Every 2--4 years I buy a new electric shaver. The record so far is:

• 1997-ish:
  Bought an entry-level single-screen Braun and was happy to leave blades. This razor died due to the trimmer falling apart and the screen (foil) cracking and developing larger holes.
  
  
• 1999-ish:
  Got a more expensive tilting-head Braun with dual screens. It was marginally better than the cheaper Braun it replaced. And it died for the same reason -- the little flip-out trimmer literally fell apart. I was never quite happy with the shape of the tilting head. It seemed to be a clunky design and was somewhat annoying trying to trim precisely around a goatee with it.
  
  
• 2001:
  Bought a Remington triple-screen foil shaver. It was a real improvement over the Brauns since it cut shaving time almost in half and seemed to do a better job. It also worked with the cord attached when the battery was run down. With the Brauns, a run-down battery meant you had to wait for the unit to charge before you could use it -- not a good feature when you're in a rush to get out the door. This model also lasted noticably longer than the Brauns and its still in usable shape although the side trimmer is starting to fail.
  
  
• 2006:
  Bought a new Remington Titanium MS-5500 with a self-cleaning base that contains an alcohol/water/oil cleaning solution. The base looked gimmicky but, so far, it cleans the head well and genuinely saves some time. The screen (foil) quality is also a noticable improvement over the previous Remington and a huge improvement over the old Brauns. But, to be fair, I don't doubt that the Brauns have improved over time. And, I do seem to buy a higher-priced model each time so its not exactly a fair comparison.