Braun 9385cc Shaver Review: How Efficient and Worth Buying the Expensive Braun Series 9 9385CC Electric Shaver is!

The name Braun Series 9 is becoming buzz day by day in the sophisticated men’s grooming industry. The German brand Braun has been dominating the foil shaver market for a long time with different electric razor series. You might know that Series 9 is the utmost creation by Braun, even the most advanced creation in the industry yet. The Braun 9385cc is one of the newest Series 9 shavers and the most popular of them. Although a new release, the brand could minimize the cost very little. Let’s know what’s special in the new costly giant.

What’s in the Box?

Before focusing on the review, you should know what you will get with the package. There must be some extra things since the price is challenging. So, let’s unbox the package first and find the Braun 9385cc shaver first, and the other following items are included:

• Advanced cleaning and charging dock
• A small cleaning brush
• Travel pouch
• Charging adapter
• A Cleaning cartridge
• User manual

We will cover the qualities and usage of the attachments later on. Just want to say about the manual graph. It is a graphical instruction book with detailed descriptions. The manual makes the shaving process easy to handle the device. The small cleaning brush is very useful for manual fast and simple cleaning of the device.

Features and Specifications Analysis

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Award-winning Design

The shape of all the Braun series 9 shavers is identical, and Series 9 won the German Design Award 2017. The new Braun 9385cc shaver comes with a slick graphite design in the typical Series 9 shape. The shaver does not look too glossy like the older models and feels classier. While you are a lover of glossy design, you might not like this new one, but everything of the new shaver looks exactly similar to the older 92xx models.

5 Synchronized Shaving Elements

Did you count your current shaver’s shaving elements ever? While you have a foil shaver, you will find it has 2-4 shaving elements, and very few come with 5 shaving elements. All the Braun Series 9 shavers come with 5 shaving elements. Do not mix shaving elements with cutting elements.

If you are familiar with Panasonic Arc 5, you will find 5 cutting elements only there, and the Arc5 is the only competitor of Braun Series 9 on the market. But the Series 9 comes with 4 cutting elements, and different element has different duty while shaving. Braun used the world’s most advanced technology to arrange the shaving elements to deliver an advanced shaving experience. Among the 5 shaving elements, there are 2 OptiFoils, 1 Lift & Cut trimmer, Direct & Cut trimmer, and 1 Skin Guard. Let’s elaborate on the elements for better understanding:

#OptiFoils 2x

OptiFoils are Braun’s typical foil blocks that cut the hairs from the base and cover all types of hairs. If you are familiar with Braun’s down-grade shavers like Series 1, and Series 3, you will find there are 2 foil shaving elements, which are enough to do their duty for a complete shave. But Braun used more advanced foils on their series and named OptiFoils, which provide maximum foil cutting action for a clean and close shave in every stroke.

#Lift & cut trimmer

Some facial hairs lay over the skin and feel stubborn to the electric shaver to cut. Consequently, Braun used the advanced Lift & Cut trimmer on their Braun Series 9 shaver head. The trimmer guides the flat-lying hairs and pulls up and cuts those hairs to minimize hair spare. Thus the shaver ensures cutting the flat-lying hairs while the OptiFoils fail to capture them.

#Direct & cut trimmer

Some hairs grow in different directions and feel messy. While you have coarse hair, it’s very common for you. It’s pretty difficult to capture those messy hairs by the foil holes, even if there is the chance to leave some hairs. For that, Braun used Direct & Cut technology on their Series 9 shavers that easily can read messy hairs and capture them to cut effortlessly.

#Skin guard

You might be heard the Braun Series 9 shavers are a blessing for sensitive skin. Braun used a unique skin guard on their series 9 shavers with the shaving elements. The Skin Guard protects the skin from the cutting elements controlling the pressure while passing. Thus the shaver makes the shaving process comfortable and keeps the skin super safe.

All the shaving elements work together while making a stroke and delivering a smooth and super-efficient shaver every time. Although 4 cutting elements, these are enough to compete with Panasonic Arc 5 shaver’s 5 blade actions. The Skin guard is a bonus thing for more secure and comfortable operation.

SyncroSonic Technology

This is an old topic on the Braun Series 9 family. Braun uses the unique SyncroSonic Technology in their Series 9 shavers. As a result, the shaver produces 10,000 motions per minute that make 40,000 cross-cutting actions. Doesn’t it sound tremendous? Yes, only the Braun Series 9 shavers can cut too fast to make quick shaves since it features sonic technology. The rival Panasonic Arc5 may fall through the cutting action of SyncroSonic technology. The new Braun 9385cc did not break the tradition and works like the other series 9 shavers in terms of this technology.

