Multi-Blade Razors

[geothorn]

How does it compare with the Double Edge razors?

Do you use a two-bladed razor? I don't even know that there are any two-bladed razors that are still available for sale.... I guess that I should get out more...or, just go looking for a new razor.

I haven't seen any of the alleged "promotional prices" on the Gillette Fusion razor yet...but, that would also likely be helped if I was looking.

GeoThorn

 

[UnknownVT]

More days, more shaving - including today's after weekend of no shaving.

I did side-by-side comparison with the Fusion Power - power turned off, Schick Quattro and Mach3 Turbo.

The Fusion without Power - shaved OK on the down (with grain) stroke - but on the up (against grain) stroke I found out why the razor didn't clear the shave gel suds..... the up stroke actually redeposited the suds - because of its very broad leading micro-fins. The "manual" shave of the Fusion without Power was not as good as the Mach3 Turbo - it could have been the balance of the Fusion Power not being as good - but overall the Mach3 Turbo just felt smoother and more controllable.

In the end I did think the Fusion shaved better with its power on than off
but no better than my existing Mach3 Turbo (manual).

Schick Quattro's shave was coarser compared to the Mach3 Turbo - I could feel more catching of the blades on both the down and up strokes - yes, I could feel the cutting with the Mach3 Turbo too but it didn't feel like "catching" - the difference is subtle - but enough for me to favor the Mach3 Turbo - again I am quite willing to accept that I am just far more used to the Mach3 Turbo - but the Schick Quattro does not show any advantage to make me want to switch.....

It looks like the honeymoon period for the Fusion cartridges is already over - most places have them at $14-15 for 4 - that's just WAY too expensive.

There is a difference between the manual Fusion and Fusion Power cartridges to make the difference in price even though they are interchangeable and will fit each other.

Reading more carefully via the Gillette.com site - one sees the Fusion Power cartridges claim a coating of the blades whereas the manual cartridges do not.

QUOTE from Fusion Power Cartridges :
"PowerGlide Blades...have a patented blade coating for incredible comfort."

If we take the well known razor blade model - where the razor company sells its razors as a loss leader and makes all its money on the blades/cartridges -
we see that for the samples I've bought tested, compared and abandoned - like the Gillette original Mach3 (I still have the second original cartridge unused), now the Fusion Power and Schick Quattro - I obviously have lost some money by buying and abandoning these razors -
but the razor companies really have not made that much of a profit from me either - since I am not going to buy more cartridges for these.

But in the end they are obviously still making money off me since I am using at least one system - the Gillette Mach3 Turbo, and I do buy cartridges.

My buying, trying and discarding of new systems at least reassures me that the system I am using is the best - for me
- for now ......
of course YMMV

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[Don Luis]

He he, Vincent you need a SAK with razor, flashlight and digital camera .

Great review as always.

I don't shave much (only neck and cheeks once a week) and only have older razors, here's some.

I normally use the all metal one in the top middle, it's an old Gillette fitted with a Chinese handle interchanged with the razor in the center of the picture (a cheap razor but the handle was better than the Gillette's plastic one).

The adjustable razor on the top left is my first one from 1967, the blue dispenser on the top left was among some of my grandfather's stuff (he died in 1967) and still has blades in it.

Luis


Click to enlarge

 

[UnknownVT]

He he, Vincent you need a SAK with razor, flashlight and digital camera .

I have - just don't use it much as the flash keeps blinding me ....
so the foam goes up my nose.......

and the photos all have my eyes closed.

I normally use the all metal one in the top middle, it's an old Gillette fitted with a Chinese handle interchanged with the razor in the center of the picture (a cheap razor but the handle was better than the Gillette's plastic one).

What blades do you use
and have you found any difference?

I have used single blades systems - it was the Schick "Injector" (I think) - they were narrow but stiff razor blades - the head of the razor was narrow like the Sensor/Astra/Trac type size - it gave quite a good shave - nothing remarkable.

I moved to battery powered electric shavers because of the convenience and virtually no need to pay any attention or having to be careful.

The TWIN-blades Gillette Sensor Excel really convinced me to switch back to wet shaving - that made shaving enjoyable - even if I had to take a bit more care.......

