The best electric shaver
Five shavers ranked on what the makers publish: cutting elements, motor speed, runtime, and the head replacement interval that decides the real cost.
By Sawyer V. · Published
We have not tested any of this. Everything below is compiled from published manufacturer specifications, and the arithmetic is printed so you can check it. This page carries affiliate links: if you buy through one we earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and it does not change the order of the picks. Full disclosure.
The short answer
Buy the Braun Series 9 PRO+. Five published cutting elements each with a stated job, 60 minutes of runtime, a five-minute charge that buys a full shave, and an 18-month published foil replacement interval - so the running cost is plannable. If your beard is dense and you want speed, the Panasonic Arc5 publishes a 14,000 CPM motor and is the most completely specified shaver here.
| # | Pick | Lasts | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braun Series 9 PRO+ The closest electric shave | 1,300 shaves* | 7.4/10 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | Panasonic Arc5 ES-LV67 Speed on a dense beard | 1,300 shaves* | 7.2/10 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Philips Norelco 9000 Prestige Contoured faces and coarse, curly hair | 1,300 shaves* | 6.9/10 | Check price on Amazon |
| 4 | Braun Series 7 (360° Flex) Most of the Series 9 for less | 1,300 shaves* | 6.3/10 | Check price on Amazon |
| 5 | Remington F5 Power Series The cheapest foil that is not a false economy | 1,300 shaves* | 6.2/10 | Check price on Amazon |
No live price is currently verified, so every button here reads Check price instead of a number we cannot stand behind. Why we do it that way.
What is published, and what it is worth
Electric shavers disclose better than almost any other category on this site, which makes the ranking unusually well grounded. The four figures that matter:
- Cutting elements. Braun publishes five for the Series 9, each with a named job - two gliding foils, a SkinGuard, a Direct & Cut blade, a Lift & Cut blade - plus a titanium-coated ProLift. Panasonic publishes five blades. Braun publishes no element count at all for the Series 7, which is why that one cannot be compared numerically to its own bigger brother.
- Motor speed. Panasonic is the only maker here that publishes it: 14,000 cuts per minute, producing up to 70,000 cross-cuts. That is a real figure and it is why the Arc5 is fast on dense growth.
- Runtime and quick charge. 45 to 60 minutes across this page - three to six weeks of shaving. What actually matters is the quick charge: five minutes for a full shave on the Brauns, three on the Panasonic, eighteen on the Philips, and none published on the Remington.
- Head replacement interval. The figure that decides cost of ownership, and the one almost nobody publishes on the product page. Braun's parts guidance says about every 18 months for foil and cutter. Philips publishes four months for the OneBlade. Panasonic, Philips Prestige and Remington publish nothing.
Why the Series 9 is the pick
Because it wins on the axis that most reviews of electric shavers ignore entirely. Five published cutting elements and sixty minutes of runtime are good; a published 18-month replacement interval is what turns the running cost from a surprise into a line item you can plan.
That matters because the head cassettes are proprietary - as they are for every shaver on this page - so Braun sets the price and there is no commodity market to hold it down. A maker that at least tells you how often you will be paying it is doing more than its competitors are.
When to buy the Panasonic instead
When your beard is dense and you want the shave over quickly. The Arc5 publishes more about how it works than anything else here: a 14,000 CPM linear motor, up to 70,000 cross-cuts a minute, a head that flexes in sixteen directions, and a beard sensor taking 220 readings a second with fourteen power adjustments in the same time.
The costs are a 45-minute runtime, the shortest here, no published replacement interval, and noticeably more noise than the Braun units - which is a real daily consideration and not a specification anybody publishes. The full review covers it.
Most of the Series 9 for less
The Braun Series 7 publishes a 360-degree flexing head, AutoSense power adjustment that reads beard density, 50 minutes of runtime and the same five-minute quick charge. What it does not publish is a cutting-element count, so the gap to the Series 9 cannot be quantified from the specifications.
For most faces it is the sensible stopping point, and the honest way to put that is: you are giving up something Braun will not quantify, in exchange for a meaningfully lower outlay, on a product with the same published replacement interval.
The one rotary here
The Philips 9000 Prestige is on this page so the foil-versus-rotary question is decided by comparison rather than by omission. Three circular heads that follow contours, 60 minutes of published runtime, an eighteen-minute quick charge and a Qi charging pad.
