The best Braun shavers 2023: Tried and tested by GQ's editors

By Owen Gough

Rounding up the best Braun shavers and grooming devices for silky-smooth cheeks, tested by our editors.

Growing and managing a godly beard is no small task. A lot of effort, time and hours spent staring into the mirror combatting stray whiskers goes into maintaining the sort of facial fuzz Thor would be proud of, but none of that gruelling time is worth it if you’re not properly equipped for the task. Armed with a quality beard-trimming tool and even the most impatient of shavers can shape a sightly beard, the only problem is which brand to swear allegiance to. Here, we’ll champion the standard of Braun.

While you could certainly take a look at more affordable options from the likes of Philips or Gillette, Braun proffers a higher tier of trimming, shaving and general hair maintenance that might cost a fair amount more but will certainly help you see better results in the long run. However, it’s not as simple as buying the first Braun shaver you happen to stumble across, as each is specialised to provide specific actions for your subjective grooming needs. From exceptional hair clippers that transform you into a bona fide at-home barber, to super-charged electric shavers that give you a squeaky-clean shave every day of the week, it’s time you learned which is the best Braun trimmer for you.

In case you’re curious, we’re big fans of other top-tier men’s grooming devices, so we’d point you in the direction of our guides on the best hair clippers, electric shavers and nose hair trimmers to ensure no stray whisker is left uncut.

Easily the most comprehensive electric shaver from Braun –and likely from any other brand, to be honest– the Series 9 Pro is the Rolls Royce of men's grooming. An exceptionally high-quality foil blade, a huge battery and a self-cleaning, self-sharpening charging dock is a premium concoction designed to gently guide you to clean-shaven nirvana.

Braun spends the vast majority of its grooming might investing in electric shavers, but that doesn't mean its beard-trimming roster is a slouch. This collection of nine grooming essential blades in one device is a versatile option for the man experimenting with facial and body hair but doesn't want to clutter his sink with dozens of tools.

We all know the frustration of razor burn. It's blighted us all, but no longer should it be an issue. Braun's Series 3 Pro Skin is designed to be as gentle as possible, combining skin-kind tech with an ergonomic design results in a silky-smooth jaw every morning.

Before you take a motorised blade to your chin, you’ll want to know that these devices are up to GQ’s incredibly high standards and therefore, are worthy of a spot in your bathroom cabinet. Our grooming editors meticulously test each product listed below, with an aim to assess value for money, quality of trim, run time and any other useful features like cordless capabilities, charging stations and attachments for other hair-related activities like body hair combs, or nose hair trimming tips.

Those who take their facial hair seriously will likely be au fait with the various beard-trimming brands available, but for those curious to learn more, there are only a few worth paying attention to. Major players in the space include Wahl, Panasonic, Remington and Philips, but there are alternatives like Hatteker if you’re keen to get stuck into cutting your own head hair or Manscaped for everything below the neck.

Figuring out which one is best for the task at hand is largely down to personal preference, but we are great admirers of Braun’s premium roster of models. Granted, many of these are expensive and most likely found in the firm grip of professional barbers and stylists, but a high price tag doesn’t preclude you from investing in quality.

Having said all that, Braun isn’t averse to catering to beard owners on a budget, with many options providing solid results around the £20-£50 mark.

If you’d like to eradicate your body of all evidence that it even had any hair, then Braun has a vast collection of devices catering to all types of grooming requirements, though that does make it a tad complex if you’re just after a short trim and tidy. To help explain things, here’s a rundown of every device you might need to know about.

It should be obvious in the name, but these devices cater to the styling, trimming and maintenance of your facial fuzz. Beard trimmers mostly use a line of motorised blades to slice through the hair around your chin, neck and cheeks for a beard to rival Allison Becker’s magnificent chin bush. They will typically come with several combs or cutting guides to tackle everything from short stubble to Gandalf-level longer beards and will often be cordless and waterproof, so you can trim at your leisure in the shower for a quick clean-up.

Lockdown provided the perfect opportunity for many men to try their hand at cutting their own hair away from the barbers, and while not every one of us succeeded in our endeavours, there’s no reason why we can’t practice and get better. Hair clippers will have much more powerful motors than the beard trimmers above and will arrive with a much broader range of cutting lengths, guiding combs and increment options to tackle skin fades, buzz cuts or trims to longer hair. We recommend hunting for a clipper that’s corded for the best results, as there’s nothing worse than running out of battery mid-chop.

The art of a clean shave is a tricky thing to master, but electric shavers are Braun’s bread and butter. The Pro series is an excellent, high-end range of multi-head shavers that delicately clear away short stubble away from your jawline for superbly precise results. They might come with a cleaning brush, a charging station and a powerful, long-lasting motor to cope with your daily routine.

The ever-present frustration of all men as they grow older is nose and ear hair, a grooming blight that must be eradicated. Luckily, there are plenty of devices for this task alone, with thin nub ends that hide a series of small blades to gently and efficiently cut through your nostril or ear follicles. These options are highly specialised and will often only focus on this task alone, but Braun does make trimmers that come with a nose hair attachment so you don’t have to buy multiple devices.

