The short version - this is a FANTASTIC electric shaver, it's the best one that I've ever owned in terms of closeness, it puts my previous Brauns to shame and rivals a straight razor.The long version - prior to 9/11, I was a cheap razor with foam in the shower guy, worked fine for me for years. Post 9/11 business travel drove me to electric razors, Braun was the obvious choice at the time, went through two generations of Braun shavers (7526 and Activator?), they worked great albeit a lot of work to get a super close shave. Cleaning was always a pita and expensive with years worth of cartridges. In the end, the cleaning stations stopped working, the batteries on both stopped working so that I could only use them plugged in, and the trimmers on both of them broke. So I had a pair of dysfunctional Brauns for years. Ironically COVID drove me back to a high quality straight razor with the fake beaver tail brush and some mug soap, and I've been using that up until last week, using those Brauns strictly for travel. I finally decided to just toss or eBay those old Brauns and pick up a new razor for "travel", etc. Did my research, tried a BUNCH of the latest shavers out there - Braun, Babyliss, Wahl, etc. Price wise this specific Panasonic Arc model was on the high side compared to others, but not the new Brauns, which are considerably more expensive. I had very high hopes for the Panasonic Arc based on reviews and I was not disappointed. Setup/charge up was a snap, Panasonic provides a decent manual that was a short and simple read. Had about three days growth for the first shave and WOW, what a close shave! I thought that it might have been a fluke so I shaved a second time with a lot less growth, then a third time with mid growth between the first two. All three shaves were perfect, quick (under 5 minutes), and closer than I ever got with any shaver that I've ever owned including all of those Brauns. I haven't used the straight razor since the Panasonic arrived but I am thinking that this shaver gets as close or closer than my straight razor. I am not kidding. Looks cool, feels good not flimsy in the hand, nice big shaver head covers big areas on the face at one shot but you can really get in there for the small and tough spots with the flexible and fixed position. Trimmer seems kind of small and flimsy but they all are, it is what it is. Clean up was a breeze, it's a wet/dry shaver so at some point I get to run it under the water to clean it but for now I've been popping off the top, using a shaver brush to get the whiskers out, then lightly spraying some Eltron conditioner on the blades and foil (NO OILS, they specifically say not to oil this shaver or use anything with oils in it, but I called Panasonic and checked on Eltron and they said OK). About the only two cons that I can think of and both of them are a stretch - one, you need to lock the power button when you start a shave, at least for me my hand/fingers sit right on that power button as you are shaving and that can kick it into cleaning mode, but no big deal; and two, supposedly the battery life on this shaver is three years, after which I have to send it into Panasonic to have the batteries replaced. Given the fact that the batteries on my Brauns probably didn't last much longer than 3-5 years, I guess that this is par for the course for electric razors with rechargeable batteries. Based on my experiences so far, I'll be happy to pay the money, send it in to Panasonic and get the batteries replaced as needed. So far, so good, I highly recommend.I recently began using the ES-LV95 after a brief detour with the Braun 9095cc, both flagship shavers from Panasonic and Braun; the ES-LV95 replaces my older ES-LV81. This review is a comparison of the (relatively) new Panasonic with the newest Braun, however contrasting this new Panasonic with the old, the ES-LV95 improves performance and convenience in every respect by comparison with the earlier Panasonic, so I won't reference the venerable ES-LV81 again.Compared to the Braun, the new Panasonic is lighter weight (7 oz vs 8 oz) and slightly slimmer. It's mostly plastic, but then so is the Braun, and esthetics of either is a matter of opinion. The Panasonic has slightly less chrome showing and is a little more svelte, which I sort of favor, so a win for the Panny for appearances for me. The head is larger - about 1/4" wider - and seems more flexible than the Braun's, moving more easily around a true 360 degree axis rather than the Braun's two-dimensional swivel, allowing the Panasonic to adapt to the contours of your face better. It covers more area quicker, and shortens my morning shave by almost half compared to the 9095cc, but does require practice maneuvering the larger head around the corners and angles of your face. The Panasonic has 5 cutters arranged symmetrically (a center flat cutter for longer whiskers, flanked on either side by 2 foils), contrasting Braun's asymmetrical 4 cutters (2 different flat cutters, blue and silver, with a foil on either side). One advantage of the Panasonic is that the cutter blocks and foil can be purchased separately - the foils wear out faster, so may need more frequent replacement, but can be replaced without replacing the cutters. With the Braun, the cutters and foils are one cartridge assembly so you have to buy both. As an addendum, replacement heads for the Braun have been generally unavailable now for more than a year, with the few that are available priced sometimes at