(checked 2026-10-10)Small sample: 959 ratings (7% 1-star, 5% 2-star) on the 8517s listing, which also offers 5- and 6-piece sets.
Wirecutter's top pick: a comfortable, quick foil shaver that gets close to the Series 9 for less money. Panasonic's Arc5 shaves closer on coarse beards, and replacement heads cost about $70.
Top complaints
- Pricey replacement heads
Wirecutter says the foils should be replaced every 18 months and a new head runs about $70. ShaverCheck lists the pricey head as a con, though it costs less than a Series 9 cassette.
Source: Wirecutter, ShaverCheck (Series 8 review) - Not the closest on coarse beards
ShaverCheck found the neck and chin sometimes left slightly rough patches with coarse, dense hair and says Panasonic's Arc 4 and Arc 5 shave closer. Amazon's review summary says opinions on its functionality and value are mixed.
- Head only pivots one way; weak trimmer; bulky extras
Wirecutter notes the head pivots only vertically, the built-in trimmer is no match for a standalone one, and the cc version's cleaning station and nearly 10-inch charging case take up space. ShaverCheck calls the slide-out trimmer mediocre and says the shaver is pretty loud; Amazon's summary calls noise feedback mixed.
What owners love
- Close, irritation-free shave
Wirecutter's testers called it easily the best they tested, with no shaving irritation and good handling of flat-lying neck hairs. Amazon owners say it is comfortable on the skin and shaves close.
- Excellent battery
ShaverCheck got about 15 shaves per charge against a claimed 60+ minutes, and Amazon owners describe the battery as lasting forever.
- Gentle enough for sensitive skin
ShaverCheck, whose reviewer has sensitive skin, found it gentle and forgiving with only minor stings.
Source: ShaverCheck (Series 8 review)
- You want the closest possible shave on a dense beard
- You need a good built-in beard trimmer
- You don't want to pay about $70 for heads
- Daily shavers who want Braun comfort for less
- Sensitive skin
- Long battery life
Scores (tap for why)
What experts say
- Wirecutter (NYT): Top pick (updated 2026-06-08): a close, clean, comfortable shave at about 40 dB. The 8517s is the same razor without the cleaning station and charging case and costs about $100 less.
- ShaverCheck: 4.5/5 (updated 2026-07-21, tested on the 8370cc; it says all Series 8 generations shave the same). Very comfortable with adequately close shaves, but not quite as good as the old Series 7.