Here is my final assessment of Braun Series 5. I also have a Philips Arcitec RQ1095 so I am comparing the two shavers:
Performance: Both shavers give a pretty good shave, however Braun’s ActiveLift technology is fantastic, it shaves flat lying hair under the chin really well. Philips fails miserably in this respect. Just based on this I would recommend Braun over Philips.
Skin Irritation: Neither of the shavers irritate my skin, however Philips is much more smoother on the skin. Its round flat shaving head results in the shaver gliding much more effortlessly over the skin, and you can shave in all directions. Philips is more comfortable to shave with
Quality: Braun feels ‘plasticy’ whereas Philips feels more solid. You can see more metal and it might be even slightly heavier. While Philips feels more solid, in practice both shavers could be just as durable.
Cleaning: Philips is much more convenient to clean manually. For automatic cleaning Braun is much much faster, it takes a few minutes compared with over an hour that Philips takes. However the Philips cleaning unit is far more high tech, it’s a pleasure to watch it in action! However we don't buy shavers to watch it clean itself!
Trimmer: Braun’s trimmer is more convenient and accurate to use.
Battery Life: Brauns battery life is about 40 minutes compared with about 80 minutes for Philips. 40 minutes is still a long time. Assuming you take 2 minutes per shave, that’s charging every 20 days instead of 40 days. Not a big issue.
Comfort: Braun vibrates a bit, at times it is uncomfortable to hold and use. Philips is very smooth.
Overall Impressions: Braun looks and feels less impressive compared with Philips, however they both give a good close shave. However based on performance I would prefer Braun because of its very impressive ActiveLift technology.
If there was an ultimate test, I guess it would be comparing two or more shavers side by side. That is exactly what I did today. I shaved one side of my face with Braun Series 5 and the other side with Philips Arcitec RQ 1095.
I haven't used my Philips since I got the Braun so I forgot how good it was! Here are my main conclusions:
- Shaving: both shavers gave a close shave. It is difficult to say which is better. However the ActiveLift technology that Braun has is brilliant. If really goes a good job with shaving hair that is lying flat. Philips didn't do a very good job here. Based on Braun's ActiveLift technology I would choose to buy Braun instead of Philips. The difference is huge
- Comfort on skin: Philips is a bit more comfortable on the skin compared with Braun. If you look at the design, Philips is flat and smooth, and you can use it either in straight or circular motion. It glides a lot more easily over the skin. As such it is likely to provide less irritation if you have sensitive skin. Philips is more comfortable.
- Comfort on holding: Philips is more comfortable to hold, its narrow and fits around the hand a lot easier. It also smoother as opposed to Braun which vibrates a little bit. I am not saying Braun is uncomfortable and difficult to hold, however when comparing the two shavers, Philips is more comfortable.
- Manual Cleaning: for manual cleaning, with warm water or brush, Philips is quicker and easier.
- Cleaning Unit: Compared with Philips cleaning unit, Braun is a lot faster. Cleaning is done within a few minutes and then it takes time to dry. Philips takes more than an hour I think. If you were bored and wanted to watch your machines clean your shaver Philips is more entertaining to watch. It is high tech, the shaver keeps moving up and down, going on and off. It is more fun to watch but I guess we don't buy shavers to entertain ourselves. So for the cleaning unit I prefer Braun. Even though Philips is more interesting and high tech Braun is quicker.
Today I tested the trimmer for the first time. It does not look very effective, and I certainly didn't think it was better than my other shavers trimmer, Philips arcitec. I was pleasantly surprised. The trimmer is very comfortable to use. It is at 90% to the shaver, hence I found it easier to be more accurate when using it.
