Pros: It looks professional and the cleaning system does clean nicely.
Cons: terrible shave; LOUD; irritates skin; solution is expensive; base station is immobile; expensive; inefficient.
The Bottom Line: DO NOT BUY this. Maybe all electric shavers are this terrible, but I sincerely hope not. Me? I'm sticking to a real razor--they may cost more, but they actually work.
dmaterialized's Full Review: Braun Activator 8585 Electric Shaver
I can't believe what other people are saying here. I bought this razor on recommendation from everyone at Epinions and Amazon and just wanted to warn those who expect quality from this shaver.
I started on an electric, graduated to a Mach 3, then a Gillette Fusion. I recently got The Shaving Solution (a sort of oil-based shaving lubrication that I highly recommend for normal razors), and had quite excellent shaves, but figured an electric would give me most of the same quality at a reduced cost.
This shaver is, in a word, TERRIBLE. My skin has never looked worse, I itch like crazy, the shave isn't even REMOTELY close (as in, after 10-20 passes it looks like I have 5 o'clock shadow), and its cleaning system, while nice on paper, is loud enough to wake the dead.
I'm blond, so I really can't have "a little" facial hair--stubble on me makes me look like a bum. I could just as soon grow it out, and will in order to cover up the damage this thing has done to my neck and jawline.
If the thing did what it was supposed to (shave properly) I would be willing to adjust my opinion somewhat. If it didn't destroy my skin and make me upset about going outside, I'd be less harsh on it. If the cleaning system wasn't the loudest thing in my house and required new cleaning solution once a month (which, once inserted, means you can't move the base station anywhere), that would have been nice, too. Oh, and if I could shave in 3 or 4 passes instead of 20, that'd be a plus.
Simply dragging it (switched off) across my newly-"shaved" face PULLS HAIRS. What more can I say to convince you not to buy this overpriced garbage?
This product is a disaster. Anyone want to buy a slightly-used?
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