Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver Review

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Important: Braun has just updated the Series 9 shaver range to their model line. The shavers themselves are IDENTICAL to the previous models (9095cc, 9090cc and 9093) except the trimmer that is on the shaving head is now gold colored (and apparently titanium coated). Having tested one for three weeks, it shaves EXACTLY THE SAME as the previous models, for better or worse. As such, we consider this review to still be up to date, even though it makes reference to the previous model of Series 9 Electric shaver.

Here’s the new 9295cc (does it really look different than the 9095cc below other than the gold strip on the shaving head?)

The release of the “new” models means that you can pick up the older Series 9 shavers at a bargain price.

Out of all the shavers, the one I was most interested in reviewing was the Braun series 9.

Why?

Because Braun is a subsidiary of Proctor and Gamble. And as you know, P&G has a LOT of money to throw around.

In fact, the sheer amount of money Braun has to spend saw them become the “Official shaver of the NFL” And signed up Super Bowl Champion Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) as a spokesperson for the shaver.

If you are thinking:

That can’t be cheap

You would be 100% correct.

Braun has spent more money than most of us will earn in our lifetime to promote the Series 9 Shaver. That’s of hype. That tagline “Official Shaver of the NFL” would have cost a pretty penny.

But marketing is not the only place Braun have spent their money. A team of 60 engineers and scientists developed this shaver over 5 years.

But is the Braun Series 9 an over-hyped marketing gimmick? Or is it the best electric shaver you will ever experience? Let’s find out together.

There are currently three different Series 9 models available on the US market:

  1. 9095cc – Braun’s top of the line wet/dry model.
  2. 9090cc – Exactly the same as above but only shaves dry.
  3. 9093s– Same as 9090cc but without cleaning station.

This review focuses on the top of the range 9295cc. Because this model has all the features you can decide for yourself whether or not they justify the higher price.

With the introduction out of the way, it’s time to jump headfirst into this review.

Braun Series 9

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Unboxing

If you run out and buy a brand new series 9 shaver (or even luckier, you are given one as a gift) then this is what you can expect to find in the box:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver Box Contents

Spiffy. Let’s take a closer look at each individual piece.

First up is the instruction manual

Braun Series 9 electric shaver instruction manual

Not only the instruction manual confusingly set out; requiring you to constantly refer back to diagrams at the front of the manual, but it has been designed to cover all the different models of Series 9 shaver, including international models.

The only way Braun could have made a worse manual is if they took the Ikea approach. No words, just pictures.

Still, there is something useful in the instruction manual; a return form you will need for the 60-day guarantee. If you are unhappy with the shaver for whatever reason you can return it to Braun for your money back.

The next item you will pull out of the box is the travel case:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver zippered travel case

Braun has once again changed up the travel case design.

They have opted for a fake leather (my bottom line is pleather) material for the outside of the case.

Along the hinge of the case is an air vent. And you will either love it or hate it.

The idea behind the vents is that a slightly damp shaver can continue to dry while being stored away. Even if your shaver is damp you won’t have to worry about mold or mildew growing thanks to the air circulation.

On the flipside, the vent provides an open door to fine pieces of lint, dust, dirt and whatever else you have floating around your bag to enter the case.

If you open up the zipper on the travel case you will be presented with the star of the box:

Braun Series 9 electric shaver side photo

This thing is darn shiny.

I will be examining the shaver in much greater detail in the section below. For now, I will continue exploring the remaining stuff in the box.

Next up is the cleaning brush:

Braun series 9 electric shaver cleaning brush

Barely larger than your thumb, the cleaning brush is little more than a guitar pick with bristles.

As is a trend among modern shavers, the Braun Series 9 ships with a cleaning dock:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver Cleaning unit

The cleaning dock sits atop your bathroom countertop and automatically cleans and charges your electric shaver.

Does this cleaning dock look familiar to you? You probably recognize it from the Braun 5 Series shaver. Both look incredibly similar.

If you have ever used an electric shaver with a cleaning dock before then you will know what comes next:

Braun Series 9 Electric shaver disposable cartridge containing cleaning solution

That’s right; a cleaning cartridge.

