Braun cruZer Z-50 Shaver Reviews

• The only all-in-one solution

  
  By A3UFMTFRTZVV9N on 2005-05-06
  I have a goatee and I have been looking for a single shaving device that would trim and define my beard and also give me a decent shave for those times when I don't want to use a razor. The cruzer3 was the only device I could find that claimed to do all three tasks. I took a chance and ordered it through Amazon - and I'm very happy with the purchase. The shaver works well; not as good as a razor of course, but it's great for touching up spots I missed or a full shave when I'm in a hurry. The trimming blades are well-shaped and work much better than I thought they would. A blade that extends 90 degrees from the handle works best for trimming and defining, but the cruzer3's blades work well (you just have to tilt the shaver 90 degrees from your face). The beard trimmer attachment also works well. I have a hair trimmer that I use for buzz cuts and was using it for beard trimming, but the cruzer3 works just as well. And it's one less device I have to keep track of. Finally, I appreciate the fact that I can rinse off the unit with water when I'm done. I am completely satisified with the cruzer3; it meets all of my requirements for an all-purpose shaver/trimmer.
  
  

• All things to all men?

  
  By A13DD17X1AZFGJ on 2005-10-05
  I got this because it has the styling attachment that you usually only get with a separate trimmer. So it's one gadget for shaving instead of two. For me it replaces a similar, but less futuristic looking model, that I had for a few years and did the job pretty well.
  This one is made in China instead of Germany, and looks like a ray gun. I'm not impressed by the appearance: the combination of shiny silver plastic and black rubber looks a bit tacky, and the lettering on the body is very tacky.
  But, this doesn't really matter, does it?
  The good news is that it feels well built, even if it doesn't look it, though I think the buttons that release the sliding trimmer and styler adjusters are horrible to touch and a poor design.
  I like the enthusiastic whirr of the motor when you press the go button, and as a regular shaver it does an adequate job. Not sure the floating head makes a scrap of difference. Does it shave as close as a blade? Nowhere near. But it's fine.
  The trimmer spins around so you can use the wide head, or the narrow one. The narrow one has a rounded end, so you may be able to stick it in your ears if so inclined. But maybe a square profile would've been more useful. But... on the whole, the double ended trimmer works well.
  The unique feature of course is the styling attachment. Apart from the horrible adjustment mechanism mentioned earlier, this works reasonably well, though probably not as good as a dedicated machine. But for what it is, it's fine.
  You can leave the styling thing on all the time because it acts as the foil protector too. This is good, because it was separate on my previous one. Braun supply a simple foil protector if you want to leave the styler at home. You get a brush too, and a little bottle of oil. No case though.
  One thing to watch is that when the battery's running low, the shaver decides at some point that it's going to switch itself off and stay off until you recharge. If you're in the middle of a shave, it grabs you and won't let go, which is, to say the least, painful! Make sure you have the power lead handy.
  
  

• Best bang for buck

  
  By ANKIK05D05TYV on 2005-05-20
  Ok so i saw this shaver in a magazine ad and it caught my eye, I needed a new shaver to replace my old Norelco, so i thought i'll give this one a shot since it had alot of things to offer. I don't have a beard or goatee so i can't tell you about shaping up using the features provided on this shaver but i'm really satisfied with it so far just after the first day of use. After one quick shave, my skin felt alot smoother i like the fact that you can rinse it in water and you can go wireless. Well i must warn you though, those of you looking for a perfect shave look elsewhere and expect to pay more, because this if for more of a quick shave on the go person. For the price i recommend it to everyone and amazon.com got it to my house in 3 days with free shipping!
  
  

• don't be fooled by the slick exterior

  
  By AL8WT6Y89R6NB on 2006-05-14
  As nifty as it looks, this razor is surprisingly second-rate. Unlike my previous Braun razor (from 1999), this shaver doesn't even have a 'lock' setting. And since the on-button is very touch-sensitive, it's practically a guarantee that it'll accidentally go off in your luggage. Whose idea was that?
  
  Also, I find I have to go over the same area several times for it to be shaved to my satisfaction. Sure, it has a beard trimmer (which I barely use), but lots of other, assuredly better razors have them too. Without the sucking.
  