Upgraded Advanced Battery

One of the main notable points that upgraded the new Braun Series 9 shavers 93xx is the battery power. Braun claims they made the new battery 20% larger than the older series 9 models. As you know, the Lithium-ion batteries of the older series 9 shavers provide 45-50 minutes of cordless runtime. But Braun says the new 93xx shaver will deliver up to 60 minutes of performance time with a full charge. I also acknowledge their claim. Although the older runtime was adequate, they noticeably upgraded their new battery power.

I think they wanted to capture the Philips Norelco 9000 models market, where the battery provides 60 minutes of runtime. Although the Philips Norelco shavers are rotary type and they are not the real competitor. Does the Braun 9385cc really provide 60-minute runtime? The answer is positive, and the battery really provides a great runtime of 60 minutes. Since a cordless device, the battery power really matters, and the Braun 93cc shavers pass in the term.

After inputting the charging cable or dock, the shaver takes approximately 60 minutes for a full charge.

On the other hand, the Braun series 9 shavers provide a quick shaving facility with a 5-minute quick charge. When you are in a hurry and need an urgent shave but your shaver’s battery is fully drained, you can charge the shaver within 5 minutes, and it will provide you enough juice for a full and accomplished shave.

This facility indicates that the shaver is not for corded use. Yes, Braun series 9 shavers do not work while it’s on charge. So, you are not allowed to use it while charging. This feature keeps the shaver, and you secured from electrical shock or any other accidents.

Durable Design

No one wants to invest in a fragile product, moreover, such a big budget product like Braun Series 9. Braun developed their new series 9 shavers with ultra durability. The manufacturer produces the shavers to last a minimum of 7 years. Don’t you think it’s a very long period? An electric product lasting a minimum of 7 years is a big deal since a shaver is a frequently used device. The made in German Braun 9385cc shaver has a well-finished graphite plastic body.

Although plastic, it feels sturdy enough but not as strong as the metal body. While comparing with Braun Series 7, the built quality of Series 7 will defeat the Series 9. As we know, the series 7 is also made for 7 years of durability. The rival Panasonic Arc5’s built quality also feels sturdier. I don’t know if series 9 will last until 7 years since I don’t have 7 years of experience. But have been using older series 9 shavers since 2016, and still look very new.

Advanced 32bit Chip

Braun says they have made a major update in the inner processor of the shaver, adding a 32-bit chip. The older Braun Series 9 shavers feature an 8-bit processor, and the new processor sounds great. But I didn’t feel anything changed in power and didn’t understand the main use of the upgraded processor. I think it’s good for handling the inner technologies flawlessly.

Waterproof Device

All the series 9 shavers are 100% waterproof. So you are allowed to clean the shaver with direct running water. Just detach the foil chamber and rinse it for a thorough clean while you don’t want to buy cleaning solutions at extra cost. Since waterproof, you can use the shaver under the shower or in your bath tub, and you don’t need to worry about water causing damage.

Wet/dry Shaver

The Braun 9385cc is a wet and dry shaver. So you can have a quick shave with the shaver and also allow for refreshing wet shaves. You can use water, foam, shaving cream, gel, or soap for wet shaves and make a refreshing shave. The wet & dry is a common facility for all series 9 shavers since such an expensive shaver series. You may know most of the wet-dry shavers do not provide satisfactory shave even with maximum tries in the wet shave. But the series 9 is special in this fact and provides identical performance to the dry shave.

Premium Slide-up Trimmer

An additional trimmer with a shaver is a very useful thing. Some men like to keep their mustaches and shave off their beards. The additional trimmer helps the person to shape and precise the mustache. Shaving the sideburns is a must doing thing while shaving the beard. If you don’t have a precision trimmer, you have to go with manual scissors, which is not ideal in this digital grooming world. Or you can buy a separate trimmer costing some extra bucks. However, all the series 9 come with a precision slide-up trimmer. And the new 93xx shavers also come with the typical popup trimmer of the series 9. There is nothing new in this fact, and it provides identical performance. But it is adequate for precision trimming and better than the rival’s built-in trimmers.

Pro LED Display

Now it’s time to stay updated with a digital LED display. All the Braun Series 9 shavers come with a Pro LED display that indicates important status with digital icons. Braun improved the LED from blue icons to white in the new series 9 shavers that look clearer. Another improvement is the battery icon which provides a clearer idea about charging the battery.

In the Braun 9385cc’s LED, the battery status is shown with 5 white segments. Each line indicates 20% of the charge, and when the battery time remains less than 9 minutes, it starts the count down from 9-0, and the segments disappear. There is a travel lock indicator with a lock icon, a cleaning reminder indicator with 2 water droplets, a replacement head signal with 3 foil lines and a head shape icon, and a charging alert indicator.