more than the cost of the shaver. The Panasonic replacement heads are readily available anywhere, usually $50-60 range for foil and cutter blocks combined.The higher speed cutting cycles of the Panasonic (14,000 cpm) compared to Braun's 10,000 cpm, seem to provide a more comfortable shave (for me) - that's 233 cutting cycles per second (Panasonic), compared to 167 cutting cycles per second (Braun), or 40 percent faster. Braun's "sonic" technology also creates more vibration (and noise) in the head and shaver compared to the Panny. The high speed Panasonic seems to smooth out each pass, and require fewer passes or repeat passes, as opposed to the Braun's "paint mixer" vibrations on your face and in your hand. Neither of course is as quiet as a rotary shaver. The Panasonic shave is definitely closer, with fewer missed spots or random whiskers. Panasonic also has a "sensor" mode on this shaver, which reportedly detects beard thickness and adjusts cutting speed, which it actually appears to do; it does result in a less irritating shave than previous models or the Braun, which could be attributable to this feature. The Panasonic requires a different technique and a lighter touch than the Braun - since it cuts your beard more easily, you don't need to apply any extra pressure shaving to get a close cut; in fact if you press as hard with the Panny as you sometimes must with the Braun, it will let you know you've had a close shave, and not in a good way. Easy does it. Both shavers have a lock for the head, allowing a closer shave around more challenging areas such as under the nose and around sideburns, and both have a pop-up trimmer for trimming along a straight line. Both configurations work equally well for those purposes.Battery longevity seems similar for both shavers, with the nod going to Panasonic for number of shaves per charge because it takes less time to shave; should last a week or more on the road with a single charge. You can charge these shavers with the cord, without the cleaning station, and both are multi-voltage for traveling. Cords are similar with large transformer plugs, and like all wet/dry shavers, you can't use either shaver as a corded shaver but must recharge. Straight cord for the Panny, coiled cord for the Braun. Information on the shavers' LED displays is similar; the Panasonic provides percentage of charge left versus the Braun, which just displays diminishing bars until the final ten minutes of charge. The Panasonic also displays "MIN USED" for a shave, up to ten minutes, when it starts over. I actually find this useful for improving my shaving technique and speed.The cleaning station for the Panasonic is significantly improved over the previous design, which sometimes had problems with leaking solution. The new design uses a detergent solution and a filter tray rather than a cassette - you mix the detergent packet with water in the tray, and I recommend distilled water to avoid mineral build-up on shaver or cleaner. The Panasonic cleaner is water based versus the alcohol based Braun station, but both provide excellent cleaning performance - Braun says their cleaning solution is not compatible with soap, so none of the Braun shavers that include a cleaning station are approved for use with shaving foam or gel. That's right folks - the Braun wet/dry shavers that include a cleaning station are not approved by Braun for use with shaving cream. The Braun alcohol solution is advertised as "sanitizing" the shaver head, but both cleaning solutions provide more than adequate anti-bacterial properties (remember, you wash your hands with soap and water), and neither actually sterilizes the head (important tip - don't share your shaver with anyone boys and girls). The Braun station runs with a couple of minutes of louder buzzing (running the shaver for cleaning), followed by about 40 minutes of a quiet fan cycle, while the Panasonic station runs the shaver a little over 5 minutes, followed by a little over an hour of fan drying; both stations seem to run either comparable cycle at about the same noise level - the fan cycle is plenty quiet for a spouse, partner or family member sleeping feet away. The Panasonic seems to dry the head completely, whereas the Braun is always slightly damp the next morning. Both station/shaver combos occupy about the same counter space and height, with similar controls and information for drying or cleaning, with the Braun being slightly larger and taller.Probably most significantly, the Braun cleaning cartridges cost more than twice as much as the Panasonic detergent packs, require orders of magnitude more storage space, and are flammable; one plus for the Braun cartridges is that they are self-contained like the Philips Norelco cleaning system, requiring no mixing. If storage space is as important as convenience however (and we're talking a minute or so exercise of opening a detergent pack, emptying it into a tray and filling the tray with water - once a month tops), you can store more than a year's worth of Panasonic cleaning packets in the bottom of a bathroom cabinet drawer without noticing, while that many Braun cartridges will fill a substantial part of your closet with flammable liquid. Cartridges for the new Braun cleaner don't seem to last as long as previous units either, less than a month on average for me, shaving daily. Panasonic detergent solution lasts well over a month - going on two months now with the current solution and just as effective