BraunSeries 5 Combi 51S Foil and Cutter Replacement Pack (Formerly 8000 360 Complete or Activator), 0.32 Ounce

I too had read many of the other reviews here that say how horrible this shaver replacement is, and I too was worried just like you probably are. I put off ordering one since I didn't want a piece of junk, I wanted a real replacement. I haven't replaced my foil and cutter in about 4 yrs (and they recommend doing it every 1.5yrs) and it was getting to where I really really needed to, even at the risk of getting what many here are calling a junk replacement. Well, since I couldn't find any others, I ordered the "Series 5, 51S" for about $30. When it came I noticed the foil head had even-sized small holes throughout, whereas the last replacement I bought (~4 yrs ago) had more of a honeycomb look to the holes. 'Oh boy' I thought, 'Maybe this will be a bad thing like so many others have said'.Nope, not a bad thing at all! It works perfectly! It is so smooth, so much quieter than what my other cutter/foil had become, it's almost as if it's a new razor altogether. I have a thick heavy beard, similar to Homer Simpson it seems I have a 5 'oclock shadow an hour after I shave. I had a 3 day beard when this arrived and I started first on my neck. It plowed through like it was a gas-powered lawnmower. I went on to my face, same thing. Beautiful! It really made it quite clear how bad my other cutter had become. Instead of 5 or 6 litle passes over the same spots, this one took care of the stubble in 1-2 passes.I use a Braun 8985, BEFORE it was branded "360 Complete", or Syncro, or any of that. Mine has no LCD display on it, just the plain Braun 8985 from, if memory serves correctly, the early 2000s...not sure if this makes a difference in fit or performance. The attached pic is exactly what mine looks like, but it's a stock image for reference. This foil cutter fits it perfectly, and works flawlessly. Honestly, I realize this sounds cliche, but I couldn't be happier. If memory serves me correctly, I paid double this for replacements in the past.Regarding the many negative reviews of this Series 5 replacement, perhaps other sellers are selling factory seconds, or perhaps there's some slight fit problems with the newer models of the 8900 series such as Activator and 360, I don't know. But the one I got from this seller, "EveryDay-Shop"@ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VEK1IU?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00was the real deal.Good luck and I hope this is helpful.I wont bore with other sahving details. Suffice it to say, if you're worried about all the other bad reviews saying how uncomfortable this setup is, you

I was hesitant to purchase this replacement for my Series 5 razor after reading quite a few negative comments on here, but I went ahead and purchased it anyway as I didn't see any better alternative and the shave has definitely been deteriorating lately. However, I couldn't be happier with the replacement and it's actually better than what it originally came with! I have no idea where the negative comments are coming from, but my best guess is that they're coming from people who are replacing parts on older razors, not the Series 5 razors. However, if you are replacing a Series 5 cutter and foil, then don't hesitate on purchasing this for a second!My original razor came with the SmartFoil, which has apparently since been replaced with the OptiFoil (same as in the 7 series), and now only the Series 3 and below are using the SmartFoil. I've admittedly only used this replacement for one day, but from what I can tell, the OptiFoil is a significant improvement over the SmartFoil. The shave is much closer than it ever was previously, and by far the closest shave I've gotten from any electric razor. It also shaves closer without needing to go over the same place as many times and seems to do a better job of lifting hairs. I also have a tendency to get a few ingrown hairs which I previously had to pluck out as the old foil didn't lift them, but so far, this foil has lifted and cut them off. From what I can tell, the cutter seems to be exactly the same as what originally came with the razor, although this one is obviously much sharper than the one that was well over a year old.So far, extremely satisfied with this purchase, and very glad that I didn't listen to the negative reviews, which I don't believe are related to the Series 5 razor. It's an improvement over the original, and the best (and fastest) electric shave I've gotten. If anything changes, I'll update this review, but I highly recommend this replacement for the Series 5.Update 4/5/12: I've now been using this foil and cutter for a couple of months and just wanted to confirm that it's still working excellent! I'm now used to the fact that it's just much better than the old foil, so I don't really notice anymore, but the shave remains closer than it ever was with the original foil with less passes.

Great performance blades.

I've been using my Braun 8000 series shaver for nearly 7 years and it's still performing exceptionally. I typically only have to buy these new blade replacements about once every 2 years. I'm a daily user of the shaver as I use it to shave my head cue-ball style. It's a nice close shave and only takes about 5 minutes per day. I've never tried using a regular razor to shave my head, but never thought I needed to since the Braun cuts the hair so close. I would give it a 5-star rating for quality, but have to knock off 1 star due to the high price of these replacement blades. Clearly, this is a particularly profitable item for Braun. However, it's certainly a lot cheaper than going to the barber every two weeks. Have been using this replacement blade for many months now. Has not lost its performance, even with minimal cleaning.