Braun gets it right...again...

Author's Rating:

Pros: Better, faster, quieter shave.  Blade can be cleaned in water.

Cons: Initial price, cleaning cartridge price, block/cutter price.

The Bottom Line: 
A spendy but obvious upgrade in terms of shave quality and overall useage. 

Author's Review
Opening
This is my third Braun razor, and my second "clean-and-charge" unit.  My old 8595 (see review) was dying a slow death after giving me years of loyal service and it was time to bit the bullet and drop a couple hundy on this unit.  I really procrastinated due to the cost, but after two months of use, I can say that this is a truly superior replacement.

The shave
I figure that any researcher will pretty much want to know exactly how good the shave is on this new unit.  Well, let me say that it's excellent.  I have thick facial hair and the 8585 did a good job but this razor simple blows it away.  The Pulsonic technology and head design not only means I get a closer shave, but it is also much quicker.  I have used it to cleave through three-day old stubble with minimal effort. 

One of the most interesting things about this new razor is that it can be rinsed under regular water if you cannot use the cleaning base which makes it a life-saver when on the road.

The look and feel
The Braun Pulsonic has a very solid feel and is far more ergonomic than previous units.  The handle diameter is reduced and is much easier to manipulate.  In the parlance of designers, it has a good "hand."  The control unit for shaving consists of a simple on/off button and the trimmer unit is the standard sliding switch which engages the trimmer and pops it clear of its housing. 

The base of the razor has an LED display which indicates the cleanliness of the blade and the battery charge.  When not in use, the razor rests in it's charging and cleaning base which Braun has improved slightly in the looks department.  The AC adaptor is still an ugly wall-wart but the base is now a whitish/slate color with a sleeker shape than my old 8595.  I can't fault the Braun engineers much for the appearance of the base because of the nature of what it must do.

Overall, one would expect an upgraded model to look more attractive and feel more attractive than its predecessors and that is the case here.

Cleaning and charging
Compared to the 8595 the razor and cleaning base are quieter but not by much.  I've noticed that the cleaning cycles seem to run more quickly than before and the cleaning fluid on the "intensive" cycle seems to get a lot hotter than before.  The noise level is noticeable but not annoying.  Simply closing the bathroom door alleviates most of the problem.  I have tried a water-rinse on the blade a few times but I prefer to use the recommended method.  And yes, the cleaning fluid is flammable and expensive but this new unit seems to be much more discriminating and conservative when using it.  I've found that my cartridges are lasting much longer than before.

In terms of noise and use of cleaning fluid, there is improvement here as well.

Battery-life is also pretty good.  It's supposedly improved over past models but the charge indicator on the base seems to give me an inflated sense of urgency to keep the unit charged because it has a meter whereas my prior unit just had a "low battery" light.

Replacement foils
Ok, here is where my main gripe is.  The cost of replacing the cutting block and screen is $38 on Amazon at the moment.  This is the one area where there has been no improvement.  You will need a replacement within a year so factor this into your budget. 

Overall
Since I haven't used any other razor since Braun in probably 10 years, I have a fairly good grasp and appreciation of their product line and I can confidently say that this razor is a slam-dunk.