Braun InterFace Excel 3612

UPDATE JUNE 2005
I won't go through the whole of my review to change relevant parts, but I do have some important updates that change my recommendation to a 'No'.

1. The cheapness of the construction resulted in a plastic part - within the part that houses the foil - spontaneously breaking a few days ago (just over 6 months after purchase).

This part breaking has resulted in the extra blade (meant to catch difficult hairs) permanently sticking up (one could previously control having this blade up or down).

2. I found out that the extra warrantee that I had bought does not cover the cost of replacement of this plastic housing.

3. More relevant, in recent months I have found that the shaver's battery has required more frequent charging, and that the quality of the shave has decreased to the point that I frequently have razor burn, in-growing hairs, and acne/pimples due to using the razor.

4. As an addendum to my last comment, when I was researching which electric shaver to buy, I think that I read that this unit does better when keeping the hairs short - i.e., shaving more frequently results in a better shave. In the past couple of weeks I have certainly found that to be the case. Maybe this is true of most electrics; I have no idea.

I also think that the main blade is becoming more blunt. Using the lubricating spray that I bought with the razor seems to improve this situation, as does having a fully charged razor.

The above factors mean that I now would not recommend this shaver, and am looking for a replacement. I love the way that it fits in my hand, but it does not do a very good job, especially with the hairs on my chin, and neck, as others have said.

One other point. I have shoulder length hair, and use a hair drier after my morning shower; I find that shaving after I have used the drier to dry my hair and goatee is far more effective than shaving before I take a shower.

I can only guess that this is because the showering/drying process somehow make the previously flattened hairs on my neck stand out more, or something like that. If I shave before my shower, and then dry my hair and beard, I find that I'll be able to see renegade neck hairs that weren't apparent after the pre-shower shave. Strange, I know.

So, the best shaving combination seems to be the following:
An almost fully charged battery, PLUS using lubricating fluid, PLUS shaving after showering and drying one's beard.

OLD REVIEW
I've been wet-shaving for the last 15 years or so, and have become fed up with the mechanics of applying shaving foam to my face, and cleaning up afterwards.

Although I really liked the closeness of a wet shave, I was never able to shave 'against the grain' because it was too painful, and the razor would jump around when I tried this, rather than smoothly gliding upwards.

Consequently, I decided to buy an electric shaver in the hope of achieving a cleaner, less messy shaving process, and because I thought that an electric might be able to get those pesky hairs on my neck and cheeks that I can feel when I run my hands upwards.

I also wanted a razor that would be compact and clean for travelling - I don't like having a wet shaver, shaving foam and the like in my bathroom bag because they get messy and wet.

Having used a Phillips 3 head rotary electric shaver for several years before I switched back to wet shaving approximately 15 years ago, I was a little apprehensive about purchasing an electric razor again.

My apprehension was partly based on remembering that the Phillips used to pinch my skin regularly; I also remembered that the shaver would consistently give me a sore case of razor burn.

Perhaps for the reasons outlined above, I did some extensive internet searches looking at reviews of electric razors using foils, and I subsequently bought the 3612 a few days ago.

I should say for others reading this whom might be contemplating choosing between a foil or a rotary head razor, that the salesman with whom I spoke for 15 minutes or so before buying the 3612 did actually recommend a rotary 3 head shaver in order to effectively deal with hairs on the neck. (I also noticed that the hairs on his neck were very much in evidence, and he told me that he uses one of the Braun foil-based razors).

I should also say that my beard has got heavier over the years; I would describe my beard as being of medium growth and density.

WHAT I LIKE
So, what do I think of the Braun? Well, I'm not sure that I love or hate anything about the shaver - it doesn't inspire those kind of extreme feelings in me. This also may be because I didn't have high expectations of the 3612, having paid only $60 CAN. for it (I live in Toronto).

However, the aspects that I really like about the Braun are these:
1. No pinching, razor burn or pain of any kind! This is very important to me.

2. The unit fits very comfortably into my hand, and is quite compact; the cord is compact,too - this won't be bulky when travelling, and I like the idea of not travelling with a wet razor.

3. Although the unit doesn't get the 'against the grain' hairs on my neck, and perhaps does not provide as close a shave as a wet razor, I do like the shave that it gives. It's not the best, but it looks good, and feels quite good, too.

4. One of the reasons that I had short-listed the InterFace Excel 3612 as a potential purchase, was that I noticed that its internal, rechargeable battery is a Nickel Metal Hydride battery (NiMH).

The overwhelming majority of razors (all that I looked at except this one, in fact) have NiCad (internal, rechargeable) batteries. I can't work this out, given the problems that NiCads have with 'memory' capacity, under and over charging, etc., and especially given that NiMH and Lithium Ion (the best kind of rechargeable battery) are available.

Indeed, the salesman whom I talked to didn't know that the 3612 had a NiMH battery, and when I told him this he pointed out that all of the other Brauns(the 3612 is not the top of the line) have NiCad batteries (a fact, of course, that I already knew). I speculated that built-in obsolecence may have been the objective here.

