We bought this razor for my 85 year old father-in-law for Father's Day. He absolutely loves it. I was concerned that he might have difficulty understanding the cleaning system as his vision is not good, but he figured it out and can't stop raving about it.

I haven`t used an electric razor in quite a while.
For the price and quality 4 stars max.
I1ts not a blade and I have tough wiskers.

I have had several other brands over the years and about 15 years ago I started using Braun. This is my third razor and it is the best of the bunch. The cutting head is made different and it really works. It's a little harder to clean. You must be very carful of the screen and the cutting head but the inprovment in the performance more than makes up for the inconvience.

The Braun Syncro System shavers debuted in the US around the spring of 2000 with the 7000 series. They made quite a splash, looking quite different from the predecessor, the Braun Flex Integral (6000 series). I bought the 7526 model and used it for about 4 years before moving up to the 8000 Activator series. The model I actually have is the 8595. The 8995 is essentially the same model, only renamed with a different model convention (now 5 series instead of Activator system 8000 series).

If you can find the 8595 Activator for less money, get it instead of the 5 series 8995. The differences from the 8995 are only cosmetic, and minor at that.

MODELS
The Braun 5 Series line consists of several models: 8975, 8985, and 8995. The top of the line is, naturally, the 8995. I suggest you go to www.shavers.com to see the spec comparison, as this site does a good job of showing you the differences. In a nutshell, they ALL have the same motor and cut exactly the same. The differences are in the number of indicators (the 8995 has an LCD screen, while the 8575 and 8585 use LED lights), some additional chrome trim, and the inclusion of the cleaning system (the 8575 does not have it).

LCD INDICATOR
I chose the 8995(8595), because I wanted to have the LCD indicator (my prior model--the 7526--did not have one). The 8995 LCD will show you exactly how much charge you have left, how many minutes until fully charged, how many shaves your shaver has performed, and how many minutes you've spent shaving. Do you really need to know all this? Not really.

The LCD will also tell you how many shaves you've done. It makes a count after about 1 minute from shut-off. So, if you shut off the unit for a moment to do something then go back to shaving a minute later, your counter will now have 2 shaves logged. It's not very useful information. What Braun should really do with the LCD is display a total hours operated counter and then show a warning for changing the foil/cutter once 12 months has been reached (you'd then have the option to reset the warning). I don't care how many shaves I've taken! Incidentally, the new 5 series model that replaces the 8995 has done away with the LCD (Braun went back to using just LED indicators--cheaper and they probably realized the LCD is not all that useful anyway).

CHARGING
The unit fully charges in about an hour. That's quick. And once charged, it goes into a trickle charge mode so there's no danger of overcharging. The voltage control mechanism is very sophisticated and can take a wide range of voltages, worldwide. Braun perfected these electronics over several decades, so it has to be good. With models lacking an LCD, a red light will start to flash when the shaver charge is getting low. At that point, you've got about two shaves left. That's not bad. So, in essence, once it starts flashing you plug it in after your shaving is done. A full charge should last about 10 shaves. Compared to other shavers, this is quite competitive, especially given that it takes only 60 minutes to become fully charged. If you plug in for a few minutes, you can get about one shave without the cord, if the unit was fully discharged.

MOTOR
The motor is supposed to be one of the fastest on the market. It does operate well and it's relatively quiet compared with previous Braun shaver models. Braun designed it so that it also vibrates from side to side, essentially providing 4 cutting directions. In actuality, I do not think the side-to-side is very effective. I haven't changed my shaving stroke patterns and the time to complete my shave is always about the same (5 minutes).

EXTERIOR
The exterior of the 8995 is a sleek satin look silver, and has a very smooth touch. Braun did away with a lot of the "grip pips" that were found on previous models, leaving only a few in certain key areas. I think this was a mistake. The shaver grip isn't quite as good as it used to be--if your hands are wet, you might very well drop the shaver. And that silver skin is delicate. Mine dropped into the sink and suffered an abrasion (just a cosmetic issue). You might notice that there is a new 5 series model out (the 590cc replaces the 8995) which features a very prominent side grip design--this is much better. But that model is quite a bit more expensive.

