If you grew up in the 1950s when the electric shaver was a relatively new technology, a fringe lifestyle choice, how would you feel about how electrics have evolved?

Because to me, the new Braun Series 5 Electric Shaver had everything I look for; it is the net result of 60-plus years of electric shaving “growth” and adaptation.

To find out, I sat down with a 62-year-old man and we went at each other, point/counterpoint style.

62-Year-Old Man Point:

I tried a standard head-on razor early in my shaving career. My beard is thin (I’ll never be confused with my ape-like college roommate affectionately known as “Brillo-Man”) and my skin, baby soft – in a word, sensitive. My dad had a razor like that, and who doesn’t want to imitate his dad? I found his type of shaving experience painful at best. Put simply, I was scared thanks to a painful experience years ago.

34-Year-Old Man Counterpoint:

The new Braun Series 5 Hi Tech 5090cc men’s shaver with “Intelligent Clean and Charge Station” is a far cry from the brutish “Dark Ages” era of shaving in the ’50s.

I opened the packaging and found a sleek head-on razor. I fired it up immediately and it sounded sophisticated – like the hum of a BMW. When I brought it to the underside of my chin, it was outstanding. The head can be moved 10 degrees in either direction for ease of reaching those hard spots. It was effective and not difficult to manipulate. Nothing to be afraid of, sir.

62-Year-Old Man Point:

I liked how easy it was to disassemble the Braun to clean. Popping the head off for cleaning was simple and it all snapped right back into place after. I was impressed because, back in my prime, you couldn’t take an electric apart to clean it.

34-Year-Old Man Counterpoint:

I told you you’d like it, you baby gorilla!

62-Year-Old Man Point:

Take it easy. One thing I was nervous about was the power. Was there enough to get the job done without ripping hair out? Yes, there was. The battery also kept its charge for 10 shaves without recharging, and it never made the telltale sound an electric makes when it’s low on juice.

34-Year-Old Man Counterpoint:

Uh oh, we’re starting to agree; the premise of this review is shot. I liked the power as well, and worth noting, the Braun Series 5 comes with a recharging station and cleaning station underneath. Though you could easily take it apart to clean, as mentioned previously.

62-Year-Old Man Point:

It’s a great electric, but almost too powerful. Most guys wouldn’t appreciate the Series 5’s sophistication or require its technology. One gripe I have is that the cartridges of cleaning fluid last only four weeks under most shaving conditions. It reminds me of that piece of $#!& printer I bought that requires me to have all five cartridges of ink full in order to operate.

34-Year-Old Man Counterpoint:

You know how I know you’re a 62-year-old man? You used the word “gripe.”

For more information, visit the Braun Facebook page or send them a silly hashtag via their Twitter account.

Electric razors always bring to mind the image of a man in a cheap suit with a poorly tied, generic red necktie shaving in the front seat of his tiny import as he hurriedly makes his way to his job at Megatron Widget, Inc.

It’s sweaty, tight, confined and irritated, and there is nothing he can do about it. The pit stains on his off-white polyester dress shirt prove that to resist is useless.  

But this isn’t an electric razor — this is the CoolTec dry shaver from Braun.

The other day, I received an oaken box that looked like a stylized ice cube with the classic Braun logo on the front. The box was sealed with a combination lock, and beneath that was a cryptically cool message that said, “Cool me down in your fridge to reveal your secret combination.”

I put the box in the fridge overnight, and when I woke up the next morning, the first thing that came to mind was the unknown contents of the Mystery Box. The three digit code revealed itself, so I popped open the box and was suddenly exposed to the new Braun CoolTec dry shaver.  

So how does CoolTec work? Instead of applying gels or moisture during or after your shave, CoolTec addresses the issue by cooling the skin throughout the process of shaving. How does Braun accomplish this? By employing Thermo-Electric Cooling technology, or “TEC” for short.

Skin irritation comes from cutting parts moving inside the shaver, as well as the shaver’s interaction with the skin. The skin can penetrate through the small holes of the shaving foil, forcing it to come into contact with the shaver’s cutter. OUCH! I know it hurts from experience, but reading the science behind it somehow makes it hurt more.

CoolTec has an aluminum cooling bar integrated into the shaving head. With the press of the CoolTec button (complete with “snowflake” icon), the aluminum cooling bar gets super cold in a hurry and cools the skin while you use the shaver.

For comparison sake, the cooling bar felt just like the cold piece of aluminum a cut man uses between rounds in boxing or MMA, called an “end-swell.” The cooling bar works in a similar fashion, calming the skin and dissipating pressure built up by the shaving head.

The shave was so smooth that I couldn’t believe it wasn’t from a razor. I kept asking the girls in my office to rub my face to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Two out of three obliged, and they remarked how soft my skin was. Then they asked about my “other hair” and if I was “that smooth everywhere.” I work with some really cool girls.

The CoolTec has a great weight to it. It’s heavy enough to feel solid, but doesn’t feel cumbersome or impede the shave. Its ergonomic shape also makes the CoolTec easy to navigate, complete with tapered handle and thick shaving head, and the rubber grip accents are a nice touch.

A lot of thought clearly went into the function and design of the CoolTec, and even if you’re a shaving novice, you can feel the difference. So ditch your crappy import and upgrade to the BMW of dry shavers, because the CoolTec from Braun is the “coolest” dry shaver on the market.

Come on, you didn’t think you were going to get out of here without at least one of those, did you?

For product descriptions, videos and more, visit the Braun CoolTec website here.