Customer Reviews

Factory Reconditioned Braun 7526 Syncro Smart Logic Shaver

5 star:		(170)
4 star:		(65)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(36)

 

 

This shaver works great! I previously owned a Braun 4000 series, and the first thing I noticed was how much faster the motor runs on this shaver. It's weight and profile fit my hand perfectly. The shave is close and smooth, and I'm finished faster than with my previous shaver.

Although reconditioned, it looks just like a new unit, except for the sticker that identifies it as factory serviced. It was completely clean and had no cosmetic flaws at all.

Although the unit is advertised as having the "Smart Logic" system for battery maintenance, the unit I received did not have this feature. Completely discharging the unit every six months and recharging it will recondition the battery. This is the same thing that the Smart Logic feature does automatically.

The shaver works so well that I didn't even consider returning it on this minor point, but buyers should be aware that they might not receive a model that includes the feature - I didn't.

Overall, I highly recommend this shaver.

As of today's date (04/18/10) I've had this shaver for 6 years. I've replaced the shaving cutters and screen a few times, and it still shaves great. The battery shows no sign of fatigue, and continues to hold a charge for over a week.

I owned several Remington Microscreen 3000 shavers over a number of years with good results. Unfortunately these no longer are made in USA and their Chinese imports are inferior . . . so I decided to try this reconditioned top of the line Braun model and was very pleased with the results. The shaver cannot be told from brand new except for the removable "factory reconditioned" sticker. The price was a fraction of a new one. The Syncro model works fast, gives very close shaves and is easy to hold. The advantage of the 7526 over the 7505 (also available reconditioned) is the red warning light that tells when the battery is getting low and it's time to recharge. I understand that battery life is prolonged by letting the shaver cycle down instead of plugging in the charger cord every few days. I was surprised that I got 30 shaves before the light first came on, indicating 20 percent of battery life was left. There was no slowing of the shaver's speed at this point.For weekly cleaning I simply push two buttons and the head assembly lifts up but doesn't come off. Turn on the shaver upside down and the clippings vibrate neatly into the sink. Then snap the head back in place. As for not having the clean and charge stand (that doesn't come with the reconditioned models) I don't think this expensive to refill accessory really is necessary as I use a aerosol shaver cleaner/lubricant along with the supplied brush for thorough cleanings which are only occasionally needed -- and the 7526's red signal light tells me when to recharge instead of the charger stand doing this automatically.A few words about the seller. Not only was Amazon's price the lowest, but they offer a money back guarantee of satisfaction and free shipping for orders over $25. I was very pleased how well I was treated when the first shaver they sent was defective. Not only did Amazon send out a replacement immediately by second day air but they also provided in their e-mail acknowledgement a postage paid return label for me to print out and tape to the package. I'll never hesitate to do business with Amazon. Their handling of a problem was exceptional.In sum, good product and great seller.

When looking for a replacement cutter block for my Braun Flex Integral I saw the "reconditioned" Syncro 7526. Since the batteries in my Flex were starting to go, it seemed like a good deal on a new shaver. I prefer foil shavers and have owned three Braun shavers over the years. Each one seems to get better. So far I don't have a single complaint about the Syncro 7526. It gives a close, comfortable shave and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a foil shaver. The "reconditioned" Syncro 7526 does NOT include the clean/charge stand. It comes in a plain cardboard box with the power cord, cleaning brush, and a soft carry case.

I bought one of these reconditioned units about 4 months ago, replacing an aging Norelco. I've been very happy with it.

++ Noticeably closer shave than my Norelco Lift-and-Cut
++ Less likely to cut me too!
++ Very good price, compared to a new and complete system
++ Reconditioned unit looked brand-new and totally clean
++ Multi-voltage and frequency for international travel
-- Much more likely to scatter stubble onto the countertop
-- Not adept at shaving 2+ days of growth. When in this situation, I use my old Norelco to get the bulk, and then use the Braun to finish.
?? Uncertain of the durability or cost of the expendable parts

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UPDATE:
A couple months ago, the switch on my Braun shaver failed -- it was stuck in the ON position. I had to let it run until the battery was depleted. A bit of work with a web search engine showed my problem is not an isolated incident -- there is clearly a design or materials defect.

I emailed Braun, which is owned by Gillette, reporting the problem, my search findings, and asked them to either repair my shaver for free or to send me a reconditioned unit. Braun/Gillette declined, citing it was out of warranty. This is true -- it is out of warranty by one year (it carried a three year warranty) but I had expected they would stand behind their product. We exchanged a couple more emails but they would not budge.