Inside the cartridge is a cleaning solution that the dock uses to clean your shaver.

Now it is here that I mention that the cleaning solution inside the Braun cartridges is alcohol based. This is classified as a hazardous substance in any quantity by all major delivery services.

This only really affects international orders (shipped by air) as you will have to pay a small hazardous materials handling fee.

Finally, we come to the last item in the box, the charger:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver charging adapter and cord

In what seems like an odd design choice, Braun has decided to give the adapter a coiled cord. You know, like the curly cord you would find on really old telephones.

While this cord is fun to play with, it hides a problem. This cord is short. Very short. Even when fully stretched out it is shorter than any other brand.

This can cause a bit of a headache if your power outlet is a way away from where you want to charge your electric shaver.

And that brings us to the end of the box exploration. Now let’s take a closer look at the shaver itself.

The Shaver

The first thing that hit’s you when you look at this electric shaver is just how shiny it is.

Both Panasonic and Braun insist on using polished chrome on their top-tier electric shavers. And it is something I really wish they would do away with.

Make sure you take in every moment of your new electric shaver. Maybe a photo for future memory. Because the Braun Series 9 will never look as good again once you start using it.

From my experience with the Panasonic Arc 5, the chrome surface attracts everything. Fingerprints, watermarks and cut hairs all show up as if they are a neon sign. And the Series 9 is no different.

Out of all the premium electric shavers, I preferred the matte plastic of the Philips 9300 and 9700. While they don’t have the same wow-factor as the polished chrome, fingerprints, and watermarks are much less visible.

Note – There are also two gloss black international Series 9 models (9050cc and 9040s) and these too have the same problem, the shiny surface attracts smudges like it is no ones business. As of writing this guide only the Chrome model is available in the United States.

Located on the front of the Series 9 are two buttons:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver buttons on front of shaving body

These perform two very different functions:

Silver slide toggle – Locks the shaver’s head into position so that it does not move

Power button – You gotta turn this thing on and off somehow.

If you look closely at the above picture you will notice that the silver slide toggle has small black rubber grips.

These grips are too stop your thumb from slipping while you slide the button up and down when wet. Truth be told this does not work that well in practice.

Braun has done a great job at incorporating the sliding toggle into the design. If you find yourself locking and unlocking the shaver head frequently while you shave then you will appreciate it’s front and center position on the shaver.

Off to the right-hand side of the sliding toggle written tiny writing is:

Braun series 9 electric shaver wet/dry identification

This identifies that you can either your Series 9 shaver dry or wet. If you do not see this on the side of your shaver then you do not have a wet/dry model.

It is also worth mentioning that the above photo was not my first attempt. Below you will see my first attempt at this photo:

Braun series 9 electric shaver chrome with finger print smudges

Yep, that is a whopping big fingerprint. I again want to stress that this shaver is a fingerprint and watermark magnet. Chrome sucks. The member of Braun’s design team who gave chrome the all clear to be used in this shaver should be fired.

Just below the power button is what looks like a shiny black plastic section:

Braun series 9 electric shaver display screen and braun logo

No, Braun did not run out of chrome. This is actually the LCD display.

While it doesn’t look like much with the power off, this screen shows information like the amount of remaining battery charge. I will look closer at the LCD display further down this review.

Just below the LCD screen is the Braun logo. Just in case you forget who makes your shaver.

At the very base of the shaver, hidden from view is the charging socket:

Braun series 9 electric shaver charging socket

If you want to charge your shaver with the charging cord, simply plug it in here.

Now that we have taken care of all the exciting features on the front of this shaver, it’s time to flip the shaver over and have a look at the rear:

Braun series 9 electric shaver rear photo

Surprisingly, the Braun series 9 is looks just as good from behind. Unlike the top models from Panasonic and Philips, Braun appears to have put some thought into the presentation here.

Don’t get me wrong, this rear will spend most of its time hidden by the grip of your hand – but this is a premium shaver. If I am going to pay top dollar, I want the whole product to look and feel special. Not just the front.

As you can see, the rear of the shaver is dominated by a rubber grip. IF you hold the shaver correctly this grip will save the shaver from slipping through your hands when wet.

Let’s work our way up the rear from bottom to top.

