Buying an Electric Shaver

acoldspoon

acoldspoon

Joined
Apr 16, 2003
Messages
94
I just graduated from Paramedic school in NYC and my mother wanted to buy me something nice. I suggested a high end electric shaver. She has asked me to go ahead and pick one. As we are still in alert mode in NYC off and on, it is usually a good thing for me to stay clean shaven. I have a soul patch, but that's it. If it wasn't for the necessity of being able to get a good mask seal on a gas mask, I'd go back to having a beard in a heartbeat.
That being said, I get razor burn and or bumps anytime I try to get a clean shave. Even with Mach 3 blades I have to be careful and only shave with the grain. My lip and neck are especially bad.
I pretty have much have it narrowed down to the Braun Syncro 7680 or the Norelco Spectra 8894XL. Any ideas or feedback guys?
It seemed the last time this group visited electric shaver, Braun was the clear winner. Norelco has a new model in the Spectra now, so I figured it was worth asking again.
One advantage to the Norelco, it would seem, is their warranty. I can return it for money back if not satisfied. Anybody know if Braun offers a refund? My brother has been using the Norelco Quattro for 4 months though and reports that the shave in the neck isn't as close as a razor unless he presses hard in which case he gets some mild razor burn. He also reports that he must shave every day with it or it doesn't work well. The Norelco I'm looking at is a top of the line model though, so it could be different, I'm not sure. How are the Brauns at shaving a sensitive neck? Do they leave some stubble and or razor burn? How are they on a two or three day beard?
So guys....what is least likely to make me bleed, burn, or have a face that feels like raw sandpaper?
Cheers,
Peter J
 
I can't comment on the Braun, but, I've used
Norelco for over 40 yrs. It sounds like you have
a heavy beard (I don't) so I'd look hard at the
Braun. Why?

In all my years with Norelco the razor would always
burn my neck a bit if I pressed to hard. (could be
that all elect. razors will do that ??) However,
with my light beard the simplest Norelco has done
a fine job of keeping me clean shaven. As far as
a "Hi End" Norelco.....save your money. All the
extra money will buy you is extra frills added to
a basic Norelco with a fancy name added to sell it.
My suggestion if you choose Norelco is to pick out
a middle line Quadra rechargable as that will be
all the razor you'll need.
 
Is Braun the one that has the self cleaning base?? So it is clean every day. Just wondering.
I would recommend checking the price on replacement parts, sometimes new screens can be very expensive among the different brands.



Blades
 
Been using a Braun for about 10 years. The cutting head has been replaced once, and needs to be replaced again. If memory serves the head was $30-$35. When this one finally quits, I'll get another.
 
I've have both, and much prefer the Brauns. My latest version has been the rather reasonably cost #5614. It shaves close and leaves no razor burn.

- Mark
 
I've also used Norelco for over 40 yrs. ...............even Braun was too close for my skin; so I returned to Norelco and wouldn't even consider anything else!

Larry S.
 
About three years ago I bought a Norelco. (Ok, technically it was a Philishave, which is what Norelcos are called everywhere outside the USA). I am not sure about the model number, but it was the high end model back then, three blade rotors quadra-whatever, waterproof, with LCD. It shaved well and was most simple to clean, just rinse under the tap.

Two months after the warranty time the rechargeables failed. Unlike my two quite ancient Brauns, whose rechargeables gave up long ago, the Norelco could not even be driven by the wall socket. The cable apparently only serves to recharge the batteries, the shaver cannot draw power directly.

Philips was unable to tell me what replacing the rechargeables would cost; I was told to send the whole thing in and then wait and see. This appeared rather uncertain to me.

Since there was no warranty left anyway I decided to repair the shaver myself. The quality inside was very disappointing. There was no threading for the screws, they just went into holes punched into two pieces of thin sheet metal that had been clamped around some plastic parts. And apparently the shaver was not all that waterproof, since there were rust spots on all metal parts; maybe it was fortunate that the thing was mostly plastic.

By now I have replaced the batteries once (requires some soldering), but the rechargeables I put in were not new and gave up some months ago. I could not really like the shaver any more after I had seen the insides, so I have not bothered replacing the batteries again and instead gone back to one of my old Brauns.
 
I have tried every brand of electric razor over the years, and the Braun is what works best for me. When mine dies, I will buy another Braun. No question.
 
I use a disposable...

