Braun 8585 Activator Self-Cleaning Shaving System
|
List Price: Category: Health Care See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Customer Reviews of Braun 8585 Activator Self-Cleaning Shaving System
Customer Review: Awesome razor
Summary: 5 Stars
My first electric razor, 30 years ago, was a Norelco. It always left my neck red and irritated. So I used a blade all these years. However recently blades have been hard on my face as I've gotten older. So I decided to give this razor a try after reading so many good reviews of it. I have to say I was a bit concerned that in the literature it says your face may have to "Get used to the razor". Meaning a little discomfort at first. Well I remembered the discomfort of my Norelco and thought what could be worse than that. Anyway, I have had no discomfort at all using this razor. I'v been using it since Christmas day 2004. Every day. My face loves it and it's every bit as close as any blade razor I've used. And no facial discomfort of any kind. The cleaning base is great as it keeps the blades and foil nice and clean. It came with a brush and carrying case for when I travel and the cord can plug directly into the razor when on travel so the razor can be charged without the cleaning base.
I completely recommend this razor.
Update 12/8/05: Still using this razor nearly a year later. Still cutting as close as it did a year ago. I've travelled with it and it's nice the cord can plug directly into the shaver to charge the shaver. Braun recommends changing the cutter head and foil every 18 months so it will be interesting to see how this is shaving in June. Stand by.
Update: 3/20/06. Well I finally replaced the cutter head and foil this month. So I got about 15 months out of mine. Not too bad I think. Not the 18 months suggested, but close enough. That will really depend on frequency of use, coarseness of beard, how often cleaning cycles are used, etc....
Customer Review: Average
Summary: 3 Stars
I've had this shaver for over two years. My interest was in *not* having to clean my shaver - just let the magic box do it. I tend to have to replace the cleaning solution around every 30 days - I would clean the shaver every day. I have a slender face and average to heavy beard growth and for me the shaver did an average job. I noticed I had to go back over some areas and I must have been pressing harder then usual as I would never get 18 months of screen use...more like a year.
The cleaning process is noisy it would have been nice if Braun had a delay start or an automatic timer - but since my Braun coffee maker can't keep time on a power loss maybe just a delay start. If your bathroom attaches to your bedroom and you kick off the cleaning process while the spouse is sleeping plan on an early morning fight as you will surely wake up the better half.
The cleaning unit takes up a lot of space on the counter and the plug for the unit is oddly shaped and sticks out about 6 inches for the wall. I have knocked it out a few times. This may be a non issue for some as they have kicked off the cleaning process too early too often and now find themselves shaving in the same place you keep the power tools.
The shaver is not as loud as my Remington - I think the blades may move slower.
The battery seems to have keep it's charging power even after two years.
The beard trimmer pops up high enough so you can see what your trimming.
As a side note I also bought one for may dad who has more of a rounder face and he noted this shaver did a better job then his Remington.
Customer Review: Fast shaver, poor neck area shaving, probably over-rated
Summary: 3 Stars
I am a regular buyer on Amazon, with a pattern of buying 25 items a year for the last 5 years (yikes!) and I have never written a review about anything I bought.
I bought this razor based on the high acclaim that other users have given it. I have been using Mach 3 blades for the last several years, and decided that I might try to save a bit by buying an upper-end electric.
In short, I'm not THAT impressed, and continue to shave with both a Mach 3 regular razor & this one. My biggest complaint is the dismal job it does under your jaws and on the neck. I know you're suppossed to give an electric razor 3-4 weeks, but this has not helped. My search for the perfect electric continues.
The pros for this razor include how fast it shaves, and what a good job it does on flat surfaces on your face. I think because it has a big flat retangular head, it does poorly on neck area because the entire head can't be firmly placed again your skin. That's probably why a Norelco with it's triple head design does better on neck areas and small areas (if you have a big neck, maybe this electric will perform better).
Other aspects such as looks and build quality are a consideration but for me they fall a distant second to issues such as the shaving quality. The razor might look good, or have too big a base for cleaning, or clean itself but when I'm at work, I will remember the razor on how poorly it shaved my neck. Overall, I would happily spend another $100 to get a razor that does half a job that a Mach 3 hand-held blade and good old shaving cream will do.
Customer Review: Braun's best shaver
Summary: 5 Stars
Let me start off by saying that Braun makes the best electric shavers I've used. I've stuck with them for more than 15 years. When the battery on my 5614 stopped holding a charge I decided to upgrade to the 8585. It is much better than the 5614 for getting tough areas along the sides of the neck and base of the jaw. In fact, there is really no comparison between the 5000 series and the 8000 series. The 8585 blows everything else away... it really is worth the extra money. Don't be cheap, upgrade. You won't regret it.
The new micro screen's shape really does pick-up more hair in less strokes. Combined with the side-to-side vibration that really does cut down on razor burn. While it's not quite as good as an old fashioned blade it's much better than any electric I've ever used. The only difference between the 8595 and this one is the battery indicator display. It shows the power status and tells you when it needs cleaning. I just don't think it's worth the extra money for that. They share the same micro screen, cutter, and other features.
Couple hints for maximum performance: The clean and charge refills are very expensive. If you only use that feature once a week you can maintain high performance with much less cost. In between, simply remove the micro screen and blow the hairs off the blades each time. Just takes a second. If you gently drop the micro screen an inch or two onto a hard surface like the sink it will jar loose any hairs stuck therein. You shouldn't need to recharge the battery more than once a week anyway.
Customer Review: Best electric razor I have tried
Summary: 4 Stars
I've preferred blades for years, as most electrics give me bad razor burn and don't do a good job getting the flat whiskers on the bottom of my neck.
This razor does a good job getting to all of the whiskers. It gives me a blade close shave, and after a few weeks of persistant razor burn my face doesn't suffer much discomfort. Williams 'Lectric Shave did help a lot. At this point it's like I have been using a premium blade but get a closer shave with less mess.
The self cleaning idea is wonderful. The cleaning fluid lasts a good amount of time, even with almost every day use. I like the lemony smell, and the razor does a much better job when it's clean.
An earlier reviewer mentioned they picked this razor over the 8985 because it doesn't have the nagging LCD. There are enough lights to communicate with you on this model, so don't feel like you're missing anything by choosing the 8585. Save the difference for some more CCR2 refills.
One quirk that I picked up on w/ the razor and stand is a faint, very high pitched sound that they make when plugged in. It's similar to the sound that a TV makes when you turn it on. I could imagine that if somebody had a quiet, "echo-y" bathroom and sensative ears to these types of noises it might become an annoyance. Most people won't notice the sound at all, though.
The Sales Rank on this product is very high, and with good reason. It does a very respectable job and has many quality features to go with it.