Braun Series 5 vs Series 7: Is New Always Better?

Braun Series 5 vs Series 7 is a legit debate because some believe the new Series 5 is a cheaper alternative to the Series 7 shaver.

Is it really true? Can you get resembling features and results with paying a significantly less amount of money? How big is the gap between the two shavers altogether?

To find out answers to these questions, we must first place the two shavers side by side and analyze what they have to offer out of the box.

With that, I’ll be sharing my insight about these from my personal experience and all of that should give you a solid answer by the end of this article!

Feature Analysis: Braun Series 5 vs Series 7

I’ll start with comparing the features between the Braun Series 5 and Series 7. That way, we can set a baseline upon which I’ll be able to discuss my personal time and feelings about each of the shavers.

For clarification, I’m using the Series 5 5018s and Series 7 7071cc as the representatives from their respective serieses.

Housing Design

Design-wise, the two shavers are quite similar due to Braun’s new approach. The size and shape of the handle are a little wide at the top and gradually thins out toward the bottom.

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Also, the ergonomic patch down the middle is quite similar, especially the patch around the thumb rest and the power button.

Then you’ll start noticing the difference, aside from the obvious color scheme. Series 7 is a silver and black shaver whereas Series 5 is mainly black with an accent of one of three colors.

Also, the materials used for the chest area are different. Series 7 hosts a solid plastic material to craft the silver region while Series 5 went for a rubbery design.

To me, Series 7 feels more durable but the Series 5 is more ergonomic, mainly for the material Braun has used.

Cutting Elements

The three cutting elements for each shaver are two SensoFoils made with hypoallergenic stainless steel and one cutting cassette in the middle.

They look identical in hindsight yet there’s some gap in sharpness. Upon undoing the blade heads, you’ll see that the cutting units underneath the foils are made of the same technology.

Then why does the Series 7 feel sharper than the Series 5? I’d say it’s not because of the cutting elements, rather motor power plays a huge role in this matter.

Motor Power

When it comes to raw motor power, the Braun Series 7 is actually untouchable by the Series 5 shaver.

The former is very powerful and it manages to remove any sort of hair – be that dense and/or curly – with ease.

That’s why you get to easily remove 3 day long stubble and the blades respond to your will with least effort.

Braun Series 5 motor is significantly weak and that’s why I recommend using it daily or every other day, otherwise you’ll be left with patches of unshaved beard.

Cuts Per Minute

According to the advertisement and package from Braun, both the Series 5 and Series 7 shavers are capable of doing 24,000 cuts per minute.

This cuts per minute or CPM implies each of the three elements oscillates 8,000 times per minute and suggests both the motors run at 8,000.

While it sounds fascinating, the reality isn’t as such as you’ve already seen from the gap in motor power between the two.

I’d say the Series 5 shaver performs no more than 18,000 CPM and that’s the major reason for the shaver to perform less efficiently than the Series 7.

FlexHead vs Fixed Head

The new and redesigned shaver head in the Braun Series 7 proudly flaunts the 360 degrees text around its neck belt.

What it means is that the shaver can tilt in different directions (8 in total). The side tilts are ensured by the frame in the Shape of an ‘A’ and the back to front tilts are made using the mechanism right beneath the head.

On the other hand, the Series 5 shaver head is fully fixed on the shaver and you can expect no movement from this robust head design.

This is why Series 7 shaver is much better at grabbing hair from your tough spots which requires much work to get right using the Series 5.

LED Panel

Braun Series 5’s LED panel is something I’ve truly liked, although the brightness could have been better for both the shavers.

In this panel, you’ll find the battery life in three increments and four other notification lights for your convenience. It’s compact and doesn’t consume a lot of space in the housing.

While this is the Series 5 LED interpretation, the Series 7 hosts a much longer LED panel and it’s due to the battery indicator’s 10 increment reading.

I reckon the Series 7 panel gives you a little bit more data on the battery life but looks wise, I prefer the Series 5 panel.

Automatic Technology

There are two automatic technologies we should consider discussing about Braun Series 5 and Series 7 shavers.

First and foremost is the AutoSense Technology. Both the shavers contain it and according to Braun, they read the density of your beard 13 times per second to adjust motor power accordingly.

However, I didn’t find it much useful and there’s no noticeable difference between power across my dense and less dense facial regions (applicable for both shavers).

The epitome of this technology is seen with the Braun Series 9 shaver and the previous generations simply failed to make it work like their top dog.

Another important technology is the SyncroSonic tech which persists only in the Series 7 shaver and I believe it plays a vital role in the performance gap.

Sonic tech is a new way of vibrating the motor to ensure successful cutting actions by the Series 7 shaver. The blades vibrate efficiently with this new technology 8,000 times per minute.

Due to this, the Series 5 with its older vibrating model simply fails to feed the longer hair through the foils as effectively as Series 7, thus it’s a game changing upgrade.

Braun Series 5 vs 7: Battle of the New Generation

Now that we’ve discussed the key features of both the Series 5 and Series 7 shavers, it’s time for us to figure out their realistic performance and understand which one converts these features into realistic actions better!

Weight

The gap of weight between the Series 5 and Series 7 is very little, however, the Series 5 is the lighter of the two qualityful shavers.

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Such weight class means a higher degree of maneuverability and slightly lower quality of materials used to build the Series 5.

Lighter may sound better but it’s to a certain extent. Because hefty shavers tend to maintain balance and accuracy, that’s why models like Panasonic ARC5 are so popular these days despite the weight!

Both are well-balanced and highly portable, so there’s a tie between the two shavers in concern.