It ranks below the foils here because of a three-hour full charge and no published replacement interval - not because rotary is worse. The head-to-head covers who should genuinely be buying one, and for coarse or curly hair growing in several directions, that may well be you.
Every pick, with the working
Each entry shows the published specifications, the axis scores they produce and what you give up. The order is the computed order, not a commercial one, and the arithmetic is open underneath every score.
Our pickThe closest electric shave
Braun Series 9 PRO+
Five synchronized shaving elements — two gliding foils, a SkinGuard, a Direct & Cut blade and a Lift & Cut blade — plus a titanium-coated ProLift blade, 60 minutes of runtime, a five-minute charge for one shave, and it is fully waterproof. If the requirement is 'as close as an electric gets', this is the answer and there is not much argument about it.
- Runtime
- 60 min
- Charge time
- Not published
- Cutting elements
- 5
- Head replacement
- Every 18 months
- Waterproof
- Yes
- Made in
- Not published
- Refill
- Proprietary to the maker
- Warranty
- Not published
- Assumed service life
- 1,300 uses
The arithmetic: 260 uses a year x 5 years of assumed service life = 1300 uses.
What it gets right
- Five published cutting elements, each with a stated job, plus the ProLift blade
- 60-minute Li-Ion runtime, the longest of the shavers here
- 5-minute quick charge for a full shave
- 100% waterproof; usable wet with lather
Flaws
- Replacement head cassettes are proprietary and are the real long-run cost
- Braun's published 18-month replacement interval is guidance on its parts pages rather than a figure on the product specification, so it is easy to miss before you buy
- The most expensive way to remove hair in this ledger
The working behind the 7.4
- How long it lasts: not scored
- Not scored. This is a durable item, not a consumable, so how long it lasts is an assumption about service life rather than something the pack size tells us.
- Ease of switching: 9.0
- Wet-and-dry with 60 minutes of runtime and a 5-minute quick charge; nothing about daily use requires a decision (++). Braun publishes an 18-month foil-and-cutter replacement interval, which at least makes the running cost plannable (+), but the cassettes are proprietary so the price of it is Braun's to set (-).
- Refill economics: 4.0
- Only this maker's refill fits, so the ongoing price is set by the maker rather than by a market. This is where the real cost of ownership hides.
- What the maker publishes: 8.0
- 4 of 5 specifications a buyer would expect are published: runtimeMin, cuttingElements, waterproof, headReplacementMonths. Not published: chargeMin. 4 / 5 x 10 = 8.0.
Axes with no published input are dropped and the remaining weights re-normalized, so a product is not punished for a category where an axis does not apply. Specifications compiled 3 September 2026 from Braun Series 9 PRO+ published specifications.
2Speed on a dense beard
Panasonic Arc5 ES-LV67
A 14,000 CPM linear motor producing up to 70,000 cross-cuts a minute across five blades, a head that flexes in 16 directions, and a beard sensor taking 220 readings a second. It is the fastest shaver here on dense growth. The trade is 45 minutes of runtime, the shortest of the three.
- Runtime
- 45 min
- Charge time
- 60 min
- Cutting elements
- 5
- Waterproof
- Yes
- Made in
- Not published
- Refill
- Proprietary to the maker
- Warranty
- Not published
- Assumed service life
- 1,300 uses
The arithmetic: 260 uses a year x 5 years of assumed service life = 1300 uses.
What it gets right
- Published 14,000 CPM linear motor and up to 70,000 cross-cuts per minute
- Five blades and a 16-direction flexing head
- Beard sensor with a published 220 detections per second and 14 power adjustments per second
- 3-minute quick charge for one shave; wet and dry
Flaws
- 45 minutes of runtime, the shortest of the shavers here
- Proprietary foil and cutter assemblies
- Louder than the Braun units, which is a real daily consideration
The working behind the 7.2
- How long it lasts: not scored
- Not scored. This is a durable item, not a consumable, so how long it lasts is an assumption about service life rather than something the pack size tells us.
- Ease of switching: 8.5
- The most completely specified shaver here — motor speed, cross-cut rate, sensor rate and head articulation are all published figures (++). 45-minute runtime is the shortest of the three (-).
