A drop of light oil (clipper oil) on each foil or even using a lubricating spray for electric shavers (Remington, Braun or Philips) will help and also prolong the life of the cassette. In fact, if we consider strictly the shaving performance, the older Series 7 is in my opinion better. The older S8 station (no drying fan) has this ledge on the top part and the shaver sits in it on a slant (you can also refer to the image above with the 8370cc during the cleaning process). By the way, your Series 7 will work with a compatible Series 7 cleaning station if you want to purchase one separately. The sliding action is very smooth and the trimmer is actually spring-loaded, so it will easily snap into position.

At least at the moment of writing this comparison, the Braun Series 8 seems to cost less than a corresponding Series 7. If your Series 8 is not a cc model, I’m pretty certain it will not work with a cleaning station purchased separately.

But let’s get back to the automatic cleaning process using the station that comes with the Braun 8370cc. Again, whenever I mention Series 7, I am actually referring to the old (discontinued) Series 7, not the new Series 7 360 Flex. Considering the differences between a Series 9 and 7 (as face shavers), I think a Series 7 will also be good enough. Braun shavers usually don’t perform significantly better when used with shaving cream and in most cases it’s not really worth all the hassle of lathering, cleaning and so on.

The Series 8 8370cc can be charged directly from a power socket using the cord or via the cleaning station. The Series 7 cord has a different connector (bent at 90 degrees since the charging port is located on the back of the shaver, not on the bottom like it is on the Series 8), but it should still work. I get an amazingly close shave on my head but it’s a different story on my face, especially around the jaw line. But there’s a silver lining to that: the 8370cc (and all the other models in the series) are fitted with high-capacity Li-ion batteries that will provide 60 minutes of shaving time on a single charge.As mentioned earlier, the newer Series 8 84 (Pro) come with an updated cleaning station that also actively dries the shaving head. I bought a Braun series 8 at Costco (as several others have commented) because it was on sale and I wanted to see if I could do a better job with an electric razor. Having used the Series 8 for more than a month by now, I can confirm that the battery life of this razor is outstanding. Well, I bought the Series 8, used it for a few weeks and in this article I’ll cover everything there is to know about Braun’s Series 8, including how it compares to the brand’s current top performers, the Series 7 and 9.

The Series 8 models starting with 83 will actually stay slanted in the station, while the ones starting with 84 will stay straight. It features Braun's unique Sonic Technology that uses 10,000 micro-vibrations to help capture more hair with gentle glide on the skin. I recommend rinsing the razor under the tap and using a bit of liquid soap (check out the cleaning and maintenance section below for more details). A Panasonic Arc 4 or Arc 5 will provide a closer shave in most cases, but do keep in mind that those aren’t as comfortable and if you have very sensitive skin, they are likely to cause some discomfort or irritation, especially during a dry shave. If the foils started scraping the skin suddenly, there may be some physical damage in which case you should absolutely replace the head.The travel lock on the Series 8 can be activated by pressing and holding the power button for 3 seconds. While such details are usually relevant in the case of smartphones or computers, a 32-bit MCU will be able to process a lot more data and a lot faster than the 8-bit MCU that other shavers use. The razor is fitted with a sensor that adjusts the power output of the motor depending on the particularities of your beard, precisely the density. This is not ideal when trying to shape a sideburn for example and you’ll have to tilt the shaver so that the edges of the trimmer can cut the hairs. The closeness will be good enough for most users, but again I think the Panasonic Arc 4 and Arc 5 still have the edge here, even though they’re not as comfortable as the Series 8.