Sorry?The consensus in Europe is that the classic BIC single blade or twin blade is the reference.
And what they did after (BIC flex, etc) is less good.
Sorry?The consensus in Europe is that the classic BIC single blade or twin blade is the reference.
And what they did after (BIC flex, etc) is less good.
I can't find the Flex 5 disposables in Boots.
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.I just tried the Bic FLEX 5 which is the most advanced and expensive BIC model.
The only downside is the downside I find with all 5 blade cartridges.
- 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.
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!
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.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'm in the US. I can always get the carts on Amazon, but it would be nice to get them without the handle locally.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.
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).
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'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.