Being very electro-mechanical, I decided to take it apart to see if I could repair it myself. This turned out to be an impossible task -- it's not repairable -- almost everything is glued-together.

After using a regular razor and shaving cream for a month, I decided to go back to my old, reliable, 12 year-old Norelco whose NiCads had worn-out. I bought replacement batteries at a local electronics supplier for $[...], easily opened-up the Norelco with four screws, and after five minutes with a soldering iron I was back in business.

Braun/Gillette's refusal to stand behind their product for a loyal customer (I also have three Braun electric toothbrushes in my house) has left me with a bad taste in my mouth. When my Norelco finally dies for good, I will NOT be buying a Braun!

I havn't used an electric razor for probably ten years. I remember being dissatisfied with the shave. I went with a blade and havn't gone back. But, I couldn't resist the cheap price from Amazon on the Braun 7526 and ordered.

There are several things to consider before you buy. This razor is refurbished. It does not come with the cleaner/charger stand. Amazon implies that refurbished means that the original packaging was damaged. In reality, it may actually have been used. Mine was spotless and looked new. I am sure that they are very well cleaned. The unit is also not difficult to manually clean, so the lack of a base/charger didn't mean much to me.

It really took a week or two to get my shave where I liked it. This was probably due to the fact that I had to adjust to how I had to shave to get the best shave.

The shave is actually better than a blade. I used to use the Sensor. It actually does a better job of shaving under my chin, which used to be a problem area for me. It also seems like it takes me less time. There is no prep time. No more preparing my beard, applying the shaving cream, etc. No mess either. No more water and shaving cream everywhere.

The razor is also very comportable. I ued to get razor burn. My face would sting and itch and turn red in places. Now, my face feels great all the time. I can feels just a little bit "raw" after I shave.

Overall a great purchase and a great price.... I got one for my dad too. He loves it.

The Braun Syncro factory service unit has turned out to be a great investment. I've been gun-shy about electric shavers for the past several years, because the Norelco & Remington shavers I owned in the past left me bleeding and with ingrown hairs that got infected. Overall, electric shaving just wasn't worth it, especially since the Norelco & Remington just didn't shave very close -- not to mention the discomfort they caused.

I took a risk on this Braun shaver mostly because I was desperate to save time shaving. My face is not friendly to shaving in general, thus it is a fairly painful and very time-intensive process to shave my beard manually. Long story short, it was worth the $49 cost to take a chance on another electric unit compared to the time I was investing in manual shaving.

This Braun has really changed my tune about electric shavers. While no electric shaver will probably ever match the closeness of a twin/triple/quadruple razor blade, this shaver does shave very close (truly smooth skin), and yet it has never cut my face even once during the first few months of use. While it occasionally leaves a few whiskers behind, they rarely become ingrown and have never become infected like they did with my prior electric shavers. The Braun shaver is effective enough that I can dance cheek to cheek with my 18 month old daughter and not worry about rubbing any "sandpaper" up against her face. And the battery charge lasts for at least a dozen thorough uses, and generally more like 20 to 25 average uses.

I like the fact that the 4-way shaver head pivots and moves side-to-side to match the contours of my face. I also like the fact that I can lock the head at a specific pivot angle if desired. Regardless of whether the lock is enabled, I've found I can move the shaver along my skin in any direction comfortably -- either with the grain or against it. The unit cleans easily, and the construction seems very solid.

If I had known how excellent this shaver is, I would've been willing to plunk down the full price for it -- however I'm glad my skepticism about electric shavers drove me toward the refurbished unit, because I got a very good shaver for less than $50. As far as I know, the warranty is the same as a brand new unit, but the initial cost of the unit is slashed by about 50%.

So the question is, is the Braun brand really that much better than Norelco/Remington, or have I just been out of the electric shaver market for enough years that technology has advanced in general? I don't know the answer to that question, but I can tell you that if you are skeptical about electric shavers from past experience, you will be glad you took the risk on this Braun, just like I did. It provides a very good, pain-free, quick shave for a very reasonable price.

Prior to buying the Braun 7526, I was using Norelco electric shavers, two of which broke due to poor quality control at the factory. It was time to get a new one, but I almost fell off my chair when I saw how expensive some of the models were. I just wanted a good electric shaver, not morgage the house. :) I saw the Braun on sale here on Amazon, and decided to switch from the rotary style to the linear cutting blade system.