At the very base of the rear is the shavers model number as well as the country of origin:

Braun series 9 electric shaver 9095cc made in germany

Made in Germany

Like all other high-end shaver models, Braun has chosen not to manufacture their shaver in China, which is a nice change.

Moving up the rear you will come to a small oval-shaped button:

Braun series 9 electric shaver trimmer button

Pressing it doesn’t seem to do anything. But if you press and slide your thumb upwards, a secret trimmer head is revealed:

Braun series 9 electric shaver pop-up trimmer

I am a huge fan of pop-up trimmers. When the time comes to detail your sideburns or mustache, you simply pop the trimmer up and trim away.

Now I must stress that this is very much a detail trimmer. It will not replace your everyday beard trimmer.

While it will deliver pretty good results on your sideburns and goatee, trimming an entire beard is definitely not its strong point.

Even if the included trimmer could handle your entire beard, I am not sure that you would want to use it as an everyday trimmer.

Why?

Because the trimmer is a non-replaceable part. Over time the trimmer will lose its sharpness. Once this happens you are stuck with a blunt trimmer until you replace your shaver.

Braun Series 9 electric Shaver pop-up trimmer blade

While the trimmer is definitely better than the separate trimmer attachment that Philips includes on its high-end model, the pop-up trimmer of the Panasonic Arc 5 was superior.

The idea of a detail trimmer is that it allows you to give a clean edge to your sideburns, mustache or goatee.

Unfortunately, Braun’s trimmer hides behind the shaver head, an awkward design that means you can lose sight of the trimmer blade as it nears your skin. Obviously, this makes attempting to detail your facial garden a difficult task.

The horizontal trimmer of the Panasonic Arc 5 allows for much more precision. Interestingly, the much older Series 7 also has the horizontal beard trimmer. Braun doesn’t seem to understand the saying “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”

My other gripe with the trimmer is that the teeth stick upwards, even when it isn’t popped up. If you slide your fingers over this area the teeth can scratch you.

Don’t get me wrong, the trimmer looks amazing! But it feels like Braun skipped functionality in favor of looks with their trimmer.

The last thing of interest on the rear of the trimmer are these two unusual metal pieces:

Braun Series 9 electric Shaver charging contacts on rear of handle

These are actually the charging contacts. The cleaning dock uses these two metal pieces to charge your shaver. Much easier than plugging in the charging cord.

Exploring the Series 9 brought on a bit of déjà vu. The shaver body is very similar to that of the Braun series 5, a shaver that is almost half the price.

If you read our review of the Series 5 shaver you will know that we were fairly impressed with the body overall. Still, it would have been nice to see Braun do something new for their top tier model, especially since they apparently had a team of 60 scientists and engineers working on it.

The Series 9 feels great when held in the hand:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver held in right hand

The shaver is VERY nicely weighted, something that was missing on the Arc 5.

Now the Series 9 is also the thickest of the high-end electric shavers. Whether you like this or not all comes down to personal preference. It does make the shaver trickier to control with just your wrist, but not so much so that I would complain about it.

Now while all these features are nice, (or not so nice in the case of the pop-up trimmer) the emphasis of any electric shaver is the shaving head.

And this is the Series 9’s secret weapon:

Braun Series 9 electric Shaver close up of shaving head

The first thing that jumps out at you is that Braun has added an extra cutting blade.

The newly added blade is designed to direct and cut hairs that grow in different directions, something that the Series 7 really struggled with.

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver Explanation of different cutting blades

As you would expect from Braun, each cutting element has been given a cheesy name by their marketing department:

1. Direct&Cut trimmer – The newest addition, aligns and cuts hairs that grow in different directions.

2. HyperLift&Cut Trimmer -Lifts up and cuts hairs that lay flat against the skin (you know, the annoying hairs you often find on your neck).

3 OptiFoil – The trimmer responsible for the super close shave. Captures, and cuts short hairs.

Unlike the slightly curved shaving head of the Panasonic Arc5, Brauns is completely straight.

I was a little disappointed to discover this as the curved foil guards of the Panasonic definitely seemed to help on trickier areas (like just under your chin).