5. Although it's a really small detail, the cleaning brush included with the unit seems really effective, and necessary. I suppose that if I lose the brush, I could use a toothbrush instead.

6. The 3612 has 3 shaving 'settings': Foil Shave, Combi Shave, and Trimmer. The Combi Shave pushes a second, thinner foil/blade up to work with the foil, while the trimmer can be used to trim sideburns and to shape beards. I tend to use the Combi Shave the most, and I like the different qualities that these different settings provide.

7. I've so far shaved for periods of about 5 minutes (longer than I wet shaved, although I can live with this) on about 6 or 7 occasions, and the battery charge is lasting well. I don't mind charging this shaver for an hour every so often in order to get multiple shaves out of it, and I can't picture this being a problem for anyone, even those who travel frequently.

WHAT I DON'T LIKE
As I said above, this shaver really doesn't inspire feelings of love and hate in me, so here is a list of the things I don't like.

1. The shaver does NOT effectively shave the hairs on my neck which grow against the grain. This isn't entirely bad, because this is only obvious when I run my hands upwards - or sideways -against the direction that my stubble grows in around my neck. When I run my hands the other way, things are smooth, and the shave appears visually respectable, too, although not great.

However, given that I bought the electric in the hope that I would be able to get these hairs, I have to include this in the 'What I Don't Like' category. On a related note, I have a female friend who saw my Braun and told me that she had bought this shaver a while back to shave her legs. She finds that the Braun does not do as good a job as a wet shaver for this.

2. Construction of the shaver. I can picture the case shattering or cracking significantly if I drop the shaver (highly likely, as I am clumsy: of course, being a klutz also means that I will end up dropping the shaver on my foot or toe at some point). I would like the plastic that the shaver is constructed of to have been a bit thicker.

3. The protective case that the shaver comes with is of the soft variety (some electric shavers come with hard cases), and - inexplicably to me, given that when travelling it will probably be in a bag next to 'wet' objects like a toothbrush - the case is semi see-through because the plastic vinyl used for the sides has tiny holes in it. It looks nice, but this strikes me as not at all functional.

While I'm sure that I can find another soft case, I'm not sure that I'll be able to find a hard case that is both compact and protective. Braun has been unnecessarily naughty in not providing an adequate protective case for the shaver.

4. People may or may not be aware that most electric shavers have 'blades'/head assemblies that manufacturers recommend replacing regularly - Braun recommends replacing these every 18 months - an expense that I would rather not incur, although it is cheaper than buying blades for a wet shaver.

5. Although I like the different shaving settings (Foil, Combi Shave and Trimmer) I do find that the trimmer is awkwardly positioned so that one can't really see precisely the area that is being trimmed.


While NOT applying to the InterFace Excel 3612, there is an issue that will apply to most potential electric shaver users, and that might give potential buyers pause for thought.

As mentioned above, the majority of shavers have NiCad batteries - and as such, the internal batteries will eventually need to be replaced.

I'm lucky that the InterFace 3612 is almost unique among shavers in that it has NiMH batteries because they retain much less of a 'memory' effect than NiCads, although they're not as good as Lithium Ion (LiIon) batteries.

I was speaking with my brother the other day, and he said that he was contemplating buying a new shaver entirely (he has a 3 head Phillips rotary) because the NiCad batteries don't charge properly any more. I believe that the cost of having both the internal batteries and perhaps the head / foil or rotary blades replaced would - in many cases - make the purchase of a new shaver cheaper. In cases like this, electric shaving definitely becomes more expensive than wet shaving.

Another point that may be important to those considering switching from wet shaving to electric, and thinking that having the shaver is all that is necessary, is that there are a few extra expenses in addition to those mentioned above that may be necessary.

For example, the salesman sold me a lubricating fluid (it was cheap at $6.00 CAN.) to be applied to the 3612's foil/head/blade occasionally.

I think that the lubricating fliud will help with the quality of the shave I get, and that it will also help with extending the life of the head assembly and the shaver. While this fluid isn't expensive, I don't like the idea of these kinds of 'extras' - I really did want to just buy a razor and forget it.

I also bought - once again, very cheaply - an extended warrantee, just in case something happens to the razor. I don't know how important this 'extra' may be.

Finally, I haven't really decided to stay with the 3612, although I like it a lot. I have 4 weeks from the purchase date to take it back, and I may end up doing this simply to investigate the possibilities of upgrading to a different Braun in order to try to be able to get those 'against the grain' hairs. However, I have misgivings about the larger size of the other razors, and also the fact that they use NiCad batteries.

I also am tempted to try the rotary head razors, and perhaps a friend's Remington foil shaver, which gives him a close shave in both directions. On the other hand, I'm a bit surprised at how important I'm finding the size, compactness and general design of the 3612. Although it's not the best shaver, I like the Braun very much.