be putting my oldest two shavers out to pasture, if this purchase worked out.

This is by far the closest, most comfortable shave I have ever had.

Braun has upgraded the whole system, with the Series 7. Everything is better...ergonomic feel of the shaver in the hand, charger station, and the shave itself.

I know Braun is not cheap. But if you can afford it, buy it. The shave is really that good, compared with all previous Braun models. And when other shavers dream, they are Braun.

Edit: I have (just now) read the reviews back through Aug-2008, and I was surprised to see the complaints. Most of the issues don't apply to me. The 9595 shaver and charger are indeed louder than my earlier models, but I don't care about that.

Whenever I have bought a new model Braun shaver, I have always thought the shave was an significant improvement over the previous model. Even with a new foil/cutter block on the old model. That is true with the 9595.

My three older Braun shavers still work without any trouble. They are just old technology, by my definition. And these rechargeable batteries don't last forever.

I would be surprised, as some have opined, if Braun has taken a nosedive with the 9595, compared with their older models. But if I have trouble with this shaver, I will certainly report here.

Edit1: I just noticed the price of this shaver has dropped to $200. So those of us who bought in the last week or two now realize we should have waited. I always assumed amazon would credit the difference, if a recent purchaser brought it to their attention. A CSR just told me, "that is not our policy, sir".

I have had the Braun 9595 since last Christmas and other than the trimmer part breaking, it still works. I have had all their other models prior to this one and found all to be of high quality. I shave every day on my way into the office and never had an issue with any of their products other than the trimmer breaking prematurely on the 9595. I don't even use that thing and why and how it broke- I don't know. One day I found it protruding off the shaver body and it would not reseat.

The side trimmer broke on the new one and seems very flimsy as compared to the 8995. I am super careful with all my devices and handle them with care as well as always using the case. One day I went to use it and the trimmer was protruding off the shaver body. What and why it did that, I don't know and, I did not take it apart to see what failed. But, for what they cost, I don't think that these seven series are built like the 8995 or the one before that. I still have / own both of the predecessors to the 9595 and both still work perfectly. They are built like tanks.

Ergonimics: One thing that I didn't like was the ergonomic design of the 7 series vs. the 8995. I found the older model easier to hold and that it had a beefier/ better build quality to it. It feels more solid to me and I can hold it from any direction and it feels great. The 9595 is contoured a bit and makes holding it from the end or upside down feel awkward.

Cleaning: THe older model is a bit quieter when cleaning and I liked the grey stand with Blue LEDs vs. the white stand. The white shows dirt and grime more and, the white one doesn't always indicate when it's clean as the LEDs go out after it's been sitting for a period of time whereas the 8995 cleaning system maintains a constant "always on" status so you know whether it's clean or not. I have had issues with the 9595 where it did not clean and I had no way of knowing it due to all the LEDs were out on the base. Even though I pressed the "start cleaning" button, and it lit up, it did not clean the shaver. This is due to how Braun designed it to be less power consuming. Whether they changed this part of the design since I got mine last season- I don't know. It should be noted that the reason it would not clean or charge was due to the two metal electrical contacts on the base were not making good contact with the shaver. I had to use IPA to clean the contacts from oxidation and press them in and let them pop out of the shaver base as well as checking the contacts on the shaver. That part was fine. IT's the base contacts that were the issue.

Shave quality: Both perform just as good in my experience with the newer one providing a quicker, faster cut due to higher cutting speeds but, it comes at the expense of more heat due to friction and higher vibration in the handle and cutter head. I used to cease shaving for minutes to allow it to cool down before continuing on. I used to use a light machine oil on my shaver to help prevent friction build up but, I went back to the 8995 as it works better for me. I can keep shaving with that and not get friction burned, it cleans up better, charge lasts longer, is more ergo friendly as you can hold it any direction and it feels better, there's less vibration, the side trimmer is stronger built and is lined up directly with the cutter head to help pop lay down hairs up better than the 9595. The 9595 protrudes at an angle off the body and is not lined up with the cutter head.

I find with the 8995 that I can go sideways or along the length of the cutter head to get in extremely close. I can't do that on the newer style 9595 cutterhead. However, for long beards or, when I haven't shaved in a month, the 9595 does not pull. The 8995 does grab in that case. But, for everyday use, I find that both provide a very close shave.


Summary:
The 9595 and the 8995 perform equally as shavers good based on my every day use with both for about a year. The cleaning base on the 9595 is not as good as the older base and the build quality doesn't seem as good as the 8995 based on my experience with the trimmer breaking. I also found the 9595 to become hot due to friction of the foil. Even when new, I found this to be irritating to my face. The older one runs slower cutting speeds and is cooler / less irritating.

I have had the Pulsonic shaver for a year now. I love it! A smooth nick free shave every time. I've had a lot of shavers over the years and this one is by far the best one I have ever owned. As a matter of fact, I've just purchased one for my Son for Xmas.