CASE
I don't know if the 8995 comes with a case that holds only the shaver (no cord). My 8595 came with a hard plastic base and a flimsy plastic hinge that eventually broke off--useless. My old 7526 came with a faux leather pouch that holds the cord and shaver neatly. I don't know why Braun abandoned it (I now use it for my 8595).

CLEANING SYSTEM
I find this device very ingenious, for a variety of reasons. First, it really does clean the shaver well. Second, it isn't overbearingly loud. And third, it has indicators to show when cleaning and charging are done. The fourth is revenue. Braun was very clever about this. If men are only going to spend money once every two years on the foil and cutter block, how could they make more money? Well, this cleaning system is the key. If the cleaner is used the way Braun recommends, you end up replacing the cleaning cartridge every month. The smart thing to do is buy the "value pack", which brings the cost down to about $5 per cartridge. How do you know when to change it? Well, the cleaning system will tell you. It detects when there is a high amount of particles in the solution, or if the solution is too low to flow through, and will flash the red cartridge light while simply not running until you replace the cartridge. The cleaner unit itself is slightly big (about 7" tall x 5" round), but smaller than its predecessor (which was 12" tall with a flimsy lock that would break). I don't recommend bringing the cleaner with you when traveling (but you don't really need to clean everyday anyway).

But, I found a trick that Braun will probably shoot me for. I have been able to use a single cartridge for 1 full year before replacing. How did I do this? Well first of all, after each shave I dump my "whisker debris" down the sink, like you would normally do with the Flex Integral. It doesn't take long--simply pop off the foil, tap it in the sink, blow on both sides of the cutter block, replace the foil, and you're done in 10 seconds. This reduces the number of particles in the cleaning solution. So, why use the cleaning system at all, you may ask? It does do an excellent job of cleaning the cutter block, and whisker dust that is stuck on it and within the head and foil holder. A tedious task, even once or twice a week. When do I use the cleaning system? Well, usually whenever the shaver needs to be recharged. At this point, I take out the cartridge from my drawer, remove the top plugs, and slide it into the cleaner. Then I slide in the shaver and let the cleaner do its work. When the cleaning and charging is done, I remove the cleaning cartridge, reseal it with the plastic plugs, and put it away. This way the solution level does not get low from evaporation! Clever, eh? The only catch is that if you try to charge the shaver while mounted in the cleaner without the cartridge, it will not work. But you can always plug it in directly, without the cleaner. Anyway, that's my trick for getting around one this somewhat minor drawback. Some have said it's nice to have a "clean" shaver to use each time, but I find the cleaning process works well enough to use once per charge (just dump the whisker debris after each shave).

COMPETITION
Braun's biggest competitor is Norelco, with their triple floating head system that has been their mainstay technology since the 1970's. And it's rather surprising that they haven't improved it all that much over the course of nearly 40 years. Although the motor tends to be quieter than Braun, the Norelco cutting action seems to fall a little long. Plus, the Norelco heads are more expensive to replace. But you have to give it to Norelco--the Arcitec design looks amazing, more sophisticated than Braun's old foil shaver design. And you can thoroughly rinse out the heads using water, so no bothersome cleaning base (and cleaning solution purchase) is needed.

RECOMMENDATION
If price is no object, get the 8995. Otherwise, I recommend getting the 8985 or previous 8595 if you find it priced low enough. And don't forget the technique for extending the life of your

I bought this item less than six months ago, i.e. it's still under warranty. Last week the cleaning stand stopped working. After finally reaching Braun "Customer Service" today, I was informed that
1) I would have to send it to a service center in another state
2) It would take "at least" 2-3 weeks.
3) A temporary cheap replacement would take 2-3 weeks to arrive
4) I have to pay shipping to the repair location and make a long-distance call to them ahead of time to tell them it's coming. Who knows what's going to happen if/when I reach them.

Try another company. You've been warned.