Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Waited a few months after purchase to write this. Bought this to replace a Series 7 after the base-to-shaver communication failed after about eight years. Big question for most purchasers is Series 9 or 7. Note that there are two "runs" of the 9. The 90xx is the original design that had some head failure issues. The 92XX is the newer design. There are still many 90xx being sold, especially from discount houses. I chose to go with the new design even though it was a few bucks more. Here are my observations using both. White beard hairs: 9 wins hands down. The 9 has an extra cutter in the middle of the head that is designed for stubborn white hairs that stick out an resist electric razors. If you look a photos, you will see that the 7 has one central cutter, while the 9 has two cutters, each with a different design. Trimmer: Depends. The 7 has a clipper, like a small barber's clipper that flips out from the side of the unit. The 9 has a small cutter that slide up above the main cutter and looks like a "personal groomer". The 7 is probably better at sideburns, but the 9 is better at everything else (especially "personal grooming" if you get my drift. Speed: 9 by a little. Speed is listed as a benefit, but I found it only a little faster. Sound: 9 is definitely quieter, but far from silent. Cleaning: First, buy the cleaning base with either. It is a system. Many troubleshooting FAQs involved undoing problems caused by never using the base and only cleaning manually. That said. the 9 base is bigger. It is also shiny black so it looks cool but shows dust more. The 9 dries with a fan rather than a heater. This means it supposedly dries faster, but it also means that you smell the alcohol in the cleaner solution more. Since I shave only once a day, I actually liked the 7 base better. Indicators: 7 wins. The 7 has an led "dial" with multiple levels of cleanliness on the handle. The 9 only has a "drop" symbol to indicate clean, but no sense of how dirty. Battery: Tie. Never had a problem with either. This is another reason to have the base. Lithium batteries like to stay fully charged. The base insure that. Expected battery life is 3-5 years. My 7 is still going strong after 8 (I kept it as a travel shaver). Bottom line: If you are at the age where white hair are cropping up in your beard, spend the extra for the 9. If you really hate the smell of alcohol in the morning, get the 7. Otherwise, it become a matter of aesthetics. The 7 gives you at least 90% of the performance of the 9 but for a lot fewer $.