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Been shaving with Mach 3 over a decade, but can never buy Gillette after their commercial

I've been at it about a week. Shaving with the DE takes a lot longer than the standard mach 3, and I sometimes get nicks and cuts that I would not get.

I guess another option is buying mach 3 cartridges off of ebay, that's really no different than buying a 1960s safety razor second hand off of ebay which is what I did.



I'll have to take a look the next time I'm in the area, but really I already have everything I need, creams, razor, brush, but I guess I will have to get refills on blades and more soap eventually.

I don't really understand the point of the numbers on the safety razor. What is the advantage of changing the settings? I've googled and have not really found anything, someone suggested to start on the lower settings, so that's what I've been doing. I'll upload a file of the photo from my phone
I saw the Gillette ad and did not understand all the hype. What about that ad is making you boycott Gillette? I am upset about all the ads that completely lie to us, such as the famous Gillette ad when they introduced the twin blade. They were forced to change those ads since it is and was a lie, but yet their multi blade razors are the best selling in the world even though they are not as good as a regular single blade razor. Still Gillette is one of the patent holders on the double edged razor and many of the companies you are switching to are tied to Gillette. It is hard to avoid the corporate web since any smart company will invest in their competition. Like GM buying parts of different Japanese and European car companies. It is hard to avoid the industry leaders.
 
I remember the commercial was the "best a man can be" campaign. I think it's good for everyone to assess how they can do better, and I know it's something we all do on a regular basis in our own way. I think that was Gillette's intended message. I can't remember if there we any scenes in particular that were controversial, I was busy doing other things at the time.
 
what is the most similar? I get an incredible shave from Mach 3 and still have about a years supply of cartridges

I think I tried the Schick stick 3 aqua some years ago and it was very similar to a Mach 3, is that my best bet?

I’m tempted to go to a straight razor but would probably turn my face into a bloody mess learning how to use it

I know what you meant. The whole reason I decided to switch to de shaving was to boycott Gillette and all the brands owned by proctor and gamble. I was happy to find out most Gillette classic products are only in name and not actually owned or operated by P&G or their subsidiaries. The only exception I believe is "the art of shaving" products which are owned by P&G.

Just did my first shave with a de razor yesterday and it went great. Much easier than I thought it would be!
 
what is the most similar? I get an incredible shave from Mach 3 and still have about a years supply of cartridges
If you get a great shave from your Mach 3 and have a year's supply, why change unless you are tired of paying the premium charged for cartridges?
I'm guessing here that many of us on B&B end up spending much more on multiple DE, SE, shavettes, and straight edge razors, not to mention dozens of brushes, creams, and soaps then we would spend on cartridges. :) Why do I have two dozen vintage Gillettes, half a dozen Merkurs, an Above-the-Tie, and a Feather SS?
I'll suggest that the greatest benefit a 'modern' shaver can gain is by buying a good $10 synthetic brush and a cake of shaving soap to get a good hot lathered shave. A $2 cake of Williams in an old coffee mug will do just fine. Do I take my own advice? No :D except for the Williams in a mug. :)
shaving mug.JPG
 
Just did my first shave with a de razor yesterday and it went great. Much easier than I thought it would be!
I agree; the learning curve between a cartridge razor and a DE is small compared to going from a safety razor to a straight. Tho' I have to admit when I'm in the shower and shave the back of my neck, I use one of my wife's cheap plastic disposables. It just feels safer... AND it reminds me that multiple blade razors clog. ;)
 
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I have some good quality cream from the art of shaving, sadly it’s made by Procter and gamble and a decent brush.

I’m not in a huge rush as I still have about a years supply of Mach 3 cartridges. But can certainly experiment now with other options as I use up the Mach 3s

Have any of you used clubman pinuad classic shave cream? It looks like standard barber shop cream from amazon
I'm on board with the Gillette/P & G boycott as well. Buying vintage Gillette razors doesn't put any money in their pockets, and there are blades aplenty made by other companies.

You can also pick up other shave creams from vendors mentioned here. My first "real" shave cream was Taylor of Old Bond Street (TOBS) Sandalwood, and I still love it. It doesn't require a lot of prep, in fact I think you could smear it on your face with your hand, rub it into your whiskers, and shave away.

One tip: Let whatever soap or cream you use soak into the bristles for 2-3 minutes before you apply the blade. Your face will thank you.
 
If you get a great shave from your Mach 3 and have a year's supply, why change unless you are tired of paying the premium charged for cartridges?

The other option is that I can just buy Mach 3 turbo cartridges off of eBay

I can make one cartridge last a really long time, so I may actually have 2 years supply of cartridges. I don’t really like the de but may just have to find a better setting
 
I saw the Gillette ad and did not understand all the hype. What about that ad is making you boycott Gillette? I am upset about all the ads that completely lie to us, such as the famous Gillette ad when they introduced the twin blade. They were forced to change those ads since it is and was a lie, but yet their multi blade razors are the best selling in the world even though they are not as good as a regular single blade razor. Still Gillette is one of the patent holders on the double edged razor and many of the companies you are switching to are tied to Gillette. It is hard to avoid the corporate web since any smart company will invest in their competition. Like GM buying parts of different Japanese and European car companies. It is hard to avoid the industry leaders.
Im with you on that one. I completely didnt understand the outrage about the ad but thats a different topic for a different thread.
 
The other option is that I can just buy Mach 3 turbo cartridges off of eBay

I can make one cartridge last a really long time, so I may actually have 2 years supply of cartridges. I don’t really like the de but may just have to find a better setting
Right. You might find this article helpful, For the closest shave, get naked—doctor's orders
One of the points they make, that I agree with is not shaving against the grain. Many here do that and it works for them, but it can cause ingrown hairs and irritation for some.

