Braun Series 7 review: a high-quality, smart and affordable electric shaver

The Braun Series 7 is one of the best electric shavers you can buy for the price. This foil-based electric shaver offers new features over the previous generation including a 360-degree swivel head, plus it has beard length auto-detection. Smart stuff indeed when you consider this isn't even the flagship model. 

The Series 7 comes in 7071cc and 7075cc models, the difference being a variation in extra heads included. Both, owing to that cc, come with the automatic cleaning station as standard. This is a shaver ideal for regular shaves of shorter hairs.

For those taking on longer hair, the best beard trimmers could be more suitable. If you're all about the manual super close shave, then the best razor options are for you.

All that in mind, read on to find out if this is for you based on the Braun Series 7 review.

Braun Series 7 review: build quality

The Braun Series 7 is an all-plastic build, which might sound a bit cheap but in reality, it feels high quality and strong. It also means its very light and easy to manoeuvre. But, sure, it's not all metal like a Philips or Panasonic model, so if that look is what you're after then they may suit you better.

There is a rubberised grip around the body and rear, although it's smaller in this generation over the previous line. That said, it still does the job of giving a grippy feel so no complaints here.

The display is small but clear with information on battery life, cleaning reminders and travel lock status. The travel lock stops this turning on when in a bag, with a three-second press of the power button.

The cassette for the head doesn't feature a release button but rather requires you to yank it off. It's a bit awkward and can be a faff with wet hands – clearly, a cost-saving was made here by Braun. Not a major complaint, but if you're changing the heads regularly it could get annoying.

Talking of heads, this comes with a triple cut system featuring two foils on either side of a central trimmer which takes care of longer hairs. All that is mounted on the new-to-this-model 360-degree swivel head. This makes for a closer shave on contours but can't be locked so doesn't give the manual control which some may miss.

The beard length auto-detection may also not be great for some, as this means you can't just set it to the max and go at it, if that's your way of shaving. It does the detecting and adapting for you. That said it's tough to actually notice much difference throughout.

Braun Series 7 review: battery life and running time

The Braun Series 7 has a fully charged runtime of 50 minutes. That's a good number that represents a solid two weeks of shaving use minimum.

You can't plug in and charge at the same time, down to safety rules that allow this to wet shave. But you can fast charge in five minutes to get a full shave. Or from empty, charge to full power in no more than an hour.

The only gripe here might be that when the cleaning station is working it can't charge at the same time. But since a clean takes only three minutes this isn't really a big deal.

Braun Series 7 review: performance

The Braun Series 7 is, as you'd imagine at this level, an impressive electric shaver. Those foil blades make for a very close shave while the middle cutter can do good work at clearing away longer hairs.

That said, this isn't the closest shaver out there, nor does it do the best work on longer hairs. So this is more for those that shave regularly and keep on top of the growth consistently.

The beard trimmer head can be helpful to cut back extra growth before a close shave but longer hair can occasionally be felt tugging a bit. However, with a shaving foam addition, the shave gets even smoother with no discomfort at all.

We're being very picky here, it's worth saying. This is still one of the best electric shavers out there, but it's still not as good as the top end Series 9 - as you might expect.

Braun Series 7 review: verdict

The Braun Series 7 is an excellent electric shaver that comes with an auto-cleaning station to make for easy maintenance. The long battery life, close shave and ability to dry or wet shave make this a real all-rounder. The inclusion of a beard trimmer head adds more versatility to the unit and the addition of a hard case and travel lock make it an ideal travel companion.

For those that deal with longer hair growth and want a more premium metallic build,  something like the Philips S9000 Prestige could serve them better. And for those that want a purely close shave, the Panasonic Arc 5 is a tough one to beat, although that's not for those with sensitive skin.

At the price, with the cleaning station and lots of smart features the Braun Series 7 is a super electric shaver choice that will keep most people more than happy.

For more electric shaver reviews, check out T3's guide to the best electric shaver, and make sure to read our advice on how to clean a waterproof electric shaver as well.