Braun as a brand, appears at the top of just about every recommended electric shaver reviews around the web. And as a long term user of several of their models over the years I can vouch for how accurate that is.

What attracted to me this older series 5 over the newer version, aside from price, is that you get a closer more comfortable shave (similar to the series 7), a better build quality and the very useful cleaning station.

The build quality is superb, feels good to hold, not heavy or bulky as the product images might suggest, it pivots nicely over the contours of your face, and under the nose and isn’t particularly loud in my opinion.

The shaving performance is impressive. I had no problem removing a 3 day growth, with just 2 or 3 passes. Leaving a very smooth face and no irritation. You can even use this with gels and foam for arguably cleaner shave, but I found dry was perfectly fine.

The cleaning station works very well, giving the head a thorough clean and lubrication, leaving a pleasant citrus smell, all whilst recharging. This took about 2-3 minutes and wasn’t noisy. It can take a couple of hours to dry, but that’s not usually a problem. The shaver charges quickly and there are indicators on it for power level and cleaning cycle information. The cartridges last a few weeks but aren’t cheap to replace. There are however third party refills that work well at a fraction of the price.

There’s a cleaning brush, foil protector and travel pouch included. I would have like a sold case instead though.

My only criticism is the pop up trimmer, which is curved, meaning you don’t quite get a straight line when used, but that aside I am extremely happy with this model and confident it will last a long time.

I ordered this after becoming fed up with wet shaving: the mess, the constant running tap, buying and losing shaving heads and handles. This model works in the shower but I don’t intend to try that function out. What I can say is that I was very impressed by my first experiences of shaving. It gave me a smooth shave with very little bother, easily as smooth as with my manual razor. The head pivots which is effective, but can be locked in place when needed. There is also a small pop-up trimmer which can be used to catch any strays. It feels solid in the hand and appears to be well-built. It’s not overly noisy. It also charges up really quickly and has an indicator to let you know when it is finished.

I specifically chose a ‘cc’ model that comes with the Clean and Charge Station. As mentioned, I was fed up with the mess of wet shaving, and this seemed like a neat solution. The idea is that you pop it in, press the button, and an alcohol solution is pumped in to the head to clean and disinfect. It is then left in there to dry. It definitely works, and I’m grateful for it, but it has to be said that the thing itself is hideous. Braun’s days of masterful design are certainly behind them, but compared to the razor itself the cleaning station looks like total junk. Large (really large), flimsy, shiny black plastic that won’t fail to ruin the look of your bathroom.

Overall though, a great piece of kit that does everything I need.

2 months with this shaver and i am delighted. A very close shave, easy to handle and great battery life. It will be interesting to see exactly how long the blades last, I am hoping for 6 months. I would def recommend this shaver, however if you have a small bathroom with limited shelf space perhaps this isn’t for you as the dock / cleaning unit can take up a bit of room (the wife thinks it looks a bit cumbersome on the shelf). If plugged in the base unit will keep the shaver charge topped up; it will only clean the razor when you press the button and ask it to. Note it does not dry the razor after cleaning as some more expensive models, but this is really not an issue and perhaps a luxury too far as the razor is well and truly dry the next morning. I disconnected the plug and used the shaver each day slowly running the battery down to simulate a holiday break. The razor charge lasted 10 shaves. Don’t let this put you off as you do not need to take the base station on holiday with you, simply detach the cord and plug directly into the razor (so not cumbersome in the luggage). Good product and good price. Lets hope the replacement foils do not go up in price (as philips did).