The Braun Nevo isn’t just a small step over the last best shaver I’ve used. It’s a leap past it. I hate how good this shaver is. I would’ve loved nothing more than to continue living in ignorance that one could pay $200 for a high-end shaver and that it doesn’t get any better than that, and to pishaw the $600 Braun Nevo Electric Shaver as an unnecessary luxury. But it is—deep breath—every bit as good as its price tag.Brash, flashy, and a bit gaudy, the Braun Nevo is a shaver that excels most at the most important thing about a shaver. But it’s not the swanky features that make or break a good shaver like the Nevo. It’s the closeness of the shave, how smooth it can get without requiring multiple passes, and the Nevo nails it.the close shave on the Braun nevo electric ShaverBraun Nevo Shaver – Credit: Matt JancerThe Braun Nevo Electric Shaver is pure luxury. Just like how a Maserati is an excellent car but not an excellent value, the Braun Nevo is an extremely well performing shaver—the best I’ve ever used in 20 years, in fact—at an extremely luxurious price. Few will be able to justify spending $600 on a shaver, and those are who I’d direct to the Braun Series 8 Electric Shaver. But if you want the best electric shaver on the market, money no object, it’s gonna cost you. But man, what a shave.(opens in a new window)BraunNevo Electric Shaver(opens in a new window)Available at AmazonBuy Now(opens in a new window)Pros and consWhat’s SmoothClosest, smoothest shave of any electric shaver I’ve used in 20 yearsStainless steel body is lightweight and feels premiumSwanky smart display tells you when to clean and replace the shaving headThe StubbleThe case is huge. Like it should beep when you back up with it in hand.No cheaper option without a self-cleaning stationhow I testedBraun Nevo Shaver – Credit: Matt JancerWhether I’m testing electric shavers or beard trimmers or not, I’m always, constantly growing whiskers out of my face. Weird, huh? If it weren’t so common, we’d all think it strange that such a huge chunk of the population is walking around like a meat Chia Pet. I have but one face to shave, but every day I take the stubble down as close to bare skin as I can below the fade in the underside of my beard, and also on my cheekbones.Every day, I shave after I get out of the shower because the hot steam opens up the pores of my face to make the whiskers stand up straight for easier shaving. I don’t use Lectric Shave these days. No matter which shaver or beard trimmer I’m testing, I approach it in the exact same way every day to minimize variables.Braun Nevo: The rolex of electric shaversIts charging case looks like something a Star Trek character should be wearing over their face. The smart display on the body of the shaver is more advanced than the dashboard on the car in which I learned to drive. And I suspect that its retail price is greater than the national budget of at least three internationally recognized countries. All that is true, and yet it was the simplest of things that made my jaw drop when I first ran the Braun Nevo over my face.Why It’s Worth the Splurgethe window in the Braun Nevo Shaver’s hard case, showing the screen of the shaver inside it – Credit: Matt JancerElectric shavers play a game of convenience that comes with a trade-off: They don’t tend to get as close of a shave as a good, old-fashioned wet shave with shaving cream or soap and a physical razor. Be it a safety razor, cartridge razor, or straight razor, a bare metal analog blade gets the closest shave.I thought the Braun Series 8 Electric Shaver had done the best job of any electric shaver at obtaining that baby seal smooth shave until I tested the Nevo. I could tell a difference between it and when I used my straight razor, but not enough to keep me from using it on days in which I was in a rush (most days). I had to learn the hard way not to rush when straight razor shaving.the Braun Nevo Shaver’s cleaning base next to the travel case – Credit: Matt JancerBut then the Nevo blew it out of the water. One pass over yesterday’s stubble and my skin felt like silk. No need to go back over it for a few passes, which even the Braun Series 8 needs. And with fewer passes comes less irritation. My skin felt completely fine after shaving with the Nevo. It was quick, close, and smooth. That alone was enough to impress upon me that its $600 asking price was, begrudgingly, worth it.Braun has all kinds of marketing terms to describe the shaver head that allows for such a close, smooth shave. AeroTouch, they call it. There are seven cutting elements in it, whereas there are “only” four or five on Braun’s other premium shavers. Whatever, man. I don’t care about the marketing speak as long as the shave is good. And it is good.Charging and Cleaningthe cleaning fluid cartridge, ready for loading into the base – Credit: Matt JancerEverything else beyond the shaving experience is just frosting on the cake, and the frosting is a sideshow for me. But frosting I shall speak of, since this is an all-seeing review. It takes an hour to charge the shaver to full, but only about five minutes of charging to get enough juice for a shave. I’m bad at keeping my things charged, so it helps that no matter how run down the Nevo is, I can wriggle myself out of a jam with a quick burst of charging.You can only buy the Nevo with a self-cleaning station, into which you place the shaver, along with a puck of cleaning fluid, that flushes the built-up skin cells and beard shrapnel and lubricates it. I’ve used many of these Braun self-cleaning stations before, and they work well enough, although I’m not thrilled about being trapped in the purgatory of having to endlessly buy Braun cleaning cartridges.In fact, I’d like to see a version of the Nevo sold without the self-cleaning station