 Takes some practice, but an excellent trimmer |
| Review Date: May 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Comdet, |
The Braun BodyCruzer is somewhat unique among trimmers in that it incorporates both a conventional electric trimmer with a razor blade (in this case the Gillette Fusion blade). While it takes some practice to get used to it, the performance is excellent.
The build quality is up to the usual Braun standards. If you're familiar with their high-end razors (such as the Series 5 or 7) you know they put a lot of thought into design. The trimmer is easy to grip (an important criteria if you plan on using it in the shower) and feels solid. Lots of little touches really pay off, such as a non-skid base for the charger and a shower caddy to store the trimmer in the shower. Although this is made in China and not Germany like some of their other products, the build quality is top-notch.
The trimmer has very fine teeth which gives is a very gentle cut. No tugging or pulling on the hair - just a quick, clean, neat cut. The motor is less noisy or "buzzy" than a typical trimmer, but I wouldn't call it quiet. Not bad, but you know when it's on.
The feature of note is that it also includes a conventional razor blade which is attached to a sliding extension with click-stop indents. The first click-stop keeps the razor out of the way, so you can use just the electric trimmer. The second click extends the razor so that you can use both - the trimmer cuts the hair down to a fine stubble, then the razor shaves everything clean. The third click extends the razor even more, so you can use just the razor.
Using just the trimmer or just the razor is very easy. Using them both at the same time takes some practice - you have to hold the BodyCruzer at just the right angle to have it shave properly. Takes some practice to get the hang of it and, until you do, you may want to stay away from the "sensitive" areas (actually, I think you'd want to stay away from those areas with any type of razor blade, but that's just me).
It has plastic guards that snap on so you can cut hair to a specific length. Three sizes (long, medium and short) with the short one offering soft plastic teeth to avoid any nicks in those sensitive areas. The guards snap on easily and hold tight, but removing them is a bit of a chore. The best way is to hold it so the guard front is facing away from you, and then use both thumbs to pop the guard off. This could be better designed - works, but I'm concerned that the guards will break given the amount of force you need to remove them.
All in all, this is a great all-purpose trimmer. It's more costly than others but hopefully, if the build quality is any indication, it will last longer. It certainly offers a very clean and gentle cut using the electric trimmer (more so than any other trimmer I've tried) and has the advantage of offering a conventional blade. Five stars! |
Body Groomer Does Its Job - Whatever You Decide That Job Is
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| Review Date: July 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Scott Allen, New York |
This Body Groomer efficiently removes body hair in all parts of a man's body. The weird placement of a Gilette Fusion razor on the back side of it seems like a simple effort to get me to use more of those expensive things than I'm already using on my face.
But it got me to thinking: when was it exactly that men were expected to start being "neat down there?" Yes, I'm talking about what you are thinking. I think it is fully expected for men (at least under 50) to be neatly trimmed "down there." This body trimmer is clearly not only for competitive swimmers,cyclists, or Abercrombie models, as I doubt that market is large enough to sustain this product.
I think the trend to men being "neat" started with women being "neat." A decade or two ago a "neat" girl was uncommon to be seen in men's magazines, or in real life for that matter. "Neat" girls were an anomaly - some might even say kinky. Look at any glamour photography from the 70s or adult films: the ladies were a lot more hirsute back then. I think the 90s were the decade in which being "neat" became mainstream for women (at least of a certain age).
For men, this presents a bit of a dilemma. Once I'm "neat" down there, where do I stop? Do I go for the "full monty" like the very smooth, slender, smiling man on the box of the trimmer? Is there a different answer for the heterosexual, metrosexual, or homosexual man? Will this require constant upkeep like shaving my face? Maybe by expanding the geography I'm just creating an entire golf course of grass to mow weekly instead of just a putting green.
Anyway, this little "Body Groomer" does its job, whatever you decide that job is. |
An excellent all-in-one. Really convenient.
