Our Braun Series 7 790cc Review (the real-deal GOAT?)

If you go through our various reviews, you’ll see that we’ve used a LOT of electric shavers over the years. Some are good, some are great, and some tore our faces to shreds (ouch!). There are some that stand out, and some we wished we never used. Some are absolutely fantastic, however, and as you’ll learn in our detailed Braun Series 7 790cc Review that’s our opinion about this Series 7 Braun electric shaver: it’s phenomenal.

If you’re looking for a high-end shaver that go easy on the skin while providing a really close shave, this is one of our top recommendations.

It’s not perfect—and we’ll get to that later—but it’s about as good as it gets. Here’s a quick overview, and then we’ll jump into the details.

Our Braun Series 7 790cc Review Summary: If you’re in a rush, we’ll tell you straight away: this is one of the best electric shavers out there. There are a few other great foil shavers that are in its range, but they’re few and far between. This is a top-tier, best-of-the-best, super-capable shaver. It’s—how do we say this?—”not a cheap model,” to put it lightly, and there are plenty of other mid-range models that are very good. The 790cc, however, is worth it, in our humble opinion. It’s great for denser hair—it actually amps up to target thicker patches of whiskers, and you can manually adjust the settings so that it’s more aggressive (or more gentle) over the areas where you need special attention. It’s also a great option for guys with sensitive skin and/or guys who suffer from ingrown hairs, and that’s VERY uncommon for a foil shaver. This is all to say—yes, as far as foil shavers go, this is the GOAT, and it’s one of our absolute favorite Braun shavers.

With that said… it’s not perfect! And there are a few nearly-perfect features that we find, well… imperfect. In the grand scheme of things, they’re very minor nits, but it’s our job to review shaving tools, so we need to be forthright. We’ll go over all that below, but if you’re looking for a high-end, highly-capable shaver, this is it. Let’s dive into the details:

It Delivers a REALLY Close Shave

The 790cc has something called “Intelligent Sonic & Autosense Technology,” and given what a fantastic technology this is, we’re not sure why they didn’t name it better.

Basically, that “Intelligent Sonic and & AutoSense Technology” describes the 10,000 microvibrations per minute. You may be asking: “What is a microvibration?” And to be honest… we don’t know!

We looked it up, and “microvibrations” usually refer to the micromovements made by spacecraft. That’s pretty neat, but probably not a feature most shavers need. Unless Braun is marketing to the astronauts-who-need-a-shave demographic, which… yes, it’s probably underserved, but it’s probably not that vast.

Anyway, what Braun is probably trying to do is get across the idea that the machine moves really fast, in order to cut whiskers quickly and efficiently.

And… that it does! The “10,000 microvibrations” stuff buries the real benefit of the feature, which is that the Braun 290cc can shave as close as 0.05mm, which has the thickness of *half a human hair.* If you put that in context and think about that number, it’s pretty incredible: think about a millimeter and think about how small it is, and then consider 1/20th of that, and that’s how close a shave we’re talking about. That’s fantastic.

Plus—and this is perhaps the least-measurable-but-most-important thing—it passes the “feel” test. This is one of our go-to electric shavers, because it consistently (and comfortably; more on that below) executes a truly close shave. In past eras, a foil shaver provided a quick shave, and… it was ok. Shavers like the 790cc provide a quick shave, and one that’s just about as close as you can get without opting for a safety razor or straight razor.

So, it seems like 10,000 microvibrations is a lot? Or perhaps just comparatively? And competing models don’t microvibrate as well? We’re sorry we can’t use this measurement more effectively. The point is, whatever a microvibration is, and whatever number is a good number of microvibrations is, seems unimportant—in terms of actual effectiveness, the 790cc meets the bill. It can provide a REALLY close shave that feels silky smooth when all is said and done.

The next “pro” in our Braun Series 7 790cc review:

You Can Opt for 5 Turbo/Sensitive-Modes Based on Your Skin’s Needs

This is one of the areas where the high-end, deluxe electric razors really stand out from the rest of the crowd: their adjustability to meet your specific needs as a man with whiskers growing out of his face. With the 790cc, you can choose between five different personalized modes that ramp up the power for a closer shave, or cool it out for a gentler, less abrasive shave.