or the fancy charging case. Just give me that awesomely close shave, a regular case that does nothing besides hold the thing, and let me clean it myself. If it takes $100 or $150 off the price, all the better.The Body and Smart DisplayBraun Nevo Shaver – Credit: Matt JancerWhen I took the Nevo out of its box at first, I couldn’t believe how light it was compared to the plastic-bodied Braun Series 8. It played a trick on me in that I thought the Nevo must be chromed plastic at first, but closer inspection showed that its body was all stainless steel. Nice, premium touch.The smart display on the shaver body shows when to clean the shaver and when to replace the cartridge head. I didn’t have it long enough to require a head replacement, but the cleaning notification was a nice plus. I never quite know whether, when I clean less smart shavers, if I’m doing it too often or not often enough.the Braun Nevo Shaver’s charging case in action – Credit: Matt JancerEvery shaver ought to come with a hard case. Braun disagrees when it comes to their discount Series 3 shaver, but how else are you supposed to bring it with you when you travel? The Nevo takes it to a whole new level. Its fabric-covered hard case closes magnetically and includes a slim, vertical window in the front whereby you can read the shaver body’s built-in screen for charging progress. The case holds enough charge itself to charge the Nevo up to about 50%. Nice touch for those who travel often and can’t always find an outlet to top off the charger itself. It does, though, make the case awfully large compared to most typical shaver cases.other good electric shavers(opens in a new window)BraunSeries 8 Electric Shaver(opens in a new window)$213.28 (reg. $249.94) at AmazonBuy Now(opens in a new window)The Braun Series 8 Electric Shaver was my MVP until I had the (mis)fortune to discover the Nevo. I even wrote up a glowing review on it, which I still stand by. At $213 currently (and $250 at full retail), it’s worth it, even though it’s already expensive on its own. You’ll get almost as close of a shave as the Nevo, but for about one-third the cost.(opens in a new window)BraunSeries 9 Pro+ Electric Shaver(opens in a new window)$349.94 (reg. $429.99) at AmazonBuy Now(opens in a new window)The Braun Series 9 Pro+ Electric Shaver that sits between the Braun Series 8 and the Braun Nevo. Don’t confuse it with the awfully similar Series 9 Electric Shaver, which is almost the same but lacks the “ProLift Trimmer,” an element of the cartridge that Braun says lifts whiskers for better cutting ability. There are five cutting elements on the Series 9 Pro+ versus the four on the Series 8, which theoretically provides for a closer, quicker shave. I haven’t tested the Series 9 Pro+ yet to put that theory to the test.It’s $350 right now, but normally it retails for $430. At that point, you’re already spending a bundle for an electric shaver. I’d just save up for the Braun Nevo if the price is anywhere near its retail price when you’re cross-shopping shavers.braun vs. philips norelcoBraun Nevo Shaver – Credit: Matt JancerThese two shaver brands dominate electric shavers, and each is rigidly married to its own design philosophy. Philips Norelco swears by rotary blades. If you look at the top of one of their shavers, the part you glide against your face, you’ll see a few perfectly circular, spinning blades. Fancier models tend to have more. These rotary shavers contour around cheekbones and jawlines better than ordinary shaver heads, but I find it harder to get a straight edge. Yeah, yeah. I know you use a trimmer to straighten edges, and I use the Braun Series 9 Beard Trimmer, but the rotary head still doesn’t get it close enough to straight for me before that step.Braun’s devoted to the rectangular foil cartridge that I greatly prefer. I’ve used both off and on over the last 20 years that I’ve kept a (trimmed, well maintained) beard, and for the parts of my neck and cheeks that I keep smooth I’ve always uniformly preferred Braun’s approach. I’ve gotten a closer shave, and using the rectangular shaving head just felt more natural to me.Should I use shaving cream?Er, you could, since like most electric shavers the Nevo is a wet/dry shaver, but I don’t think it’ll get you any better of a shave than using it dry. It’s just more money spent on shaving cream and more mess to clean up. If you want a closer shave with the Nevo, or any electric shaver, shave after you’ve taken a shower. Steam opens up your pores, which makes your whiskers stand up straighter. In turn, that makes it easier for the shaver to cut them.Rarely do I skip a shower in the morning and somehow have time to shave, but when I’ve wanted a good shave and have been unable to take a shower first, I soak a hand towel in hot water in the sink, hold it over the part of my face that I want to shave for a minute, and then break out the shaver. You’ll get a closer shave with no mess and no extra product needed.the bottom lineBraun Nevo Shaver – Credit: Matt JancerTesting the Braun Nevo was like riding in a Rolls-Royce. Just enough of a taste to know what I’m missing once I go back to using my own personal electric shaver, enough to introduce just a slight, new aftertaste of discontent when using a shaver I’d previously been very happy with. My Braun Series 8 didn’t get any worse. It just seemed worse by comparison after the Braun Nevo. But to be fair, so did every other electric shaver I’ve ever used in the past 20 years. It’s that damn good, and I both envy and hate it a little bit. That’s that way with the rich, isn’t it?(opens in a new window)BraunNevo Electric Shaver(opens in a new window)Available at AmazonBuy Now(opens in a new window)The post The New $600 Braun Nevo Is the Rolex of Electric Shavers appeared first on VICE.