  

• Not bad, not great

  
  By A3VDBHAQ69PGJ4 on 2007-05-25
  I've had the shaver for about a month now and used it like 3 or 4 times. I am satisfied with it's operation and capabilities, but do see some shortfalls. Gripe no. 1, the trimmer for full beards leaves something to be desired as the teeth seem a little light and you have to make a number of passes over the beard to get a good trim. Since it does an alright job on with the initial first pass, you have to follow that up with a hunt for individual hairs the trimmer might have missed and touch up the whole beard.
  Gripe no. 2, the shaver also give me problems shaving under my chin right around where the jaw meets the neck, forcing me to do a once over with my razor to get it truly clean.
  One of my favorite things is the mini side of the trimmer as it makes certain detail work much easier.
  
  
• Basic, but very nice
  By AJH9SEYVFQO44 on 2005-03-01
  This is a great product. For the price this is a multi-tasking must for those with beards, goatees, etc.
  
  
• No Problems - Excellent - Best Electric I've Owned
  By A256NDCQ68GQXK on 2006-03-15
  I have no idea what is wrong with some of these people. One actually said in the trimmer mode the hairs don't reach the screen. That's because they aren't supposed to, the trimmer does the cutting. I guess that's why they call it a trimmer. Read the directions and you shouldn't have a problem. Some people apparently expect this thing to act like a ladies electric. This is a razor for a man so like all mens razors it has power and isn't delicate. If you want that buy a ladies version.
  
  With electrics you have to go in different directions more than once a lot of the time. This is no exception but it does a great job on my neck which was ALWAYS a problem with the Remington's I've had.
  
  I've had a couple of Remington's that didn't last but a couple years then broke down or the battery died. I had an old Braun that worked well for several years with little sharpening. Now that I'm back to Braun I'll never switch back. HUGE difference.
  
  This thing does a great job of keeping my facial hair trimmed and once you get used to the trimmers you can easily create anything you want. Just be extra careful when you start using it and you shouldn't have problems.
  
  
• Avoid this item
  By A1LL4UGO2CKWOO on 2005-11-25
  Another reviewer rated the closeness as fair.
  I would have to agree as it was not anywhere close to good.
  But, I got this shaver to trim my beard.
  It does not trim beards at all. Facial hair cannot reach the micro-screen. It may be a good gift if you hate someone.
  I will be returning mine, as it does a bad job as a shaver, and does not trim beards.
  I am very dissapointed now since I've been waiting for a while to get one and received this as a gift. It was hard to tell the giftor that it didn't work. Don't waste your time with this shaver.
  
  
• Good bang for the buck
  By A1N8RQF3AJ5Q7Y on 2006-07-31
  This was my first electric razor though I have tried many others in the past. I have a thick beard and am usually clean shaven. This model caught my eye because of the wide and small angle pop up trimmers as well as the trimmer attachment. Overall, it is very good. A shave as close as a mach3 is achieved on the face, though the neck and jawline are not as good, but adequate. The razor is best if you shave everyday or relatively often, otherwise you might want to look at a rotary. However, the brauns and other foil razors are usually best in terms of closeness. The trimmers work well to an extent, if you are doing heavy trimming, get a dedicated trimmer. The wide and narrow pop ups are great.
  
  The razor is sturdy and looks a little flashy but is washable which makes cleanup easy. I just rinse it off with hot water or use compressed air to blow off the hair. Once a week, I will soak the cutting head in alcohol and oil the trimmers and foil. Unfortunately it is made in China not Germany. It holds a charge for over a week, more like 2. Also the quick charge option lets you charge it for a single shave quite quickly, though if it does run out it will suddenly stop grabbing the hairs on your face.
  
  Cliffs: Great all around razor, trimming pop ups and attachments are great, worth the price despite a few flaws.
  
  
• crappy shave... and trimmer/ shaper
  By A1XH5ZVNJE01H7 on 2005-06-01
  I have been using this razor for 1 month. Takes about 20 minutes to get an unclean shave. Trimmer doesn't trim very well. Plus, foil makes it difficult to see what your shaping
  
  
• Total disappointment !!!
  By A1PITDP5N3HAXS on 2005-07-06
  I saw this shaver in few ads and I really liked the way it looked and was impresed it had shaver trimmer and shaper in it.
  Well only until I opened the box and tried it for the first (and last) time! It took me over 30 minutes to shave half of my face and it still left a lot of places with plenty of hair on them. Btw i also tried the shaper which didnt work at all!
  the only thing it does well is look good in the box !
  
