Let me step into a time warp here. It has been a long time (let's not beat around the bush - probably 26 years) since I tried an electric razor. And there is a very good reason why. I think my parents had bought me an electric razor for my birthday, or some other occasion way back then, and I was very excited. I had reached the time in my life where the daily scraping of my face with a very sharp implement had lost its novelty. I plugged in this new gadget an applied it to my chin, and before long I had trimmed all the whiskers on my face. I think I also removed a layer of skin with the whiskers (pretty close shave). This wasn't a real problem until I applied the after shave. The next several minutes were a new experience for me. I have had some pretty bad bruises and a couple of broken bones in my past, but this new onslaught of pain was something I still remember today. Needless to say I haven't tried an electric again until this past December.

My kids being persuaded by the sleek look of the Braun 360 on the TV ads insisted that they purchase this as a Christmas gift for me. I'll bet the look on my face when I opened the package was priceless. The kids were not totally impressed with my response, and they persisted in making me try this self torture device (at least I thought it was).

I've been using this Braun 360 for almost nine months now and I think I will never go back to the shaving cream and manual razor for my morning shave. Unlike my previous experience with an electric shaver I find this one to be very comfortable. Since I was inexperienced with one of these machines I felt it important to read the instructions carefully especially since I wanted to avoid my earlier excruciating experience. I found some very helpful tips such as being patient as your face needs to adjust to the new shaving experience. They said it will take up to three weeks before you will start to get great shaves (I actually think it took me that long to learn how to use it properly). Another important tip was to use it prior to a shower because your face will be a bit tighter, and the whiskers will be standing up more. This definitely helps the electric razor to be more effective, and in my opinion, no loss of comfort.

Unfortunately I can't help on comparisons to other brands of electric razors, but I am a very satisfied user of the Braun 360. My shaves, are as close as my old track 2. I am not getting any razor burn from the 360. There are a couple of challenging spots on my face, but they are the same spots I had problems with my old track 2. I especially enjoy the convenience of the 360. It takes less time to shave, and I can use it quickly and easily without needing the shaving cream preparation. When I'm finished shaving I'll usually pop off the foil and blow out the loose whiskers. Then I just put the 360 in the self cleaner, and lock it in place. The cleaner is a bit noisy, but it is very effective, and since I'm usually not around to listen to it do its work I'm not bothered by the noise.

I do find the cleaning packs to be a bit wasteful, but I'm cleaning the razor each time I use it. I don't want to risk anything like my original experience 26 years ago. I would recommend this product to anyone that is looking for some added convenience, and a bit of saved time when shaving.