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The short version
The Braun Nevo is a $600 electric shaver, and it's the most comfortable foil shaver Braun has made. It glides more easily, runs cooler and takes fewer passes, which matters most on the neck and jawline where foil shavers tend to irritate.
What it doesn't do is shave meaningfully closer than the Series 9 Pro+, which uses the same motor and costs about $230 less. Braun has improved the experience more than the basic result. So our answer is wait for a sale: it's already been $469.99, and at that price it's easy to recommend to daily shavers. At $600, most guys don't need to spend this much to get a very good shave.
The verdict
Wait for a sale
An excellent luxury shaver that's hard to justify at full price.
For the guy who shaves every day and wants it to feel like nothing
Braun Nevo
The Nevo is Braun's new flagship, and it sits above the Series 9 Pro+. The headline is AeroTouch, a new foil with 899 different hole shapes inspired by dragonfly wings, designed to reduce friction and the suction that makes foil shavers feel hot and sticky. Braun pairs it with what it calls 250 diamond-sharp blades and a processor that adjusts power to your beard density in real time.
Around that are a stainless steel body, a color display for battery and maintenance alerts, a 7-in-1 Care System that cleans, lubricates, dries and charges it, and a Power Travel Case with its own battery. It's fully waterproof, so you can shave in the shower or with gel.
Braun has improved the experience more than the basic result. Closeness is about level with the Series 9 Pro+. Glide, comfort and how many passes it takes are where the Nevo wins.
You shave every day, your neck gets irritated, and you want the most comfortable foil shave Braun makes. Even better if you can get it near $470.
You already own a Series 9 Pro or Pro+. Put a $99.99 Nevo head on it instead and keep the rest of the money.
The spec sheet
The spec sheet
Features from Braun's Amazon listing. Battery and quick-charge figures from Expert Reviews.
Buy, wait or skip
Where you land
The short answer depends on what you shave with now.
Buy it
You shave daily, your neck or jawline gets red, and you can get it around $470 to $500. Look at the 17610C kit too: it adds a spare head and a ProCare attachment and is $578.57 on Amazon, less than the standard kit right now.
Wait for a sale
You're curious, it's a treat, or your current shaver is on its way out. It's already been $130 off once, and holiday sales are close.
Skip it
You already own a Series 9 Pro or Pro+ (buy a $99.99 Nevo head instead), you grow designer stubble, or you'd never pay for cleaning cartridges.
What's actually new
A new foil, a new body, the same motor
The big change is the head. Braun's AeroTouch foil uses 899 different hole shapes in a multi-layer foil, borrowed from the microstructure of dragonfly wings. The point isn't more cutting power, it's less drag: the foil is designed to cut friction and the suction effect that makes foil shavers feel hot and sticky. Braun says the head carries 250 blades in total, and a processor adjusts power to your beard density in real time.
The body is new too. It's a single piece of stainless steel with a color display that shows battery, cleaning reminders and when the head needs replacing. It looks the part, though the metal does pick up fingerprints. The precision trimmer slides up from the back for sideburns and under the nose.
What didn't change is the motor. Specs-wise it's the same one that's in the Series 9 Pro and Pro+, and it sounds and feels the same. A couple of things went backwards: the two foil release buttons are gone, so you pull the head off by hand, which is fiddly when your hands are wet, and it still charges with Braun's two-pin plug instead of USB-C.
The shave
Closer? Not really. More comfortable? Yes.
Here's what Braun's new foil changes, and what it doesn't.
Is it closer?
About the same as a Series 9 Pro+. The closeness gain over Braun's previous flagship is small enough that you'd struggle to notice it day to day. If you want the closest electric result possible on very coarse stubble, a Panasonic Arc 6 still gets nearer to a blade.
Less irritation and tugging?
Yes, and this is the real upgrade. It glides with almost no snagging or pulling, runs a little cooler after a few passes and needs fewer strokes to finish. Fewer passes is what keeps irritation down.
The neck and jawline
Noticeably better. The neck is where hair grows in several directions and where foil shavers usually need extra passes. The Nevo clears it in fewer strokes, and the power adjustment helps avoid the sudden grabs on longer hair along the jawline.
Against the Series 9 Pro+
How much better is it, really?
Close in shave, apart in price. Here are the Amazon prices for comparable kits.
| Shaver | Price | Cleaning station | Best at |
|---|---|---|---|
| Braun Nevo 17010C | $599.99 | 7-in-1 Care System | Comfort and glide |
| Braun Nevo 17610C kit | $578.57 | 7-in-1, plus spare head | The best Nevo value |
| Braun Series 9 Pro+ 9577cc | $369.99 | 6-in-1 SmartCare | The same closeness for less |
| Braun Series 8 8517s | $220 | None | A very good shave on a budget |
| Nevo replacement head | $99.99 | n/a | Upgrading a Series 9 Pro or Pro+ |
The real gap between the Nevo and the Series 9 Pro+ is comfort, not closeness. You get a smoother glide, fewer passes and a nicer body. You lose the foil release buttons and pay about $230 more for a comparable kit.
There's also a shortcut. The Nevo head fits Series 9 Pro and Pro+ shavers, and the Series 9 head fits the Nevo. So if you already own a Series 9 Pro+, a $99.99 Nevo head gets you the part of the Nevo that changes the shave. Braun only lists the head for the Nevo, so treat that as a known fit rather than an official one.
Maintenance and travel
Does the cleaning dock earn its keep?
It's convenient, it's not optional, and it costs money every couple of months.