But the thing I was most disappointed in was the quality of the foil guard itself.

You won’t be able to notice it unless you look closely:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver close up of foil guard workmanship

The pattern isn’t even uniform the whole way across. Some of the holes in the foil guard are definitely smaller than others.

It is too difficult to test whether this irregularity is responsible for missed hairs. I just thought it was worth mentioning since the Panasonic range doesn’t appear to have this flaw.

Each individual cutting blade can tilt left or right according to how pressure is applied:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver flexible individual cutting elements

This is a welcome feature makes sure that the blades are in contact with your skin even over contoured sections of your face.

But it’s not just the blades that tilt. The whole cutting head gets in on the action too:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver flexible pivoting head

Curiously, the back and forth movement of the head feels a little stiff and jerks as it moves. The Series 7 had fluid moving head and this feels somewhat feels like a step backward.

Remember how I mentioned the locking button on the front of the shaver earlier in the review?

Well, this is what it locks. The head can be locked into one of 5 different angles, or if you prefer you can leave the head to freely move around.

With the cutting blades flexing side to side and the entire shaving head pivoting back and forth, this is a pretty flexible shaver.

Located either side of the shaving head are two black buttons. Pressing them both at the same time will allow you to remove the foil and cutter block from the shaver body:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver with foil and cutter block removed

This is how you will manually clean the shaver if you do not use the cleaning dock, or if your shaver doesn’t come with a cleaning dock (9093s model).

Now here is something that annoyed me. The shaving block can go back on either way. Because the shaver head is not symmetrical, this swaps around the order of the center two cutters.

Now, in the instructions, Braun claims:

The Foil and Cutter cassette can be attached either way. There is no impact on performance.

Odd. During testing, we noticed one way shaved better than the other. However, this may have been a placebo effect. Three people is not exactly a large enough sample size to draw a positive conclusion. We would love to hear from readers and hear your thoughts on this.

It’s unavoidable, over time the blades of your shaver will dull and you will have to buy a replacement head. Braun recommends that you change the foil and cutter head once every 18 months.

This is a full 6 months longer than all other manufacturers recommend. The blades are made from the same stainless steel that the other shavers use, so I am somewhat dubious as to just how well the Series 9 will be cutting at the 18-month mark, especially if you are a daily shaver.

Unfortunately the Braun series 9 ships without any juice in the battery. You cannot use the shaver straight out of the box. First, you are going to have to charge it.

The shaver can be charged in one of two ways, either sitting it on the cleaning station or plugging the charging cord directly into the socket at the bottom of the shaver.

Since I am going to be looking at the shaving station in more detail further down the page, I will take the shavers charging virginity by using the included adapter.

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver charging cord and adapter 100-240 ac

Good news if you travel for business, or even if you vacation often. The Braun Series 9 can be used anywhere in the world. The charger can run off anything between 100v and 240v.

USA, Japan, Australia, England…. The list goes on. Since the charger that comes in the box is designed to fit USA power sockets, you will need to buy a travel plug so that you can fit the oddly shaped sockets you come across in your travels (pick one up for cheap from eBay).

Braun claims that the lithium-ion battery of the Series 9 offers 50 minutes of shaving from a one hour charge. I found this number to be closer to 46 minutes when I timed it myself.

If your shaving session only lasts three minutes then you will get around 15 shaves before the battery runs flat.

But if the battery is dead, don’t worry. A five-minute quick charge will give you just enough battery charge for a single shave. Great if the battery dies mid-shave while you are getting ready for work.

While all series 9 shavers can be used cordless; you may or may not be able to shave with the cord depending on which model you buy:

  • Corded and cordless shaving: 9090cc
  • Cordless shaving only: 9093s, 9095cc

It’s now time to plug the shaver in and wait for an hour to pass.

While charging the LED battery display slowly fills up on the screen:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver battery indicator diplay increasing as shaver chargers

The battery is displayed in bars. Each bar represents approximately 20% battery charge.

There are two other indicators on the shaver, the first is the cleaning indicator:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver cleaning indicator on display screen

The cleaning indicator comes on when the shaver has decided that it needs a clean.