- Refill economics: 4.0
- Only this maker's refill fits, so the ongoing price is set by the maker rather than by a market. This is where the real cost of ownership hides.
- What the maker publishes: 8.0
- 4 of 5 specifications a buyer would expect are published: runtimeMin, chargeMin, cuttingElements, waterproof. Not published: headReplacementMonths. 4 / 5 x 10 = 8.0.
Axes with no published input are dropped and the remaining weights re-normalized, so a product is not punished for a category where an axis does not apply. Specifications compiled 3 September 2026 from Panasonic Arc5 ES-LV67-K published specifications.
3Contoured faces and coarse, curly hair
Philips Norelco 9000 Prestige
The rotary answer, and the only one in this ledger. Three circular heads that cut in circles rather than straight lines, 60 minutes of published runtime, wet and dry, with a Qi charging pad. If your face is contoured or your hair is curly and grows in several directions at once, a rotary handles that better than any foil does.
- Runtime
- 60 min
- Charge time
- 180 min
- Cutting elements
- 3
- Head replacement
- Not published
- Waterproof
- Yes
- Made in
- Not published
- Refill
- Proprietary to the maker
- Warranty
- Not published
- Assumed service life
- 1,300 uses
The arithmetic: 260 uses a year x 5 years of assumed service life = 1300 uses.
What it gets right
- Rotary heads follow contours in a way a flat foil cannot
- Published 60-minute runtime with an 18-minute quick charge
- Wet and dry, with a Qi charging pad rather than a socket
- Cuts hair growing in mixed directions, which is where foils struggle
Flaws
- Three-hour full charge on the Qi pad is the slowest here
- Rotary shavers suit every-few-days growth better than daily shaving
- Philips does not publish a head replacement interval for this line
The working behind the 6.9
- How long it lasts: not scored
- Not scored. This is a durable item, not a consumable, so how long it lasts is an assumption about service life rather than something the pack size tells us.
- Ease of switching: 8.0
- 60 minutes of published runtime and an 18-minute quick charge (+), wet and dry (+), rotary heads handle mixed growth directions without technique (+), but a three-hour full charge and no published head replacement interval both count against it (--).
- Refill economics: 4.0
- Only this maker's refill fits, so the ongoing price is set by the maker rather than by a market. This is where the real cost of ownership hides.
- What the maker publishes: 8.0
- 4 of 5 specifications a buyer would expect are published: runtimeMin, chargeMin, cuttingElements, waterproof. Not published: headReplacementMonths. 4 / 5 x 10 = 8.0.
Axes with no published input are dropped and the remaining weights re-normalized, so a product is not punished for a category where an axis does not apply. Specifications compiled 3 September 2026 from Philips Norelco S9000 Prestige published specifications.
4Most of the Series 9 for less
Braun Series 7 (360° Flex)
A 360-degree flexing head, AutoSense power adjustment that reads beard density, 50 minutes of runtime, a five-minute charge for one shave, and full waterproofing. It gives up cutting elements to the Series 9 and very little else, which makes it the sensible stopping point for most faces.
- Runtime
- 50 min
- Charge time
- Not published
- Cutting elements
- Not published
- Waterproof
- Yes
- Made in
- Not published
- Refill
- Proprietary to the maker
- Warranty
- Not published
- Assumed service life
- 1,300 uses
The arithmetic: 260 uses a year x 5 years of assumed service life = 1300 uses.
What it gets right
- 360-degree head adaptation, published by Braun
- AutoSense adjusts power to beard density rather than running flat out
- 50-minute runtime with a 5-minute quick charge
- 100% waterproof, wet and dry
Flaws
- Fewer cutting elements than the Series 9, which a very dense beard will feel on the neck
- Same proprietary-cassette running cost as the Series 9
The working behind the 6.3
- How long it lasts: not scored
- Not scored. This is a durable item, not a consumable, so how long it lasts is an assumption about service life rather than something the pack size tells us.
- Ease of switching: 9.0
- 50 minutes of runtime, a 5-minute quick charge, waterproof, and a head that adapts without input (++). Braun does not publish a cutting-element count for this line, so it cannot be compared numerically to the Series 9 (-).
- Refill economics: 4.0
- Only this maker's refill fits, so the ongoing price is set by the maker rather than by a market. This is where the real cost of ownership hides.
