For an ultra-efficient, nick-free shave, an electric razor is a worthy tool for your dopp kit. But only a truly great electric shaver guarantees results as close to a manual shave as you can get without breaking the bank, loading you down with unnecessary features, or creating an annoying experience.
To greet the day with a fresh face, we recommend the Braun Series 8 foil electric shaver. It shaves closely, has a long-lasting battery, offers an ergonomic design, works wet or dry, and comes with a built-in trimmer that’s actually functional. It’s also packaged with the accessories that we think most people appreciate, all for a reasonable price.
Our pick
This solid, pivot-head foil electric razor consistently provides a close, clean, and comfortable shave. It’s fast and easy to use and maintain, and it comes with all the accessories you might want.
This is the same razor, but without a charging case and cleaning station.
We love the reliable and efficient shave of the Braun Series 8 electric razor, which can work wet or dry. The 8577cc version delivers an especially close electric shave in comparison with much of the competition. It has a 60-minute battery, features an ergonomic grip and a built-in trimmer, and comes with all the key accessories, including a travel case that also charges the razor, a cleaning center, and a cleaning brush. Although no electric razor can cut as close or come in as compact and quiet a package as a manual razor, the Series 8 performed the best relative to similarly priced electric razors we tested. Braun says that this model is designed to last up to seven years.
Upgrade pick
This model gives you a premium, easy, smooth shave in a high-end package. It comes with our top pick’s accessories, plus titanium-coated blades (with a middle trimmer) and a feature that matches the blade speed to beard density.
The wet/dry Braun Series 9 Pro boasts what the company says is beard-sensing technology that increases the shaver’s power when it detects thicker hair and eases off when it runs over everyday stubble. It has four shaving elements, two of which are foils and two of which are trimmers. One of the trimmers directs and cuts hairs growing in different directions, while the other lifts and cuts flat-lying hairs and is coated in gold-colored titanium nitride for durability and anti-corrosiveness. We found the Series 9 Pro’s shave to be very close and gentle, and in our testing it matched its claim of being effective at mowing through a seven-day beard. Like the 8577cc, the 9477cc version in this series comes with a charging travel case.
Budget pick
This model gives a close-enough facial shave that’s superior to the results from other budget foil shavers. But it underperforms on the neck, and the build and grip are not as sophisticated as on our other picks.
For around a fifth of the price of our top pick, the Remington F5-5800 offers a solid foil-based shave. It isn’t pretty or sleek, but it gets the job done, delivering a shave in our tests that was the closest among the below-$60 options we tried. The shaving mechanism grabs the skin more roughly in comparison with higher-end models, leaving you with extra irritation and redness. In addition, the build isn’t as sophisticated as that of other shavers—one of our testers said he felt like it might “fly apart any minute.” But if you’re on a budget and an electric razor that produces decent results is what you need, this is a good one to grab.
Also great
The best rotary shaver we tested, this model provides a close and smooth cut and comes with a variety of useful accessories.
Traditionally, rotary shavers haven’t cut as close as foil models. But this stalk-like, grippable rotary shaver beat several foil shavers with its “lift and cut” system. The wet/dry Philips Norelco Shaver 9500 is an upgrade over our previous rotary pick, the discontinued Shaver 9300, and includes a built-in trimmer and a cleaning station. It also has some “advanced” electronic features designed to train you to improve your shaving technique; you can either take heed of them or ignore them.
