BraunElectric Razor for Men, Waterproof Foil Shaver, Series 9 9390cc, Wet & Dry Shave, with Pop-Up Beard Trimmer for Grooming, Cleaning & Charging SmartCare Center and Leather Travel Case, SilverGreenCircle Certified: Certified Energy Savings

I have been shaving for over 50-years, starting with a DE for several years, until Gillette introduced its first cartridge, theTrac II in 1970 or 1971. I then progressed through all the cartridges that Gillette introduced over the years. About 10-years ago I went back to shaving with a DE and even shaved with a straight razor, from time to time, along with the latest Gillette Fusion cartridge. Recently, however, I decided to go all-in on electric shaving (for the first time). I was no longer willing to deal with wet shaving: the face prep, the cream/soap, brush, bowl, the long duration shaves, the clean-up, and the blood. So, I purchased the three top rated shavers on the market: the Panasonic ES-LV9N-S (purchased from the shavercentre), the Braun 9290cc, and the Philips Norelco S9721.All three shavers will provide a very close shave, possess excellent build quality, and have charging/cleaning/drying stations that perform well. So, my main criteria for judging a shaver is how close it shaves. I do not have very sensitive skin and shave dry (as I think this provides the closest shave). Recently, however, I have begun using Dickinson's Witch Hazel as a pre-shave prep. I just spread a little of the liquid on my face and let it evaporate for about 30 seconds before shaving. This stands-up the beard for an even closer shave, with no chance of gumming up the blades, as other pre-shaves have a tendency to do. No electric razor shaves as close as a blade, but these three models are close enough, especially considering that I can shave in about 7 minutes, versus 30 minutes for a careful blade shave (with no styptic pencil required!).I think that the Panasonic and the Braun are very close. The Panasonic may inherently give a slightly closer shave (and a little faster because of its larger head), but the Braun is more aggressive (not overly so, but worth mentioning for those with sensitive skin) and, because of its smaller head, is able to follow the contours of the face slightly better than the Panasonic, especially at the jaw-line and neck. This was only a minor issue and became even less important as I became more proficient with these two foil shavers. As for the Philips Norelco S9721, I think that it provides the most comfortable shave of the three and, for those with very sensitive skin, it may be the best choice. However, I find that, although it is capable of providing a very close shave, IMO it places third in this respect, behind the two foil shavers. In addition, although my technique with a rotary shaver has improved greatly, it still takes me a little longer to shave with the Norelco than with the Panasonic or Braun. I prefer the trimmer on the Panasonic to that of the Braun. I think the Norelco trimmer is excellent, but it is not integrated into the body and to use it one must detach the blade head and replace it with the trimmer. This is an annoyance.In summary, each of these shavers performed incredibly well and much better than I expected (I am never going back to blade shaving) and, if you are considering purchasing an electric shaver, you cannot go wrong purchasing any of the three. However, at this point, if I had to rank them, it would be 1. Panasonic ES-LV9N-S, 2. Braun 9290CC, 3. Philips Norelco S9721. They are very, very close in all respects and others may rank them differently, of course. So, as always, YMMV.***UPDATE*** June 11, 2017Now that I have spent several weeks using these shavers, I am updating my evaluation. The razor I reach for the most, the one I prefer to shave with is ... the Braun! It shaves very, very close (about on par with the Panasonic), and the smaller head does make a big difference. It is more maneuverable than the Panasonic (needing fewer passes around the jawline and under the chin, for example), and balances better in my hand. As mentioned earlier, I shave dry and both machines provide a comfortable, non-irritating shave. The Panasonic is an awesome machine but, as I said, the Braun is the one I reach for and prefer. The Panasonic thus moves to number 2. As for the Philips Norelco, it remains in 3rd place. It is capable of providing a very close shave (although not quite as close as the two foil shavers). However, it definitely takes a few minutes longer to shave with this razor than with the other two. In addition, I prefer to shave with linear strokes of a foil shaver, rather than the small circular strokes one needs to employ with the Philips Norelco. And, I found it much more difficult to shave my upper lip with this razor and to get reasonably straight sideburns (without using the trimmer) versus the other two razors. Also, as I mentioned in my initial review, the non-integrated trimmer of the Norelco is really inconvenient. So, there you have it. IMO, the Braun 9290cc is the best electric shaver on the market.