I don't understand the anti Gillette prejudice and don't find their anti bullying ad offensive in the least. You can pick up an old Super Speed or adjustable Slim very cheaply. Using a light touch and being careful to pull the razor 90 degrees to the alignment of the blade and you should be able to avoid cuts. You've got a year or two to transition to DE shaving, which, if you can avoid acquisition disorder :) IS much cheaper.
 
I dropped my deodorant (old spice swagger) dish soap (dawn) and several other P&G products in response to the ad.

The general message the ad preaches isn’t “buy our products they’re great” which is what an ad is supposed to do. Instead it preaches “all forms of traditional masculinity are either ‘toxic’ or close enough to be suspect”. By extension, men, boys, and the society that says it’s ok to be masculine are all on notice that we need to change.

These ads are carefully and meticulously crafted, frame by frame. Nothing is accidental or incidental, no detail overlooked or unimportant. They spent more money making this one ad than I make in a decade, and the team constructing it left no pebble unturned. - If they just wanted to have an anti bullying message, I would be with that, but almost none of the ad has anything to do with bullying.

I won’t be spending any of my money in support of a company that wastes that much cash preaching to me that I am an inherently bad person. If you want to advertise to me, tell me about what your PRODUCT can do better.
 
I dropped my deodorant (old spice swagger) dish soap (dawn) and several other P&G products in response to the ad.

The general message the ad preaches isn’t “buy our products they’re great” which is what an ad is supposed to do. Instead it preaches “all forms of traditional masculinity are either ‘toxic’ or close enough to be suspect”. By extension, men, boys, and the society that says it’s ok to be masculine are all on notice that we need to change.

These ads are carefully and meticulously crafted, frame by frame. Nothing is accidental or incidental, no detail overlooked or unimportant. They spent more money making this one ad than I make in a decade, and the team constructing it left no pebble unturned. - If they just wanted to have an anti bullying message, I would be with that, but almost none of the ad has anything to do with bullying.

I won’t be spending any of my money in support of a company that wastes that much cash preaching to me that I am an inherently bad person. If you want to advertise to me, tell me about what your PRODUCT can do better.
+10!!!
 
I'm seeing a lot of people switching after the commercial. What commercial is that? I dont really watch tv so I havent seen this commercial.
 
The general message the ad preaches isn’t “buy our products they’re great” which is what an ad is supposed to do. Instead it preaches “all forms of traditional masculinity are either ‘toxic’ or close enough to be suspect”. By extension, men, boys, and the society that says it’s ok to be masculine are all on notice that we need to change.

It does not say any such thing and it is utterly incomprehensible to me where anyone gets that interpretation from, unless they're going out of their way to look for a reason to be offended. What it does say is "Don't be an ******* to other people." There are a lot of guys growing up without actual moral authorities to tell them things like that.

The fact that I'm a middle aged white guy doesn't mean I identify with the guys shown in the ad, because I don't do the things they do, so there's no reason for me to be offended by it. If anyone watches it and says, "Hey, that reminds me of me, why are you attacking?", well, then...it might be a good idea to treat that experience as an educational opportunity.
 
I don’t understand why people are so against the add either.

All the add is saying is to be be an example for a better future. What’s so bad about that?
 
It does not say any such thing and it is utterly incomprehensible to me where anyone gets that interpretation from, unless they're going out of their way to look for a reason to be offended. What it does say is "Don't be an ******* to other people." There are a lot of guys growing up without actual moral authorities to tell them things like that.

The fact that I'm a middle aged white guy doesn't mean I identify with the guys shown in the ad, because I don't do the things they do, so there's no reason for me to be offended by it. If anyone watches it and says, "Hey, that reminds me of me, why are you attacking?", well, then...it might be a good idea to treat that experience as an educational opportunity.


Man goes to approach good looking girl. Likely he'll say something like "Hi"
- Immediately stopped with "Not cool"

Boys roughhousing on the ground. By no means is it clear one is 'bullying' the other
- line of mindless lemming drones "Boys will be boys"

I could go on, but I won't. This isn't an ad, it's a social message. It's preachy and condescending and they've lost my business. If you don't read it that way, cool. You're plenty free to spend your cash wherever you like.
 
Man goes to approach good looking girl. Likely he'll say something like "Hi"
- Immediately stopped with "Not cool"

Not likely at all. His reaction at seeing her made it pretty clear that he was going to say or do something unnecessarily lecherous to a woman who very obviously was not at all interested in hearing from him or anybody else at that moment. I'd say it's also likely that his friend knows him well enough to know what would have happened.

Boys roughhousing on the ground. By no means is it clear one is 'bullying' the other
- line of mindless lemming drones "Boys will be boys"

If you can't see how obvious it is that the boy on the ground was not okay with what was happening, then you probably should have looked a little harder.

I mean, honestly, you are genuinely not seeing this?

I could go on, but I won't. This isn't an ad, it's a social message. It's preachy and condescending and they've lost my business. If you don't read it that way, cool. You're plenty free to spend your cash wherever you like.

Yeah, it's a social message. Yeah, it's preachy. So what? There are a lot of young guys out there that would benefit some from being preached to. That aside, I haven't bought a new Gillette razor product since (I think) 2009. If they're depending on me to keep them in business, they're in trouble. But I can't work up any offense at guys getting called out for inappropriate behavior. I am a bit curious how so many people seem to not be fully aware as to what clearly inappropriate behavior is.
 
I watched it and completely agree with it. It doesnt tear men down. It says you shouldnt treat women like a piece of meat. You shouldnt treat others like crap. It is a good message. I really dont understand why people are against it.
 
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