Going Electric… With a Braun

I recently pulled a Dylan and went electric.  I’d been using disposable razors for years, relying on those inexpensive 10-pack single-blade disposables from Duane Reade.  My skin has always been extremely sensitive, making daily shaving torturous, no matter what the razor or cream. And Gillette has gone so far with whatever Mach they’re on (5 blades?) with a design so pumped that it looks ridiculous.  So I went on a hunt for the same type of electric that my father got me when I graduated from high school: the classic Braun electric shaver.

My original Braun (1989) was similar to the original Dieter Rams design for Braun. It was smart and simple design that fit comfortably in the hand during a shave. The design was in perfect keeping with Dieter Rams’ 10 principles for good design:

1. Good design is innovative
2. Good design makes a product useful
3. Good design is aesthetic
4. Good design makes a product understandable
5. Good design is unobtrusive
6. Good design is honest
7. Good design is long-lasting
8. Good design is thorough, down to the last detail
9. Good design is environmentally friendly

The result was a pretty close shave without the burn, all with a tool that was easy to use and easy on the eyes.

Unfortunately, the sexy simplicity of Rams’ design was nowhere to be found. In keeping with the design of so many things in our current cultural climate, the Braun series of shavers has sadly gone the way of so much “now” design, like cars (SUVs), furniture, clothes, tits, lips, hair and even websites, i.e. pumped-up, over-thought and over-produced. The end result is like an aging heartthrob, desperately trying to look so very young, so very hot, so very right now.

While I’m perfectly happy with the shave that I get from my new $44 Braun Series 1 shaver, I look at it and see a design that is just trying way too hard.