That’s absolutely phenomenal, because most electric shavers have one—count ‘em, one—mode. You turn it on, it starts buzzing, and you scrape it across your face. That’s that. And for a lot of guys—that’s great! They don’t need anything fancier than that. An “on/off” button is all they’re looking for, and that’s great.

But for many of us—especially those willing to buy an electric shaver in this price range—we’re looking for something a little… more capable.

And that’s where the Turbo/Sensitive Modes comes in. The shaver has “+” and “-” buttons that allow you to personalize your shave, allowing you to change strategies for the different areas of your face. Going through a patch of skin where you know your whiskers come in super-thick? Switch to the setting that amps up the razor’s intensity. Going across an area of your neck that you know has super-sensitive skin? Switch over to a gentler mode to keep that touchy skin protected. Ready to finish the rest of your shave and head out? Switch back to “normal” mode and check out.

When you get into the “top-shelf” models, that’s the kind of thing you can find, and it’s one of the reasons the 790cc is still the GOAT—you can use it according to your own needs, and that makes it great for sensitive skin and a great option for older fellas, as well.

We should mention… that kind of thing takes a little getting used to. When you first start out using the model, it’s a little bit cumbersome to switch between modes. “What mode am I in now? And where do I need to be? And how do I switch out of it when…” etc. That sort of thing. After a few uses, though, it becomes second nature, and you can breeze through a complicated shave in minutes—and one that’s completely dictated by the needs of your face.

(By the way, you can read about that mode and other in their instruction manual here. The English starts on Page 11 of 140. The print manual comes with the kit, as you can see here:

It’s Got a Precision Head for Extreme Accuracy

Like a great deal of other terms related to electric razors and electric razors shaving, that term—”precision head”—is odd and somewhat nonsensical. Without any sort of explanation, it’s pretty useless.

So here goes: the precision head on the Braun 790cc refers to all the shaving surfaces of the model, all located on the head of the device. The “precision” part describes its ability to reach all the different parts of your face.

That sounds like a pretty easy goal—after all, how hard can it be for a razor to get to your cheeks? But when you think about it, though, the challenge becomes clear: it’s really difficult to design a flat surface to get into all the weird nooks and odd crannies of a man’s face, and then shave all those places—and do it well!

Then, when you think about all the difference facial shapes out there—guys with wide jaws, guys with loose skin under their necks, guys with hollow cheekbones, and so on—you can see the difficulty of designing a tool for all sorts of men that will shaving whiskers effectively.

The main way that the 790cc attains its “precise” shaving is through the mobility of the shaving surfaces. If you look at the head of the shaver, here:

…you’ll see that it flexes ever-so-gently inward in order to rise and fall when it needs to. The nice thing, too, is that both the top and bottom portions of the shaving head can adjust at the same time, as you can see here:

In fact, you’ll sometimes find that in order to keep coverage of your skin and continue shaving, the top of the shaving head needs to bend inward while the bottom of the shaving head needs to expand outward. That sort of adaptability is something we only really see on high-performing models, AND, of all the models we’ve seen that have this flexibility, the 790cc probably does it best. There are newer (often pricier) models in the Braun line that have the same functionality, but they’re not really an improvement on the 790cc. This is one of those cases where “tried and true” remains best.

It is Tremendously Easy to Clean and to Charge

This is another feature that separates the men from the boys when it comes to electric razors: the dual cleaning station / charging station.

For most basic and mid-tier shavers—and that encompasses about 95% of all electric shavers out there—the cleaning station is either 1) garbage, and 2) not a feature that comes with the model. You just take off the head and run it under water, and that removes (some) of the whiskers and build-up of oils that come off your face. If you’ve got tough skin, that’s not a big deal, but if you’ve got sensitive skin—or even normal skin!—that can be torture. The bacteria and (for lack of a better word) funk that builds up can get pretty rancid, and when you scrape that over your skin, it can cause rashes, bumps, breakouts, acne, etc.

