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Braun
May 6, 2008
What is the Braun SupreX3?
Perceptive ShavingStuff reader Janus wrote in a while ago after noticing something odd on the Braun website. Seems he was casually browsing user manuals for his Pulsonic when he came across this electric razor, mysteriously called the SupreX3. To see it, click on this link, which brings you to the user manual page for various Pulsonic models, and then click on the image of the black Pulsonic in the upper right. Unlike all the other Pulsonic razors, this one is labeled SupreX3.
What is the Braun SupreX3? No idea. Google doesn't know either. Janus speculated that is might be the name of the Pulsonic in another country, like the Pulsonic is called the Prosonic in countries like Japan. A good guess, but so far unconfirmed.
If anyone has any more info, please send it in. In the meantime - good eyes Janus! Have you considered a career in forensics?
In this corner... weighing in at a "reassuring" six ounces... with a retail price of $270... forget the brains, this thing is all brawn... it's the Braun Pulsonic!!!
And in this corner... weighing far less... with a retail price of $13... harnessing the power of the atom... it's the Gillette Fusion!!!
Gentlemen, start your vibrations. It's shavin' time!
Sure, some men prefer the convenience of an electric shaver, in which case we'd recommend the Pulsonic, the gold standard of face mowers. But for a flawless shave that won't mar your mug, we'd opt for the Fusion. One caveat is the steep cost, as with most razors, of the replacement blades: $14 for a package of four. In the long run, the Fusion could end up costing you more than the Pulsonic, so it's no bargain: just a better shaver.
Read a full account of the bout at this Business Week article. (Pulsonic v Fusion starts on page 3.)
ShavingStuff reader Dale recently wrote in with a comment about the cleaning solution used by the Braun Pulsonic and several of the other Braun electric razors:
braun should make a economic quart or gallon size container of cleaning solution to refill the cartridges. they're easy to clean and reuse.
until that happens i just clean mine and refill it with 40% diluted alcohol [denatured alcohol not isopropyl] which is the ingredient on the box. haven't had any problems yet with my 8000 series in a couple years.
know how much money i have saved?
While this certainly wouldn't be endorsed by Braun, and it probably voids any warranty, it might be worth a try if you're thrifty and handy. Your inner chemist will thank you.
And if you're into the traditional brick and mortar stores, check out BFads.net before you head out. Tons of in-store only deals to be gotten, including steals on razors and electric shavers.
The holiday season is fast approaching and you've got a list with a bunch of question marks on it. What to get for that special man in your life? Well look no further than the 2007 ShavingStuff Holiday Gift Guide. We've got all he'll need, from creams to razors, books, toys, and more. And even a little something for the ladies.
Shaving Cream
Sure, we all start shaving with foamy supermarket shaving cream. But eventually we aspire to the finer things in life. The brands below offer a superior shave which is close, comfortable, and sublime. A gift set is the perfect way to sample new products, as well as introduce someone to the world of better shaving. Gentlemen's Refinery - $199 Billy Jealousy - $50 The Art of Shaving - $38 ZIRH - $59 MenScience - $55 Baxter of California - $60
Still not seeing it? Surf on over to the Details for Men gift kit page and see what strikes your fancy.
Electric Razors
There were a couple of new products released this year from the leaders in electric razor technology. If you want the top of the line traditional electric razor, go for the Pulsonic. If you're interested in a wet/dry electric shave, go for the Moisture Shaving System. Braun Pulsonic - $215 Philips Norelco Moisture Shaving System - $149
Pubic Shaving
Don't even think about shaving downstairs without the proper equipment. Give yourself an extra optical inch with the BodyGroom, or go completely bare with the Cleancut, still the #1 choice in the porn industry. Philips Norelco Bodygroom - $34.99 no!no! - $250 Seiko Cleancut - $75
Head Shaving
Just like you wouldn't shave downstairs without the proper equipment, you don't want to shave the roof without the proper tools. Get the gear designed for your noggin. Headblade - $10.99 Sharps Mission: Control Bald Head Balm SPF 15 - $24
Back Shaving
Yeah, I don't want to talk about it either. If you know a guy who needs one of these, just do him a favor and buy it for him. And give it to him while no one else is in the room. MANGROOMER - $39.95
Toys
Nothing beats a little fun in the tub or a soft foam book. Teach your little squirt how to shave like his papa. Shaving in the Tub from Alex Toys - $6.79 My Shaving Kit foam book from Innovative Kids - $3.32.
OK, so you've shaved with the Braun Pulsonic, and now you're ready to put it back into its base station. Stop and notice one thing. There aren't a ton of beard trimming all over your sink (or all over your shirt, as used to happen to me). That's because most of the trimmings end up inside the Pulsonic. Very cool engineering, but it means you need to clean the Pulsonic after each shave. That's what that gigantic base station is for.
Cleaning Cycles
When you put the Pulsonic back in its charging station, the LEDs on the front cycle around like between four options like some Vegas game. Where will the bouncing ball land? You've won an "eco" clean! Nice! That means my razor isn't that dirty and doesn't need to go through the full cleaning cycle. Yay! I'm a winner! The Pulsonic figures out which cleaning level is needed. I apparently have had some pretty clean shaves, cause I've only ever needed the "eco" clean. Hey, what can I say. I'm eco-friendly.
Two Models
The Braun Pulsonic comes in two models - the 9595 and the 9585. They are virtually identical with the one main difference that the 9585 does not have the fast cleaning ability of the 9595. The 9585 has one big white "clean" button on the front of the base. The 9595 has the big white "clean" button and a smaller blue "fast clean" button carved out of the white one. Quite frankly I haven't timed these to see how much faster "fast" is. I'm lazy. I just put the razor in the base station when I'm done and let it do it's thing. Which one is right for you? I don't know. They're about $30 difference. You won't make a wrong choice.
