Braun Series 5-550cc High end shave for a decent price

Braun Series 5-550cc High end shave for a decent price.
I have been a manual shaver my entire life (15+ years of shaving). I always thought electrics were not going to get close enough to give a good shave. My gf (now my wife) got me a cheaper electric shaver when I was younger as that is what her father uses. I tried it for the 3 weeks or so and hated it. It tugged and pulled on my hairs and generally irritated my skin. I switched back to manual and never looked back.

Now fast forward to present day and I have grown tired of the irritation that I get from manual shaving (razor burn, bumps, in-grown hairs). I will be the first to admit I am not the best at shaving. I still get the occasional nick here and there but I get the job done. Well I saw this shaver on sale at a local department store and started thinking that it might be time to try these again. This time I will put down a little more money for a better shaver. I did research here on amazon and other places and settled on the Series 5-550cc as it has some of the higher end features from the series 7 but at a $100 cheaper price tag.

Having only been using this new razor for a few days I can already say that it was a good choice. I am getting a close shave faster and with much less irritation along my neck. Time to brake down the review:

Design: 5 stars
Feels good in hand with a well put together shaver. Sturdy with easy access to the long hair trimmer on the back of the shaver. This is a plus as the long hair trimmer on the more expensive series 7 model was redesigned and not as user friendly. LEDs are more minimal on this model but they get the job down and tell you what is going on in terms of battery life. The clean and charge station is just icing on the cake as it allows easy charging and hands free cleaning of the shaver after each use.

Shaving: 4 stars
This shaver does the job. Coming from a manual shave this gets really close. Especially on the face. The neck and jaw line I have noticed will have a little more stubble left over (why 4 stars) but the irritation-to-closeness of shave ratio is definitely in the positive. This review might have to be edited after I get past my first three weeks but I am happy right now.

Clean and Storage: 4.5 stars
Cleaning this shaver is extremely easy. Stick it in the clean and charge station and hit start. It does the work for you. Plus it lubricates the shaver for you as well. One thing to keep in mind is that the shaver air dries after the cleaning so if you need to shave right away after cleaning you will have problems. I have not had any issues as time between shaving for me is usually 20 or more hours. Even if I shaved in the morning and needed a touch up at night I don't think there would be any issue. The shaver can be stored right in the cleaning station so that is good and it look nice with a pleasant blue color given off. Makes a nice night light for the occasional bathroom visit during the night. The only complaint I would have is that the AC/DC converter is quite long. This might fit under the design heading better but if you are like me and keep this on your bathroom counter for storage you will have a larger plug converter hanging out. Not a huge deal but for people that want a more clean look while not in use can be a issue.

Overall: 4.5 stars
Amazon does not allow half stars so 4 is what I rated this. I would recommend this shaver to all of my friends. While it might be a little expensive then some of the options out there it gets the job done well and comfortably. I would defiantly suggest spending a little more on a quality shaver then a cheap solution that eats up your face. This is a foil shaver so if you like rotary shavers more this would not be for you but everyone else should check this out.