We’ve recruited people with diverse facial hair types and shaving preferences to test our picks long term. With our shavers, you can go for a comfortable dry shave or a refreshing wet shave. The new shavers with SenseIQ technology are equipped with advanced sensors that read and adapt to you.
This creates an open market for all-in-one tools, whether they’re trimmers with interchangeable heads or a shaver with a trimming edge. The Philips Norelco OneBlade is the latter — but it’s incredibly good at both jobs, especially considering its affordability. For $35, there’s a ton of tech packaged into this juiced-up disposable razor. My experience in the space of barbering has opened up opportunities to consult with Fortune 500 Skincare and Grooming brands, educate and train future beauty students and provide men’s grooming content for national magazines. In the past, I acted as the spokesperson for two global brands, Lab Series by Estee Lauder and Philips Norelco. My relationship with the latter ended eight years ago—a long enough time that I feel comfortable saying that I can talk to you about shaving hardware, without bias.
And lastly, when reading the final two digits on a Braun razor model number you’re often going to be dealing with slight iterations in the materials or looking at a razor with extra accessories included. A few of the 94xx models have a special “metal” body that Braun makes, which is often distinguished by a slightly higher price. And a couple of the Series 94xx models come with a portable charger, which also typically results in a higher price. With that being said, your skin could potentially fair better with an electric razor due to the buffer between direct skin contact. However, some users will need an adjustment period to let their skin get used to the new shaving style. If you follow all these steps you should be in good hands for getting a quality shave every time.
For an update to this guide, James tested the revamped Braun Series 5, 6, and 7 models for a month. Following the same procedures as the original panel of testers, he compared each new Braun’s performance against that of the others as well as our budget pick. Although the OneBlade looks comically simple — it’s a tiny philips shaver blade attached to a medium-sized body — it can do quite a lot. You can trim your beard using one of the attachable guards, which help keep the blade far enough from the skin to only cut the hairs to your desired length. When you’re shaving, the OneBlade goes flat against your skin and can go in either direction.
Just make sure to take care of your razor and give it proper maintenance. And if you’re just starting out using an electric razor, give yourself a grace period for your skin to adjust (we touch on the reasoning for this more down below). The new shavers with SkinIQ technology are equipped with advanced sensors that read and adapt to you.
Our team of product experts thoroughly vet every product we recommend to help you cut through the clutter and find what you need. We’ve highlighted all the discounts where relevant below, to help you spot the best deals more easily. Bear in mind that prices can wildly fluctuate, especially with Lightning Deals (limited-time flash deals) thrown into the mix.
We couldn’t figure out exactly why this break-in period is necessary. Different sources give different answers, ranging from new-user error to the need to “train” skin as it adjusts from healing the scrapes caused by a manual razor to dealing with the pulling and shearing mechanisms of electrics. The Remington offers generally good performance, but you’ll likely find the shaving experience to be buzzier and potentially more irritating if you don’t maintain a very light touch.