14 out of 14 people found this review helpful.
Braun 360 Complete model 8985 is the best electric shaver I have used
Date of Review: Apr 27, 2008
The Bottom Line: Recommended for tough, fast growing beards where other electric shavers have failed
Competition
I'm not going to delve into the other competition on the market, since I haven't used those razors personally. Instead, I must mention that I've used other shaving solutions over the years, and compared the Braun 360° Complete model 8985 razor to them.
Of course, I've used regular razors, most commonly the Gilette Mach3 series. I've used these with shaving foams, gels, and even the throwback shaving soap with a brush. I've also tried all sorts of pre- and post-shave products to try to improve upon my shave-with-a-blade experience. However, in the end, it all seems to be a painful, sometimes bloody mess that doesn't produce the results I want. However, I would say that shaving with a blade has generally produced a closer shave than my previous electric razors.
Speaking of which, I've alternated between Norelco and Braun electric razors for about fifteen years. So I compare the Braun 360° Complete model 8985 against two old Norelco (including a Reflex Plus) and one older Braun (model 5520).
I will state unequivocally that the Braun 360° Complete model 8985 is the best of the electric razors I have ever owned. It produces the cleanest, closest shave. I believe it competes favorably in closeness to the blade shave, generally with less pain, drama, and water usage.
No matter what shaving method and technique I employ, however, I tend to develop a lot of in-grown hairs. This is one constant source of frustration, and perhaps explains why shaving is one of my least fun daily activities. Thankfully, the Braun 360° Complete has improved my outlook.
Form
The Braun 360° Complete package I received as a gift consists of several components:
* Braun 360° Complete model 8985 razor
* Cleaning and recharging base
* AC power adapter
* Travel case, foil cover, and brush.
My package also included a travel trimmer, but we will not speak of it again because I've never used it. (Who buys a $100+ electric razer to take a freebie trimmer on the road with them?) The package was a bundle from BJ's, the big-box shopping club.
The razor unit itself is very similar to the Braun 5520. I still have the older shaver and can compare them side-by-side. The 8985 feels a bit heavier, but no overly or uncomfortably so; its weight is distributed well. Its shape is more tapered and rounded for a better fit in my hand. The 5520, a lower-cost unit, is boxier. Otherwise, the two share a common design from their swinging shaving head, to the slide-up trimmer combined with the power switch on the front, and down to the charging port on the bottom.
The newer 8985's shaving head swings farther back than it does front, whereas the 5520 appears to swing both back and front equally far. Both Braun units' heads lock in position when you slide the power switch; in the case of the 8985, that position is labeled "fix." The shaving foil can be removed by pressing buttons on the left and right side of the 8985's head. The foil pops up so that it can be removed for cleaning or changing. I have not had to change the foil, although I previously did swap on for my 5520.
The Braun design contrasts with both of my previous Norelco units. I still have the Reflex Plus, and it is built around the three round shaving foils arranged as points of a triangle on the shaver head. All of my Norelco shavers have had floating heads that move only in unison, responding the same way to being pressed; the three heads have not changed their angle independently of each other.
Where the Braun 8985 is tapered and flat, somewhat like a candy bar, the Norelco Reflex Plus is clearly meant to have your fingers wrapped around it. Ultimately, the Norelco industrial design works much better and provides good grip positions for holding the shaver in at least two different ways. The Norelco unit's pop-up trimmer on the back is less convenient to use.
The Braun 8985 has three LEDs: one for "empty," one for "charge," and a final one to "replace foil+cutter." In practice, I haven't paid attention to them yet, other than to check that the shaver is charged. However, the LEDs do indicate that a design goal of the shaver was probably to help you maintain it.
Overall, the Braun 8985 is a nice-looking shaver. Its body appears to be all plastic, although it has metallic portions. It feels solid and well-built, with no loose or rattling parts.
