Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Bottom line -- you'll get a great, smooth shave, and this has some key improvements over older models. Just be prepared for a few small cons. If you're also looking at the Braun Series 7, I prefer this. However the rotary vs. foil style tends to be a preference/performance point depending on your beard. ===== Long verson -- Smoothest shave I've had, right up there with the cartridge razors I used for 20yrs -- without the nicks and ingrown hairs. I shave daily for work, usually skip the weekends. Coarse, thick hair type. I moved to an electric in 2013 with the Norelco SensoTouch 3D (1290X). Then in late 2014, they redesigned the replacement heads, to universal hatred online. Instead of spending $65 on a poorly rated head replacement (recommended annually), I opted to spend some Christmas money on the Braun Series 7 foil shaver. Been very happy with that over the last year or so. Would have stuck with it, but I received this product as part of a promotion from Philips Norelco. This model 8900 beats both previous razors. Compared to the SensoTouch 3D, the shave is a bit better. They've moved away from the charging stand and let you plug directly into the razor -- a huge win for frequent travelers. The cleaning stand now uses a cartridge instead of refilling a reservoir and they've removed the odd dunking-style contraption from the older version. Still not something I'd take on the road, but much better. The one down side is that they removed the integrated trimmer from the razor itself. Was a nice when I wanted to trim the sideburns or something real quick. Just slide the lever and the trimmer popped out from the body of the razor. It wasn't a strong performer, but it was convenient. With this version, you have to remove the shaver head and replace with the included trimmer head. But it's easy enough, and it has a semi-adjustable guard on it. Works well, just a little cumbersome. Compared to the Braun Series 7, this is MUCH quieter, which the wife appreciates. Both the razor and the cleaning station for the Braun are pretty noisy. And the shave, while good with the Braun, is significantly better with this Norelco. I think the rotary just works better for my beard type than the foil by design. This also allows for a wet or dry shave, while the Braun is dry only. The one down side to the Norelco is cost of ownership. Replacement heads are more expensive (~$43 on Amazon every year, compared to $30 for a Braun foil every 18 months per their respective manual recommendations). But it's closer now compared to the SensoTouch ($65 annually). Cleaning cartridges are fairly close in price between the two. Again, the Braun is an excellent razor, and I'd have had no reason to change if Philips hadn't emailed and asked me to try out this one (first time that's every happened...who am I to say no, right?). But side by side, I've gotten a much better shave from this model. I'm willing to pay a little extra for the head replacements and deal with the minor trimmer annoyance. Think I'll stick with it.