13 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
gets the job done, but requires many passes
Date of Review: Nov 18, 2006
The Bottom Line: This shaver is a good buy, but try one or two others if you can to see if they can do the same thing with less work.
I wish I had the nerve and energy to take advantage of the thirty day return policy on electric shavers. The only way to find the best shaver for yourself, I believe, is to buy each one that looks promising, try it out for 25 days and then return it. Repeat until you've tried them all, and then buy the one that was best.
The Braun 360 works fairly well. The first couple of passes result in a face that feels smooth when you check it by touch in the same direction of the hair growth. Going against the grain, however, you will feel much stubble. It takes several more passes to remove that stubble. It also requires a bit of facial gymnastics to help the shaver remove as much as possible. This is in line with the instructions, I guess, which say to "press harder" for a closer shave. Beware of pressing too hard and causing razor burn.
I use a magnifying shaving mirror to help me shave well, and I still see stubble even when I can no longer feel it. I find this surprising, but at normal viewing distance, the stubble is not noticeable.
The version that I purchased does not have the cleaning cartridges and stand. I give it a quick "tap and blow" cleaning every day, and one longer cleaning with the brush on the weekend. I go against the instructions and use the brush lightly on the cutting block, because I feel it needs it. The instructions warn of possible damage to the cutting block when doing this. The instructions advise one to replace the cutting block and razor foil screen after 18 months.
Something that you might not see in the store is the plug to recharge the shaver. It is huge. It must have some electrical hardware in it, because it is easily three times the size of a normal plug. It could be a concern if your socket is in a tight place.
I find two oddities with this shaver. First, the instructions recommend not washing one's face before shaving. The instructions state that you'll get a better shave this way. They say that the water swells the skin, which makes it harder to have a close shave. I have followed this recommendation for the most part, but I've also used what they said to do it differently. The instructions state that the skin swelling can last as long as thirty minutes. Sometimes, I will wash before shaving, but shave thirty or so minutes afterwards. The second oddity is also from the instructions. The shaver comes with a small bottle of light machine oil type lubricant. The instructions say to put some on a finger and apply the oil to the shaver foil after every shave. The instructions do not say why I should do this. I wish they did.