  
  
• cruzer3 Shaver
  By A28T74AA2EWDFV on 2005-09-30
  First electric I've had in a while. I was surprised by how close it shaves, but as another reviewer pointed out, if you go a few days between shaves the longer whiskers don't get in the foil. it's also necessary to go over the same area from different directions a few times, this shaver is not faster than a blade. I like the beard trimmer, I usually keep my beard trimmed pretty short and the trimmer attachment will get it down to three-day-growth short if you want. I have not gotten used to using the trimmer without the attachment, there's two sides to it; one rounded and one straight. The straight side is an inch long which is a bit too long and unwieldy, I usually end up using a separate mustache trimmer. Cleaning is a breeze, just run under hot water. Seems to keep a charge for a about a week for me, but I don't use it everyday. As far as maintenance, I'll know more in a couple months.
  
  
• Okay if you want to waste time and numb your hand
  By A1KZNTA8MWL5EC on 2005-12-19
  I have an aincent Norelco with spinning blade heads that does a much better job than this thing did out of the box, even though my old shaver has blades which have been in it for a few years. I needed a new razor since the battery is almost toast on that old thing. The Cruzer3 has a lot of power, but it just wants to vibrate its way across the room. It takes a long time to get a good shave with this, and my hand was numb by the time I was done. The screen is no good at picking up longer hairs -- admittedly more comfortable than the snagging that my old razor sometimes does, but the vibration far outweighed that benefit.
  
  
• Acceptable, if you need a beard trimmer
  By A2J5R0MFKRTXIQ on 2006-02-24
  I got this as a gift for Christmas after getting fed up with my old Wahl beard trimmer. I have to admit that the magazine ads sold me on this product, and I kind of regret that. But it's not without it's good points.
  
  The good:
  -The beard trimmer works fine and trims quickly and precisely.
  -Quick charging
  -Extremely easy to clean, and can be rinsed with water.
  -Shave in the shower.
  -An acceptably close shave, but not the best you could get from an electric.
  
  The bad / the ugly:
  -A charge doesn't hold for very long...several shaves at most. Luckily it charges back up to full capacity again in an hour.
  -Shaving can take FOREVER because this razor simply REFUSES to cut some hairs, no matter how much you run over them. Most of the time I get so frustrated that I just switch to my Norelco.
  -It feels like you're holding a lawnmower, and it's almost as loud.
  -There are only two settings on the beard trimmer attachment: fairly long (for my goatee), and really short.
  -I experienced much more razor burn with this razor than with my previous ones.
  
  All in all, this razor will work great for you if you want an easy cleaning beard trimmer. But if you are looking for something to shave your face with quickly, look elsewhere. I highly recommend Norelco razors, as mine has lasted me six years on one set of razor heads and still outperforms this Braun.
  
  
• Does what it is supposed to do
  By A27F1N27M1X0NM on 2006-08-01
  This is a very well made product. The parts fit well, the trimmer does a good job and it feels nice in the hands. Overall, a Braun.
  
  
• Braun Cruzer 2865
  By A1E0FLP6PIODSU on 2007-02-13
  Strengths: Fast charging, sleek and ergonomic design, easy to clean, international voltage adapter (low-end panasonic models dont have this feature), 2-yr warranty (again panasonic lacks this)
  
  Weaknesses: Heavy, Vibrates a lot, Noisy, Does not have battery low indicator, the trimmer is almost useless, cant be used for wet-shave, does not shave very closely around neck and chin.
  
  Summary: I got one of the closest shaves on my cheeks and moustache. However, the neck and chin area were not the best. I had to dig in there with the shaver to get a good shave.
  A dry-shave irritates my skin for a few hours... probably because I m not used to it. So the next time I m going to try a dry/wet Panasonic shaver.
  
  In spite of the weaknesses, I think this is still one of the better products. Panasonic ES7035 is the closest competitor in terms of features and price.
  
  Needs a battery-level indicator as it is pretty useful if one travels a lot and needs to find out the battery status.
  
  
  
• Shaver great, trimmer lousy
  By A3IS8CP7TWDFJJ on 2007-03-08
  First the good: The shape of the razor fits very comfortably in the hand, I get a nice close shave with the regular shaver, and the charge stays forever. Those are the good things. The big downside is the trimmer. It appears to be nothing more than a serrated piece of metal that uses the vibration of the razor when the power is turned on to trim the small hairs on your face. The problem is, it doesn't work. I keep thinking I'm doing something wrong because I get no benefit from it at all. I'll admit I haven't used the beard trimming attachment yet.
  
  Overall, though, a pretty good product.
  