No other razor had done that until the later Gillette Mach3 Turbo -

Now that I think about it it seems in both razors - it was the second and improved iteration that seem significantly better for me.

Maybe I'll have to wait for the improved Fusion in a couple of years' time?

Although I thought 3-blades was already silly (but had to eat my words),
so 5-blades seems a little "ridiculous".

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[geothorn]

Despite my constantly proclaiming that I've used and continued using the Gillette Trac II and Trac II Plus razors, today I've remembered that I ventured into using the Gillette Atra razor for maybe 6-months. I believe that I returned to using the Trac II instead of the Atra because, if my amnesia has fully retracted, the rounded handle of the Atra turned in my hand while shaving. The Trac II has a squared handle, and it doesn't turn, no matter how wet and slippery my hands become.

GeoThorn

 

[Don Luis]

...What blades do you use
and have you found any difference?...

The hair on my chin is tough and the skin sensitive, when I shave there I do notice differences in razors, I haven't shaved my chin since the times of the Track II which was probably the one I liked best at the time, I have also used an Injector which wasn't bad, I have not tried any modern razors. There are some futuristic looking ones around the house but they belong to my daughters.

For just my cheeks and neck once a week I'm not picky and use whatever I find at the supermarket, usually Gillette or some other local brand, I have seen German brand Merkur but they cost more and I have not tried them.

These are the blades that I've been using lately, they are inexpensive and I strop them so that they last a long time. On the bottom a couple of razors found in the bathroom.

Luis


Click to enlarge

 

[UnknownVT]

I returned to using the Trac II instead of the Atra because, if my amnesia has fully retracted, the rounded handle of the Atra turned in my hand while shaving. The Trac II has a squared handle, and it doesn't turn, no matter how wet and slippery my hands become.

A VERY important point for a lot of people and it isn't just "hype" from the manufacturers - as that was one of the MAJOR points when the original Mach3 was introduced - Gillette were supposed to have overcome some holding problems and even preventing installing the cartridges in the wrong way (! )

These are the blades that I've been using lately, they are inexpensive and I strop them so that they last a long time.

How do you strop double edged razor blades -
other than "very carefully"?

What do you use for the strop, and do you use a holder?

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[Don Luis]

I hold the blade between thumb and middle/ring fingers and place gently against the strop, the blade bends over naturally, I'm guessing that the angle is about 5 degrees or so over the strop, I count 10 passes per side (40 total), I do this only once in a while, sometimes I just strop them on the palm of my hand, as I used to see my father do.

I have a nice old dubl duck linen/leather strop but I usually use the piece of old belt shown in the picture.

Luis

Edited to add a second picture, some interesting idea, an inertial shaver, like a simple electric shaver but you provide the power by pressing on a large button which will make it run for a few seconds. I think I paid about $1 or maybe $2 US for this one new in a flea market, I haven't tried it and really have no plans for it, just thought it was interesting.


Click to enlarge

 

[UnknownVT]

I hold the blade between thumb and middle/ring fingers and place gently against the strop, the blade bends over naturally, I'm guessing that the angle is about 5 degrees or so over the strop, I count 10 passes per side (40 total), I do this only once in a while, sometimes I just strop them on the palm of my hand, as I used to see my father do.

Thanks Luis - good pic showing how you do it.

About how many shaves do you get before you need to strop?

...and does a blade basically "last forever" -
since you can bring back the sharpness by stropping?

If not, when do you decide you need to change the blade?

More questions -
have you ever tried multi-bladed razors - specifically the ones I liked -
Gillette Sensor Excel or the Mach3 Turbo?

Thanks,

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[Blammo]

Good lord.. I use single edge Bic's.
Maybe they should make one in camo with 11 blades and call it " Stealth", " Tactical field razor" or "proven in Iraq, and Afghaniland".
:yawn: :jerkit:

 

[Don Luis]

...About how many shaves do you get before you need to strop?

...and does a blade basically "last forever" -
since you can bring back the sharpness by stropping?

If not, when do you decide you need to change the blade?

More questions -
have you ever tried multi-bladed razors - specifically the ones I liked -
Gillette Sensor Excel or the Mach3 Turbo?...