Cleaning Solution
So here's the one drawback to the Pulsonic - you're going to need to buy cleaning solution. Currently a 3-pack refill of Braun CCR3 Syncro Shaver System Clean will run you $12.99 on Amazon. Not a huge deal, but definitely a recurring cost. That said, you can trail-blaze your own path and rinse the razor out yourself. The instruction book for the Pulsonic tells you that you can run the razor head under a running faucet to clean it out. Good tip when you're traveling and TSA stops you from bringing your cleaning solution on the plane.
Braun Pulsonic is a breakthrough new shaving system and a revolution in shaving technology. It is the world’s first shaver powered by an innovative sonic technology that delivers more than 10,000 micro-vibrations per minute from the shaver head to help expose and shave more hairs with every stroke. The design combines ergonomics and aesthetic appeal and is engineered to deliver Braun’s closest, most comfortable shave ever.
10,000 micro-vibrations per minute. Does that really make a difference? I have no idea. But if you read the review from yesterday, you'll know I think the shave is great. So the vibrations must help. Or maybe their don't and it's just a marketing gimmick. Who cares? Well, actually vibrations definitely help the Gillette Mach3 and Fusion. I wonder what else vibrations could help with? World peace?
Pivot
OK, let's talk about some of the other features of the Pulsonic. The pivoting head works really well. Pretty much no matter what angle you hold the razor, the head pivots so that the foils are flat against your face. I was actually really impressed at how well this works. And, if for some reason you don't like the way the shaver is pivoting, you can lock it into place.
Trimmer
Definitely another strong point of the Pulsonic. The trimmer juts out from the razor by pushing the flap above the power button up. It's more sturdy than it looks. And it works great. Easy to level out my sideburns.
Tomorrow we'll check out the self-cleaning system in the Braun Pulsonic.
We're going to spend a few days reviewing the Braun Pulsonic. For those who are interested in skipping to the end, this shaver rocks. Get one.
The Pulsonic feels good in your hand. It's got a nice heft and feels sturdy. When it's on it's not too loud, although don't expect your roommate to sleep through your shave.
It's the first electric razor I've used which doesn't get hot after a couple minutes of use. In the past that's been one of my biggest frustrations with electric razors. Razor gets hot, skin starts to sweat, razor gets tripped up on face, bad shave ensues. Not sure how the engineers at Braun overcame this, but I'm glad they did. The Pulsonic stays at an even temperature. Cool.
The Shave
Shaving with the Pulsonic was a series of opposites. Braun recommends you shave before you shower or wash your face, while you still have a little protective barrier of oil on your skin. A big no-no with regular shaving, this worked well with the Pulsonic. They also recommend you shave against the grain. Again, not recommended for regular shaving. For electric shaving, works great.
It took me three or four shaves with the Pulsonic before I got really comfortable with it. There's a lot more tugging of skin to make flat surfaces than in regular cartridge shaving. That said, by the third or fourth shave I was getting as close a shave as I would get with a regular razor.
Shaving above the jawline was a breeze from the get go. Shaving below the jawline took the few times to get right. I'm not faulting the Pulsonic here too much. Shaving the neck has always been the weak part of electric razors from my perspective. The hairs tend to grow sideways or not have a uniform direction, which means you end up going over the same spot multiple times. That said after a couple of uses I was able reduce the number of passes over my neck and still get a good shave. Don't give up. This is the area that needs the most practice.
Tomorrow we'll go over some of the mechanics of the razor.
The Braun Pulsonic is available in models from $208 to $235
Starting to shave with the new Braun Pulsonic. Still a couple shaves away from being able to write the full review, but I thought I'd throw up some pictures of things I'm learning on the way.
Thing number one - in the cleaning station, the Pulsonic lists to the left. Looks like it's fallen over, but I'm guessing this is intentional. Probably makes self-cleaning work better since the fluid and excess beard trimming can flow out one side.
Thing number two - the trimmer pops up and out like so. Push the plate on the front upward, and the trimmer pops out. (Trimmer's pretty good too, but we'll save that for the review.)
Thing number three - the power cord fits both the charging station base as well as the trimmer itself. This is very cool, since if you're traveling and don't want to take the base, you can just take the cord. Also, if you're out of battery charge, the Pulsonic will work with the cord plugged in.
Normally I cheerfully deride the ritual "unboxing" post on consumer-goods blogs. "Ooo! Look. I'm the first person to get an iPhone and take it out of the box." Good for you.
But now, with foot squarely planted in mouth, I present to you the unboxing of the new Braun Pulsonic:
What's the first thing you notice? It's in a box! Yes, that's right. None of that confounding indestructible plastic to wrestle with. Just slide the inner box out of the outer shell, and you're on to step 2.
Oh! Look inside. There's lots of stuff neatly displayed. The shaver. The self-cleaning based. Cleaning fluid. Instruction. Oh no... plastic! Dammit! How am I going to get that razor out of there?
What's this? A simple instruction on how to pop the plastic open? Push these four black dots in and... lo and behold...
What is the Braun SupreX3?
Couple of Black Friday deals worth checking out:
The holiday season is fast approaching and you've got a list with a bunch of question marks on it. What to get for that special man in your life? Well look no further than the 2007 ShavingStuff Holiday Gift Guide. We've got all he'll need, from creams to razors, books, toys, and more. And even a little something for the ladies.
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