  
• cruZer3 Shaver
  By A3MEDNP3BFV5XM on 2005-08-10
  I've had a full beard for some time and this is the first product that I've found that facilitates full maintenance of that beard with minimal time and trouble. It's a fantastic product.
  
  
• Great Shave, So So trimmer
  By A2VZ1YNDGAA0TN on 2005-09-20
  I really should know better. You never buy anything that claims it takes care of all your needs. I really was in the market for a new beard trimmer as my old Norelco had finally died. I had also planned to buy on of the more expensive self-cleaning Braun's later on. But I saw this and thought I would kill two birds with one stone. No such luck, the shaver part works great and am very happy with it (but would have rather had the self-cleaning model) The beard trimmer part does not work that well. Took several passes to trim my beard evenly, and if your going for that stubble look it does not trim close enough. Even my 6-year-old Norelco took only one pass. I will use this as my primary razor for a few months till I can afford to buy the more expensive self-cleaning model. Then use this as my travel razor as it is one unit to pack instead of 2.
  
  Save the money and buy a sole beard trimmer and a sole shaver. You will be much happier and feel less taken by marketing.
  
  
• Thumbs up for convenience, thumbs down for closeness
  By A29LPBP3BWYK8K on 2006-01-04
  Like another reviewer, this razor replaced a decade old Norelco lift-and-cut shaver. Perhaps I've just been spoiled by that, but seeing as my 10+ year old razor with 10+ year old blades gave me a closer shave in half the time as this brand new fancy gizmo (the old Norelco didn't even have the problem with an extra-day's growth that this one does), I'm rather disappointed in that aspect.
  
  That said, I do like everything else about it. It's a really convenient size, adequate clippers, and the beard trimmer does the job. If you're looking for precise control of beard length, go get a dedicated trimmer, however, because the 4 settings just don't offer the exact control you might want. I'm also very impressed with the batter life.
  
  If you're looking for a real close shave from an electric, don't bother. If you're looking for something that does a better than adequate job, has a lot of useful features, and is reasonably priced, this is a good option.
  
  
• Good shaver with some minuses
  By A8TY52TWNB0 on 2006-05-28
  I liked the great price, and great crisp look of it. And on Braun website, the ads were fantastic, so these all made me to buy it. Also I was tired of regular razor shaving and i wanted electric shaver to do the work for me.
  I must say that the razor is an Ok shaver; Ok, because it didn't match my facial hair structure. In order electric shaver to cut hair, the hair has to be standing on the face. But my facial hair lies on the face, so it's hard for razor to cut them. Also face must be shaved at least every other day; otherwise it won't be able to cut the long hair.
  Hair length adjustment accesory is nice tool as well. Not only facial hair can be shaved with it, but also body hair can be trimmed.
  Rotating styler is a nice tool, as well. You can easily correct the sideburns, and neck can be cleaned with it from ugly hair.
  In the end, i must say, that electric shavers aren't for everyone. Unfortunately facial hair structure has to be compatible with electric shaver too.
  
  
• What a piece of junk
  By A1L8INO7NO82RU on 2006-12-04
  I bought the Cruzer3 with the intention of only occasionally using it. I've used it only a handful of times and it's already falling apart, won't hold a charge, and the foil already has huge holes in it.
  What a waste of money.
  
  
• Great For Travel
  By ASV0ML8IZKRHC on 2007-02-03
  I bought a cruzer3 last year before I left on a 4 month trip. I was traveling light and didn't want to bring both a shaver and a trimmer, plus a separate recharger for both.
  
  As a combo device it does very well. This is the first foil shaver I've used, so I can't really compare it to any others; although I found that I preferred it to the rotary shaver I had been using. The trimmer worked fine, but it's width made it somewhat awkward & uncomfortable at times. Plus, there are only 4 cutting level adjustments. Once I returned home, I immediately switched back to a dedicated trimmer; it was simply more effective and comfortable.
  
  The only real complaint I have is with the battery life. After a year of use, I now only get 4 shaves out of a charge. If I were using it as a trimmer as well, that might only be 2. When new, I was getting 5 or 6 days (trim & shave) from a charge, so it's lost approximately half it's battery life in a year.
  
  For traveling, I definitely recommend the cruzer3. The shaver & charger are reasonably small & lightweight, although including some sort of case would have been nice of Braun. And the charger is dual-voltage, so you only need a plug adapter, not a voltage converter, in most places around the world.
  