So you can imagine the benefit of an electric shaver that not only cleans the device very thoroughly, but also disinfects it while doing so. The alcohol solution that the shaver uses sanitizes all of the areas that touch your face, so you can be sure that the foil and all other areas of the razor head making contact with your face won’t, you know, make your life miserable.

The best part about the alcohol solution, though, is that not only does it clean the shaving surfaces, it also gets inside the shaving head itself, so that any buildup of bacteria and gunk in *those* areas is also sanitized. That’s absolutely fantastic, and it’s the kind of thing that only happens when a device is REALLY well-designed.

So that’s all exciting. BUT, there’s one note we’d like to make about the clean and charge station: the advertising literature that comes with the model says that the 790cc is Planet Earth’s “only 4-action alcohol-based clean and charge station.” That may not exactly be the case anymore, as we had heard that a competitor might be coming out with something similar—but we haven’t seen it. If you know of one, please let us know!

You Can Buy Replacement Solution to Keep Your Shaver Clean

Yep! Once you clean you sully the cleaner that comes with the model, you can purchase a fresh supply. The user’s manual advises changing the fluid every two months (and that’s probably for the best, but we’ve let it go a little bit longer than that and been fine).

We should note—you may be tempted to make your own sort of concoction to clear your model, but we’d advise against that—the solution that Braun uses for their shavers isn’t just alcohol, and it’s composed of different components that will cleanse the blades and machinery without damaging the blades and machinery. That may not be the case with whatever solution you create at home, and you may end up damaging your shaver with a homemade brew.

The 790cc is One of the Few Foil Shavers That Can Be a Good Match for Sensitive Skin

We got into this in the last section, but we’ll stay on this topic for a moment more. Electric shavers are great, but a lot of guys—and we know this for certain, because we get a LOT of email from men who want us to know—a lot of guys have a terrible time with electric shavers. They love the design, they love the ease of use, but the shaving surface does a number on their skin. Irritation galore. Not only is that a pain, but it disallows you from using an entire type of shaving device.

In other words: most guys with sensitive skin have a terrible experience, and they just give up on electric shavers.

Most of those guys have two options: they can use safety razors or straight razors (and we love those, and have written plenty about them), or… they can buy a higher-end model designed for guys with sensitive skin.

You can imagine that they’re not too thrilled to do that. They’ve had a terrible experience with electric shavers, and the fix is to spend more of a better electric shaver. That’s a no-go for a lot of guys.

The sad thing is—higher-end electric shavers really are gentler, and really do perform better for guys with sensitive skin! There are exceptions, of course, and not everyone is pleased with the results, but we’ve heard time and time again that sensitive skin issues disappeared when shavers opted for better tools.

This is all a lengthy way of saying that many of our writers here at Rough and Tumble Gentleman have delicate skin, and this is one of our favorites. We’ve had *zero* problems with the device (and that’s not true of all shavers—we review a bunch of basic and mid-range models, and wooooooooooooooooooooooo boy are some of them rough).

Anyway—as men with sensitive skin, we’ve had great experience with the 790cc. Your mileage may vary, and your encounter with it may differ, but that’s been our experience.

It Can Help You Avoid Ingrown Hairs, Which Can Be…

…a huge problem with foil shavers.

This is an extension of the last section, perhaps, but it’s worth mentioning—and if you suffer from ingrown hairs, it can be great to hear. Ingrown hairs are the WORST, and if you’ve used—and suffered from—a basic or even mid-range electric shaver, you may understand the draw to a high-end model. They—and in particular, the 790cc—can keep ingrown hairs from occurring, and go gently on any you might have.

Again, performance when it comes to sensitive skin is a totally personal thing, and what worked for us may not work for you. But we were very pleased, and we get far fewer ingrown hairs on the 790cc than we do on… well, just about most other models. Electric shaving can be brutal on your skin, after all!

It Can Be a Great Option for Everyday Use

OK, this is the last section before we get into our complaints. Because this is so gentle on your skin, it can be a great option for everyday use. One thing that face-shavers hate is the damage to your face when you shave every. single. day, and for a lot of us, there’s no way around it—it’s shave every day or look a little too rugged for office work and Zoom calls. The 790cc can be a great option if you need an every-morning shave, and it can be a great deal gentler than most of electric shavers.

