Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsOutstanding Series 9 Refresh By Braun
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2020
What this shaver is:
1. It is the most recent, top tier wet/dry foil shaver made by Braun.
2. It is an effective, ergonomic, well designed electric foil shaver, equivalent or better in comfort and performance to Braun's previous two iterations of the Series 9 lineup in their electric shaver models - which are excellent.
3. It is identical in size, shape and weight to previous Series 9 models, and shaver heads are interchangeable.
4. It has a slightly different display, and slightly different exterior cosmetics, than previous Series 9 models.
5. It has a slightly longer battery life (60 minutes vs 50 minutes) and a slightly faster internal processor (32-bit vs 8-bit) than previous Series 9 models. Other technical specifications are identical.
6. It has a slightly different cleaning station than previous Series 9 models, with a different part number. Although the stations look identical on the outside (and use the same Clean & Renew cartridges), older Series 9 shavers will not initiate a cleaning cycle in the new station, but will charge, and the cleaning status display is also slightly different.
7. It is also expensive, but actually in line with other top tier shavers from other manufacturers
What this shaver is not:
1. It is not a Series 7, or a Series 8, or any other series in Braun's lineup.
2. It is not any other shaver brand - Panasonic, Philips, Remington, or anything other than Braun.
3. It is not a rotary shaver (see #2).
4. It is not a DE razor, or a cartridge razor, or any other bladed razor.
5. It does not have a replaceable battery. Neither does any other modern rechargeable shaver.
6. It will not work as a corded shaver. Neither will any other modern wet/dry shaver.
7. It was designed for shaving your face. Not any other hirsute body parts on a human, although it might incidentally work for that.
If you were expecting any of the above on the "not" list, in spite of Braun's marketing for what this shaver actually is, you may be disappointed. But if you are in the market for a new Series 9 (or just for a great foil shaver), you should give this one a hard look. If you are the owner of an older Series 9 and you like it, this one adds features described above - slightly longer battery life, different cosmetics - and perhaps marginally better performance (subjective), but whether enough to replace your current Series 9 shaver is very much a personal choice. The new 93XX Series, for me, does seem to provide a slightly smoother and more comfortable shave than the previous generations (perhaps attributable to the faster processer and perhaps more rapid automatic beard density detector), but again purely subjective experience. Along with other Series 9 generations, it provides arguably the most comfortable shave you can get with an electric shaver, foil or rotary. The 20% increase in battery life is a plus, and the new display includes shaver head status, cleaning status, lock and battery charge indicator (and is a white - or light blue - LED instead of dark blue), but otherwise is almost identical to the 92XX models – which again are excellent. Highly recommended.