The 7-in-1 Care System cleans, lubricates, dries and charges the shaver, and Braun says its fluid cleans up to 10 times better than water. A full cycle takes 10 to 15 minutes and it's a bit noisy. It's nice to have, but it isn't what you're paying the premium for: the Series 9 Pro+ kit above comes with a station too.
The catch is that you can't buy a Nevo without one, and it only takes the newer style of Braun's CCR cartridges, so older refills won't fit. Swap the cartridge about every two months. With the head replaced every 18 months, here's roughly what that adds up to.
| Part | How often | Cost | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevo replacement head | Every 18 months | $99.99 | About $67 |
| CCR cleaning cartridge | About every 2 months | About $6 each in a 3-pack | About $37 |
| Total | About $100 |
For travel, the Power Travel Case doubles as a battery pack with enough charge for weeks of shaving, which helps make up for the lack of USB-C. It's also big and heavy. If you travel light, the shaver's own battery and a 5-minute quick charge for one shave will get you through a long weekend.
What to buy instead
Most guys don't need $600 for a great shave
Two Brauns that cost a lot less and still shave very well.
The one most guys should buy
Braun Series 9 Pro+
The Series 9 Pro+ shares the Nevo's motor and gets about as close. It also comes with a cleaning station and a charging travel case in this kit, so you're not giving up the conveniences either. What you give up is the Nevo's extra glide and the stainless steel body.
It also keeps the two foil release buttons the Nevo dropped, which makes head swaps and rinsing easier with wet hands. And if you decide you want AeroTouch later, a Nevo head fits it.
You want a top-tier foil shave and don't need the newest thing to get it.
Comfort on a sensitive neck is the whole reason you're shopping. That's the Nevo's one real edge.
The spec sheet
The spec sheet
Figures from Braun's Amazon listing. Head compatibility per ShaverCheck.
If you'd rather spend under $250
Braun Series 8
The Series 8 gets you most of the way for about a third of what the Nevo costs. It has a 40-degree swiveling head, a ProTrimmer for sideburns and the same 60-minute battery, and it's waterproof. It skips the cleaning station, which also means no cartridges to keep buying.
You want a very good daily shave and would rather rinse your shaver than feed a station.
You have a dense beard and want the most efficient shave. Step up to the Series 9 Pro+.
The spec sheet
The spec sheet
Figures from Braun's Amazon listing.
Before you buy
Five things worth knowing
- Check the price first. It's been $469.99 already. At full price, set a deal alert and wait for the next sale.
- Compare the kits. The 17610C adds a spare head and a ProCare attachment. Right now it's cheaper than the standard 17010C on Amazon, and a spare head alone is $99.99.
- Own a Series 9 Pro or Pro+? Try a Nevo head on it first. That's the part that changes the shave.
- Budget for upkeep. Plan on about $100 a year in heads and cartridges, and buy the newer-style CCR cartridges.
- Know what it won't do. There's no stubble setting. It's built for a clean shave, so you'll need a separate trimmer for designer stubble.
Questions
The ones we get asked
How much is the Braun Nevo?
The standard Nevo 17010C, which comes with the 7-in-1 Care System and the Power Travel Case, lists at $599.99 on Amazon. It dropped to $469.99 in the run-up to Amazon's October Prime Day sale, so $600 isn't the price you have to pay.
Does the Braun Nevo shave closer than the Series 9 Pro+?
Not in any way you'd notice. It uses the same motor as the Series 9 Pro and Pro+, and the closeness is about the same. Where the Nevo pulls ahead is glide and comfort: it moves over skin more easily, runs a little cooler and needs fewer passes.
Is the Braun Nevo good for sensitive skin?
It's the best case for it. The AeroTouch foil is built to cut friction and the suction that makes foil shavers feel hot on sensitive skin, and fewer passes means less irritation. If razor burn on your neck is the problem you're trying to solve, this is the shaver that addresses it most directly.
Can I put a Nevo head on my Series 9 Pro+?
Yes. Braun lists the Nevo head for Nevo shavers, but it fits Series 9 Pro and Pro+ bodies too, and the Series 9 head fits the Nevo. The cleaning stations aren't interchangeable, though. The Nevo head is $99.99 on Amazon, which makes it the cheapest way to try AeroTouch.
How much does the Nevo cost to run?
Plan on roughly $100 a year. Braun recommends a new head every 18 months ($99.99 for the Nevo head), and the cleaning station wants a fresh cartridge about every two months. Braun's CCR refills run about $6 each in a 3-pack.
Can you buy the Nevo without the cleaning station?
Not right now. Every Nevo kit includes the 7-in-1 Care System, so the cartridge cost comes with it. If you'd rather rinse your shaver under the tap, the Series 8 or a Series 9 Pro+ kit without a station is the way to go.
Does the Nevo charge over USB-C?
No. It uses Braun's two-pin shaver plug, which is a letdown on a shaver this expensive. The Power Travel Case carries extra battery, so you can leave the cord at home on a short trip.
How we did this
Our method, in full
Brand claims, labeled
AeroTouch, the 250-blade figure, the 60-minute battery, the Care System's cleaning claim and the warranty come from Braun's Amazon listings. We say so where they appear.
The shave, sourced
Closeness, comfort, the neck and jawline, battery tests, the Care System cycle and the travel case come from the hands-on reviews listed below.
Prices
Prices are Amazon's for each kit. The $469.99 figure is the pre-Prime Day deal price.
No scores
We don't rate shavers out of ten. We tell you who they're for and who should skip them.