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| Review Date: May 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: I. R. Smart., Seattle, WA |
I'll say this first: I'm the laziest shaver in the world. Yes, the world (I've asked around). In theory I like to be clean shaven; in practice I'm a lazy bum when it comes down to it. I've been using Gillette razors for years. I quite liked the Mach 3 original blades, though they did tend to nick me at times. The Mach 3 Turbo blades were a definite improvement, smoothing out the shave for me, with reduced cuts. Then, some months back, I switched to the Mach 3 Fusion blades (the type included with the razor part of this unit). These have been by far my favorite blades. Much smoother than the Mach 3 blades, and a little easier on my skin than the Mach 3 Turbo.
Anyway, the idea of having an electric buzz trimmer to get my thick facial hair down, and then the Fusion blades razor for the close part - is very appealing, and, I'm glad to say, it worked!
The unit comes with a couple of Fusion blades, a small brush to get out hair, and some plastic attachments for the trimmer for different lengths. I'll be honest, I like a clean shave, so I didn't even bother with the plastic attachments, and found the shave very easy on my skin. No, the buzzer won't give you the closeness of the razor part, but then it's not supposed to. Just make sure you don't shave against the grain with the buzzer, or it will hurt!
The unit is designed for you to buzz AND razor simultaneously, but in practice I find this doesn't work so well. I shave with foam, and it just makes a big mess trying to buzz and razor simultaneously. I just wouldn't bother.
I like that the bodyCruzer comes with a rubbery cover for the whole device, and a travel bag! Very thoughtful.
My only concern with the device is that it's never obvious that it's fully charged. The light on it goes brown when you put it in the inductive charger, but it never changes color, and the unit remains warm in the charger, leading me to pull it out manually after the 10 hours of charging Braun suggests. The battery life so far has been excellent, and Braun says you can get up 50 hours per charge. I'm not entirely sure what "up to 50 hours means," since it's not like there's different electric settings. It's either on or off! Either way, even getting half of that time would be excellent I'd say!
Overall, a great device. Definitely a very convenient bathroom appliance!
5/5 |
Braun BodyCruzer is a hit with my 22 year old
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| Review Date: June 8, 2009 |
| Reviewer: robgman, Anacortes, WA |
I got this product through Amazon Vine. I did not have a use for it personally but my 22 year old son did and here's what he has to say about it:
"The electric buzzer backed by the adjustable razor is really convenient because you can shave a long beard or any long hairs in one fell swoop with no problem, or use either of them separately easily. It is completely safe to use in the shower and get soaking wet with no functional problems. It comes with a convenient travel pouch and tons of add-ons depending on how long or short you want your hair cut. I give it a 5 out of 5" |
Best body shaver on the market
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| Review Date: September 9, 2009 |
| Reviewer: JD, Brooklyn, NY |
Excellent product and does a great job of trimming my chest, armpits, stomach, and groin with no problem. I personally prefer to use it dry, as I find when using it in the shower, there is far more friction when your skin is wet. Also, I don't use the fusion razor that came with it and in fact removed it immediately - using the trimmer alone results in a very close and smooth cut. Granted it's not as smooth as the razor would provide, but as other reviewers have pointed out, I think the trim and cut combo would be a bit awkward to use. Not to mention I don't necessarily want a razor anywhere near certain areas of my body (a slipup/mistake could be very painful!).
One slight criticism would be as it relates to the attachments. I don't have a lot of trouble putting them on/off as others have pointed out (in fact, I view this as a MASSIVE improvement over the Norelco Godygroom 2020 I owned previously), but I do think that the "long" trimmer attachment leaves the hair far too long when compared with the "medium" attachment (which cuts the hair quite short). Would be nice to have something in between, but it's something I can live without.
I bought a Norelco bodygroom 2020, and after two uses, I threw it out - it was very poorly constructed, and the foil actually began to tear after just two uses! The bodyCruzer is far and away the superior product. |
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