Braun Electric Razor for Men, Series 9 Pro 9465cc Wet & Dry Electric Foil Shaver with ProLift Beard Trimmer, Cleaning & Charging SmartCare Center, Head Shavers for Bald Men, Noble Metal

This razor is the 4th in a series of Braun razors I've owned over my lifetime (also Norelco and Remington razors). This is the second series 9 razor and replaced one purchased in February 2020. I replaced the unit because of a few things: first the power switch got snagged and pulled away, because it was becoming noisy, the edge trimmer wasn't cutting as well and because the cost of a new cutting head was nearly 1/4 that of a new razor. Of note, after 5 years of daily use, mostly while traveling using battery power, there was never a decline in battery function or life. So with that background, now on to the review.I stayed with the Series 9, because I liked it the best of all Brauns I used. It was difficult to determine from the product description if the "PRO" designation really added anything, after all the cutting head looks identical to the standard series 9. The unit otherwise seems identical as well structurally and functionally. However, I do believe it cuts better. Six months in it still provides an excellent close shave without effort. I'm still on the original cutting head. I use the cleaning system daily (except when I, now rarely, travel away from home for a few days). My tough 70 yo beard is cut close without irritation and with little effort. For my beard I have found the razor works great on a daily growth up to a 3 day growth. I actually think the sweet spot is 2 days. Beyond 3 days you need to really give the razor time to chop thru the longer hairs, but it works great without lots of pulling.A few suggestions: (1) don't rush or push hard onto your face - let the razor slowly glide over the skin and you can hear when its done because you'll stop hearing it cut each beard hair as it is moved (2) there is no one best way to hold the razor and you'll end up using it turned one way and then flipped over for other parts of your face - this improves the closeness (3) use a quality pre-shave - this is essential and I highly recommend the Mennen AFTA Pre-electric Shave Lotion which you liberally apply then let evaporate a bit until you feel the skin slightly tighten - then have a great shave. I also use the AFTA After Shave as well. I've been using Mennen products my whole shaving life, as my father did as well, and can attest to their quality.One caveat: this unit came with the counter top cleaning system which seems to be nearly identical to the one with the 2020 razor, but I replaced the old one anyhow thinking Braun might have made an incremental improvement. The indicator lights work when they want to, but otherwise it cleans the razor well (so no stars off). But remember that this cleaning system is pretty critical (in my opinion) to keep the razor functioning, and much like printer toner cartridges, Braun has you by the beard hair by necessitating regular replacement of the cleaning solution cartridges. I get mine on a subscription cycle from Amazon and 4 cartidges cost me $24. How often you need to replace a cartridge depends, I usually get them every 5 months. But beware that they will require replacement even if you don't use the cleaning system much because the cleaning/lubricating solution is highly volatile and evaporates even if you don't use it. So you might as well use it and keep your razor in the best operating shape!! Lastly, when you purchase a new razor I'd also purchase a new cutting head for future use. After all, prices are only going up!!