Finally, the body hair trimmer is the all-in-one grooming kit that comes prepared to tackle all your follicular troubles from head to toe. With ergonomic handles and marathon-length batteries, these devices are designed to trim your chest, stomach, legs, back, below the belt and your head hair from the same device. To achieve this, they come with a myriad of trimmer attachments for different lengths and will often be waterproof so you can complete your “Everything Shower” using one device.

Maintaining proper beard trimmer cleaning etiquette is essential in our eyes, but not always the easiest task. Luckily, Braun makes clearing out the gunk and detritus post-shave a breeze, with most models owning removable heads and blades that can be washed out under the tap and touch-dried with a paper towel. More expensive models will come with self-cleaning, self-sharpening docks that act as a sort of beard-trimming car wash to ensure safe and clean blades to keep up with your grooming routine.

Given Braun's aspirational price range, you can be forgiven for hunting for ways to reduce the overall costs of your next beard trimmer or electric shaver. Thankfully, Amazon Prime Day is here to save you cash on all the grooming essentials you need this summer (and beyond). Our favourite devices are often only slightly discounted, but we're happy to report Braun's most expensive items will be significantly cheaper throughout the online event this year, presenting a perfect opportunity to level up your shaving experience without overpaying.

Prime Day 2023 falls on Tuesday, July 11 and will finish at midnight on July 12, but there are often discounts to be found on Amazon's digital storefront both before and after the event, so it's worth keeping a tab on your favourite products to keep track of any price changes. Below, we'll highlight the current offers as we see them, but you can also reference our dedicated Prime Day grooming guide for the lowdown on the best offers across board.

What we liked: Braun’s best electric shaver | ProLift trimmer included | 5-year warranty | Charging and cleaning stationWhat we didn't like: Very expensive | Quite weighty and a tad unwieldy | Loud

Key specs

Hands down the best electric shaver available on the market, Braun’s Series 9 Pro is the pinnacle of close-shaving. Granted, it comes with an eye-watering pricetag –the sticker price is £500, though we often see Amazon deals that make it a vaguely more affordable £300. But once you’re over that slight hiccup, you’ll have a supremely well-equipped shaver that’s designed to see you through seven years of high-quality shaving.

Our own testing confirmed our suspicions; it’s the Rolls Royce of shavers and not much will come close. The foil shaver is incredibly gentle on your skin, cutting the smallest of hairs without a hint of rash thanks to the ProLift tech that gently raises the follicles before eliminating them.

Our favourite accessory is the SmartCare Centre, a charging dock that acts as a miniature valet for your grooming device. Plug it in post-shave and it will scan the quality of the blades, clean them, sharpen them and lube them up ready for your next encounter, ensuring it’s fully charged and ready to go. No need to tip it, either.

It’s a smidge loud as far as shavers go, but you won’t find better results anywhere else. £539 £319. At amazon.co.uk

What we liked: Weighty, premium-feel handle | Deluxe foil head | Decent battery | Included charging station and leather case What we didn't like: Expensive | Chunky handle | often out of stock

Key specs

Braun claims the Series 9 is the most efficient electric shaver in the world, and through our thorough testing, we’re hard-pressed to disagree. We’d recommend this shaver over any other if you can handle the reasonably high price tag.

Exceptional results are the order of the day here, as the Series 9 comes packed with a tonne of features to provide one of the closest, most comfortable shaves we’ve ever experienced. How? The foil razor contains five separate skin-safe blades underneath that collect more hair in one sweep than previous Braun models, using sonic vibrations to tease the follicles up away from the skin to avoid nicks and razor burn.

With a longer battery and a weighted handle, it’s great for shower shaving or using as a dry razor to keep up the clean jawline you’ve always hoped for. It’s worth mentioning the handle itself is considered bulky by our grooming editors, which can make precision shaving tough, but once you’re used to the design, it glides around your face.

The Series 9 also features a brilliant cleaning and charging station, though keep in mind that the solution used to clean and lube up the blades is reasonably expensive, resulting in a higher-than-usual ongoing expense. £499 £218. At amazon.co.uk

What we liked: Afforably priced | Well-equipped with ten attachments | Wet razor includedWhat we didn't like: Doesn't particularly excel at any one grooming task

Key specs

The first of many Braun trimmers that aims to tackle every one of your grooming needs, the all-in-one Trimmer 7 has ten hair-cutting attachments to deal with shaving, nose hair, head hair and even comes with a wet razor for a traditionally manual experience favoured by some men.

It's the complete package for a faster, sharper shave to style all sorts of facial hair, and all for an extremely comfortable price tag, all things considered. Our favourite attachment is the smaller foil razor head that makes short work of those niggling hairs under the chin and along the neck, sweeping up the stubble for a clean, hairless edge that doesn't require regular upkeep.

We also love the ergonomic, slimline handle that's textured to avoid slips in the shower and houses the 100-minute battery that provides ample time to do a head-to-toe sweep in one go.

