Assimilated By Gillette Of Borg
So I finally gave in. I used to use the Gillette Trac II. They came out with the Sensor. I resisted briefly, then bought it and found it was vastly superior.
The Mach 3 came out. I resisted. Really didn’t see the point and chose to ignore all the raves.
Last year I saw they had 3-bladed refills for the Sensor. Not much more, so I tried them. Wow! Big improvement, even without buying the new system. Been using them ever since.
Last week I found the price of those cartridges was higher than the Mach 3 cartridges. Both of which are absurdly overpriced, by the way, thank you Gillette. I finally caved. It was only $7 for the system, which after all isn’t the latest anymore now that they have the moving blade version. That came with a couple cartridges, which makes the handle almost free. I also got refills then and there.
I’ve now used it a couple times.
Wow.
Just wow.
There really is a difference. The previous models seem to have just been amateurs. It glides as if it’s doing nothing, cuts effortlessly, and easily leaves a smoother, more obviously shaven result than the others. I have yet to see how the blades stand up to my being cheap money-conscious enough to use each one for more shaves than Gillette probably had in mind, but I doubt that will be a problem.
Go figure. A new and improved that really is.
UPDATE: Added to today’s Beltway Traffic Jam.
Interesting, have not read any shave-blogging before!
Your shaving evolution closely follows mine. I used to use the Trac-II, the Atra*, then the Sensor (first without, then with the lube strip) and now, because my local grocery store doesn’t carry the Sensor Excel refills, I’ve been using the three-blade Sensor. (though the Sensor Excel refills are available thru the store’s online shopping)
Online, the price for the 4- and 8-count Sensor 3 refills are .20 & .50 less, respectively, than the Mach 3 same-count refills. Where are YOU shopping?
But I am not liking the Sensor3; shaves close enough, but it irritates (I don’t use any after-shave).
Another question: What cream/foam/gel do you use?
I have been using Gilette Ultra Comfort Gel.*full disclosure… between the Trac-II and the Atra, I was in the Navy and used disposable Bics without any shave cream, just hot water. OUCH!
Posted by Rob@L&R on 01/26 at 12:14 PMThis was at Super Wal-Mart that the price was flipped.
I also had used the Excel version of the Sensor blades.
I use the Gillette Foamy lime flavor, which has a smell that doesn’t make me too sick and seems to be reliably better for the shave than others, though the only other I can recall trying at all recently is Barbasol.
I went through a water-only phase and eventually abandoned it. It’s more of a “can be done in a pinch” thing. What I found interesting is in the building where I have my office the bathrooms have some kind of pink liquid soap in wall dispensers. If I ended up crashing at the office for a night, I could dampen my face, lather up some of that with water and apply the result, then shave using a disposable and be perfectly happy with the outcome. Plus the soap smells good. Generally disposables are awful, but it seems like the lathered hand soap makes such a good shaving formula that it significantly counters that.
Posted by Jay on 01/26 at 01:22 PMthe battery powered one is the best
Posted by on 01/26 at 03:16 PMLiquid soap…
I tried it in an emergency once and that’s when I figured out shaving cream was basically foamy soap. Yes… a ‘duh’ moment, but quite the epiphany for me.
Now I use liquid soap as sort of an ‘undercoating’ before I slap on the gel.
Washes the face before shaving and provides extra lube to re-do areas after most of the foam has been shaved away.
And, unless that vibrating razor can let me go a good two weeks between shaves, I don’t see myself paying almost 3 dollars per cartridge.
Posted by Rob@L&R on 01/26 at 04:23 PMJay & Rob: Don’t stop now! I was really getting into the story...Z
Posted by ZuDfunck's Sampler on 01/26 at 07:33 PMActually, you can use the regular MachIII blades with the Power handle. It’s a noticeable improvement and they practically give away the “system” on occasion. I’ve been using it for months on the same (included) AAA battery.
Posted by James Joyner on 01/26 at 07:34 PMJay,
Interestingly enough, I tried out the Mach III when I started shaving my head. It is TOTALLY not angled for head-shaving…
I can’t tell any difference between the Mach III triple blade and the Sensor Excel double blade on my face. So I get the Excel gazillion pack at Sam’s once a year…
Posted by Jay G on 01/27 at 01:24 PMWell, I’ll keep all this in mind, in the unlikely event that I ever shave again.
Beardedly yours,
Paul
Posted by Paul Burgess on 01/28 at 09:06 AM
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