Braun Series 9 PRO+ Electric Shaver for Men, Wet & Dry Foil Razor, 6-in-1 SmartCare Clean & Charge Center, Built-in Precision ProTrimmer, ProComfort Attachment, Travel Case, Silver 9697cc

Why it's worth it

The Series 9 PRO+ pairs five cutting elements with a motor that reads your beard 300 times a second, so it handles patchy density without dragging. The SmartCare station cleans, dries and charges it, which means the only maintenance you do is refill a cartridge.

This is the shaver that most reliably lands at the top of published foil-shaver comparisons. Tom's Guide's lab work ranked the Series 9 Pro+ first for closeness among the foil shavers it evaluated, and — the part that matters more — it also scored among the lowest for post-shave irritation. Closeness and comfort usually trade off against each other. Getting both in one head is the reason this sits at the top of our list.

The head does a lot of work. You get two gliding foil blades, a SkinGuard element, plus separate Direct&Cut and Lift&Cut blades for hairs lying flat and hairs growing sideways. Braun says the extra element on the Pro+ captures up to 40% more hair per stroke than the standard Series 9. In practice that means fewer passes over the same patch of neck, which is where most irritation comes from anyway.

From our review of 8 electric shavers for men, by Eleanor Vance, Health & Beauty Editor

What we like

• +This is the shaver that most reliably lands at the top of published foil-shaver comparisons
• +The head does a lot of work
• +Pro SensoAdapt reads beard density 300 times per second and adjusts power on the fly
• +The 6-in-1 SmartCare center is the feature we'd miss most

What to know

• –This is the most expensive shaver in our lineup by a wide margin, and the gap in shave quality between it and the Series 7 is…
• –The built-in ProTrimmer is narrow