The Braun Series 7 Electric Shaver was released in 2010. It has dominated the foil shaver market ever since.
Reviewers and consumer groups have not yet found a top of the line electric razor to rival the Braun Series 7 at its price point. In part this explains why most reviewers have the Series 7 in their top one or two shaver positions.
Like the Braun Series 5 range, there are 4 models available in the 7 Series. It is made up of two Dry shaving options (with the Braun clean and renew system), One Dry shaving option without clean and renew, and one Wet/Dry option, also with the clean and renew dock.
What makes the Braun Series 7 Electric Shaver so dominant?
Lets start with the motor. Braun have beefed up the power from the Series 5, so that the Series 7 range now generates 10,000 micro movements per minute. This captures and cuts more hair than ever before in a given time frame. Whilst still not the fastest linear motor drive on the market ( that honor going to Panasonic Arc 5) no other shaver can beat the speed, and provide the user comfort of the Braun Series 7
Braun’s foils have been painstakingly developed for optimum hair capture, with the fewest strokes. Fewer strokes also means less irritation.
Brauns “sonic technology” also allows the shaver to read the density of your beard and self adjust to meet the power needs of each section of your beard.
Critics of electric razors will always say that no Electric razor shavers as close as a blade does. That is logical, given that there has to be a foil or cover between the electric shavers blade and your skin. However the way that the Braun Series 7 electric shaver lifts and cuts, means that the difference is negligible.
A very small price to pay for a faster shave, with less irritation than a blade, and not cuts, nicks or scratches.
Whilst the size of the shaver head makes shaving the upper lip tricky, the trade off is that it handles the difficult areas of the neck and jaw line easily.
The 3 independent floating cutters in the Braun shaver head, coupled with the pivoting of the head itself, allow this shaver to closely follow your contours where others fail. This allows it to remove hair with less pressure required. And thanks to the central “ActiveLift” trimmer, that includes flat lying hairs, or hairs growing at strange angles. And of course, no cuts.
Another unique feature of Braun Series 7 shavers is the three personalization modes.
Recharging and Cleaning
The first thing to note is that the Braun Series 7 electric shaver is fully waterproof. It can be simply cleaned under running water. This of course, goes only so far in cleaning and maintaining an electric razor. They need to be properly lubricated and properly dried to keep the blades in optimum condition.
With time pressure and greater convenience in mind, Braun created its optional Clean and Renew system. When you place your shaver into the Dock after use, this system uses an alcohol based cleaning solution to hygienically clean, lubricate, and dry the shaver every time. Maximizing performance, extending its life and saving you time.
Some models also offer a 25 second, quick clean option, which obviously only does part of the job if you are in a hurry.
There is of course a cost for this convenience. Buying a Series 7 with the clean and renew system will cost little more than buying a model without it, but the replacement cartridges will run to as much as $5 per month. Still for me, a small price to pay for optimum performance and longer life.
As the charger also plugs into the clean and renew dock, your electric shaver is also recharged. So it is completely ready for use when you need it.
For the record, Braun claim that a 60 minute charge provides 50 minutes cordless shaving, but many users report a longer battery life.
Other Features
All models also have a 5 minute “quick Charge” option which provides power for a single shave.
When traveling you can simply plug the charger directly into the shaver, and leave the dock at home if you prefer.
The three DRY shaver options offer both corded and cordless shaving, while the Wet/Dry model is cordless only.
All models use a Li-Ion battery without the problems of memory effect, and all models have automatic voltage adaption from 100 to 240 volts.
So who should use a Braun Series & electric shaver?
If you are looking at an Electric Shaver the first choice is between Foil and Rotary, for the very heaviest of beards a rotary is probably still the best, but that comes with a little more irritation.
If you have a medium to heavy beard, (particularly with sensitive skin) the low irritation of a Foil, coupled with the power of the Series 7 mean that this is probably the right shaver for you. If you have a medium to light beard you might well step down to the Series 5 or even a Series 3
shaver, saving some money in the process.
Lets look at the four Series 7 models
This shaver combines all of the previously mentioned features.
Is suitable for wet or dry shaving.
Comes in the exclusive “Noble Metal” (silver) finish
Corded shaving only
Has a 6 stage LCD battery Indicator, a foil replacement indicator and a 6 stage Hygiene Indicator
Used with lotions or creams this model produces even less friction or irritation than others in the range.
This Shaver shares all of the features and finishes of the 799cc model, without
the wet shaving option.
Corded or Cordless shaving.
Comes in the exclusive “Noble Metal” (silver) finish
Has a 6 stage LCD battery Indicator, a foil replacement indicator and a 6 stage Hygiene Indicator
If wet shaving is not required you will save around $30 with this option.
This Shaver comes in the black and and blue color option
Still complete with the clean and renew system.
Does NOT have the 25 second Quick clean option.
Has a 5 stage LED battery indicator, and a Foil Replacement Indicator
Does NOT have a Hygiene indicator.
With virtually no price difference between this, and the 790cc option I see no reason to forgo the features, unless you simply want the Black/Blue color choice.
This is the baseline Shaver.
Comes without the Clean and Renew system, so the 25 second Quick clean option does not apply.
Has a 3 stage Led Battery Indicator, and a Foil replacement indicator.
If the self cleaning system and the lesser battery indicator is not important to you, you can save on the monthly cost of cartridge replacement, but there is little variation in purchase cost.
For the few dollars difference, I would prefer to buy a model with the Clean and renew system, get the additional features, and simply attend to the cleaning and lubrication myself most of the time…at least that gives you the option of the full cleaning and lubrication benefits of the cleaning dock, just use it less frequently
The Braun Series 7 790CC sits proudly at the top of of our Top 10 Electric Shaver list Its power, low irritation, build quality, LCD displays, and 3 stage personalization make it unbeatable at its price. We also recommend it as a Head Shaver.
Obviously if wet shaving is required you will need to spend a little more, but all these comments still apply to the 799CC wet/dry model. Dollar for dollar nothing beats the Braun series 7 electric shaver.