I dont like the idea of having loaded up hair stuck in the blades... :D Seams like a breading ground for nasties... :eek:
 
to further muddy the waters I've got the remmington self cleaning model and it works great on my heavy beard..liked the idea of Ti blades
 
Well my dad has a Braun Synchro, my brother just got the new remington R9500 self-cleaning, and I have a Braun 6 series from a few years back. My older Braun doesn't shave close at all and the charge barely lasts for one shave. Both the Synchro and the Remington seem to provide an equally close shave. The Remington might be a hair closer but seems to cause razor burn a bit more frequently, so if you have sensitive skin I would go with the Braun Synchro, if your priority is a closer shave I would go with the Remington. The Norelcos don't seem to provide as close of a shave as the Braun or Remington, but I've only tried one once. I am buying a new shaver and am split between the Braun and the Remington myself, maybe a few more opinions on this thread can sway me towards one or the other.
 
Originally posted by Knife11
to further muddy the waters I've got the remmington self cleaning model and it works great on my heavy beard..liked the idea of Ti blades
Click to expand...

The last Remmington I had was really great until my beard/stubble removed parts of the screen. It shaved really close and caused not razor burn but, over time it would loose a single 3 corned bit in the screen. I never felt it cut me but, when I would wipe my face off, I got a fine red color on the towel. Hmm, next day I got blood droplets on the countertop and floor. Sure enough, that microfine screen had failed.

Hmm, sounds like the Braun might be worth a try......
 
About the remmington I got razor burn the first time but then I re-read the instructions which say not to press it to your face just to put it on there and let the movement of the skin as you go in a cirular motion do the work...been great since that!
 
Way back when I worked for the Remington Store (selling electric shavers and knives) we not only sold them, but also did all the repair work on site. Spending more for a shaver in most cases will get you neat LED displays and lights, but the motors and cutters are generally the same.

IMO Remingtons best model is one of the older ones called the XLR-3000. Its old looking, square and loud but is one of the few that does have a powerful motor that will help the shaver not pull when the cutters and screens get a little dull.

Remington also have the triple screen shavers and rotary head shavers. These never seemed to be all that great of quality considering how much they cost, but people bought them because they look expensive and had more lights on them. When a good portion of them were returned for QC issues, I did my best to talk them into the old 3000. They last a long time and they are cheap.

People who use Braun usually seemed pretty happy with them. Most models are expensive to repair when the batteries finally die as you usually have to order the entire circuit board from them, and hope you can get the thing apart and back together without breaking it. On the upside though, repairs are few and far between.

Norelcos either work or they dont. Half the people that use them swear by them, others get horrible shaves from them. Just gotta try it and see. Again, the more you spend, the more gizmos you get, but the shaves from all models are about the same.

As for batteries going dead, they are very easy and cheap to replace. They usually require a small amount of soldering, but it beats paying to have them repaired. You can get them at Radio Shack and places like that.

All 3 of the above brands have pretty good money back policies, so dont hesitate to try one out.
 
I just used my Braun this morning for the first time and had zero razor burn. I haven't used an electric razor in over 2 years either.
 
I'm on my second Braun FlexIntegral in about 6 years, the first one died after about 5 years use. The new one uses NiMh rechargables that will probably last longer than the NiCd's in the old one.

I can still use the old one, I but I have to plug it in. I've used Norelco and Remington razors in the past, but for foil shavers Braun is the bomb.

I alternate wet shaving with a Mach III, the Braun shaves just as close. I find wet shaving periodically seems to be good for my skin, and my beard shaves easier both ways (wet and dry) when I alternate.
 
Are there cost of ownership issues with any of these brands? I asked a quy at work about the Braun's and he seemed to think that the cleaning solution was expensive, on the verge of price gouging. He also mentioned the problems finding local replacements for the consumables (foils, blades).
 
Sid brings up a good point about replacment parts.
I know that Norelco heads can be bought at Wal-mart
or most drug stores so that could be a plus for
them.

As to the cleaning solution.....
For my money I think it's a waste of money. In the
40 years I've used Norelco I've just soaked my
entire head piece (off the razor:eek: ) about once
a year in rubbing alcohol (very cheap stuff ;) )
to remove the skin oil build up with dry brush
cleaning weekly in between soakings.

FWIW....
It seems to me that razor manufactures have added
way to many nonsense features under the guise of
"making saving easier" to sell a basic razor at
an inflated price. :rolleyes: This is a case of
a plain Chevy dressed up like a Cadillac but the
Chevy will still get the job done. :D :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top