The cleaning and recharging base is very large and bulb-shaped; it is mostly empty air. It is heavy plastic with a wide pedestal for support on the countertop. It pops up to accept one of Braun's cleaning cartridges. One was included in the box. Several LED indicators display the status of the razor separately for charging and cleaning.
The AC adapter has a curly cord and its plug is a small power brick that seems about the size of an iPod Nano. I may be exaggerating a bit, but not much; it does feel as if it is too large. Unlike a wall wart you might get with some electronics gizmo, the oversize plug end of the cord sticks straight out and is thin enough that it shouldn't interfere with other adapters. In practice, even when I've traveled with it, it's been okay, but I prefer the smaller cords that I've had on past shavers (even my Braun 5520), which have been very little than the curly cable and a standard two-prong plug.
The travel case, foil cover, and brush are nice additions but unspectacular. The case is hard plastic and opens in clamshell fashion from what would be the top of the shaver. It fits the shaver body closely and has a soft lining throughout; the shaver can only fit into it in one direction. There is a recessed cavity for the included brush, which you would probably used in favor of the clean and charge base when traveling, since the base is so bulky. The foil cover is clear, hard plastic and seems like it does a good job of protecting the shaver head from damage. The cover has a blue tab to help with removal.
Function
The first time I used the Braun 360° Complete model 8985 shaver, I bloodied myself up. I couldn't recall having done that with an electric razor before, so I was quite surprised. It seemed to have the most problem on the corners of my chin, and continues to irritate that area after several months of use.
However, the average results I get out of the 8985 outweigh this problem. I feel that it produces the closest shave with the least fuss of any of shaving techniques I've tried, so I'm willing to put up with this. That said, chewing up my face is bit is not ideal and I wish it didn't.
Past shavers have had problems with ingrown hair, the lines from chin to ear, and my neck. The Braun 8985 does quite well, in my estimation, with the ingrown hair and the chin-ear lines. It still doesn't perform as well as I'd like on my neck (which also suffers from ingrown hair), but it is still better than what I've done before. The hair that it misses can often be trimmed or plucked, and at least becomes easier to spot because everything around it has been cut well.
The 8985 shaver does occasionally miss hairs that I think it should be able to shave. Sometimes, it will catch it on subsequent passes when the skin is pulled tighter. Other times, I have to apply more effort.
The shaver seems to have the most difficulty around the corners of my mouth, my cheekbones, and my neck.
The clean and recharge base is very convenient. I can drop the razor in (it only goes one way) to start recharging and depress the wide blue button on the front to start the cleaning process. The cleaning process varies in length and severity based on how much cleaning the base thinks the shaver needs. One of the LED sets on the base displays the cleaning level needed.
The cleaning process is noisy, so you wouldn't want to run it nearby while someone is sleeping (adult or infant, in my experience). I never wait for the process to finish but I think it takes about 30-45 minutes.
While the manual led me to believe the cartridge would last one month, I got about four months of cleanings out of it. I would recommend shopping around for the CCR-3 cartridges to get the best price; my wife found them online in a three-pack for a decent discount over what local stores charge. We'll see if the replacement lasts as long as the first one.
Replacing the cartridge is easy, but wasteful. The entire thing is plastic that in my locality can only be thrown out, not recycled. The clear fluid from a clean cartridge turns to mucky gunk by replacement time. You have to be careful during replacement to avoid tipping either the old or new cartridge, because when you open them, the are unplugged and the liquid can leak out.
The LEDs on the charging station and the razor are both very bright, and most are blue. I found the flashing of the razor's brilliant blue charging LED to be distracting, so if you have it near where it can be seen by someone sleeping, it may be a distraction. In my case, turning the base helped out a lot in cutting down the glare.
For travel, the AC adapter that is normally plugged into your base will plug into the shaver itself. It uses a rectangular plug on the base/shaver end that does not match the cord from any of my other razors, which is somewhat inconvenient since I had a collection of old ones that worked with several shavers.
