The Mercedes of Electric Shavers
Written: Dec 12 '05 (Updated Sep 04 '06)
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Pros: Performance, Styling, Incredible Self-Cleaning Feature, German Quality Construction
Cons: A little on the large size.
The Bottom Line: Including the features this is simply the best shaver you can buy for a heavy beard. Expensive, but worth the cost.
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| adhack's Full Review: Braun 8585 Electric Shaver |
First off, I do not copy technical specs and information directly from the manufacturers web-site so if you're looking for that info, best go to the Braun web-site.
Personally I don't know anyone who truly loves shaving? About nine months ago I moved from a straight razor (yes, the kind from the old movies) to an electric. I purchased a Grundig and was extremely happy with it until it was liberated by the housekeeping staff the hotel of my last trip. As much as I loved that shaver, the longer I used it the more I thought of features I'd like in my next shaver.
Enter the Braun Activator 8585. The packaging is exceptional. Well padded and appropriate for an item of this price. The shaver is shrink wrapped and entombed in a hard plastic travel case. The travel case has a molded storage area for a cleaning brush for use when away from the travel station. Very nice.
The first thing I noticed about the razor is that it is not small. In fact it's at least 25% larger than my Grundig. It's also hefty. Not burdensome, but certainly has a feeling of quality. The shaver itself is a fine looking tool. Colors, and the LCD screen make it quite impressive looking. Functionally it is very nice. Position 1 allows the head to pivot, 2 locks it in place for areas like under your nose, and 3 extends the sideburn trimmer. All function with ease and work well.
The cleaning and charging station is a gray plastic and looks nice enough. It holds the unique cleaning solution cartridge as well as charges the shaver. The station also has indicators on the cleaning fluid level and the cleaning cycle for the shaver.
Performance: As I said, I loved my Grundig so I was doubting that this could shave any better. And it does not. I mean you can only get so close of a shave. What it did do was shave a three day beard in about half the time as my Grundig would shave a one. The "Activator" foil seems to really do what it sets out to, which is capture whiskers which grow in any direction. The powerful motor moed through my beard without hesitation. As close as a razor? Yes.
Now for the best part. Instead of detaching the foil and brushing out the whiskers all over my vanity, I simply placed the Shaver into the cleaning and charging station. The light on the side of the station indicated a "Normal" cleaning cycle. I pressed start and it began.
The Cleaning cycle is not quiet so if you shave at night and are a light sleeper I would not recommend you it at night. It's not louder than the shaver itself, but still not a silent process. The cleaning station pumps the cleaning solution through the head of the shaver, vibrates it out, then heats the head to dry the cutters and foil. When it's done, your razor is like brand new and smells wonderful!
Some people complain that the solution is nothing more than alcohol and fragrance and that it cost like $4 per month or something. All that is true, but if that is a big problem buy the older Sensor or a rotary that can be rinsed under a sink. For the money it's worth it. Like running Premium Gas in your Mercedes.
In summary this Shaver is simply fantastic. It's got the bells and whistles you would expect for the price and best of all it gives you an incredibly close and comfortable shave. I don't see how you can go wrong buying this shaver for yourself or even better as a gift.
September 2006: Almost a year shaving with the Braun and still have no complaints. Actually took it on a 7 day trip with me. The plastic travel case and brush worked fine. I shaved almost every day and after 7 days it still have around 20% of the charge left (probably another 2-3 shaves). When I got home I put it in the cleaning/charge station and pressed the cycle button and in the morning it was fully charged and clean as the day I first used it.
Foil and cutters still seem fine as I haven't noticed a fall-off in the quality of shave. I'll replace them when the nifty little computer on the shaver tells me to. All in all, still a great shaver.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 139
Noise Level: Average
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Epinions.com ID:
adhack
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Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Reviews written: 18
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
A 30 something father and professional who thinks way too much about every purchase!
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