  But for daily use, I think a separate trimmer works much better.
  
  
• Doesn't work for me.
  By A2ZVSF89GM4X7Z on 2007-05-08
  Maybe my facial hair is thick/plentiful but i find this shaver really struggles to get the job done. With some effort it can be done however. After a couple months of usage I wanted to throw it away because it started to pull on my hair instead of cutting it, and this was even on areas where hair wasn't thick. I'll chalk it up to a bad egg because everyone else here seems to love this shaver. Certainly not me, it's the worst I ever had.
  
  
• BrAun CruZer 3 (2865 - Type 5733)
  By A20WAZK7CRAGOT on 2008-06-21
  The Braun CruZer 3 is many tools in one, let's take a look at them one by one:
  
  1-Shaver: This shaver uses the Braun shaving foil which is supposed to catch all hair regardless of the direction of growth, it raises it and then the cutter block finishes the job.
  
  It's a nice theory that doesn't work as intended. The shaver foil doesn't catch all hair and the cutter block isn't sharp enough or maybe the whole mechanism needs a redesign.
  
  At first when I tried to shave after a few days of not shaving (Braun in that case recommends using the trimmer first then the shaver) well, I did exactly that and only thing that worked was the trimmer, the shaver still didn't shave well.
  
  Next time I used the shaver I had just shaved the day before and I noticed that the shaver did a better job than the time before but still not as good as I expected.
  
  After a while I figured that this shaver doesn't need to be moved quickly up-down like others, you better press well against your skin and move very slow, that gave me the best results. Still not perfect but acceptable.
  
  2-Styler: The CruZer 3 comes with a very good trimmer, it's sharp and accurate, you can use the wide shaper (1.1 in / 28 mm) or the narrow shaper (0.55 in / 14 mm).
  
  I personally think the styler part is great, the ability to do wide and narrow areas of your face and the way the trimmer rotates 180 degrees with a push of a finger gives you quick access to both trimmers while in the middle of styling.
  
  At first I was bothered because I couldn't see the trimmer from all angles, also if you lean the shaver against your face there chance the foil might miss another area. So, I tweaked the thing a bit, I removed the foil, pulled the cutter block out then used the trimmers just like that (no foil and no cutter block). That eliminated the threat of the foil cutting hair and also made the visible area bigger and clearer.
  
  No kidding, but with a styler as good as that you can write your initials on one check and draw a picture on the other.
  
  3-Beard trimmer : This part is flawless, all you have to do is attach the beard trimmer, select the desired length then enjoy a fast and easy beard trimming.
  
  With that said, the shaver comes with universal power adapter which serves as both a power supply and charger. Yes! You can use the CruZer 3 in cordless mode for 30 minutes.
  
  The on/off switch is neat and the light on the front informs you about charge power and other information.
  
  You can wash the machine --when not connected to the power chord-- also it comes with cleaning oil and a nice brush to clean all and every part
  
  That's all to it, I do recommend this machine for the serious styler, if you just want to have a clean shave then maybe this machine is too much beside the shaving part isn't exactly where it excels.
  
  
• doesn't cut well
  By AZXGPM8EKSHE9 on 2005-06-20
  I usually shave with my Mach 3 razor. I decided to buy the Braun Cruzer 3, and got it home, and tried to shave with it. After going over the same area of beard like 10 times, I realized that there was still stubble. This thing just doesn't cut, and I don't want to stand there for 15 minutes, trying to get a close shave from it. I am sorry I bought this. It is a waste of money. Get a Mach 3 instead, and a beard razor, like the ones Panasonic makes.
  
  
• Great Product!
  By A17KZHORRB22AO on 2005-08-04
  It does everything as advertised. It came in perfect condition and all the attachments work wonderfully. I would highly recommend this product.
  
  
• Cruzer3
  By A35SZASPJGT40V on 2005-09-13
  I thought this would be a good Shaver. It is better than I expected. I do recommend this shaver as a very good combo tool for beard and close shave.
  
  Bill
  
  
• Braun cruZer3 Shaver
  By AFCK5TWEJ4PDD on 2005-09-25
  This shaver provides an excellent shave. Very easy to use and the shape contours to the hand very well. The trimmers work well. I like the fact that it works with or without a cord and a charge lasts a long time. All-in-all an excellent buy.
  
  
• not that good
  By A1JN4P1I24GEAO on 2005-09-30
  design seems great...but does not shave very close, even the trimmers seem a little dull..
  disappointed
  
  

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