Now the cleaning indicator appears to be quite unreliable. The shaver appears to use a timer to determine when to display the indicator rather than actually testing whether or not your shaver head needs cleaning.

During testing, I playfully shaved 3 small hairs from my upper cheek and turned the shaver off. The next time I turned it on the cleaning indicator was shining at me.

Now to me, this shaver is still good for a whole other shave, I mean it has 3 hairs flowing around inside it at most. I was even able to replicate this with shaving a single hair.

The final indicator you will see on the display screen is the travel lock:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver travel lock indicator on display screen

When travel lock is you will be unable to turn the power on. This is to stop the shaver from turning on by itself at the bottom of your bag.

Pressing the power button with the travel lock activated will cause a padlock symbol to show up on the display screen, like in the picture above.

To activate travel lock you simply hold the power button down continuously for 3 seconds. To remove it, again hold the power button down for 3 seconds.

Simple stuff and a very handy feature for those of you who travel often. There is nothing worse than having your shaver turn on at the bottom of your suitcase only to discover that the battery is flat when you reach your destination.

That just about covers everything you could possibly want to know about the shaver itself. I think it’s about time we took the Series 9 for a test drive.

The Shave

Now everything I covered so far counts for naught if the darn shaver won’t cut your whiskers.

So now for the million dollar question:

How does a shaver that has been designed by 60 engineers and scientists over 5 years cut?

Amazingly…

I used this Shaver for a month before I came to a clear conclusion.

Unlike most electric shavers that struggle once your stubble reaches a 2-day growth, the Series 9 happily chopped through day three.

Now at first glance, this might not seem like much of a difference. But that is 1 whole extra day. And if you are an infrequent shaver then that can make all the difference.

Normally at day three, you would have to trim the hairs down with a beard trimmer before shaving.

Now those of you who are in the military or other professions where you need to remain clean shaven (or you just like the look) won’t have a problem with this.

A big annoyance is the “Direct&Cut” blade; a trimmer designed just to align and cut hairs growing in different directions. While it may work just fine for hairs that grow straight up or down, those that stick in all different directions (like under the chin) require many passes before they are shaved down. But they were eventually slain. This problem was only really noticeable under the chin, a tricky area where most electric shavers struggle.

Overall the Braun definitely is the most comfortable shave out of the high-end foil shavers (it’s direct competition being the Panasonic Arc 5). Unlike the Arc5, The Series 9’s foil guards don’t get warm the longer you shave.

If you have sensitive skin then this is an absolute blessing, since it means the shaver is less likely to irritate your skin.

But just how close does it shave?

Close, but it’s not the closest shave you will ever receive from an electric shaver. The series 9 just doesn’t give you that baby smooth face feeling that the Arc 5 does. This was especially noticeable on the jawline.

The Braun also left you with that “5 o’clock shadow” much sooner than the Arc5.

So how does the shaver go in the wet?

The whole point of buying the 9095cc model is so that you can give yourself a shave in the shower.

If that is your preference then you will be quite happy with the shave. It shaves near identically to when it’s dry but the added water makes the shaving head glide against your skin, resulting in a more comfortable shave.

It is worth mentioning that if you do not intend to use the shaver when wet then you are better off going with the 9090cc model. You will save yourself over $100.

But what about with shaving foam?

This warning in the instruction book stuck out at me:

Warning: Only models 9080s/9040s can be used with foam or gel.

Now The 9095cc is a wet and dry shaver and is also the most expensive of series 9 shavers. Not being able to use foam with a wet/dry shaver is unheard of.

Thinking it was a mistake I reached out to Braun customer service. This was their reply:

Foams and gels will clog the cleaning station, causing it to not clean the shaver properly as well as potentially damaging the station.

Up until I experienced the Braun series 9, every other brand that classifies it’s shaver as a “Wet/Dry” could be used with shaving foam. But according to the customer service representative I spoke to; using the Series 9 shaver with shaving foam WILL void your warranty.

The final insult to injury is that there is an international model that can be used with shaving foam and gel. Without voiding the warranty. The Series 9 9040s. The only difference between 9040s and the 9095cc (which I am reviewing) is the color and that it doesn’t come with a cleaning dock.

