Braun Series 7 790cc
It was once the high-end Philips shaver that would rule them all. More than a few years on and it's still a good shaver, overpriced but luxurious looking and feeling.
The Braun Series 7 790cc is a high-end electric shaver that has proved extremely popular with consumers. As one of the top selling shaving products on many websites it has thousands of positive review, with a performance that is hard to beat. The 790cc is designed with a gun-metal grey color that looks amazing against the blue and silver parts of the handle.
Design and Features of the 790cc
The 790cc is a great looking device, the metal and black look feels modern and up-to-date, there isn’t excessive color and nothing feels out of place. On the sides of the handle there is a strip of rubber which helps to provide the extra grip that you want when shaving in the shower. This is great to see, some other Braun handles are missing this rubber grip and it makes a big difference to the comfort when you’re shaving.
With all of these positives it’s not surprising that Braun is considered to be the number one shaving brand in the world. Although the Series 7 costs more than many competitors, you’re paying for the years of research and development that have gone into making a world-class shaver that has a superior closeness and great longevity.
When you’re paying this much for a shaver you expect that it’s going to last. The 790cc is a high-quality model that, with proper maintenance, should last for many years to come, making it a great choice of investment.
As with other Braun shavers , this model features their most advanced foil technology, designed capture flat-lying hairs and provide perfect closeness, the head vibrates over 10,000 times per minute. This foil-type shaver is designed to be used in straight movements across the skin rather than in a rotary motion that is used with shavers by Philips .
Shaving Head and Blades: How Does it Perform?
The Braun Series 7 features three distinct modes that will change how the head cuts the hair. These modes are; sensitive, normal and intensive. This appears to change the speed of the motor and the depth of the blades. These modes help to customize your shaving experience and make it more comfortable for those people who have more sensitive skin or particularly tough hair which needs a harder shave.
The foil shaving head is completely flexible, giving you the freedom to shave to the contours of your face and across your jawline. This helps to reach areas that would otherwise be missed and makes sure that you don’t have to go over the same spot multiple times. The shaver is also equipped with two Optifoils which are able to cut the hair as short as 0.05mm for a skin-close shave that isn’t possible with any other shaver. The 790cc lives up to the hype and more. It has one of the closest shaves that we’re aware of and it looks gorgeous whilst it does it.
While the shaving head is excellent, Braun has also paid close attention to the look and feel of the handle. They are very aware that looks are what sell and this is one of, if not the, best looking electric shaver we’ve reviewed. On the front of the handle you’ll find the power button, it includes a bright blue LED that shines to let you know that it’s on. Below there are two buttons, a positive and a minus sign, these are used to increase and decrease the speed of the shaver respectively. This is an excellent feature for anyone with sensitive skin who wishes to be more delicate with how they shave.
Other Features: LED's and Waterproof
At the bottom of the handle you’ll find the battery and cleaning indicator. If we had one complaint about the 790cc it would be that this indicator ruins the appearance of the product. We would have much preferred for the color scheme to match the rest of the product. Instead, you have a colorful indicator that feels out of place. Either way, it’s an important feature that will let you know when it needs to be charged and when it needs to be cleaned.
One of the most important notes in this Braun Series 7 790cc review is that the shaver is completely waterproof. You can rinse the whole model in the sink in between shaves but more importantly, if you want to shave in the shower or with a cream, you can do so. While it can be used with water, you’ll find that you get a far superior shave if you use it dry. Wetting your hair makes it softer and lays it closer to the skin. Both of these things make it much harder for the foil shaver to pick up the hair and cut it. Therefore, we would recommend that you use it dry or with a small amount of shaving cream.
An interesting feature in this model is Braun’s intelligent sonic technology, it’s able to sense how thick each part of your beard is and increase power to ensure that each patch is cut hard enough. It pulses over 10,000 times each minute to capture every single hair and make sure that nothing is missed. Unfortunately, this constant vibration does make the shaver louder than competitors such as the Philips Norelco range , but if you can forgive the noise you’ll get a fantastically close shave.
The Series 7 is stocked with a high-end lithium-ion battery that will hold up to 50-minutes of shaving time in just 1-hour of charging time. With this type of lithium-ion battery you will never lose charging capacity. One of the biggest problems with cheaper batteries is that the amount of shaving time quickly reduces.
Clean & Charge Station
So far we’ve only talked about one part of the product, the other part is the ‘Clean & Charge’ station. This is what sets the Series 7 apart from its competitors, it’s able to clean, lubricate and charge your shaver each day. What this means is that your shaver will feel brand new every time you use it.
After you’ve finished your daily shave, all you need to do is put the shaver into the station and press the ‘start’ button. This will start the entire process and make sure that it’s finished by the time you need to use it again.
The charging station is designed in a sleek black plastic that looks great alongside the shaver. On the front you’ll find a range of indicators, these will let you know how much water is left and when the cleaning solution needs to be replaced. The Clean and Renew system takes a small cleaning cartridge that is for sale from Braun. Each of these cartridges contains an alcohol solution which is able to remove 99.9% of bacteria from the blades, making sure that you’re not putting any bacteria onto your skin as you shave.
These cartridges can be expensive. We would suggest that you use the full cleaning system less than recommended, you can rinse the shave instead and only use the cleaning station weekly or bi-weekly. This will reduce your on-going costs. We’ve also heard of people using their own store-bought ethanol solutions instead, but we wouldn’t recommend doing that. You can buy a pack of three cartridges for around $20 and it’s recommended that you replace the cartridge once every 3-months, hence it’s around $25 - $30 each year in on-going costs of cleaning.
Let’s get back to reviewing the Braun Series 7 itself. On the front of the handle you’ll find the words “trimmer” writes across the middle, with the textured arrows above the on/off button. If you slide your thumb upwards on these arrows you’ll pop-up a detail trimmer on the back of the shaver. This can be used to detail the side of your facial hair or to clean up your sideburns.
Inside of the box you’ll also find a travel pouch which is handy to protect your shaver as you travel. With such a long battery life you’ll be able to travel without taking the cleaning station with you, making it an excellent model for anyone that travels.
Braun Series 7 790cc Review: Conclusion
In conclusion, this is one of the best electric shavers that we’ve reviewed. It’s more expensive that most models, but for that price you get an excellent quality product that will give you one of the closest shaves of any electric shaver. More important than most people realize is the attractiveness of the product, after a while it’s frustrating to be stuck with a shaver you don’t like the look of, the 790cc is gorgeous and modern. With a high-end cleaning and charging station you won’t have to spend any time scrubbing the blades with a brush or applying lubrication oil with a tiny dropper. Instead, you can get on with your day and simply put your shaver into the cleaning unit. The Series 7 is designed for comfort, quality and experience.