Kemei 2024 VS Braun M60B

[StuMcB]

This is just my observations over a few months.

I started to electric shave at work just to touch up the cheeks and side burns. I bought a cheap kemei 2024 wet & dry, off Amazon for around £10 in a flash sale here in the UK. Its shaves are very close and its rechargeable via USB 'C' charger, so I can charge it at work via a lap top. How ever I also bought a Braun M60B, a battery shaver. This while being a "branded" name and really well made, easy to use and widely available, shaves in comparison about half as good. I know this is going against the grain, Chinese goods VS more home grown goods but it just shaves and works better. I've also purchased a Kemei TX1 in silver, again rechargeable via USB 'C' and again the shaves are outstanding, close, smooth and easy. In fact on 3 days stubble it fares better than my great Remington HF9000 (which is superb on 1 or 2 days). I use my Remington everyday as I like to shave every day. So how come a company like Braun cant make a travel shaver that shaves as good as a cheap Chinese shaver?

Of course YMMV but for me the Braun will after cleaning be hitting the BST as part of a lot. I've also got a Panasonic ES RS10 battery shaver that needs to go too.

Anyone else notice that the Kemei brand is a really good brand.

 

[Itzflame002]

not exactly kemei but theyre so similar im 99% sure they get their stuff from the same OEM and slap a badge on it,
i bought this this VGR 332 for about $20 shipped a year ago, it has a decent trimmer on the back and it has 3 speeds that the motor can run at, it comes with two foil screens , a digital screen and charges via type C , a killer deal.
i also have their credit card sized shaver (vgr v-390) which is fine if youre growing a beard and want to clean up around it, and thier trimmer(vgr v-290) which i got for around $10, this one also charges via type C.

 

[StuMcB]

These as you say are all so similar especially if you go via say AliExpress. They do shave very closely. Thanks for the heads up on the V390. Going to check it out.

 

[Phil Dumont]

I also bought a Kemei TX1 out of curiosity and have to say it shaves quite closely.
I dont like the sound of it being a bit sharp but my Braun series 1 also sounds like this.
The Braun shaves a bit smoother but maybe a tad less close.

This Kemei can give a bit of shave rash/burning sensation when used dry, but overall surprisingly good shaver.
A light touch is needed tough.

 

[StuMcB]

Try the TX1 with some store brand canned goo. It gives really close slick shaves with out the burning like this.

 

[madmedic]

I have Kemei 2024 as well. A nice little razor. Shaves well and I like the vintage look.

 

[Scaramouche]

To be fair, Braun's M60 - and M90 - are just single foil shavers and battery-operated, so not really comparable. The Kemei (and similar versions) are just more recent design knockoffs of the old Remington microscreen travel shavers (or the 419 and its antecedents), which weren't bad. Certainly inexpensive, and they do provide a close shave on short beards (haven't used the Kemei, but several vintage Remingtons). Prone to razor burn and they wear out rather quickly with the thinner foils - similar to the advertised "barber" electrics which were chiefly designed to touch up the back of the neck, not face shavers. Also prone to corrosion depending on the quality of the heads, and more often than not just dry shavers (Kemei is advertised as water-resistant). Kemei gets particularly mixed reviews on Amazon (which generally has a several-hundred or thousand reviewer base), but for the money a bargain if it fits someone's shaving style and face, and seems to be no better (or worse) than equivalent two-foil shavers without a trim bar. Longevity and robustness yet TBD, but likely not on the high end. I applaud the revival of Remington's old design - wasn't bad in the 1950's and 60's, and not bad today. There are better shavers on the market today (and more expensive) with more features, but something to be said for an original design that has lasted more than a half-century.

 

[madmedic]

I have had a few of the old Remingtons that is the reason I bought the Kemei. In fact I bought another one today. I always like to keep spare consumables and the Aliexpress sale meant I could buy a complete razor for little more than the cutter/foil set!

 

[StuMcB]

The Remington HF9000 heritage shaver is a really, really good shaver but as always YMMV. I personally find that couple with a pre shave or without it delivers good smooth shaves. The retro look is really eye catching imho too. My kemei 2024 is for work when I shower up there, its is water proof and I've used it as such. The Kemei TX1 is absolutely shave monster, true you need to use it with light strokes but again an absolutely super shave. A recent purchase of a wahl travel shaver (I forget the model number) known here in the UK as the Li charge is also a really decent shaver. Its only 2 down sides are (for me) its a little loud and in the UK, Wahl only supplies the head and foils not the cutter blades. But I think Wahl Australia do, so I'll be looking into that more. My original post was more of 'lets try the cheaper alternatives'. When folk move over to electric shavers more often than not they fall for the bigger names, Braun, Panasonic etc. No problem With that at all, but for some the cheaper options can often be the better. Just saying.

 

[madmedic]

Rather worryingly I have been buying a few of the cheaper shavers even though I am a committed traditional wet shaver. I had a recent health scare which made me realise that I could not take all my 'paraphernalia' with me into hospital. I also have a few away motorcycle trips coming up so it seemed appropriate to reacquaint myself with low cost but effective electricals on the market. I really liked the Remington Heritage....but I am not a football fan and would have preferred a non badged version

 

[Scaramouche]

The Remington HF9000 heritage shaver is a really, really good shaver but as always YMMV. I personally find that couple with a pre shave or without it delivers good smooth shaves. The retro look is really eye catching imho too. My kemei 2024 is for work when I shower up there, its is water proof and I've used it as such. The Kemei TX1 is absolutely shave monster, true you need to use it with light strokes but again an absolutely super shave. A recent purchase of a wahl travel shaver (I forget the model number) known here in the UK as the Li charge is also a really decent shaver. Its only 2 down sides are (for me) its a little loud and in the UK, Wahl only supplies the head and foils not the cutter blades. But I think Wahl Australia do, so I'll be looking into that more. My original post was more of 'lets try the cheaper alternatives'. When folk move over to electric shavers more often than not they fall for the bigger names, Braun, Panasonic etc. No problem With that at all, but for some the cheaper options can often be the better. Just saying.

Completely agree with the philosophy - and great to see better, less expensive electrics come to market. The flip side of that is that in some cases, you get what you pay for (admittedly increasingly a rara avis), but certainly not always. Which leads to "That's the reason I hate electric razors," often seen here. "I shaved with my great-grandpa's Sperry from 1955 with the fuzzy power cord, dry with no prep, and it was TERRIBLE - nowhere near as close as my quadruple-bladed, osmium-plated Wahoo with shaving oil and G.F. Trumper's Rose Cream."

I shave with a variety of DE razors and blades, as well as numerous electrics, and a modern electric (even many bargain varieties) can deliver very comparable shaves to a single or 2 pass blade shave with much less time, effort and skill. That's the target, and new users should do their research - like here! Actual statistics show that the vast majority of Americans who shave use a cartridge razor of some kind, often disposable (globally as well). Followed in the #2 position by electrics.

 

[StuMcB]

quadruple-bladed, osmium-plated Wahoo

Wahoo....... Chinese?

 

[Scaramouche]

I'm sure I have one in the pile somewhere - maybe not osmium-plated... Ah, here it is:

No, wait....

 

[madmedic]

Well so far I have used the Kemei 2024, 2026 and 1102 razors and have no complaints whatsoever. In fact they are much better than those I used years ago. That may be something to do with the fact that I now do proper preshave prep. I have also realised that I don't need to wet shave with an electric to get a good result. I could get attached to this!

 

[StuMcB]

Kemei still doing a great job at quick work shaves.