Closeness of Shaving

Out of the two, the Braun Series 7 goes much closer to skin while shaving if you put it side by side with the Series 5 shaver.

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It’s understandable really, you can’t expect the Series 5 to generate the closeness of a much more expensive shaver with the amount you’re having to pay.

The primary reason is the blade design and the Series 7 seems to have the upper hand, thus the closer outcome.

Also, with the lighter weight, you have to manually keep the Series 5 shaver pressed harder against your skin and the lack of it leaves behind a less close result.

Shaving Comfort

While the Series 7 excels at generating close shaves, it’s not as comfortable and forgiving as the Braun Series 5.

The latter is one of the gentlest electric shavers I used so far and is a great choice for people with sensitive skin.

I’m not suggesting that the Series 7 cannot be applied on sensitive skin, it’s a perfectly fine choice in this regard.

It’s just the fact that the Series 5 feels much more comfortable to frequently glide over a patch of your skin.

Contour Adaptation

This is where the major differences come into play between the Series 7 and Series 5 from Braun. The Braun Series 7 comes with a 360 Flex Head feature.

A feature like this enables the Series 7 shaver’s head to tilt and move in 8 different directions, giving it plenty of liberty to adapt with skin contour and grab every bit of hair in the process.

On the other hand, the head of the Braun Series 5 is completely fixed and thus there’s no help from the head in terms of contour adaptation.

So you’ll have to refine your skills with your glides and movement to make sure all of the corners of your face are thoroughly covered with frequent micro-adjustments in gliding motion.

Battery Life

A good battery life can imply a lot of things – for one, it allows you to forget about charging for weeks and for another, you can travel without the charger.

Braun Series 5 realistically holds a battery life of 40 minutes with a full charge. It’s quite average and I can concede this considering the price point of the shaver.

As opposed to it, the Series 7 holds juice for 50 minutes and 10 minutes may seem like a very little advantage, but it adds up in a professional setting or for the reasons I began with.

So, the Braun Series 7 battery is superior of the two and is rightly so for the hefty price point this shaver is set at.

Wet/Dry Shave

Picking between wet or dry shaves requires some experimentation with the shavers, but between the Braun Series 5 vs 7 argument, let me make it a little easier for you.

In my opinion, the Series 7 is a complete shaver that’s capable of handling both dry and wet modes of shaving.

But on the other hand, I’d prefer the Series 5 shaver as a wet shaving device since it leaves a little to be demanded while shaving in full dry mode.

You’ll have to at least apply some shaving lotion for it to generate fine results and therefore, this is how I classify each shaver.

Cleaning Efficiency

While Series 7 from Braun advertises 360 degrees around its neck, the Series 5 shaver upholds the line ‘EasyClean’ at the same place since this is the selling point for the new generation.

With EasyClean, you’ll find water vents on the sides of the shaver head, particularly right underneath the blade system.

The method demands you to run water through those vents while turning the shaver on and it should clean out all the dirt immediately.

But in reality, this doesn’t clean out as much as you’d hope for and you have to go back to the traditional cleaning method unless you have a Clean & Charge station.

In this case, Series 5 and Series 7 share identical cleaning procedures and there’s no winner or loser in this category, although Series 5 had the true potential.

Travel-Friendliness

There’s no doubt that Braun Series 7 and Series 5 shavers are almost equally travel-friendly and their travel-lock feature encourages you to carry them inside your luggage.

That said, the Series 7 shaver goes some extra distance to render itself a better travel shaver as opposed to the Series 5, and here’s how.

Braun Series 7 shaver holds a better battery life, comes with a solid carry case which can protect the shaver inside luggage and shaves faster than the Series 5.

It doesn’t mean you cannot take Series 5 with you during travels, it’s only you have to remember the limitations while doing so.

FAQ

A couple of important FAQs have been addressed from the netizens and I’m attempting to answer those in this part of the article!

Q: Can I use the accessories from the new Braun Series 5 with the new Braun Series 7 shaver?

Ans: It may come to you as a surprise but you actually can use the accessories of the new Braun Series 5 with the new Braun Series 7 and vice-versa.

It’s the approach that Braun has taken with their renewed shaver variants to stand on a common ground in terms of accessories.

For instance, if you believe the Series 7 blades are better than of the Series 5, you can purchase that online and use that blade set with the Series 5, all thanks to the EasyClick feature.

Also, the Clean & Charge stations are interchangeable between the Series 5 and 7 revamped editions.

It’s a great approach from Braun in my opinion and replacing your shavers should feel cost-effective because of it.

Q: Replacing 15yo Shaver – should I pick Braun Series 5 or 7?

Ans: This question posted in Reddit asks a crucial question. If you’ve already owned a shaver for 15 years, which of the shavers between Braun Series 5 and Series 7 could grant you the same comfort and durability for the upcoming years?

I’ll ask you to disregard the price points of both the shavers and directly opt for the new Braun Series 7. It has close to zero limitations and the materials are more durable than the Series 5. If you use it with the same care as you did for your previous shaver, you my man would be set for another 15 years!

Final Verdict for Buyers

It’s time for my final verdict on the matter and I believe this will help out the buyers to make up their mind on which of the shavers is best for their particular interest.

When it comes to the matter of raw performance in the battle of Braun Series 5 vs 7, the Series 7 shavers clearly out-performs the Series 5 shaver.

But a major factor to consider is the price point of each device. If this factor is highlighted, then I’d say that the Braun Series 5 shaver gives you better value for money than the Series 7 does.

And if you’d like to disregard the price tag, then of course Braun Series 7 is by far the better electric shaver in almost every category.

So yes, you could call the Series 5 a budget alternative to Series 7!