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For the last few years, it has become increasingly common to see various attempts at impressive, comical, and sometimes just plain tragic, facial hair in aid of Movember.
This is a charitable event held each November, in which moustaches are grown in aid of raising both funds and awareness for men’s health.
Celebrities including 1D star Liam Payne, olympic runner Mo Farrah, and international footballer Peter Crouch have all been involved with the event. And needless to say, seeing all sorts of moustaches out on the streets brings the concept of shaving to the forefront of the mind.
But if you are going to put this much effort into your facial grooming, which shaver is the one for you? No doubt you have seen that Braun is one of the most popular brands on the market. Braun is a German brand which has been leading the way in terms of electric shavers since the 1950s.
It has a huge range of shavers, and most of them (including the Series 7 shaves) are still made in Germany today. This means that you are going to get the very best of German technology and efficiency when you go for a Braun shaver.
And the Series 7 has long been held as the unofficial benchmark for all electric shavers on the market. This is the series which hits the sweet spot; where the quality of shaving starts to be noticeably higher, but the price tag still makes it a more affordable option.
And this year Braun released its first update to the Series 7 in four years. So it’s no wonder you are considering a Braun Series 7, but which is the right model for you?
Being able to tell all the shavers apart can feel pretty overwhelming, but the Series 7 has a lot of similarities, so we’ll talk you through the main factors to look out for to tell them apart.
Plus we’ll go through their key features, so that you know whether or not the Series 7 is the right series for you. We’ll take a look at the design and the shaving heads, as well as aspects such as the battery life, the accessories, and how to clean them.
But before all of that, we think it’s important to talk you through the different models so that you can work out how to differentiate between the various models to find the right one for you.
So the first thing to look at before anything else is the different models that are available. There are so many different numbers and letters that sometimes it can feel like Braun have purposefully tried to confuse us all.
But don’t worry, there’s actually quite a simple trick to tell them all apart, and we’ll talk you through it now. Okay, before looking at individual models, we should clarify that there are three different generations of Braun Series 7.
The first generation was released in 2010, the second in 2016, and the third in 2020. These first two generations have a lot of similarities, while the third and most recent generation is really quite different to its predecessors.
The first generation of Braun Series 7 all have three-digit model numbers, which begin with the number 7, so they are 7**. This generation includes the 720s, 740s, 760cc, 790cc, 797cc, and 799cc. Then the second generation electric shavers each have four-digit model numbers, and they all begin with 78**.
In this generation are the 7865cc, 7893s, 7898cc, and 7899cc. The third generation, which was released in 2020, again have a four-digit model number, beginning with 70**. This latest generation includes the 7020s, 7071cc, 7085cc and the 7027cs.
Now that’s the numbers explained, let’s go through what the letters mean. As you can see, the same letters keep cropping up, so it’s not too complex. The ‘s’ means that it is a solo shaver. This makes it the more basic option.
The ‘cc’ is the ‘clean and charge’ station (we’ll go into more detail about this feature later in the article). Finally, you may have noticed the ‘cs’ for the latest generation.This is a new addition for the most recent models and it stands for charge stand, so it is dropping the cleaning station part of the ‘cc’.
The other thing to look out for is what type of shaving they are suitable for. In the first generation, some of them are only suited for dry shaving. In contrast, the second and third generation electric shavers are suitable for both wet and dry shaving.
For many people, the main deciding factor when it comes to the purchasing decision lies in the price. It’s all very well going through all the different aspects that the shavers have, but what’s the point if you already know your budget?
If you know that you can only afford to pay a certain amount, then there’s no need for you to hear about all the aspects that you can’t afford. Usually, this simply means that the people on a tighter budget have to go for an older model, and the people on a looser budget can get the newest model. However, when it comes to Braun electric shavers, it’s not that simple.
You’ve got to remember that although there are different models of shavers in the Braun Series 7, there are also lots of other Series of Braun electric shavers. If you are looking for the cheapest option, then you can go for a Series 3, or a Series 5 if you want something just a little more efficient.
On the opposite end of the scale, it’s always been a little less clear cut. The Series 9 is the highest-quality of electric shavers that Braun offers, but the difference between them and the Series 7 has always been quite small. We have covered the differences in on of our popular comparison guides, see here.
That’s another reason why the Series 7 has always been more popular. But it seems that Braun has decided to rectify that with the new generation of Series 7 electric shavers. To keep it fair, we have compared one model from each generation, with each one coming with a clean and charge station.
So there is the 790cc from the first generation, the 7865cc from the second generation, and the 7075cc from the third generation. Each of these is also the most popular choice from each generation.
Of course the prices can vary, but at the time of this review, while the 790cc and 7865cc each cost around $180, the 7075cc is actually a little cheaper at around $160. It seems that Braun have decided to make a more marked difference between the Series 7 and the Series 9 electric shavers.
When it comes to the design of the Series 7, the first and second generation electric shavers have a really similar design, but the newer third generation has gone in quite a different direction. All three generations have kept to a sleek black color scheme.
The third generation has a handle that more similarly reflects the third generation, being a bit narrower and tapering more around the middle and at the bottom. In contrast, the second generation are a bit thicker and feel a bit sturdier.
However, the shaving heads are noticeably different on the third generation shavers, which is something that we will discuss in more detail in the next section. A big difference between the designs of the Series 7 generations is the power setting.
In the first and second generation of electric shavers, there are three options for power. This allows you to adjust the setting depending on whether you are tackling thicker hair on your face, or some wispier stubble on your neck.
