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Anyone use Bic cartridges?

I just tried the Bic FLEX 5 which is the most advanced and expensive BIC model.
  • Cost: Still much cheaper than a fusion, Mach 3, or hydro refill. 7EUR for a pack of 5 cartridges.
  • Performance: Honestly, I was surprised. On par with an expensive fusion proglide. Extremely smooth & close shave.
The only downside is the downside I find with all 5 blade cartridges.
But this is purely subjective as it depends on the face of the user!
And that downside is the size of the cartridge (too wide!) which makes shaving on the upper lip less good.

But I believe the FLEX 5 is the cheapest top quality cartridge on the market (by the way, BIC doesn't sell the cartridges alone, it's always the handle and 5 cartridges pack). If you don't want to spend for a fusion proglide or hydro 5, get this!

Personally I will stick to 3 blade cartridges in the future, due to the smaller size.
But altogether I'm impressed by BIC!
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But I believe the FLEX 5 is the cheapest top quality cartridge on the market (by the way, BIC doesn't sell the cartridges alone, it's always the handle and 5 cartridges pack). If you don't want to spend for a fusion proglide or hydro 5, get this!

Personally I will stick to 3 blade cartridges in the future, due to the smaller size.
But altogether I'm impressed by BIC!

BIC's online catalogue lists two refill packs for the Flex 5 Hybrid blades - 2 carts is Euro code 961702, and 4 carts is Euro code 944729.

The handle and 2 carts pack is Euro code 961701, the handle and 4 carts pack is Euro code 961703 - it also lists a handle and 6 carts pack as Euro code 968694.

The availability of these products is another matter, I've only found the handle plus 4 carts, although I have seen the refills advertised on a few North American websites.

I haven't seen the handle plus 5 carts offering.

If you like 3 blades, it's very easy to remove the heads off Flex 3 disposables and mount them on the Flex 5 Hybrid handle - or the original Shave Club handle.

 
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Doug - I'm reliably advised that Amazon stock is from BIC UK - that begs the obvious question, why is it not retailed through the same "High Street" sources as other BIC products like Flex 3 and 4 ?

The amazon offer is £7.99 - then there is a delivery charge of £4.99, unless you order over £20 worth of goods, or arean Amazon Prime customer.

£12.98 is hardly an attractive deal for a punter wanting simply to order the Flex 5 Hybrid.
 
I just tried the Bic FLEX 5 which is the most advanced and expensive BIC model.
  • Cost: Still much cheaper than a fusion, Mach 3, or hydro refill. 7EUR for a pack of 5 cartridges.
  • Performance: Honestly, I was surprised. On par with an expensive fusion proglide. Extremely smooth & close shave.
The only downside is the downside I find with all 5 blade cartridges.
But this is purely subjective as it depends on the face of the user!
And that downside is the size of the cartridge (too wide!) which makes shaving on the upper lip less good.

But I believe the FLEX 5 is the cheapest top quality cartridge on the market (by the way, BIC doesn't sell the cartridges alone, it's always the handle and 5 cartridges pack). If you don't want to spend for a fusion proglide or hydro 5, get this!

Personally I will stick to 3 blade cartridges in the future, due to the smaller size.
But altogether I'm impressed by BIC!
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i must say you're absolutely right. i have used the best (for me) high end carts (hydro 5...dorco... etc)but a week ago i found the hybrid 5 in a local supermarket. WELL i am stunned. the shave is fantastic , 2 passes and touch ups and BBS!! And for a fracction of the cost of the overpriced, SJW Gillettes.
 
Doug - I'm reliably advised that Amazon stock is from BIC UK - that begs the obvious question, why is it not retailed through the same "High Street" sources as other BIC products like Flex 3 and 4 ?

The amazon offer is £7.99 - then there is a delivery charge of £4.99, unless you order over £20 worth of goods, or arean Amazon Prime customer.

£12.98 is hardly an attractive deal for a punter wanting simply to order the Flex 5 Hybrid.
I agree. I just happened to order extra carts when I ordered my Flex5. It's unfortunate that the carts aren't available locally without the handle, or I'd stay with it.
 
I suppose when all else fails I could liberate the heads from the Flex 5 disposables which can be found retail in the UK.
The downside of that is the bunch of redundant handles contributing to the plastic mountain
 
After experimenting with the Flex5 for an extended period, I went back to the Mach 3 for a bit and was surprised at how horrible I found it to be: dull, draggy, and irritating. This surprised the heck out of me, because the Mach 3 has always been one of my favorite cartridges and a reliable performer for me, but the Flex5 blows it away. I've never had any other cartridge razor deliver an irritation-free BBS in two passes, even on the weird spots on my neck. I still plan to try out the Flex2 at some point, but I'm fairly sure that the Flex5 is going to be my go-to shaver for quite a while, even if I have to order replacement carts from Amazon (no hatred, just prefer to buy things locally when possible).
 