- What the maker publishes: 4.0
- 2 of 5 specifications a buyer would expect are published: runtimeMin, waterproof. Not published: chargeMin, cuttingElements, headReplacementMonths. 2 / 5 x 10 = 4.0.
Axes with no published input are dropped and the remaining weights re-normalized, so a product is not punished for a category where an axis does not apply. Specifications compiled 3 September 2026 from Braun Series 7 71-N1000s published specifications.
5The cheapest foil that is not a false economy
Remington F5 Power Series
Skip this one. The only shaver here we would tell most people to avoid, and the reason is the charge time. Two hours from flat, with no published quick charge and no published waterproof rating, makes it a worse daily tool than anything above it. As a travel or occasional shaver it is enough. As your only one it will annoy you every week.
Two flexing foils, an interceptor trimmer between them, a pop-up detail trimmer and 60 minutes of cordless runtime from a two-hour charge. It is a fraction of the Braun's outlay and it does not pretend to match it — but for an occasional or travel shaver it is enough tool.
- Runtime
- 60 min
- Charge time
- 120 min
- Cutting elements
- 2
- Waterproof
- Not published
- Made in
- Not published
- Refill
- Proprietary to the maker
- Warranty
- Not published
- Assumed service life
- 1,300 uses
The arithmetic: 260 uses a year x 5 years of assumed service life = 1300 uses.
What it gets right
- Published 60 minutes of cordless runtime
- Twin flexing foils with an intercepting trimmer for longer hairs
- Pop-up detail trimmer included
- Costs a fraction of the premium foils here
Flaws
- Two-hour charge time, the slowest here
- Not designed for wet use with lather in the way the Braun and Panasonic units are
- Replacement foils and cutters are proprietary and worth checking the price of before you buy
The working behind the 6.2
- How long it lasts: not scored
- Not scored. This is a durable item, not a consumable, so how long it lasts is an assumption about service life rather than something the pack size tells us.
- Ease of switching: 7.5
- 60 minutes of published runtime (+), pop-up trimmer (+), but a 2-hour charge and no published waterproof rating make it a worse daily tool than anything above it (--).
- Refill economics: 4.0
- Only this maker's refill fits, so the ongoing price is set by the maker rather than by a market. This is where the real cost of ownership hides.
- What the maker publishes: 6.0
- 3 of 5 specifications a buyer would expect are published: runtimeMin, chargeMin, cuttingElements. Not published: waterproof, headReplacementMonths. 3 / 5 x 10 = 6.0.
Axes with no published input are dropped and the remaining weights re-normalized, so a product is not punished for a category where an axis does not apply. Specifications compiled 3 September 2026 from Remington F5 Power Series published specifications.
No live price is currently verified, so every button here reads Check price instead of a number we cannot stand behind. Why we do it that way.
Questions people actually ask
Foil or rotary?
Foil for flat planes, fine-to-medium hair and daily shaving; rotary for contoured faces, coarse or curly hair, and shaving every few days. The full comparison covers the edge cases. Four of the five here are foils because that is where most daily shavers land.
How often do you replace an electric shaver head?
Braun publishes about every 18 months for its foil and cutter block. Philips publishes four months for the OneBlade's blade. Panasonic and the others publish nothing comparable, which means the running cost of those is the one thing you cannot plan before you buy.
Can you use an electric shaver in the shower?
Four of the five here publish full waterproofing and can be used wet with a gel or lather. Whether you should is about your skin rather than the machine - a wet shave with a thin gel is gentler and it is the first thing to try if you are getting irritation.
Will an electric shaver ever be as close as a blade?
No, and any page telling you otherwise is selling something. A good foil gets close enough that most people cannot tell by the afternoon. If you need smooth-by-touch every morning, that is a blade job - the head-to-head lays out the trade.
How long does it take to get used to one?
Manufacturers commonly say two to three weeks, and the reason given is that hair and skin adjust to being cut rather than sliced. If you are two days in and disappointed, that is expected rather than diagnostic.
Sources
- Braun Series 9 PRO+ published shaving elements and runtime
- Braun published foil and cutter replacement guidance
- Panasonic Arc5 ES-LV67-K published motor speed and runtime
- Braun Series 7 71-N1000s published runtime and features
- Philips Norelco S9000 Prestige published runtime and charging
- Remington F5 Power Series published runtime and features