Tough questions, I only shave my neck and cheeks and only once a week, that's 52 short shaves per year, a blade would probably last a year even without stropping, I just strop it every once in a while, maybe once a month or so, I don't wait for it to feel unsharp or anything. I haven't changed a blade in a looong time, will it last forever?, ... Maybe.

There have been times in my life when I did not have a beard (I first grew one at 18 in 1970), shaved it off for military service in 1975, then when I got married in 1978 and then when my daughter (at age 5 in 1990 or 1991) told me that she wanted to see me without a beard, there may be some other times but I don't remember, what I remember from those days is that it was painful, I did try a bunch of razors and electric shavers, best was probably as I have mentioned the Track II, I haven't tried anything new for about 15 years.

Luis

 

[UnknownVT]

Tough questions, I only shave my neck and cheeks and only once a week, that's 52 short shaves per year, a blade would probably last a year even without stropping, I just strop it every once in a while, maybe once a month or so, I don't wait for it to feel unsharp or anything. I haven't changed a blade in a looong time, will it last forever?, ... Maybe.

I find that the 3-bladed Mach3 Turbo cartridges last me over about 100 shaves. I change the cartridge - just because I think it's time (the wear indicator has long been passed) - often with a brand new cartridge I don't think there's an improvement/difference in my shave. I really don't know how long a cartridge will last - ie: until I feel the shave deteriorate. Often other things on the cartridge will have worn out like the leading micro-fins will have lifted or cracked.

With the 2-blade Gillette Sensor Excel I think is was something less than 100 shaves and I thought I could feel the shave deteriorate - on a change of cartridge I actually felt the blades were "too sharp" - and it took me a few shaves before the blades settled. So I was kind of reluctant to change both out of "cheapness", and the initial slight discomfort of having "too sharp" blades - if that makes any sense.

Don't know how I can strop or bring back the edge of multi-blade cartridges.

But 100 shaves at $2 a piece for the Mach3 Turbo is pretty cheap - that's the only reason I can say the razor companies don't make that much money off me

I did try a bunch of razors and electric shavers, best was probably as I have mentioned the Track II, I haven't tried anything new for about 15 years.

That's actually very interesting the Trac II was one of the better early 2-bladed razors, as evidenced by the number of people who still use them.

I actually enjoy wet shaving when I need to shave - so am willing to try anything that seems interesting to me - and by trying and comparing I have found it beneficial without too much expenditure.

I have found replaceable multi-blade cartridge systems definitely better than any of the disposable razors (including multi-blade) I've tried - it probably has things to do with weight and balance - but I felt the disposable heads/blades themselves just didn't do as good a job and neither were they comfortable - so, for me they are shaves if nothing else was available - why shave with something I don't like (even if it is imagined bias) when I can shave with something I really like?

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[UnknownVT]

As mentioned I probably get about 100 shaves out of a single Mach3 Turbo cartridge.

They start off straight away pretty comfortable but seem to reach their "optimum" level (for me) after about 10-12 shaves, and kind of stay that way - I have to confess I am not very conscious of much variation from that point on until I replace the cartridge.

I replace the cartridge when I think it's about time - and these days it is not often when I think the blades have lost their edge/sharpness - but for other reasons -

like the comfort strip disintegrating, shown in the "Very Used" Mach3 Turbo.

At the optimum level the so-called wear indicator on the Mach3 Turbo is starting to show "wear" and seems to begin to show the cartridge requires replacement - but for me the blades have only just settled in, and I'm likely to get 80+ more shaves from the cartridge - and it gets replaced when other things break-down - like the comfort strip, and in the case of the very used Sensor Excel those leading micro-fins are starting to fall apart.

This Sensor Excel cartridge is an old one I found - I do not recall the count - but it was probably less than 100 shaves - also with the Sensor Excel I do remember changing the cartridge when I thought the blades felt less sharp.....
whereas with the Mach3 Turbo I've not felt that...... but have been forced to change because of other breakdowns...

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[UnknownVT]

While shaving this morning - a thought occured to me about the non-clearing of foam using the Fusion (Power) and some of the other input about the Fusion clogging......

My normal foam is actually an Edge type gel - a thick/dense gel that requires working/rubbing to get the foam - and even then the resulting foam feels thick/dense.

