I have a very thick beard, thanks to my Italian ancestors, lol. I started shaving at 11 years old and am now 49 with a lot of gray hair in my beard. I have always had trouble shaving the thickest part of my beard around the chin, but with the hard to cut gray hair, it has gotten even worse, so I decided to research and find the best shaver to handle these issues, and I am very happy with my choice. I knew the Braun Series 9 was arriving today, so I did not shave this morning so I would have an extra thick shadow to try it out for the first time. I have to say, and this is no exaggeration, this is the smoothest, closest shave I have had since I started shaving. It is only one use, but the quality was so good I had to write a review on it. If you have a thick beard, and have trouble with those hard to cut gray hairs, I highly recommend this shaver. It is expensive, so much so that the friends I told and my own mother laughed at me for spending so much on an electric razor, but if it co