For the environmentally conscious, this trimmer also uses 20 per cent less plastic than alternative options, going some way to tackle the ever-present recycling issues present with grooming gear. £84 £56. At amazon.co.uk

What we liked: Cheap | Solid value | Five included attachments | Decent batteryWhat we didn't like: Doesn't provide the best results | cheap, scratchy materials | Inconveniently long recharge time

Key specs

The lower price of entry makes this a solid choice for frequent travellers looking for a trusty trimmer to accompany them on shorter trips. Yes, the short-ish battery life and exceptionally long recharge time work against you for longer journeys, but the cheap, replaceable nature of the device and the quick access to precision trimming means you can touch up on your well-kept beard with a few short shaving sessions that won't require too much thought or effort.

If it's staying put on your bathroom cabinet at home, then you'll be pleased with the results. During testing, we managed to keep on top of a long-ish beard (18mm) with ease, keeping the cheeks tidy and short while nimbly cutting down the chin hairs for a refined beard. Once the beard was firmly tackled, we could then switch up to the hair clipper to tidy up the sideburns and hair around the ears effortlessly. £32 £19. At amazon.co.uk

By Adam Cheung

By Yang-Yi Goh

By Daisy Jones

What we liked: Comes with a dedicated moustache and sideburns trimmer | Fully waterproof | Discounted in the Amazon Prime Day saleWhat we didn't like: Only comes with a two-pin charging plug

Key specs

Climbing up the price range, the Series 5 straddles that fine line between affordability and high-end shaving quality, with a foil razor that excels at clearing out the 5 O'clock shadow with confidence.

The flexible foil shaver head shifts and flows with the contours of your jawline, comfortably shaving hair and reducing razor burn, which is really all we can ask for in a razor. The tip also features Braun's Autosense tech, which measures the density of your facial fuzz and adjusts the power accordingly. We loved that it also includes a fun moustache and sideburns trimmer to tackle the most frustrating aspects of facial grooming. It's a niche accessory but we appreciate the growing fashion of the 'tache and mullet combo. £139 £69. At amazon.co.uk

What we liked: Lightweight | Flexible, rotating head | Included charging station and travel caseWhat we didn't like: Still expensive | Short battery life

Key specs

Sliding further down the spenny scale, Braun's Series 7 sits in an unusual spot. Firstly, it's still prohibitively expensive for all but the most serious of groomers at £349 RRP. It is discounted by 50 per cent in the Prime Day sales, but even £160 seems steep. This aspirational price tag does unlock a few of the top-tier features found at the pinnacle of Braun's roster, but it doesn't quite reach those heights.

The shaver comes with two foil attachments, a moustache blade and a beard-trimming comb, so its multifunctionality cannot be understated. The shaving head also has a 360-degree rotation of movement to cope with even the most angular of jawlines and not miss an inch of hair. It does come with a cleaning station and a travel case but overall misses out on the next-level versatility found in the Series 9 and is only slightly less expensive. £349 £164. At amazon.co.uk

What we liked: Pro-grade specs | Decent range of attachments | Huge battery | Affordably pricedWhat we didn't like: Charging stand can be fiddly

Key specs

While we can't guarantee you'll suddenly transform into a bona fide professional barber once you slip your grip around Braun's Series 9 trimmer, you'll definitely feel a surge of confidence in your own abilities; this device is so well-equipped that you'd be hard-pressed not to achieve excellent results on your beard.

Armed with 11 grooming tools, from moustache and hair clipping guides to a styling ruler to cultivate the perfect edges of your stubble, the Series 9 is a Swiss army knife for grooming. It's capable of long-hair cutting, beard trimming, and shaving and even comes with a wet razor for a more manual approach to your morning routine.

It comes with a charging dock that can top up the impressive three-hour battery in two and a half hours, but the station itself is a pernickety thing that makes it complex to mount if you're not paying attention. £129 £122. At amazon.co.uk

By Adam Cheung

By Yang-Yi Goh

By Daisy Jones

What we liked: Texturised rubber grip | Weighty handle | Pop-up beard trimmer | Great for sensitive skinWhat we didn't like: Doesn't excel at beard trimming | At this price, there are better overall shavers

Key specs

A major concern for anyone with sensitive skin is getting hold of a shaver that won't inflame your chin and neck with itchy rashes, so it's nice to see Braun catering to this particularly afflicted community with a dedicated shaver designed to counter this problem. The Series 3 Pro Skin uses a unique system made of micro combs and three independently moving shaving elements under the foil that gently lifts fine hair away from the skin to give a close shave without scraping a blade along it.

This tactic won't be particularly successful on longer stubble, so Braun suggests only shaving on 3-day-old stubble to avoid uncomfortable tugging. In our testing, this wasn't so much a consideration, as the grooming editor who tested this already sticks to a rigid grooming routine, but it's worth keeping in mind.

It can also deal with light beards if you need it, thanks to the pop-up beard trimmer that slips up over the foil shaver. It won't really cope with mammoth facial fuzz, but slightly longer stubble is well within its wheelhouse.

We also like the texturised grip that results in a sturdy, slip-free device to shave in the shower. £119 £54. At amazon.co.uk

By Robert Leedham

By Robert Leedham

By Owen Gough

By Owen Gough

By Robert Leedham

By Owen Gough

By Robert Leedham

By Owen Gough