In fact, most people tend to just stick to the most powerful setting and try to be more careful in the difficult areas instead. However, although a lot of people find that it doesn’t make much difference to the shaving experience, it can be nice to have the option.
In terms of how much power you get, the Series 7 provides a shaving efficiency of around 30,000 per minute. This is a big part of what you are paying for with these shavers. It is fast, quiet and efficient.
In the newest generation though, there is no longer the option of changing the power station. This is because the technology has been upgraded and now includes “AutoSense”. The upgrade means that the shaver itself automatically adjusts its speed depending on the density of the beard. Whether or not this is a positive upgrade will be different for each person.
The most visible difference between the older generations of the Braun Series 7 electric shavers and the most recent generation lies in the shaving heads, which are also known as cassettes. All three generations have a similar shaving set-up.
They all have two outer foils, which have a pattern of irregularly shaped holes, designed to optimally catch the smaller hairs. Each outer foil also has an ActiveLift Trimmer, which is better at catching the hairs that lie flat against the skin in different directions.
There is then a central trimmer which is better at dealing with the longer hairs. However, the casing around the newest generation is much smaller. Whereas the previous two had quite a bulky base attaching the shaving head to the hand grip, the third generation has a much smaller surface area around the shavers.
Some people have found this to feel a little less sturdy and a bit more plasticy, but it also provides more mobility. The shaving foils are also set a little deeper into the cassette, which removes some of the movement that the previous two had. However, the third generation more than makes up for that with its new design.
The first and second generation of Braun Series 7 electric shavers were designed for the three foils to pivot independently and could move in eight different directions. This is so that the shaving head can adapt to your skin contours and capture the hair more effectively.
However, this movement only allowed the foils to move up and down. The new generation of Series 7 shavers can now pivot side to side, as well as up and down. Plus, the cassette is attached in a way that allows the head to pivot in 360º. So it’s never been easier to get the hairs that lie in different directions, or on the trickier parts like your neck.
The trimmer on the Braun electric shavers has never been the best feature. In fact, we would go so far as to say that it is the Series 3 electric shavers which have the best trimmer, as it is wider and pop-ups higher than the other series’.
For the first and second generation of the Series 7, the trimmer was also a pop-up, but it didn’t reach so far over the shaving head. This meant that it was tricky to see while trimming. And it has always felt a little flimsy too.
But it looks like the engineers at Braun have taken the feedback on board, sort of. The new generation of the Series 7 electric shavers has an attachable trimmer instead. This means that it is easier to see while you use it, and it feels a little sturdier too.
Plus it has paved the way for the Series 7 to be compatible with other attachments too, like a beard trimming comb. It is worth considering that if you regularly need to use a trimmer, it is probably better to have a separate trimmer than either of these options.
Given that, the Series 7 trimmer would probably be best used just for travelling or other such occasions, when you might want to carry the minimum. As such, an attachable trimmer might just be a bit pointless. But it is better at trimming than the old ones, so maybe it will work for some people.
One of the main considerations for anyone purchasing a new electric shaver is the battery life. Across the Series 7, they are almost all compatible with wet shaving (except for a couple of models from the first generation).
With this capability came a slight change to the charging, as it means that none of them are able to be used while charging. However, that shouldn’t be a problem as the battery life on these electric shavers is really top-notch.
All three generations of the Braun Series 7 electric shavers have a battery life of around 50 minutes. The average shave tends to last around four minutes, so that means that you should be able to get around twelve shaves in from each charge.
So even if you shave every day, you should only need to charge it around once a fortnight. Plus, they all have the option of doing a five-minute quick charge, which will provide enough battery for one shave.
That means that even if you are in a rush, you should never have too little battery to manage to make yourself look presentable. It is worth noting that the battery indicator has been upgraded for the new generation of electric shavers.
Instead of a small, round indicator at the bottom, there is now a clearer LED display on the handle.
As we pointed out in the last section, almost every Braun Series 7 model is capable of shaving in both wet and dry. But we should also note that all of the Series 7 electric shavers are waterproof up to 5m too. So keeping them clean shouldn’t be difficult.
We mentioned earlier that some of the shavers’ models have the letter ‘s’, others ‘cc’ and now some have ‘cs’. As the ‘s’ shaves are ‘solo’, you will have to clean them yourself.
It ought to be as simple as cleaning them under running water after every couple of shaves, and then lubricating them every week or so, to keep the shavers working well. If you have a ‘cs’ model, you will need to do the same, as it will simply come with a charging station, rather than a clean and charge station.
Those models that have the letters ‘cc’ after their numbers are the ones that come with a clean and charge station. These models are perfect for anyone who knows that they aren’t very good at keeping up with shaver maintenance.
You simply plug your shaver into the station, and while it charges your shaver, it also cleans it. For the older generations, you could pick the cleaning mode, whereas for the third generation the station just cleans it automatically. But that probably just makes the whole process simpler for you anyway.
Hopefully after going through all of that, you’ve got a much better idea of what the different generations each have to offer, and how to tell the various models apart. In terms of what they have to offer, they all have a similar power and battery life.
The older generations allow you to pick the power setting, while the newer one has an ‘AutoSense’ to do it for you. They all have similar shaving heads, but the third generation has the most flexibility and pivots in more directions.
And they are all waterproof and have options of coming with a clean and charge station, or you can clean it separately. So now that we’ve been through everything, which electric shaver is the right one for you?
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Last update on 2024-11-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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