In the “Good But Not Great” Category: Cons and Complaints

OK, so we’ve obviously given this guy a looooooooooooooooot of praise. Too much, perhaps—we sound like fanboys, and that’s not great. So, here’s what we don’t like. It’s actually a big failure, in our minds:

It Only Provides 50 Minutes of Cordless Shaving

This is our biggest gripe about the Braun 790cc: the battery is good but not great. It charges full in an hour, and with that full charge you get 50 minutes of use. That’s pretty good, and if you take five to seven minutes per shave (which is about average), the 790cc will get you a full week before you need to charge it again.

And… that’s good! That’s very good. It’s just not GREAT. Similar shavers all get 50 minutes of run time off an hour of charge, and even some older models (like the Series 6 and even some mid-range models) get 45 minutes of run-time off a 50-minute charge.

So in other words, 50 minutes is great, but it’s not THAT SPECTACULAR, and when you’re buying a really high-end product, you want it to be light-years better than the competition. The 790cc isn’t light-years ahead of the competition when it comes to battery life—it’s competitive, and that’s great, but it doesn’t have that “knock-your-socks-off” aspect we hope to see.

Not Everyone Needs a High-End Electric Shaver

If you do like that sort of thing, this is a great option, but if you don’t… well, this is a very pricey option if you don’t need a top-of-the-line sophisticated piece of tech.

In fact, we imagine most guys don’t need something like this.

If that’s the case, we actually suggest two alternatives:

Best Braun Series 7 790cc Alternatives to Choose

• The Series 3 ProSkin (if you don’t have sensitive skin), or
• The Braun Series 6 6075cc (if you do have sensitive skin).

The Braun Series 3 ProSkin is a solid, wet/dry electric shaver that’s a rugged little model that can provide a quick, close shave. When it came out, it was the king of the hill, and while there are newer models that are a bit better, this is a great mid-range model. It’s not great if you’ve got sensitive skin, though—and if you do…

The Braun Series 6 6075cc can be great for guys with sensitive skin. It’s got most of the features of the 790cc (flexible head, high cutting actions per minute, and 50 minutes runtime on a full charge) and it can hack away at beards with up to three day’s growth. This one is a little closer to the 790cc and it can be a great alternative if you’re looking for a high-end model without such a high-end price tag.

The 790cc Isn’t Great for Certain Types of Travel

This is the sort of tool that you get because you really care about your grooming routine, and it’s pricey, so it’s something you take care of. And, not to say it’s delicate—it’s actually pretty tough for what it is—but it’s not something that you want to bang about.

In other words, it’s not great for certain kinds of travel.

If you’re going to a luxury hotel—or even just a regular, just-OK hotel—it’s fine. But if you’re going backpacking, or camping, or rough-and-tumble adventuring, there are better electric shaver models to buy for travel.

For starters, the cleaning fluid is something you might have trouble with on a plane (although if your trip is relatively short, you don’t need to bring it), but as we mentioned earlier, the battery power is good but not great. For nitty-gritty outdoor adventures, something sturdy with a battery is probably better.

Again, for most types of travel—like business trips—the 790cc is great (and it does have a nice little solid-material carrying case). But if you’re going to rough it at all, it may make more sense to bring along a mid-range battery-operated model.

Some Models Have a Sort of “Electric” Smell to Them When You First Use Them

…but many models have that. We’ve bought and reviewed dozens of these, and it’s just how it is. This isn’t the biggest deal in the world, but it’s something we thought we should mention. Some guys buy a model like this and it shows up and they use it and it smells a little weird and they freak out. That doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with it—in fact, it most likely means the model is brand-spanking-new, and all those parts are moving and rubbing against each other for the first time—but we get emails about it from time to time, so it’s something we thought we’d address.

Shaving with the GOAT

There you have it! Our Braun Series 7 790cc review. It’s among the best of the best, and if you’re looking for a handsome, effective, high-performing model, this is one we recommend fully. This is one of our go-to shavers, and while it’s not for everyone—it’s a top-shelf model with a top-shelf price tag—it delivers in all the areas we like to see (with the exception of the battery, which is good but not great).

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, let us know. Be good, and happy shaving!