If you honestly think just running water over a Norelco cleans it, you just don't have a clue. The Norelco is and always has been the biggest pain to clean. Remove the plastic retainer, remove each cutter and screen (now remember to keep the screen and cutter together....as Norelco themselves state the cutter/screen wear in together), brush off each blade because if you don't, you get hardened stubble caked up on each retractor/blade. This is the way Norelco recommends cleaning the unit, and I've been using Norelco since 1970
I've been using Norelco since 1977, and up until recently I agree that Norelcos were a pain to keep clean. But with the most recent models (Spectra, etc.) you can clean them under running water. If you do that, and you clean them pretty regularly, the frequency with which you have to actually remove the heads (which, get real, doesn't take more than 30 seconds anyway) is not very high. No, the modern Norelcos are a pleasure to use AND a relative pleasure to keep clean. And you don't have to pay someone for "cartridges" to keep your shaver clean.
The Syncro beats the Norelco without a doubt, especially on that stubborn coarse neck hair.
I'd say just the opposite. With the Braun, and with the Panasonic (and with any foil shaver), I find it very difficult to get a good shave on my neck without basically cutting myself. These foil shavers just can adjust to the bumpy surface on the neck. The Norelco, by contrast, does a decent job on bumpy surfaces (since it has three independent heads). MUCH better. In fact, if it weren't for this problem, I'd probably rate my Panasonic higher than the Norelco. But the Panasonic, like the Braun, just isn't very good on the neck area.
Kwad