It is also worth mentioning that NOWHERE on Braun’s website is it mentioned that the 9095cc cannot be used with shaving cream, you have to read the instruction manual to discover this shortfall. Braun calling this a wet and dry model without going into detail on the shortcoming is incredibly dishonest.

But this is a detailed review. I couldn’t just not test this with shaving cream.

Since the shaving heads are identical on the 9040s and the 9095cc I figured I would just really thoroughly rinse the shaver after using cream.

So I lathered up, hit the power button and away I went.

To be honest, the Series 9 already offers a very comfortable shaving experience. While the shaving foam did make it smoother again, the added annoyance of moving shaving foam around my face made it easy to miss spots since the foam made it difficult to see where I had and hadn’t shaved, but this is a problem on all electric shavers. Admittedly the Series 9 is probably the worst performing high-end shaver when used with shaving cream.

I felt there was little to be gained by shaving with foam.

Now that you have the shaver full of hair and gunk, it’s time to give it a good old clean so that it’s good as new the next time you shave.

Cleaning

If you want your Series 9 performing to the best of its ability, you are going to have to clean it regularly.

There are two different ways you can clean the Series 9:

Automatically – Simply place your shaver in the cleaning station and hit clean. The dock will wash, dry and charge your electric shaver without any effort on your part.

Manually – Rinse the shaver under running water and brush away any visible hairs.

I will focus on the automatic clean first. Let’s take a closer look at the cleaning station:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver Cleaning unit

In stark contrast to the shiny chrome body of the shaver, Braun has decided to use a gloss black color for the cleaning unit.

While looks are entirely subjective, in my opinion, there is yet to be a good looking cleaning unit released for an electric shaver.

But at least the Braun dock looks darn prettier than that ugly thing the Arc 5 comes with.

The top of the shaving station is covered by a protective sticker.

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver cleaning station with protective sticker peeled off

I am always a little concerned about products that ship with protective stickers. More often than not, the surface underneath scratches and smudges easily.

But if you are choosing to buy a chrome electric shaver then a marked cleaning dock is the least of your worries.

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver rear of cleaning station with charging cord plugged in

The charging station runs off the same cord that you use to charge your electric shaver. Unfortunately, because the cord is so darn short you are going to have to sit your cleaning dock close to an outlet.

In the center of the rear of the cleaning dock is a big oval button.

Pressing this button causes the cleaning station top to pop up, revealing a compartment underneath. This is where the disposable cleaning cartridge goes:

Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver rear of cleaning station with disposable cartridge

Braun cleaning cartridges are the worst performing when it comes to needing to buy refills. It can be as little as a month before you need to replace the cartridge, despite Braun claiming that they can be used for up to 2 months.

This problem is partially due to the solution being alcohol based (denatured ethanol). You will lose some to evaporation. But if you really wanted to you can reseal the cartridge when not in use.

If you can fork out the cost of a Series 9 shaver then buying additional cleaning cartridges is relatively cheap (A pack of 4 will set you back less than $20 from Amazon).

But if you are feeling frugal then there are many websites that tell you how to make your own cleaning solution. While I cannot comment on their effectiveness or suitability, it does provide a solution for those of you who do not want to buy monthly refills.

Just be mindful that using homemade cleaning solutions can void the warranty of your shaver.

Since I am quite time poor, my preference is to stick with the cleaning cartridges for simplicity’s sake.

With the cleaning cartridge loaded and the power switched on you can now take your cleaning station for a whirl.

braun 9095cc holder

As soon as you place your Series 9 shaver in the dock it will start charging. I liked this feature as it ensures that your shaver is always fully charged, even if you need to grab it at a moments notice.

The shaver charges through the small metal contacts on the rear you saw earlier in the review. These contacts line up with small magnetic metal circles in the cleaning station. When they touch, your shaver will charge.

Braun recommends using the cleaning station after each shave (of course they do, this is going to see you need to replace the cleaning cartridge quicker).

A cleaning cycle takes up to 5 minutes followed by 40 minutes of drying. Drying is done by means of a fan inside the cleaning station. While the fan is quite noisy, the trade off is that this is the quickest dry you will find in any high-end shaver.