Ok, so I have had a lot of earlier experience years ago with electric razors and found the experience very unsatisfying! I was prone to getting razor burn that was so common back in the day... my earliest experience was mostly on very early models I tried borrowing them from my dad, and then years later using various Norelcos...I gave up due to unsatisfying results, razor burn etc...I've always been an every other day shaver and for many of shaving years used blades. I remember liking the early Bic disposables a lot! Then later, when Gillette came out with the tri-blade fusions, I was sold... never looked back and have shaved that way for several years... so seeing a Braun unboxing video one day on youtube and being bored, i checked it out and loved the look of the Braun design and the cleaner/charger... I thought; Wow this looks like its come a LONG way... but I was skeptical... I started watching videos and comparing different models, everyone seemed to have their favorites and it came down to probably three names...I read reviews and kind of determined you likely would not go wrong with either of the top three, but it then would come down to design and accessories!After all my research, I settled on Braun because of design and the very cool accessories! I went with the series 9 and chose the cc version because of the cleaning charging stand, which I loved the idea of!Of course after I bought it, I was still looking at videos while awaiting its arrival... I started second guessing my decision and wondered if I shouldn't have gotten the pro version... the pro can come with either a leather case or the very cool charging case...I was really concerned also that maybe the pros shave was a bit better and because of my earlier experiences with electrics, I thought maybe I mighta erred and for the money I spent, I hated to think I had not gotten the best shaving version...The long and the short of it is, I did a lot more research and video reviews and came to the conclusion most of the differences with the pro were accessories and a new head design that is on some new pro models. The heads for the newest pro are not even available yet in the USA (to my knowledge) and when they are, any series 9 can use them! Phew! So I really hadn't made a mistake! At least in buying an inferior razor!Well today the razor arrived! Having a day off and 2 days growth of beard, (my beard I think is avg, not overly coarse or thick, not fair or light either!) I was excited to test it out!The worst part of a new Braun arriving is that it does not arrive charged! But I knew that having seen so many videos... charging time is only about 1 hour anyway, so I set up the cleaning charging base and installed the cleaning and lubricating fluid cartridge... then i had to wait...I let it sit for a couple of hours, (I had also started the cleaning cycle on it even though it was a brand new shaver, I figured a cleaning and lube couldn't hurt it!!) The cleaning is also a lube for the shaving heads, so why not.Anyway, I finally tried it out! It was still slightly damp from the cleaning, but not really wet, (a lot of people in reviews said it often does not fully dry for 24 hrs, but no biggie, its designed for the razor, your face, etc... and the smell is pleasant!)Bottom line? What a terrific shave! I did the initial shave and was surprised how quickly it took down my beard! I did go back over it again in a different direction after feeling my face, (which looked completely smooth!) and gave a few strokes in a different direction just to polish it up!My face felt mostly baby smooth! Something I am not used to even with a blade! It also went way faster than my normal shaving routine which I always normally do only after a shower!I am extremely happy with this razor! If the rest of my shaving goes like this, I am one lifelong Braun customer!!One or two last things, I found a charging travel case on ebay for about a hundred and decided to buy it! Under normal use, i will be using the cleaning charging stand to clean, charge and store it in my bathroom, but for flights/road trips of a week or so? I will use the travel/charge case to keep it charged until I return and can drop it into the cleaning charge stand.And lastly, I do plan to use the cleaning cartridges and stand as an everyday thing! It's funny, in many youtube unboxing reviews, I see people saying; I doubt I will use the cleaning charging stand... or some post videos of how you can save money washing out the cartridges and refilling them yourself... the cartridges do a very necessary and helpful service by both cleaning and disinfecting, and lubricating the shaver head!Yes, you can probably save a few pennies by washing them out and refilling as long as you are adding in the correct fluids, (and you need to make sure the right lubrication/disinfectant, etc is added) but the cartridges at the end of the life of it is NASTY! Check out a few youtube videos! The stand has been cleaning hairs, dirty grime and oil from your face and beard for a month or two!Personally, I don't need/want to handle it! Theres a pop off cover on the cartridges and you should save it and recover it if you plan on recycling or tossing it out so the nasty stuff isn't spilling out!I bought a 6 pack of cartridges and did an Amazon subscribe and save which put my cost, (with free shipping!) at about 5 bucks a cartridge! The cartridges last about a month or two depending on use...I'd rather spend the 50-60 a year and just buy the cleaning cartridges which help prolong the razor and the shaving cartridge's life! With proper care, shaving heads last up to 18 months! Spend your money on the cleaning cartridges and your razor and shaving heads will probably last longer!Hope this was helpful! So far I am very, very happy!