My Walgreens has had these Bic on sale for ever at 1/2 price and they can't sell them.... I bought one, then read horror stories and returned it...
 

EclipseRedRing

I smell like a Christmas pudding
I have tried quite a few Bic razors and my favourite, by a long long way, is the Bic Metal single blade. Can be difficult to obtain and they need a bit of practice. If I have them then I use these as my travel razor but if not then the cheap single blade orange Bic is my second choice, but these are far inferior in my view.
 
DougK - are you UK based ?

I got a pack of Flex5 disposables in a larger branch of Boots (again on half price) for £3 - easy to remove the carts and use them with the Flex5 Hybrid handle which is much superior in my opinion.


Still on offer it seems - you need to check stock in store via the Find In Store link, only select branches have it.

I hear that some Asda stores also stock it.

The Flex 5 Hybrid still only via Amazon or Ebay - apparently BIC have no plans to market it anytime soon, it at all, through "normal" retailers who sell the other razors in the BIC range.
 
DougK - are you UK based ?

I got a pack of Flex5 disposables in a larger branch of Boots (again on half price) for £3 - easy to remove the carts and use them with the Flex5 Hybrid handle which is much superior in my opinion.


Still on offer it seems - you need to check stock in store via the Find In Store link, only select branches have it.

I hear that some Asda stores also stock it.

The Flex 5 Hybrid still only via Amazon or Ebay - apparently BIC have no plans to market it anytime soon, it at all, through "normal" retailers who sell the other razors in the BIC range.
I'm in the US. I can always get the carts on Amazon, but it would be nice to get them without the handle locally.
 
After experimenting with the Flex5 for an extended period, I went back to the Mach 3 for a bit and was surprised at how horrible I found it to be: dull, draggy, and irritating. This surprised the heck out of me, because the Mach 3 has always been one of my favorite cartridges and a reliable performer for me, but the Flex5 blows it away. I've never had any other cartridge razor deliver an irritation-free BBS in two passes, even on the weird spots on my neck. I still plan to try out the Flex2 at some point, but I'm fairly sure that the Flex5 is going to be my go-to shaver for quite a while, even if I have to order replacement carts from Amazon (no hatred, just prefer to buy things locally when possible).

I've been experimenting with the Mach 3 recently too, with the regular/classic cartridges, and that was my perception. Draggy and irritating.

The Mach 3 Sensitive seems skin-friendlier but doesn't cut as close.

I'm convinced the benefits of 3 blades vs. 2 blades is a dubious tradeoff between a closer shave and more skin irritation. I really think Gillette should have invested more into improving the basics of how their carts work, as well as ways of cutting costs to keep the prices lower. Instead they tried to beat Shick in a stupid posturing contest in the early 2000's, to the point they've made a razor that has to have a single blade on the back to be usable.
 
I've been experimenting with the Mach 3 recently too, with the regular/classic cartridges, and that was my perception. Draggy and irritating.

The Mach 3 Sensitive seems skin-friendlier but doesn't cut as close.

I'm convinced the benefits of 3 blades vs. 2 blades is a dubious tradeoff between a closer shave and more skin irritation. I really think Gillette should have invested more into improving the basics of how their carts work, as well as ways of cutting costs to keep the prices lower. Instead they tried to beat Shick in a stupid posturing contest in the early 2000's, to the point they've made a razor that has to have a single blade on the back to be usable.
At first I thought I'd just run into a bad cartridge, but the next couple out of the pack were the same, so I binned the lot of them. I think it's a testament to Bic that they really can make a great razor as well as serviceable disposables. I certainly like the price as compared to Gillette, and since I don't see myself returning to DE shaving on a regular basis, it's good to know there are alternatives that don't break the bank.
 
I'm not having the best of luck with the Bic Hybrid 2. It just doesn't seem to be shaving as close as a Sensor. I suspect it's more sensitive to handle angle and pressure, than Gillette's twin blade cartridge.

With this style of razor, I need to really call it quits after 2 passes. I did a three pass shave and it was somewhat irritating after the shave and took off too much skin. Not bad razor burn but my face felt weathered.

BTW, I will never complain about Amazon's Sensor cartridge prices again. I looked at Target today and they wanted 27 dollars for ten cartridges.
 
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