The Braun Series 3 310s is an electric shaver that offers an effective and low-cost shaving option for men. It has a three-blade system that flexes and adapts to the shape of the face, giving a smooth and comfortable shave. The shaver is also waterproof so that users can shave in the shower or with foam or gel for a pleasant and gentle experience. In this article, I’ll review this inexpensive shaver to help you see if it’s worth buying for your daily shaving needs.
Pros
- Pressure-sensitive shaving elements
- Close results
- Comfortable shave
- Waterproof device
- Wet/dry shaver
- Reliable built quality
Cons
- No precision trimmer
- Slippery body (no rubber grip)
- Comparably noisy
- Not ideal for coarse and long beard
Insights
The shaver is meant to provide a smooth and comfortable shave in a basic way, especially for beginners. Therefore, the shaver has limited features and functions. However, let’s check its insights and see how much the Braun 310s shaver can meet the user’s expectations.
Shaving Elements:
The Braun 310s shaver has three shaving elements that are pressure-sensitive and work together for effective shaving. The head has two SensoFoil outer shaving elements that are responsible for shaving the hair at the skin level. These SensoFoils are coated with hexagonal-shaped holes that catch more hair in each stroke and shield the skin from the inner blades. The shaver head also has a middle trimmer, which is between the outer foils. The function of this trimmer is to cut longer and flat-lying hair for smooth shaves.
Contour Adaption: The Braun Series 3 310s shaver has a fixed shaving head that does not pivot. However, the shaving elements on the head are very flexible and can move separately to follow the shape of the face. The elements can glide up and down smoothly along the facial curves. This makes the shaving process comfortable and gentle on the skin, even for sensitive skin. Shortly, Braun tried to make the shaving head best in its range since they have a great reputation for comfortable shaving heads.
Waterproof:
Braun Series 3 310s is waterproof even though all the Braun shavers are waterproof up to 5 meters. Therefore, you can rinse it without any worry about water causing problems. Even you can submerge the device into the bathtub. So, its cleaning process is pretty simple and effortless.
Wet/dry Shaver: Since it is a waterproof electric shaver, the Braun Series 3 310s allows you to shave under the shower. Moreover, it’s a wet/dry shaver suitable for shaving with shaving cream, gel, foam, water, and more. Therefore, you can have both quick dry shaves or refreshing wet shaves with the Braun 310s shaver. You know wet shaving is pretty much comfortable and pleasurable for the skin that, ensures irritation-free gliding over the skin.
Battery and Charge: The Braun 310s is a cordless shaver that comes with 2 NiMH rechargeable batteries. The batteries provide 30 minutes of cordless performance with a 1.5-hour charge. On the other hand, there is a 5-minute quick charging option for getting an urgent shave if the battery is fully empty and you are on the go. But in reality, I didn’t find it’s such powerful to provide an accomplished shave with a 5-minute charge. I found it needs more than 10 minutes to get a proper charge to provide enough juice for a perfect shave.
There’s also a LED battery indicator that shows battery health and charging status with green and red alerts.
Again, this entry-level shaver doesn’t have any premium features to astonish you. But I think these features are enough to make perfect shaves for the basic users with the versatility of wet/dry features.
What’s in the Box?
Since an inexpensive shaving device, the Braun Series 3 310s doesn’t come with any luxury accessories. I found these basic items in the package:
- The Braun 310s shaver itself
- A foil protective cap
- Charging adapter (universal volt.) with cable
- User manual
A cleaning brush is a useful accessory to quickly clean the foils after each dry shave. However, this shaver does not come with such a brush, which seems like a poor choice by the producers, considering the low cost of the brush. You can still buy a cleaning brush separately from Braun or other suppliers.
The manufacturer also replaced the travel pouch with a foil protective cap, which safeguards the foils when the shaver is not in use or in transit. The cap is effective for the foils, but it does not protect the rest of the shaver from external impacts or scratches. Therefore, you may want to purchase a travel bag that can fit the shaver inside.
Another missing item in this package is foil lubricant. However, you can substitute sewing machine oil instead of Braun’s lubricants to maintain the sharpness of the blades and the smoothness of the shave.
Personal Experience
Inexpensive shavers are thought to be cheaply built devices, but Braun has always impressed me with its build quality, unlike some china shavers. The Braun Series 3 310s is a basic-level shaver that does not have any fancy features, but it has sturdy housing, even though it is a low-cost shaver. It has a blue and black color scheme, and it is mostly made of plastic. Most electric shavers on the market are plastic, but this shaver feels solid in my hand.
