Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsBraun 9290CC vs Panasonic ES-LV9N-S vs Philips Norelco S9721
Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2017
I have been shaving for over 50-years, starting with a DE for several years, until Gillette introduced its first cartridge, theTrac II in 1970 or 1971. I then progressed through all the cartridges that Gillette introduced over the years. About 10-years ago I went back to shaving with a DE and even shaved with a straight razor, from time to time, along with the latest Gillette Fusion cartridge. Recently, however, I decided to go all-in on electric shaving (for the first time). I was no longer willing to deal with wet shaving: the face prep, the cream/soap, brush, bowl, the long duration shaves, the clean-up, and the blood. So, I purchased the three top rated shavers on the market: the Panasonic ES-LV9N-S (purchased from the shavercentre), the Braun 9290cc, and the Philips Norelco S9721.
All three shavers will provide a very close shave, possess excellent build quality, and have charging/cleaning/drying stations that perform well. So, my main criteria for judging a shaver is how close it shaves. I do not have very sensitive skin and shave dry (as I think this provides the closest shave). Recently, however, I have begun using Dickinson's Witch Hazel as a pre-shave prep. I just spread a little of the liquid on my face and let it evaporate for about 30 seconds before shaving. This stands-up the beard for an even closer shave, with no chance of gumming up the blades, as other pre-shaves have a tendency to do. No electric razor shaves as close as a blade, but these three models are close enough, especially considering that I can shave in about 7 minutes, versus 30 minutes for a careful blade shave (with no styptic pencil required!).
I think that the Panasonic and the Braun are very close. The Panasonic may inherently give a slightly closer shave (and a little faster because of its larger head), but the Braun is more aggressive (not overly so, but worth mentioning for those with sensitive skin) and, because of its smaller head, is able to follow the contours of the face slightly better than the Panasonic, especially at the jaw-line and neck. This was only a minor issue and became even less important as I became more proficient with these two foil shavers. As for the Philips Norelco S9721, I think that it provides the most comfortable shave of the three and, for those with very sensitive skin, it may be the best choice. However, I find that, although it is capable of providing a very close shave, IMO it places third in this respect, behind the two foil shavers. In addition, although my technique with a rotary shaver has improved greatly, it still takes me a little longer to shave with the Norelco than with the Panasonic or Braun. I prefer the trimmer on the Panasonic to that of the Braun. I think the Norelco trimmer is excellent, but it is not integrated into the body and to use it one must detach the blade head and replace it with the trimmer. This is an annoyance.
In summary, each of these shavers performed incredibly well and much better than I expected (I am never going back to blade shaving) and, if you are considering purchasing an electric shaver, you cannot go wrong purchasing any of the three. However, at this point, if I had to rank them, it would be 1. Panasonic ES-LV9N-S, 2. Braun 9290CC, 3. Philips Norelco S9721. They are very, very close in all respects and others may rank them differently, of course. So, as always, YMMV.
***UPDATE*** June 11, 2017
Now that I have spent several weeks using these shavers, I am updating my evaluation. The razor I reach for the most, the one I prefer to shave with is ... the Braun! It shaves very, very close (about on par with the Panasonic), and the smaller head does make a big difference. It is more maneuverable than the Panasonic (needing fewer passes around the jawline and under the chin, for example), and balances better in my hand. As mentioned earlier, I shave dry and both machines provide a comfortable, non-irritating shave. The Panasonic is an awesome machine but, as I said, the Braun is the one I reach for and prefer. The Panasonic thus moves to number 2. As for the Philips Norelco, it remains in 3rd place. It is capable of providing a very close shave (although not quite as close as the two foil shavers). However, it definitely takes a few minutes longer to shave with this razor than with the other two. In addition, I prefer to shave with linear strokes of a foil shaver, rather than the small circular strokes one needs to employ with the Philips Norelco. And, I found it much more difficult to shave my upper lip with this razor and to get reasonably straight sideburns (without using the trimmer) versus the other two razors. Also, as I mentioned in my initial review, the non-integrated trimmer of the Norelco is really inconvenient. So, there you have it. IMO, the Braun 9290cc is the best electric shaver on the market.