I tried a Barbasol GEL (brand famous for their foam in a can) with aloe - this gel was very much lighter/less dense and foamed much more quickly and its resulting foam was much lighter and fluffier.

For my shave with the Gillette Mach3 Turbo - the foam felt too light and insubstantial - I didn't like it and am taking the can back.

However, I thought with the much closer spaced 5-bladed Fusion this might allow the shavings to pass between the blade gaps more easily, so that the foam is cleared more easily, and maybe with less chance of clogging?

Perhaps with hindsight I should have tried the Fusion with this lighter foam
- but that would be just for curiosity -
I doubt if it would improve my shave -
as the lighter foam would give me less confidence of a more comfortable shave (thicker gel foams give that cushioning/buffering effect for me).

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[UnknownVT]

This morning's shave with my manual Gillette Mach3 Turbo yielded a somewhat unique "opportunity" (read: problem )

This razor cartridge is just a few short of the expected number of shaves for me - and shortly into the shave this morning the comfort strip came off.

I attempted to carry on without the strip in place - but the shave definitely felt different - the blades sort of felt more "cutting" and the overall feeling was that the shaving wasn't as smooth.

With some thought, this stands to reason - as the overall angles of the blades change without the comfort strip.

So I pushed the strip back in - and confirmed that the shave was smoother - close to how I remembered from my previous shave.

Of course as soon as I rinsed the blades by swishing the razor in the basin of water - the strip fell off, and had to be pushed back in.

This of course was not very convenient - but I was near the end of my shave - so managed without too much hassle.

So once again I have found other parts of the razor fail before the blades wear out for me - and I average about 100 shaves per cartridge.

I just had a thought, perhaps I'll super-glue the strip back in and see how many more shaves over my expected 100 I can get - rather than just change out the cartridge......

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[UnknownVT]

perhaps I'll super-glue the strip back in and see how many more shaves over my expected 100 I can get - rather than just change out the cartridge......

This worn out Mach3 Turbo cartridge failed differently to the previous - and there was a possibility of super-gluing the comfort strip back.

I did this just to see if the shave was as good - care had to be taken not to get glue on the upper surface - which was hard - I had to wipe excess off.

The first shave after glue back felt not as smooth as I remembered - but the next shave felt OK.

It was then about when I would normally change out the cartridge - I did so after shaving half with the old (glue-back) cartridge and half with a brand new cartridge.

Normally I find a brand new cartridge takes a few shaves to get to optimum comfort for me - but in this half-half comparison - the brand new felt sharper and smoother - which tells me that the old repaired cartridge was not worth persisting with - even though it could still shave fine - I probably have got close to 100 (+/- 5%?) shaves out of the old cartridge anyway....

A few more shaves on the brand new cartridge, and it is now "broken in" and pretty smooth.

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[kresky]

I've often wondered: When they introduce a new line of razors, do they temporarily bump up the quality of the metal in the blades? It's not that I have any reason to suspect that they do, I've never done a scientific test, but it would make sense.
Then they could gradually reduce the quality (and hence cost) over a few years after a lot have people have already switched to the new system. A few years later, they introduce a new system, which this time has higher quality blades again, so it seems to work better.
It would actually be kind of difficult to determine whether or not they were doing this. You'd have to get a set of blades of each system, made at different times, and keep them around for a long time so that you could do a head to head comparison.

 

[UnknownVT]

I've often wondered: When they introduce a new line of razors, do they temporarily bump up the quality of the metal in the blades? It's not that I have any reason to suspect that they do, I've never done a scientific test, but it would make sense.

Don't know - I think on the scale of manufacturing it probably doesn't happen.

But I do remember this is an old rumor - eg: back in the days of the Schick Injector system - it was rumored that the initial blades that came with the razor kit lasted a long time - so people would have a good impression of the system - then the refills would not last as long.

This rumor persisted enough that I have read at least one "strategy" of buying only the starter kits and using only those blades - as the blades are supposed to last longer, and it was cheaper than buying refills.......

I used to use the Schick Injector system and had never noticed that the blades in the starter kit lasted any longer than the refills.....

But I suspect there is at least one person in this world who may have an attic full of Schick Injector razor handles......

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[UnknownVT]

time to wake up this old thread......

