I've been a dedicated electric shaver user since high school having learned at the earliest shaving age that placing a razor sharp blade against my throat first thing in the morning was not a wise decision, me not being a morning person and all. Since that time I have tried Norelco, Remington, and finally Braun shavers and it wasn't until the Braun that I finally found my shaver for life. I have now owned four Braun shavers and they have all performed very well. And although they are not inexpensive I think in the time I have owned each I have easily saved money over the equivalent cost in disposable razors.

A little over a month ago I came to the realization that I needed to either replace the rechargeable battery in my then current Synchro as it wasn't holding a charge for as long as it previously had. The shaver was still usable but less convenient as I had to remember once a week to charge it. So in I went to my favorite area electric shaver repair shop which also happens to be the place I bought two of my last shavers. Soon I was engrossed in conversation with the affable shop owner about the wondrous new innovations in the new 360 Complete series from Braun. He showed me two of the three available 360 models, the 8985 and the 8995. The major difference between the two is the amount of information the 8995 gives you and how it is displayed. Looking at the two I suddenly realized how cool the new 8995 was and why I really needed to have it. The geek in me had taken over as I am not usually an easy sell, but out the door I went with my new electric toy.

The Shaver

The Braun 360 Complete (Model 8995) is a cordless, rechargeable electric shaver that comes with its own recharging stand/cleaner. Unlike the Model 8985 which has LED indicator lights to present status information, the 8995 has an LCD display that offers much more detailed information. Like the 8985 the 8995 requires one hour to fully recharge and is rated for 50 minutes of shave time on a single charge. The shaver also has the ability for a quick 3 minute charge that allows for one shave. The charging base, Clean & Renew station, also acts as a cleaning station using an alcohol based cleaner that leaves the shaver, clean, sterile, and smelling fresh. All 360 Complete models feature Smart Foil screens which have a more updated design than my old Synchro. The holes in the Smart Foil screen are designed at angles that optimize the capturing of hair so that more hair strands are caught on each pass minimizing the need to go over the same area multiple times. All models also feature the Contour Hugging Head I found so nice in the Synchro. This allows for the head to pivot as you shave which causes the head to stay at a better angle as you move the shaver around the jaw, neck, and cheeks. Also like the Synchro the 360 Complete models have a four position switch with positions for 'Off', 'On' (the head pivots), 'Fix" (stops the head from pivoting), and 'Trim' (raises the beard/mustache/sideburn trimmer).

(Note: The picture in the product details is the Synchro, not the 360 Complete (model 8995))

LCD Display

The LCD display is a very nice feature and to me is worth the extra few dollars over the 8985. The display gives you detailed status information including:

- Shaver charging / Remaining charging time
- Self test / full charge
- Remaining shaving time / Shaver must be charged
- Time left in the cleaning process
- Replace Foil (Will display after about 18 months of use)
- Battery Care (displays when battery fully discharges and then recharges for maintenance)
- Temp! (Displays when charging conditions are outside the operating range)
- Intensive cleaning needed (Displays when the shaver reads to be placed in the cleaning station)

Below the display is the info key used to control several features including resetting warning messages. Holding the info key down for three seconds will start the display demo. Pressing the info key once will give information on the length of the last shave, pressing it again will give the total number of shaves.

New Features

- Gillette Blades - The 360 Complete series are the first Braun shavers to feature Gillette blade technology. This is actually a big step as Braun has been noted for its electronics for years and Gillette is the premier shaving blade manufacturer. Even though Gillette had purchased Braun many years ago and is itself now merged with Proctor & Gamble, Braun up until now had always used its own blades. The new cutter block contains 64 Gillette blades to offer a much more precise shave than previous models.

- Power Comb - The power comb is a line of zigzag tracks designed to lift hard to cut hairs that lay flat against the skin such as at the neck. The track oscillates back and forth as you move the shaver around your face.

Recommended Maintenance

Braun recommends that you return the shaver to the Clean & Renew station after every shave and goes on to explain that the cleaning fluid should last for about 30 cleaning cycles.

Braun also advises replacing the foil and cutter blade every 18 months.

Tips & Tricks

Yes, Braun would love you to clean the shaver in between shaves, but in my experience with the Synchro, which uses the same cleaning system, that is totally unnecessary. For Braun this is a potential revenue stream of consumables as you buy a new box of 2 cleaning solution cartridges every two months. At an MSRP of $19.99 that adds up to some nice money for Braun each year and a decent hit to your pocket. Rather than cleaning the shaver each time use the included brush to remove any shavings from the blades and clean every time you charge the shaver. Be sure you remove the cleaning solution cartridge from the Clean & Rene station after each charge/cleaning session and reseal the cap or the alcohol based fluid will evaporate fairly quickly. These were tips given to me by the owner of the service shop and following them I need to buy a new box of cartridges about once a year rather than six times a year, a savings of roughly $100 at full MSRP.

As far as the cutting block and foil a lot depends on the heaviness of a persons beard growth and the coarseness of the stubble. In my experience 18 months is a worst case scenario and more likely 24 months should be adequate for all but heavy beard growth people.

My Experience

The 8995 is an absolute joy. I have always experienced stray hairs on my neck and jaw line that require several passes and sometimes the trimmer to remove. With the new power comb I have yet to need more than two passes to eliminate these strays. The new foil so far seems to do a much better job as it now takes about half the time to shave that it did with the Synchro. This may also have to do with the new Gillette blades but I can feel the hair being captured more with this shaver than my previous one which had a standard foil.

I've also noticed that the 50 minutes of shaving time seems to be very conservative as I've only had to recharge it in the past week after over a month of usage.

As I mentioned previously the LCD display is well worth the price difference between the 8995 and the 8985. Previously with the Synchro and its LED lights I had to wait until the blades slowed down or the LED lit up to know when it was time to recharge the battery. After more than a year of use the shaver would often slow down only just before it was about to die not giving me much warning. With the 8995 I can check the status at any time. And besides its just cool. Yeah, I'm a geek.

Overall I'm delighted in my 8995 and it has performed far better than the Synchro that it replaced. For the dedicated electric shaver the Braun 360 Complete Model 8995 is the best I've found so far.

Price

I paid $169.95 but I've seen the 8995 advertised recently as low as $153.99 online.

© Mongkut, 2006