Braun Series 9 Pro Review

This luxury, auto-cleaning razor is ideal for anyone searching for one of the best money can buy. Its sheer quality and cutting ability set it apart, but its higher price tag will also set you back a few extra bucks.

Performance Comparison

Shave Quality

A four-part shaving system that offers a consistently clean, smooth shave earned the Series 9 Pro top marks in our shave quality tests. This razor's finished product was among our favorites, impressing all of our testers with its irritation-free results.

One of the things we liked the most was the glide-based pivoting head on the Series 9 Pro. The cutting head slides back and forth on a metal track, giving it a very stable foundation, which allows the user to force the razor foil against the skin with any preferred amount of pressure. We liked that the Series 9 Pro's pivoting motion is broad and fluid (20 degrees in either direction.) This gives the cutting head a good fighting chance at contouring the various angles of the face and neck so it stays close to the whiskers. For more intricate areas (like the upper lip), the pivoting head can also be locked into place at several different gradients for more precision.

A unique feature of the Series 9 Pro cutting system is the four-part shaving heads that work in unison to offer a solid attack against all lengths of whiskers. Front and back foil heads provide the finishing touches, leaving the skin smooth. Sandwiched between the two foils are the ProLift trimmer (which hacks at longer growth) and the Direct&Cut Trimmer (designed to redirect and trim tricky hairs). We pitted our Series 9 Pro against a week's worth of growth, and although it didn't perform perfectly, we do feel the four shaving heads do work in unison, and, for the most part, they lived up to the manufacturer's claims.

Run & Charge Times

Solid and consistent results during our run and charge tests caught the attention of our testers, earning the Series 9 Pro top marks for this metric. In particular, we really liked this unit's easy-to-read digital display, which lets you know exactly how much battery juice is left.

After giving each unit a full charge, we ran it non-stop until its battery life gave up the ghost. After timing each process, we completed a side-by-side comparison of each razor's performance to determine the best of the bunch. The Series 9 Pro produced very solid run (1 hour and 43 minutes) and charge (1 hour and 2 minutes) times, admittedly some of the products in our lineup performed better. However, what impressed our testers the most was the Series 9 Pro's ability to produce consistent results over time. Having named it our favorite razor, we wanted to be sure, so we ran the same test more than once and always got the same results.

Ease of Use & Versatility

The Series 9 Pro is not only easy to use, but it's also somewhat enjoyable. Even at its best, shaving will always be a necessary evil; however, many of our testers reported an x-factor that made this unit pleasant to use. We're not sure if it's ergonomics, balance, weight, or its cool accessories. We just liked using the Series 9 Pro, so we gave it solid scores for this metric.

A key differentiator between this model and most of the others on our list is its amazing portable charging case. In addition to keeping the Series 9 Pro protected while being transported, the case is also a portable power supply that automatically charges the razor on contact. We found this feature very convenient for travel. The case offers its own separate readout that lets the user know how much spark it has left, and a look-see window shows the razor's own digital display so you can see when it's finished charging.

Press and hold the power button for three seconds, and you'll see a small red lock icon appear on the digital screen telling you that the travel lock is deployed — we really liked this feature. We also loved this razor's rubber grip, thumb-placement pad, and easy-to-reach power button. The Series 9 Pro is easy to use, well-balanced, and intuitive, and it has the sleek, iconic style for which Braun is known. However, we didn't like this unit's slide-up hair trimmer. It tends to stick, especially on the downward slide. It also isn't very sharp, and the cutting blade is curved instead of straight, which wasn't ideal for trimming sideburns.

The new Series 9 Pro is completely waterproof, so you can feel comfortable shaving with foam, gel, or even in the shower. It also works great as a standard dry shaver. We also liked that it can be charged directly with its power cord, or it can also pull a spark from the carrying case and even from the cleaning station. We really didn't like this razor's instruction manual. In an effort to forego a multi-language publication, the manufacturer opted for a diagram-only approach. Overall, we feel the images are difficult to decipher and somewhat vague in some spots.

Ease of Cleaning

Options were a key factor in our decision to award the Series 9 Pro solid scores for this metric. We liked the ability to give it a quick rinse or a more thorough automatic cleaning. However, factoring in the added cost of future cleaning fluid caused us to hold back on shelling out our very best scores. The foil cutter cassette easily removes from the rest of the Series 9 Pro whenever a quick dry brushing of the inside is needed. When a more thorough cleaning is necessary, unplug the Braun from any power source, apply a dab of hand soap to the outside of the foils, power it on, and run it under hot water.

Additionally, the Braun can be docked into its SmartCare center which deep cleans the device, lubricates, charges, and dries it as well. Our testers really enjoyed the self-cleaning base. Generally, it cleans well and seems to improve the razor's performance and increase its overall longevity. However, this convenience does come with an added cost. Once opened, each cleaning solution reservoir only lasts eight weeks (whether it's used or not). So, this added cost was factored into our overall score for ease of cleaning.

Should You Buy the Braun Series 9 Pro?

Our testers unanimously feel the Braun Series 9 Pro is one of the best electric razors we've tested. No gimmicks here, just plain old quality. However, this level of quality will cost you. So you'll need to be willing to pay a little more. This razor's charging travel case will appeal to travelers, especially business jet-setters who need to look sharp and don't want the hassle of carrying a power cord. Since its case will keep the razor charged for several shaves, it also is nice for overseas travel because it won't require a voltage converter. Lastly, this product's most important feature is its smooth, effective shave. No razor is perfect, but this one is as close as we could find. So, if you want the best, the Series 9 Pro is certainly worth your money.

What Other Electric Razor Should You Consider?

In terms of shaving quality, the Panasonic Arc5 Cordless, Andis ProFoil Lithium Titanium Foil, and Braun Series 7 are other top performers. However, the Braun Series 8 with PowerCase is at the top of our list because it's on par with the Series 9 Pro, but its price is more appealing to a broader customer base.