cleaning. Cleaning with either station will leave your shaver like new and smelling fresh, but both shavers can really just be rinsed in running water, so you don't absolutely need a cleaning station, although it is convenient. The Panasonic head is much easier to clean manually than the Braun since the foil and cutters are separate. The one minus of the Panasonic compared to the Braun is the travel case - the Braun has a nicely fitted hard leather case, where the Panasonic has their standard "faux leather" vinyl bag, but they do provide a hard plastic head cover.As a side note, there is already a new Panasonic series of shavers (ES-LV6/7/9) on the market that appear similar, with a slightly redesigned head and body, and a similar cleaning station, so the ES-LV95 is not their newest model. Again, be aware that if you are a traditional "wet shaver" - I.e. shaving soap and water - Braun specifically says their only approved Series 9 shavers for shaving foam or gel are the 9040s and the 9080s (the "s" suffix means does not include the cleaning station), NOT the 9095cc. I have used it successfully with a shaving brush and soap, but according to Braun's literature this is an "off label" use and may void your warranty. If you are a wet shaver, technically your only choice is the Panasonic between these two. Highly recommended.I have owned a Panasonic wet/dry shaver for 15 years. It was my daily shaver for 7 years, at which time I became disenchanted with the cost of safety cartridges (they have since more than doubled). I used to shave in the shower all of the time, so I can definitely attest to Panasonic's waterproof design. I started wet shaving with double edge razors 8 years ago, but use the electric at times when my face is a little sensitive or I just need a quick shave. I never shave dry with it, and always use a good shave soap or cream.I ordered the Arc5 after my Arc4's battery started to fail. The Arc5 is a very nice razor but if you purchase it do not expect a quick 1 pass shave. The "problem" areas of one's face will remain a problem regardless of what type of shaver you are using. In my case. along the right cheek jawline and both upper sides of the Adam's apple area require revisiting a few times, regardless of what shaver I am using. The Arc5 is no different.Now with that said, the non-problematic areas being shaved are easily dealt with by the Arc5. My wife says my face feels smoother than any of my double edge razors. The Arc5 is easy to hold, handles the tough area under the nostrils (OK I have a big nose) with aplomb and does a nice job on the back of my neck.The razor holds the charge, is quick to charge and easy to clean (a couple of soap drops on the blades, turn it on and then rinse... clean again).It does come with a plastic soft case (that does not hold the power cord) and does have a on/off lock switch so no worries of hearing a buzzing sound in the luggage compartment as well as finding the razor DOA.All in all a good purchase for the money. I still prefer the double edge wet shave when I have the time but I have to say when traveling or am short on time the electric is the way to go.It is really a piece of art in shaving. Easy to use, very comfortable and gives the best shave you can ever imagine.It's the champion of the close shave! -I have a heavy growth of hair on my face. The hair itself is tough and bit stiff. My beard needs the best shaver I can get. It grows quickly so I shave every day, sometime twice.My number one thing I'm looking for is a shaver that can shave closer than any thing else so far. Mission accomplished here.It shaves closer than any thing I have used before. However I get a bit of a razor burn-like issue sometimes from this shaver. To get close I find I have to go over the same area more times than I would previously do with my last shaver. But the point, in part here, is that this shaver can get closer and closer shave as you do so BUT you may experience this 'fazor burn' that I have mentioned..But I do get this kinda razor burn. To try and prevent it, I find I have to scrub my face with an exfoliating product BEFORE shaving. My skin is super clean then and the shaver seems to 'work better'. If I don't really scrub my face the shaver seems to not glide across my skin as it seems to kinda 'stick to me' for moments-not sliding across the skin. So it's a bit odd in my experience with other shavers. I've tried shaving wet and I got a less close shave so I'm working on this issue.Having said that.....My beard is a very demanding beard if you want to be shaving it off every day. This shaver is the closest electric that I have ever used. It's not perfect but it shaves close. Love the meter on it, letting you know how much charge you have left. Speaking of which, it charges very quickly indeed! Nice feel in the hands. Comes with a very good pop-up precision trimmer. Oh and the shaver times each shave is that is important or useful for you? I also have no issues cleaning this shaver. Which I do with every use. I have read of people using cans of air etc. Not sure why that was necessary? I rinse it with water and use alcohol to sterilize the cutters and then whip it all off. Takes seconds to do.I recommend this shaver.Both shaver and the person being shaved have to get used to each other but when they do it makes for a nice shaveGives a close shave and battery has a good cpacity and very quiet. Pity I had to pay all that money to get one this goo!Bought for my son in law. He loved it.