Recently saw a commenter praising this product and was looking into how well it performs, seems to be just a tiny bit of a closer shave than the Braun Series 9, but at a fraction of the cost, I think it should be better value. Foil shavers also supposedly shave closer than rotary shavers if you have thinner hair (this one supposedly cuts as close as half a millimeter to the skin), so looking forward to its arrival.
You have to sanitise these every after use because dead dry skin will cause the rash.
When I used to clean shave I prefered the rotary shavers to foil ones (for the rash reasons)
If you have a wet and dry shaver, put on shaving oil or hair conditioner and shave (yes, that does say hair conditioner - I have stubble that I tidy up and hair conditioner is the easiest thing to get the lines right as you can see through it)
According to this site https://www.haircaretool.com/post/detail/80/, the gold should help mitigate that a bit. That being said, bacteria and dead skin cells can build up on the foil so make sure to clean after every use with mild soap and a brush and you should be more than golden.
"But why gold? This lustrous element, often associated with luxury, brings a surprising wealth of scientific advantages to the humble shaver foil. Gold is one of the most inert metals known to science. This chemical stability means it’s exceptionally resistant to corrosion and, crucially, it is highly biocompatible. For many individuals, skin irritation from shaving can be exacerbated by reactions to certain metals, particularly nickel, which is common in many alloys. Gold’s inherent inertness means it’s far less likely to trigger such sensitivities, contributing significantly to the Vanish shaver’s claim of delivering a shave “without irritation or bumps.”"
seems to be just a tiny bit of a closer shave than the Braun Series 9
What's the evidence for this?
but at a fraction of the cost
Approximately half of the cost, which I agree is a fraction. On the other hand, you can usually get a Panasonic 5-blade shaver for about $200 on sale, or current price of $238, which is not much more than the Wahl.
That Panasonic is more than 13/10ths of the price of the Wahl.
I bought one for $195.12 last week, although it's OOS on that Ebay store now. But generally it shouldn't be too hard to find one for ~$200.
$200 is almost 11/10ths of the price of this Wahl unit.
The evidence is that the Braun Series 9 trades just a tiny bit of precision in exchange for comfort, on gq's list it states that "We found that it works best when used on hair that's slightly longer, just so the foil shaver has more to grip onto, leaving a baby smooth face behind," meaning it doesn't actually reach as close to the skin.
https://www.gq.com/story/best-electric-shavers
The same list also notes it's the barbershop's favourite shaver because it can reach those precisions "ultra-thin foils give you that barbershop-caliber smoothness."
I need one thats going to cut through red hair. Even my short red hair destroys these. Will this hold up?
Does the colour affect the hardness?
Depends on the person. I was blessed with a red beard that is like a wire brush.
Depends on how thick your beard hair is I think? Supposedly this doesn't have too much trouble with thicker hair but you'll want to use it as a barber does, that's to say, use a trimmer to get everything down to stubble and then use the Wahl to polish everything up. If you shave every day, then I think you can skip the trimmer step though.
Braun Series 9 main benefit/purpose is not a close shave. If you want a close shave you need to get Panasonic.
One of the boys uses this at the barber shop I work at and it cuts very close. Plows through stubble with ease.
Can it handle a couple of days growth? Barber I went to used something similar and it was almost razor close
Easily, that's the beauty about it. It will bald out even the shortest of stubble.
Hate to split hairs, but as a Braun 9 Series (2025 model) fanboy, I gotta tell ya, it's the bees knees. Is it hella expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Hell yes.
Beautifully German made. So noisy you'll have a University Degree in Industrial Deafness after using it for 6 months. What? I said… Anyway.
You buy the shaver. Plus - THE CLEANING WASHERMATIC DOOHICKY. Every time I use it, it's like it's brand new. I'm prone to skin rash from shavers. With the Braun 9, not once. Nope. Never. Had it for 8 months. Love it. You adjust, you get used to how it works, compared to a Series 9000 Philips for example. And. It. Just. Works.
I know this is Ozbargain. But the Shaver Shop regularly has the Braun 9's on sale, with the clearnermaticmagicky.
Look in the mirror. Yes. You. You are a fine specimen (or specilady). You're worth it. Spend the extra, get the Braun 9. Grab a spare head while you're at it (they combine the foil with the blades in the one unit). Did I mention the German part? Man, the Germans must have a high tolerance for noise because damn.
You'll thank me. Or you won't. Yeah, you know you will.
Didn't know about the self cleaning station. Does it use UV sterilisation? Is it only compatible with Braun shavers or can I 3D print a holder or something for it?
can I use this on my ass?
I don't believe so
so i got flamed for this on the Braun post -
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/915785
razer burn hasn't happened to me , just sharing my personal opinion and yes I've tried Panasonic and Braun both crap to me . each to there own. As you can imagine I've already got a 5 o'clock shadow by the 3pm , so I've been through a lot of shavers. honestly wish i was Asian so i wouldn't have to shave soo damn much…
but in all honesty - its a very close shave you don't need to press on it hard against the skin, i actually timed myself the other day its takes about a minute to go over once daily if you have a super tough beard like mine. I use the brush to clean the head and foil part. It turns the hair into a very fine cement mix powder. I haven't used disinfectant on it for the last 6months but have cleaned it regularly.
On another note, I used a blade to shave the other day and then used the shaver after to see if there was anything to shave. The electric shaver still picked up hair closer then the blade shaver, was genuinely surprised.
If you let the beard grow too long you cant use this shaver.
What the alternative if you get a mad rash from these?