Whilst shopping for razor cartridges for my Gillette Mach 3 Turbo -
and finding they are now really expensive -

I came across a Personna Matrix3 which was cheap at under $4 for razor with 3 triple-bladed cartridges at WalMart -

This looked tempting because of the low price - the refill cartridges were low priced too at under $4 for 4 - I am pretty sure I've seen it re-badged as Rite-Aid too.

These are made by American Safety Razor Co who have the Personna website.

But this is not my story...

On looking further I spotted some Personna Tri-Flexxx cartridges that were also triple bladed - but claim to be compatible with all Gillette Sensor handles (whereas the Matrix3 were not compatible with any other razors)
- and the price was even lower at about $3.50 for 4 - so I thought I'd give these a try since I have several Gillette Sensor Excels -

That head has had 2 shaves - well...
actually one and a half shaves

First was a full shave - and the blades felt a bit rough/grabby - but I often complain that new blades feel "too sharp" to me - but this was definitely less smooth than my usual Gillette Mach 3 Turbo shave -
it may be on par with (or perhaps a bit less comfortable than) the Gillette Sensor Excel - which I used to think was excellent - but not as good as the Mach 3 Turbo (note: I do not like the plain Mach 3 and prefer the Sensor Excel over that)

So today I shaved half my face with the Tri-Flexxx on Sensor handle and the other half with my usual Gillette Mach 3 Turbo - Mach 3 Turbo won quite convincingly -

BUT toward the end of my shave with the Tri-Flexxx I discovered I thought could make it about as comfortable as the Mach 3 Turbo - by holding the razor slightly differently - with the head flatter on the face -
almost as if the leading blue matrix strip and the trailing lubricating strip were flat against my face - that was a revelation - if that really was the case then maybe I may have found a "bargain"?

But some caveats -
I have to confirm my shave findings,
Tri-Flexxx blades may not last as long as the Gillette Mach 3 Turbo (I get about 100 shaves),
also the strips on the Tri-Flexxx may not be well attached I noticed that the lubricating strip (toward the top left in photo) appears to be already lifting a little.

Still it's an interesting find for me.

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[UnknownVT]

Personna Tri-Flexxx cartridges that were also triple bladed - but claim to be compatible with all Gillette Sensor handles
BUT toward the end of my shave with the Tri-Flexxx I discovered I thought could make it about as comfortable as the Mach 3 Turbo - by holding the razor slightly differently - with the head flatter on the face -
almost as if the leading blue matrix strip and the trailing lubricating strip were flat against my face - that was a revelation - if that really was the case then maybe I may have found a "bargain"?
But some caveats -
I have to confirm my shave findings,

Did another side-by-side comparison shave with the Tri-Flexxx head on the Gillette Sensor Excel handle and the Gillette Mach3 Turbo. This time I changed sides (Tri-Flexxx on left - slightly more awkward for me).

Managed to get the better shaving comfort by holding the cartridge flatter to my face - kind of using it more like the Mach3 Turbo - somewhat likened to using a paint-pad.

The Gillette Mach3 Turbo was still noticably better for me - but this different technique using the Tri-Flexxx cartridge definitely improved over my previous shaves and may well be on par with the Sensor Excel which used to be my best shave before the Mach3 Turbo - so that's pretty impressive.

The reason the different paint-pad like technique improved the shave I think is why Gillette made a big deal over "improving" the handle design at the introduction of the Mach3 - which they claimed to improve the shave angle - reviews back then also said the shaving with the Mach3 was like using a paint-pad.

As can be seen in this comparison photo - there is quite a significant/noticable change in the angle relative to the handle -

The Mach3 Turbo head simply being wider - is more condusive to the paint-pad type contact -
whereas the narrower Tri-Flexxx head tends to press on the leading "matrix" strip - and it takes a bit of conscious effort to keep the lubricating strip in contact.

I do like the Tri-Flexxx cartridges - but not enough to replace my Mach3 Turbo even when they are significantly cheaper to purchase initially (caveat - I have not determined if the Tri-Flexxx cartridges last long enough, and if they would be economically any better than Mach3 Turbo)

So for me it's back to the Mach3 Turbo for now -
but maybe I might try the Personna Matrix3 .....

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