It is also worth mentioning that the cleaning station will also lubricate the cutting blades. Unfortunately, this often left unsightly marks on the outside of the foil and on the inside of the cleaning station chamber. Fortunately, these were easily removed with a damp cloth.

Now let’s take a look at manually cleaning the Series 9 electric shaver:

Rinsing and cleaning the Braun Series 9 Electric Shaver under running water

At first, cleaning the Series 9 manually seems easy enough. Just like the Panasonic Arc5, you rinse the shaver under running water with the power on. You can even use liquid soap if you wanted.

But unlike the Arc5, the Braun Series 9 does not come with a cleaning mode. It took considerably more time to remove all the hairs from the shaver in comparison.

It took me up to 2 minutes to satisfactorily clean the shaver with running water and even then the result was not as good as the cleaning station.

Oh and here is the best bit. The “clean me now” indicator won’t go away if you clean the shaver under running water. You have to use the charging station to remove it.

The whole cleaning process pushes you towards using the cleaning station and as a result buying Braun’s disposable cartridges.

To this end, I have to recommend skipping the 9093s model, since it doesn’t come with a cleaning station.

Braun also claims you can give this shaver a “dry clean” using the cleaning brush provided.

I’ll tell you straight up: Unless you are in an odd situation where there is no running water, using a cleaning brush just isn’t worth your time. It is messy and you are not going to remove every single hair.

Turns out there is a reason why all the other premium models do not include a cleaning brush.

Conclusion

So does the Braun Series 9 live up to all the hype?

The problem with putting a product up on a pedestal is that it is never going to meet your expectations, regardless of whether those expectations are realistic or not.

And those of you expecting this magical product that will solve every single one of your shaving problems will be disappointed. This is just an electric shaver.

There is no arguing that the Series 9 is by far Braun’s best electric shaver. It is a huge improvement over the Series 7 we reviewed earlier. If you like Braun’s other offerings then you will love this.

The Series 9 shaver gave perhaps the most comfortable shave out of any foil guard I have used, perfect for daily shaving. But it just doesn’t get as close as other electric shavers.

While the cleaning station works better than any other included cleaning unit, cleaning the shaver under running water was not the easiest task.

The shaver is perhaps the best looking on the market, but that has come at the cost of functionality (like the pop-up trimmer).

And this is just a summary of some of the trade offs I went into detail in the review above.

It is an unfortunate fact that there is no perfect electric shaver for everyone. What is a deal breaker for some may be seen as a benefit to you.

There’s no arguing that all of the high-end electric shavers give exceptional shaves if used correctly, and the Braun series 9 is no different.

This is why I have written such a detailed review on a single shaver. My goal is to arm you with all the information possible for you to make an informed decision about this shaver.

So this might be the very best shaver you have ever experienced. Or it might not. Only you know that.

Update: The Braun 90B replacement foil cutter is currently out of stock at many major locations. While they are supposed to last two years, if a problem does arise, you will be unable to use your Series 9 shaver until you track down a replacement. We will update this review when stock becomes available.

Related read: Best Electric Shavers for Men

FAQ 

How often should I clean Braun Series 9?

Cleaning your electric shaver is important to ensure it always works in the best condition. Braun Series 9 electric shavers come with a 5-action clean & charge station that will automatically clean, lubricate, and dry the shaver. It is recommended to clean the Braun Series 9 electric shaver after every use.

This will help keep it in excellent condition and extend its life. Moreover, it prevents your grooming device from rusting and accumulating hair and skin in the blades over time. You can slide the switch to unlock the shaver head and insert the electric razor into the cleaning stand.

Can you use Braun Series 9 in the shower?

Yes, the Braun Series 9 electric razor may be used in the shower as it has a fully waterproof body. The shaver head can be rinsed under running water for quick cleaning due to the razor’s watertight feature. Some people prefer to use it in the bathtub as well! The Braun Series 9 suits all shaving techniques and offers gentle and efficient shaving.

Therefore, if you use a Braun Series 9 electric shaver, you no longer have to worry about shaving in the shower. The water-resistant shaver is 100% waterproof and can be used in the shower anytime! It also has an LED display that shows how much battery power is left so you can shave wet or dry.