When the Braun shaver arrived, it was packaged in a nice box. In the box were the shaver, a cleaning brush, the battery charging cord and a carrying bag for the unit. The Braun 7526 is a nice hefty unit that feels balanced in the hand. Before using the shaver, it must be charged to full capacity and then run all the way down to condition the battery. Some reports of the battery running down may be due to user error in not following the directions on how to set up the shaver. If the battery is not conditioned correctly, it may shorten or disable the full charge capabilities of the Braun. The directions are very clear about this aspect of conditioning the battery. But then again, who reads the manuals anyway?

The shaver has a nice high tech look to it and shaves very close. Closer than any of my Norelcos ever did. There is a slight hum when you turn on the unit, but nothing objectionable unless you plan to shave in the library.:) The blades do a really good job of cutting away facial hair and you can actually hear the shafts of hair being cut. The shaver needs to be used so that the hair is directly in the path of the shaver. If you shave in a diagonal angle, some hairs slip past. This was not a problem as I adapted to the style pretty quickly.

There has been a few comments regarding the lack of the cleaner/charging base being left out of the package, but I see this as not a problem. The shaver heads are fully accessible by popping them right off. You get to all the debris by using the brush that is supplied with the kit. The heads can be rotated around so that you can get at all the spaces between the blades. Considering that the cleaning cartridges are so expensive and will cost you more than the shaver over the long run, the brush is not such a bad alternative to cleaning the shaver.

The only thing that kept the Braun from scoring a perfect 5 was the lack of an LCD bar read out for how much power is left. The unit does alert you to when it needs charging, but the addition of the graphic power meter would have been great. However, since this unit is so inexpensive to begin with, it is still a great bargin. The comments about the very close shave you get with the Braun are not overstated. One of my friends mentioned to me that she could tell that I was using a better shaver because my face was so smooth. Before, she could always feel a little stubble.
Goodbye Norelco. Hello Braun.

Just got my 7526 electric shaver (sans cleaning/charging unit) in the mail today. I have been using a Braun 5614 electric shaver for the past year or so, and have not been impressed by its performance. I wasn't sure if this model was going to be much better, but it has gotten such good reviews that I thought it worth a try. Much to my surprise, the 7526 is a MUCH better shaver. First of all, it is much quieter than my old unit. But the best part is that it actually shaves quite a bit closer with a lot fewer strokes. This shaver is definitely all it's cracked up to be. I would definitely recommend the Braun 7526 to anyone looking to get a good shave with an electric shaver. I may even splurge to purchase the charger/cleaning unit to make sure the shaver is always in peak condition

The refurbished 7526 I received had 4 blades missing from one side, you have to look very closely. It shaves much better with a new blade but that cost $25, I didn't catch it time for a return. For the total price I could have bought a new one. Learn from my mistake! Check that blade ASAP.

The reconditioned Braun 7526 is a very good value, but for me the shave is disappointing. Consumer Reports gave top marks to similar Braun shavers, so I thought I'd give this one a try. My last shaver, a Norelco rotary, was a reconditioned shaver, too. That shaver served me well for 7-8 years until the rechargeable batteries past their useful life and wouldn't hold a charge for more than several shaves. Rather than get new batteries and new heads, I figured a new shaver was a better choice and a reconditioned one a good value.

The pictures of the Braun 7526 hinted of a compact, contemporary design. That it is, but there are a few flaws. The on/off button is a slide switch right where you hold the shaver as you use it. It accidentally slips to another position, either off or head locked, as you sweep the beard. Second is the plastic head cover. It slides side to side to take it on and off, and not very smoothly. It's too easy to damage the foil screen with a fingernail as you take the cover off. Protecting the head is very important, so a cover should be easy to remove and replace without risk to the head. Now, I'll adjust to these as time goes by.

It's the shave that really counts, and this one is only fair. First, it takes me longer than with the Norelco since I must sweep back in forth in all directions to get the close shave in all face areas. Then, when I finally do get a close shave, oh the razor burn. To be fair, I normally shave with a Gillette Mach 3 Turbo in the shower each morning, and nothing can beat that for closeness or comfort.

By the way, the shaver Amazon first sent had a small dent in the foil screen. I reported it online and Amazon sent a replacement within 3 days. Way to go, Amazon!