Best Cart Razor?

[Shutterbug57]

Until I started traditional (DE/str8) shaving this year, I used the Fusion since they sent me the first one in the mail free when they first came out. When the blades were new, they shaved pretty well. When the blades were worn out, they shaved pretty comfortably, just not all that well.

I never have had the ingrown hair/bumps issue with any shaving system, so that was not an issue for me. I am cheap, so I want to get as much use out of a cart as I can. While I got pretty good shaves for the first week of a cart, they were expensive, so I would use one for 2-3 months. The quality of the shave would degrade, but I would keep a cart until it drew blood.

As to the closeness of shave, however, even when new, the carts do not get as close as a DE or str8 properly used. Some of this could be technique as I did not make a 3 pass shave with a cart. Some of this is chalked up to using carts far too long.

My DE shaves are much better than my cart shaves. A new cart shave feels like the evening of a DE shave. An old cart shave feels like the next morning after a DE shave. The cart shaves were close enough to pass the clean shaven look test, but the DE methods pass the clean shaven look & feel test. Either works well enough that you will not get fired or tossed out at the club, but for me, it just gives me a lift to start my day properly shaven. You either get that feeling or you don't. Only if you do is traditional shaving worth the extra time. Otherwise pass the goop and a cart and let's make this shave quick. Hopefully one day my str8 technique will get to where my DE technique is.

 

[Mercer]

Another vote for the Guard, the blades are long lasting, and you can get a good close shave in many different conditions. Gillette's best invention since the DE.

 

[Cagliostro]

Mines a preference really...I like the Mach 3...fairly fair in price and it works well.

 

[JM]

I just bought a Personna M5 and really like it. It could be the old school products or better shave technique but it really shaves well. I'm not assumed to say this cart razor is going in the rotation.

I'm still using the M5 and jean stropping the cart with great results.

 

[bladebuff]

Gillette Mach III Turbo - I buy them at Costco for just a smidge over $2.00 per cartridge. I have used just about every single cartridge on the market over the years I have been shaving with the Fusion finally pushing me over the edge and back to a DE Safety razor in 2008. Since that time, with all that I have absorbed in the wet shaving world I have concluded that for me the Mach III just plain works.

I still love to pull out my beloved DE's but it's become a rarer occassion as of late.

 

[Kilroy6644]

Mach 3 for me. I have a ProGlide, Sensor, and a Guard, and they all give me good shaves, but not as good as the Mach 3. It beats every other razor I have. My DEs made shaving fun, and are saving me some money, but they don't get as close

 

[ShinyRex]

I don't know about the "best," but the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power gives me GREAT shaves, every time (as long as the cartridge is new). I imagine Gillette spent some time and money developing it. They probably even intended for it to be good razor, not just a good marketing tool.

This is also my favorite. I usually got a week out of one but the 4th and 5th shaves were a little iffy and the price is steep per blade.

 

[JM]

Last night I bought a Schick Hydro 5 from the dollar store. It was very mild. I did a three pass shave and it was alright but doesn't shave like the M5. The handle is nicely weighted. All in all it was worth the money I spent just to try it.

 

[LarryDarrell]

Schick Quattro Titanium is the best cart I've used. I'll probably pick up some of the disposable version for travel.

 

[TAZORAC]

I'm a CART EXPERT, Schick Hydro and Gillette Fusion are above the rest of the class.

 

[JM]

I didn't realize how much the Schick Hydro replacement carts are I think I'll stick to the M5. I get 4 replacements for $5 bucks.

 

[mikey]

Gillette Sensor Excel.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[gus1942]

Gillette guard.

I guess I am just a single blade guy.

Of the multibladed carts I have the best memories of the Gillette Sensor, Wilkinson Protector and Wilkinson/Schick FX. (all twin blades) but it's too long ago since I used them and my knowledge and skills have improved too much over the past year to make a fair comparison to the stuff I use now. I can imagine I can have daily irritation free shaves with some of them now.

+1

 

[Watasha]

Sensor Excel or Atra. I have a mint cased Trac II that I've never used, so I can't comment on that one yet.

 

[Try em all]

+1

Gillette guard.

I guess I am just a single blade guy.

.

 

[Try em all]

Also Sensor & Wilkinson Bonded. Presently using M3, but not happy...

 

[linty1]

Hello, Mach 3 over here, use it when I know I will be away for a few days and won't be able to shave and need that really close, under the skin shave (is that how you say it?). I find the experience goes way up if you prep/lather well.

 

[EccentricRuss]

Trac II allows me to adjust the angle and pressure without a spring, pivot or vibrator trying to "correct" my attempts.

 

[Fatestorm]

The Mach 3 is, truly, not a bad shave for me. It did give me ingrown hairs if I went over the same spot a ton--and for me, that meant usually my lips and mouth. I used it mostly as a teenager and in college though, so there always seemed to be a bunch of what I call 'teenage grease' around my face no matter how I washed, so it may not have been entirely the M3's fault.

I bow to the community's superior experience with safety razors and straights. But remember that modern carts are almost impossible to cut yourself with. That is a big deal to me. It's pretty remarkable that we've figured out a way, completely independent of technique (think of a green teenager cutting off his first peach fuzz! No technique!), to drag three razor sharp blades across your face with virtual certainty of no blood and minimal irritation (depending, of course, on skin and prep).

We gentlemen are committed to the Platonic form of shaving--and that means, above all, technique. I'm not attacking good technique at all. In the end it will always be necessary for a good shave. But, for the sort of thing a cart is, it's still pretty impressive.

 

[stvsctt]

I like the mach 3, i have had 20 one pass with the grain shaves with same cart, running cart down leg of jeans 20 times each direction, don't know if this is making any difference, proglide is great but the blades are too expensive, i get good shaves from very cheap personna twin blade carts similar to gillette trac II, very cheap in uk £3.48 from asda, you get a handle and 20 carts.