Review (4/5): Smooth as ever.
Despite of what some people have complained about, the new 790cc-4 is many times better than my old Braun 7075 Syncro model. The first thing I noticed is how SMOOTH and COMFORTABLE it shaves, comparing to the Syncro, not to mention the shaving head no longer heats up like before. The Syncro used to occasionally cut my face at difficult to reach places, such as under the nose and by the neck, because I had to do several passes until it would shave properly. The 790cc-4 requires less passes and feels *extremely* comfortable in comparison. This also means I now shave faster than ever, and this used to be hassle to me. The body shape has changed but I still find it easy to hold, so it's fine with me.
But there were some things I didn't like:
* The sideburns cutter is at an awkward angle and make it difficult to see what I am doing. It also has it's own button now, which used to be the same as the power one in older models. I don't think this is an improvement.
* Locking the shaving head now has a separate button that is difficult to reach, and requires me to use both hands to do it. It looks rather flimsy, so I try not to use it much, afraid that I am going to break it - one person claimed to have already broken it in another review. Locking the head used to be simple with older models, so again, this was not an improvement.
* The base is now "automated", meaning that it decides on its own when I should buy a new cleaning solution cartridge. The buttons become unresponsive - it will simply stop working until you do it. Last time this happened, the cartridge was still a quarter full but the base would not let me use it anymore. Again, I don't think this is an improvement - it should let me decide.
* The shaver has built-in battery and "hygiene" displays, which may sound good at a first glance. The hygiene one measures (I assume) how long you took to shave, and then uses that information to tell the base for how long it will keep cleaning it. The older models would simply run a cleaning cycle and get done with it, while the new 790cc-4 wants to make it longer if I took longer to shave. This may sound like wasting cleaning solution when the amount of shaved hair from my face will not increase if I take longer to shave, so therefore it shouldn't take longer to clean. Sounds gimmicky to me, and perhaps makes you buy new cleaning solution cartridges more often?
* The shaving head has (so far) been impossible to find at local stores. From this I could assume that this shaver is not selling much, and that worries me because it wasn't cheap and I plan to use it for years to come. Braun claims the blades should last for 18 months of regular use, but my beard is so hard that they don't last even 10 months. Lack of offer might also mean that the head will remain expensive for lack of competition. Major stores here in Chicago (Target, Sears, etc) are not selling this shaver, so it makes sense they don't sell the shaving head, and that kinda worries me.
* The power button is tiny and hard to reach. The button sits at my thumb's 1st knuckle, and that's what I have to use to reach it. Used to be easy to turn those shavers on and off with the older models, so this was not an improvement.
* The manual suggests I only shave before taking a bath, which in my personal experience produces the worst shaving ever. People who have posted negative reviews here may have fallen for this. Shaving about 10 minutes *after* a bath works like a dream to me, and also causes less skin irritation.
Despite the rather questionable "improvements", I still like this shaver a lot and will not ever come back to my older Syncro - even because Braun has discontinued production of its shaving head, so I can't buy it anymore. So in a way, Braun has forced me to buy this new one and I don't regret the money I have spent on it. For what matters, it shaves closer and smoother than anything I tried before. Some people have complained that it is too noisy, but I find it much quieter than my older syncro. Conversely, the cleaning base is actually louder, but that doesn't matter to me.
All in all, I strongly recommend the 790cc-4 to anybody who can afford it. I took a star down for the issues above, but those do not keep me from having a perfect shave, faster and smoother than ever.