10D Pivoting Head

A flexible head makes the shaving process easier and more comfortable. How would it be if your shaver head flexes in 10 directions? Braun claims their new generation series 9 shaver head pivots in 10 directions. That means there is no side or direction that the shaver head can not move at. To clarify, the head can swivel back and forth, left and right, and moreover, the foils can move up and down independently.

The Braun series 9 shaver’s heads are super flexible and the world’s one of most flexible heads ever. Regarding the pivoting head, the rival Panasonic Arc5 will be defeated where the arc5 has a complex and bigger head. Even the new Series 9 93xx shaver head is more flexible than the older Series 9 shavers. That is to say that the older series 9 shavers are also the world’s most flexible shaving heads, and the newer ones are more advanced. To sum up, you are going to experience the ultra-flexible shaving facility with the Braun 9385cc shaver.

Beard Density Adjustment

The Braun 9385cc and all the Braun Series 9 shavers come with auto sensor technology. The technology reads the beard density automatically and adjusts the shaving power. I have a thick beard, and the shaver produced high torque for shaving the thick hairs efficiently. If you have a thin beard, it will produce lower torque to make the shaving process more comfortable. Therefore, the shaver efficiently cuts hair without manual power adjustment.

Precision Head Lock

The flexible head may be the reason for difficulties while shaving in a specific area. That is why Braun used a headlock system to eliminate the difficulties. The shaver head locks in 5 pre-determined positions to shave at a specific angle or position. The big dotted headlock button is above the S9 wet/dry logo for a multi-headlock system. Just slide down the button to lock the head at your preferred position and enjoy a fixed head-shaving facility too. In conclusion, the Braun series 9 is an all-rounder shaver regarding the shaving head technology.

The Cleaning and Charging Dock

Since a CC shaver model, the Braun 9385cc comes with the world’s most advanced automatic cleaning and charging station. This is an alcohol-based cleaning base and universal charging socket that cleans, dries, lubricates, and charges the device at the same time with a touch of the start button. The alcohol-based cleaning solution in the cleaning dock cleans it hygienically and lubricates every time to make the shaver new like every time.

You will get a piece of free cleaning solution in the package, and you have to replace the cartridge after consuming the alcohol-based solution. Charging with the dock saves your extra effort to charge it, and also it doesn’t need to remind the charging time in your busy life.

What about traveling?

Braun provides a hard deluxe travel pouch with the Braun 9385cc shaver. The travel pouch is improved from the older series 9 shavers and is more secure. The travel pouch keeps the shaver super safe inside your baggage and protects it from outer hits.

Since the shaver comes with a super powerful battery, it offers you to stay with clean face during the full holey day. The battery is capable of covering a full month with cordless power if you make a full charge before the travel.

The shaver features an adorable travel locking system that locks the shaver from accidentally turning on. If you are on a trip and the shaver is inside your baggage, the power button might be pressed by any other objects from your bag. This press can not turn the shaver on if you turn the travel lock on. Just press the power button for 3 seconds to activate the travel lock, and it will show a red lock icon on your display. Easily deactivate the travel lock while using the device with another long press of 3 seconds. To sum up, the Braun 9385 is a travel-friendly shaving device tough.

Built Quality of Braun 9385cc

Always Braun Series 9 has mixed feedback since everyone has a different outlook.  But no one will praise its mostly plastic-built casing since the Braun Series 9 is the most advanced and expensive electric razor production. Braun did not make any noticeable updates to the new generation Braun Series 9 shavers like Braun 9385cc in the built quality.

The first thing you’ll find the change is the color where the older models were a glossy chrome finish, but the Braun 9385cc has a graphite finish.

Another admirable feature is the headlock system of Braun Series 9 that allows you to lock the flexible head in 5 predetermined positions. The main rival, Panasonic arc5, features only 1 direction headlock if you compare. You’ll find the headlock switch at the front side of the shaver right above the Series 9 logo. The switch has too many textured pimples that make handling easier while sliding the switch up and down. Right below the S9 logo, you’ll find the power button where Braun engineered the travel lock too.

The manufacturer updated the LED display with HD white emitting icons rendering blue icons from the older models. The charging port is at the bottom of the shaver, where you can connect the power cord directly if you do not use the cleaning & charging unit. When looking at the rare side, I did not find anything new there where you’ll find the pop-up trimmer that you need to slide up and down to open or close and two studs that are used for adjoining the cleaning center. Some users said built quality would be great if Braun would have used a metal casing or a sturdy body in the new update. But I think Braun tried to maintain the lightweight body of the shaver for maximum user-friendly operation.

