Customer Reviews

Braun 1775 FreeControl Rechargeable Washable Mens Shaver

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've long been a single-head braun shaver fan, but when my old one broke after many years I was stumped for a while on what to replace it with. I used a Remington SF3BPT Micro Screen as backup but it just didn't shave closely. Most of the recent brauns either had narrow or multiple heads or were just too expensive.

I picked up this shaver at Target one day and I've loved it since. It has that nice width head, a close shave, and fits my hand nicely. Battery time between recharges and recharge time are good, and it cleans out easily.

So, if you want a great shaver without paying $100, try this one.

The Braun Series 1 Model 190 is an excellent shaver. It is essentially the same shaver as the old Free Control which I reveiwed a few years ago. I recommend the model 190 over the base model (150?) because the 190 fully charges in just 1 hour and is cord/cordless. I have a somewhat thick and coarse beard which requires power and speed to get through it and this one really plows down my whiskers. The thin, flexible foil makes the shave very close, even in the difficult neck areas. The large cutting block along with the powerful motor provide a fast shave without very little irritation. I would have to say that overall it shaves as close as a blade, and even closer in some areas such as the chin and Adam's apple. Over time I've tried other shavers costing 4 times as much and the Braun Series 1 out does them all. It's also nice to have the option of using it with a cord in case the battery dies during a shave. Here's an electric shaving tip that not only works with the Braun Series 1 but with other shavers as well. Apply after shave BEFORE shaving (I use Aqua Velva). Let it dry. The alcohol in it causes the beard and even short stubble to stand up from the skin. The result is a shave that is a lot closer. I discovered this technique when I noticed that each time after shaving my face felt very smooth until I applied after shave. Then the smoothness was gone and short stubble appeared. So I figured if this happens as a result of the after shave, why not apply it before shaving? It really works and gives you a much closer shave. Then put on a little more after shave when you're done and you won't experience that "mystery growth". Try it, you'll be glad you did! And again, don't waste your money on high priced shavers, you cannot go wrong with the Braun Series 1.

I bought this to replace my travel razor. It has the features I need and it is small. Shaving is adquate but nearly as good as my other higher end Braun. THe on/off button is poorly placed. i constantly prees it while shaving and it turns the shaver off. The trimmer works quite well. For a multi voltage, washable shaver it is a good buy adn is adequate for the occassional use I give it. I would recommend it to others for this purpose.

Shaver is unidirectional so I need to cover the same area in multiple passes and directions to get all the hair. It does do a smooth close shave and is washable. I also have a beard and the trimmer is fair but not conveniently placed making it difficult to see what you are trimming. The guard which allows shaving the beard evenly is too close for me and leaves very short beard hair. This shaver charges quickly and the charge lasts for several days. It is easy to clean.

This is my first electric razor and I am very satisfied. Surprisingly close shave, nice look to the razor, not too loud, and is very comfortable shaving and holding in your hand. I havent washed it yet, but it seems real easy.

No reason to buy an expensive razor when this one is available. Only bad thing is it doesnt have a self cleaner and you cant use it in the shower. Oh well... its great as it is.

the electric razor not only recharges very quickly. it has a lot of juice and you can wash it under the sink water..however, i just use the brush that comes along with it.

It was just about one year ago to the day that I got this product - and today I took delivery of a new and more expensive razor, after the foil ripped several months ago, then the shaver itself stopped working last week.

What I liked about it: The trimmer was the best trimmer I've ever had, bar none. Cut cleanly, I swear it could gobble up my lawn if I tried, and no pulling or irritation. The shaver is lightweight. The small head fit into hard to reach places. If the charge runs out, you can plug it in and it keeps shaving. Battery life was good, typically enough for eight thorough shaves.

What I didn't like about it: Bottom line was that it had to go over. And over. And over the same patches of skin to effectively give a clean shave - and then half the time I'd use my wife's razor in the shower when I'd find a patch that still felt like sandpaper. Although the trimmer worked great, after just the 2nd or 3rd use, I could feel it something under it "catching" when I tried to deploy it. Didn't interfere with function, but something had definitely broke in there. Running under water was not sufficient to clean the blades well - they needed to be brushed out frequently to retain their effectiveness.

So on its own merits, I give it three stars. But people considering this product should also note the following:

1. After I'd had it for maybe seven months, a tear appeared in the foil - sharp metal edge that of course would catch my skin and hurt as I shaved! Finding a replacement foil, even though it's a Braun product, was not easy; I finally had to order online because the retailers I knew that carry Braun products didn't carry this foil.

2. Last week, less than a year after I received the product, it started developing a mind of its own turning on and off. It would spontaneously turn itself on without being touched. It would also just decide to turn off seconds into a shave, though fully charged and/or plugged in, then refuse to turn on again. Since my life is complicated enough that I didn't want to resort to voodoo or magic to turn the product on or keep it running at the start of my day, I opted to buy a different shaver, highly recommended, also from Amazon.

Best Braun razor ever.
Braun should go back to making this model again.

My ten-year-old Braun finally broke, so I bought this to replace it. Sadly, the new one is much worse. I have to go over the same patch literally a half-dozen times to get all the stubble. The motor is weak, so when it hits a thicker patch you can hear it lag, like a mower in tall grass--and I don't even have heavy stubble. I also have an old, bottom-of-the-line Norelco that I wasn't satisfied with, but I find it works better than this new Braun.

The only selling point of this model is that you can shave with or without the cord, which is only a selling point in that some moronic manufacturers (e.g. Panasonic) don't offer this "feature", which should be standard, IMO. The only reason to not allow for corded shaving is that you want to force the consumer to buy a replacement every time the rechargeable battery dies.

Originally I purchased the Braun 1775 FreeControl because it got a highly favorable review in Consumer Reports. And for the price seemed like a great product. Nevertheless, I can not recommend this shaver because it does not do a great job on the tougher areas to shave, namely the neck area just below the jaw/chin. No matter how many times you scrape this shaver over this area, there always seems to be a few hairs left untouched. What an aggravation!
On the plus side, the Braun is very well built. And the rechargeable battery is incredible as it lasts a long time between charges. Just wish the shave was as good. The Braun isn't as good as my Norelco at shaving.
Bottom line, not sure who I am more disappointed with, Braun or the folks at Consumer Reports that praised it.