The downside is that it does not have a rubber grip for secure handling, which the advanced Series 3 shavers have. Another downside is that it does not have a precision trimming feature to make final touches, which I think is the main drawback of this shaver.
The Braun 310s has 2 AA rechargeable batteries that offer about 30 minutes of cordless performance, which sometimes seems too short for an electric shaver. But it is not a big problem if you recharge the device after every 5-8 shaves. The device also has a 5-minute quick charging option, according to Braun. But I had to charge it for more than 10 minutes for a complete shave. Braun could have designed a better battery life display for this budget shaver.
I like the flexible shaving elements that move very smoothly for comfortable glides. The alternatives at this price range from other brands do not have such strong and comfortable shaving elements, in my opinion.
I tested the Braun Series 3 310s from all the possible angles to check its shaving performance. I tried both wet and dry shaves and longer and shorter hairs to get the best idea of the shaving results. The shaver gave me a great result in terms of shaving closeness. I got a very close and smooth shave from the Braun 310s shaver.
But it is not a good option for men with thick beards, where the shaver will show its limitations. The shaver beats all the alternatives from other brands that I have ever tried in terms of shaving comfort. The problem is that I had to use scissors to shape my sideburns and mustaches since it did not have a precision trimming feature. For this reason, I prefer the Braun Series 3 ProSkin shaver to the Braun 310s shaver. However, the shaver could still give me a good shave, even though I had a 2-day beard. I think it can also handle a 3-day beard, but it will require a few more passes for longer beards. To be clear, I noticed that it can shave longer hairs as well as the more advanced Braun shavers like Series 3 ProSkin or Series 5 shavers. In summary, it gives me a good shaving experience, but with some limitations.
Comparison with Alternatives
Remington F5: The Remington F5 5800 is another foil shaver that has a similar price range to the Braun Series 3 310s. It also has three flexible shaving elements, but I found that the Braun’s foils are sturdier and more long-lasting than the Remington’s. The F5 has a pivoting head, while the Braun 310s has a fixed head. The main advantage of the Remington F5 is that it has a longer battery life (60 minutes) and it can be used both cordless and corded. This gives you more peace of mind about the battery running out. Another benefit of the Remington F5 is that it has a built-in pop-up trimmer for precision trimming, while the Braun 310s requires a separate beard trimmer or scissors. Both shavers have a 5-minute quick charge feature, but I found that the Remington’s one is more accurate. However, the main drawback of the Remington shaver is that it is only for dry shaves. You cannot use the F5 for wet shaves, while the Braun’s one allows both wet and dry shaves. The shaving performance of both shavers is quite similar, but the Braun’s one feels more comfortable and premium than the Remington’s one. When comparing the size and weight of the shavers, the Remington F5 is larger and heavier than the Braun Series 3 310s. Therefore, you should choose your shaver based on your needs and preferences, taking into account the points above.
See Remington F5’s Price on Amazon
Verdict
This shaver has some limitations, but I must consider its price range. The shaver is a good solution for men who want to have regular close shaves with great skin comfort. But it’s not ideal for the men who demand some extra features like a precision trimmer or pivoting head and more. Moreover, it’s not a good choice if you have extremely coarse beard or you do not shaver regularly and want to shave long stubble. You have to spend some extra bucks and level up your shaver to get those premium features and buy a premium shaver. However, men who do not demand fancy features and intend to have regular close shaves on an affordable budget will benefit from the Braun 310s shaver.
Should You Buy Braun Series 3 310s Shaver?
Yes, if you want a great basic-level shaver for regular shaving.
Yes, if you want a shaver without breaking your bank.
Yes, if you do not wish for premium features and want to have a shaver for close shaving with skin comfort.
Yes, if you do not mind, make several strokes in some areas to have a clean shave.
No, if you demand precision trimming after every shave.
No, if you are not comfortable with the slippery handle while shaving with a wet hand.
No, if you have a very coarse beard and you need to shave long stubble (more than two day’s stubble)
No, if you want a fast and powerful shaver
I found your website from Google and also I need to claim
it was a wonderful locate. Many thanks!
Will this shaver work with ordinary non-rechargeable AA batteries?
Hi Seamus,
The shaver comes with 2 non-removable rechargeable Ni-MH batteries. So, there is no chance to use it with ordinary non-rechargeable batteries.
-Thank you.