Performance

Braun is always proud of their Series 9’s shaving performance, and they claim the shaver is the world’s most efficient production ever. The Braun 9385cc creates 40,000 cross-cutting actions per minute to make the shaving process faster and smoother. Regarding close shaving, the Braun Series 9 9385cc doesn’t take more than 1-2 strokes at a place to complete its operation.

So you can say the shaver is good enough for making close shaves. If you have a 3-day long beard, the shaver will not leave hair compromising with the stubbles where most premium shaver fails. Braun Series 9 never compromises with the cutting power while using wet or dry. Braun’s super flexible shaving head and floating foils make the shaving process more comfortable than any other shaver on the market. As a result, most skin health specialists suggest Braun Series 9 shavers for irritation-free and comfortable shaves, even if sensitive skin.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Cleaning and proper maintenance keep your shaver healthy and active to feel new-like every time. So, we recommend keeping your device hygienic with careful cleaning and maintenance. Braun Series 9 shavers come with a universal cleaning facility that allows you to clean it in all the methods. Let’s know which cleaning method is suitable for you:

#Cleaning with the cleaning dock

You know the Braun 9385cc electric shaver comes with 5 action alcohol-based cleaning dock. The dock allows you to clean the shaver automatically without any effort. To clean the device after every use, you must put the shaver head into the cleaning base and press the start button. You are done! Your cleaning station will automatically select the cleaning program to clean the head and inside the foils thoroughly.

After 1 hour, you can detach the shaver from the cleaning base and find the head shining like a new shaver. This method will charge the shaver fully and prepare your foils for next use with proper lubrication. Certainly, you do not need to wipe or make manually dry the shaver since the cleaning dock dries the head together.

#Rinse the head for thorough cleaning

Since the shaver is 100% washable, you are allowed to clean the shaver thoroughly with direct running water. To clean the shaver in this method, you need to detach the foil chamber by pressing head buttons situated left and right to the head.

After detaching the foil chamber, put the shaver head into the tab and turn the power on. After turning the shaver on, it will make the blade motion and wash out the debris easily and then turn it off after 10-20 seconds. This method will thoroughly clean the inside blades thoroughly. After that, put the foil cassette into the tab. This attempt will clean the foil blocks too.

You can use some liquid soap or any other lubricator to clean the shaver hygienically. After cleaning the head, softly jerk out the shaver to remove the excess water and then wipe it out with a soft towel. Then attach the foil chamber to the head with a soft push. I recommend using a couple of drops of appliance oil after drying the shaver to lubricate the blades before the next use.

#Cleaning with the cleaning brush

Again you know the shaver comes with a little cleaning brush. This brush is very useful for cleaning the shaver manually without water. To clean with the brush, wipe the foil cassettes easily and then detach the foil chamber. After that, wipe out thoroughly inside the header to clean the blade debris. After cleaning the blades, clean the foil cassette too. And again, put the chamber in its place for the next use.

You can choose any of these 3 methods according to your convenience. Since the replacement cleaning solution charges extra costs, you can choose the manual cleaning methods to save costs. But I recommend cleaning the device with the cleaning dock to keep the shaver hygienic.

Replacement Parts of Braun 9385cc

The main replacement part of the device is the foil cassettes. A replacement foil alert icon on the LED display shows three foil lines. I found the replacement head signal is worthless and alerts frequently, even if your foil is new and good enough. I recommend replacing your foil cassettes when the performance goes dull. Replacing a new foil cassette will make your shaver perform like a new one. Replacing will not break the bank but will make your shaver feel newer.

Since a CC shaver, you need to refill the dock with cleaning solution after consuming one. Dock cleaning and charging make your shaver fresh and active. So, refill your alcohol-based cleaning dock cartridge to make cleaning easier and healthier.

All the replacements are available on Amazon, and I recommend buying a spare one while ordering the shaver. This will help you to stay drop less using habit.

Pros

• Advanced battery with more power.
• Blessing for sensitive skin and very comfortable operation.
• Durable built quality.
• Very close performance.
• 32bit chip.
• More user-friendly LED display.
• Waterproof.
• Wet/dry shaver.
• Travel-friendly.
• 10D pivoting head.

Cons

• Plastic-made body.
• Did not compromise the price.
• Should have updated the slide-up trimmer’s quality.

Verdict

Braun Series 9’s new revision includes some improvements such as battery, processor, LED display, and more. The Braun Series 9 9385cc has enough positive aspects to beat other alternatives and acquire user satisfaction.

But Braun did not make any compromise with the price range where the new generation Braun Series 9 is expensive shaver ever. Undoubtedly the Braun9385cc, along with all the Braun Series 9 shavers, are high-end electric shaver productions in the industry.

So, we would like to suggest the Braun 9385cc only if you have a need for the most comfortable shaving experience with smooth/fast results and quality precision trimming.

Related Questions

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