Bic Metal vs. Gillette Guard: - Single blade shootout.

[slybrewguy]

Looks like it might take a 20 guage needle as it is. Or it could be drilled wider. Might be possible to fill with cream or gel. Perhaps KMF is thin enough to go through a needle?

Could make a low profile travel kit. Would have to find some way to adjust the shave angle.

You could easily fill it as is using a pipette and oil, it may need a larger hole to use a syringe but I have blunt tip lab syringes I use at work so I'll see if one fits. The small 1ml syringes I have use a very small blunt tip "needle" and I think it will fit. I've got some extra proraso cream around, my go to, so I think I may just try to to refill it and see what happens. Cremo, Dr carvers, and the gillette proglide tube gel would all work great.

As far as the angle, while the Treo does require you to come at your face horizontally it does have almost the same range of pivot as the regular guard handle does so it's not as much getting used to the angles (it will pivot with you) as it is getting used to more of a "pushing" then "pulling" motion while shaving.

 

[Deltaboy]

I prefer Bic Metal for my travel pack when I have to go light.

 

[Try em all]

Perhaps 'Waterless by Venus' might make a better travel kit. There is more gel, and it seems to have a foam brush included. The shave angle seems better, & if its easier to refill, well, the carts are available online.

 

[slybrewguy]

Perhaps 'Waterless by Venus' might make a better travel kit. There is more gel, and it seems to have a foam brush included. The shave angle seems better, & if its easier to refill, well, the carts are available online.

Just for conversation sake here: If I were able to refill the Treo tube with something like proraso and bring a brush I would be able to get 2 days of shaves out of that volume of cream and that cartridge. If I didn't have a brush, or used something like cremo for example, I would only have enough to complete 1 shave.

 

[Try em all]

If I were able to refill the Treo tube with something like proraso and bring a brush I would be able to get 2 days of shaves out of that volume of cream and that cartridge. If I didn't have a brush, or used something like cremo for example, I would only have enough to complete 1 shave.

Interesting. The tube is that small?
I guess looking at images on screen can be misleading.
According to Gillette's blurb, Treo razors are designed to have their cartridge replaced after every shave.
How does Gillette expect caregivers to get more shaves out of it if the gel has run out by then?

 

[slybrewguy]

Interesting. The tube is that small?
I guess looking at images on screen can be misleading.
According to Gillette's blurb, Treo razors are designed to have their cartridge replaced after every shave.
How does Gillette expect caregivers to get more shaves out of it if the gel has run out by then?

Gillette expects the caregiver to replace the entire system after each shave. Basically the care giver administers the shave using the gel with no water for a single WTG pass then to rub in any remaining gel as an aftershave and finally dispose if the entire razor (including tube/handle) into a large sharps container and start with a new one every time. Very Noble cause but very wasteful overall product. By refilling it and putting a new cart on, this becomes an economical and practical travel solution (TSA friendly!).

 

[Try em all]

Gillette expects the caregiver to replace the entire system after each shave.

Yikes.
More landfill.

By refilling it and putting a new cart on, this becomes an economical and practical travel solution (TSA friendly!).

Sounds great for short trips.

 

[Try em all]

Basically the care giver administers the shave using the gel with no water for a single WTG pass then to rub in any remaining gel as an aftershave and finally dispose if the entire razor (including tube/handle) into a large sharps container and start with a new one every time.

What kind of shaving gel is in that system that it can be used for shaving and also doubles as an aftershave too?
Detergents in regular shaving gel make it impractical to leave it on the skin.
This Treo gel must be similar to hair gel.

 

[slybrewguy]

What kind of shaving gel is in that system that it can be used for shaving and also doubles as an aftershave too?
Detergents in regular shaving gel make it impractical to leave it on the skin.
This Treo gel must be similar to hair gel.

It actually is very similar to hair gel, just watered down. It sounds funny but it's consistency is very similar to water based lubricants used in medical exam rooms, it just has a faint scent to it. I don't mind brushless creams or even canned foams but I would not shave with this stuff.

 

[Try em all]

Shaving with KY jelly!

 

[slybrewguy]

Shaving with KY jelly!

Well I wasn't going to go there but... Yeah, that's pretty accurate actually haha.

 

[FarmerTan]

Back in the early 80's when I first started in the industry I did a hair style using KY for a hair gel to make the model's long hair resemble a hat. Fun times.

 

[sgarnett]

Van Der Hagen Shave Butter can be left on. The labels suggests just rubbing in what's left after the shave. I sometimes get just a little burn from it sometimes when applying for the third pass, but it goes away quickly, and rubbing the rest in afterward does work fairly well. I wish they would leave out the titanium dioxide though - that is the pigment used in most modern white paint. I don't really need need a coat of white paint after shaving ....

 

[sgarnett]

Besides finding the angle and keeping the pressure LIGHT, the other trick to using the Bic is to go slow. It is quite springy, and going too fast will cause chatter and bites. Long slow, light strokes work much better than short quick strokes.

 

[been around]

Someone needs to make a good double edge disposable that we can carry on a plane. Wilkinson use to make one, but I haven't seen it or Wilkinson in the U.S. in years.

 

[slybrewguy]

Someone needs to make a good double edge disposable that we can carry on a plane. Wilkinson use to make one, but I haven't seen it or Wilkinson in the U.S. in years.

I may be wrong but I believe the main reason you can't bring a DE on a plane is because you can easily remove the blade, meaning they consider the blade itself as the item of concern. I wonder if one could get through security with a loaded psycho tech but no key and no spare blades. I mean your average airport security person probably doesn't have the time, knowledge, or care to differentiate and let it through anyway but still it's a thought.

I just personally don't fly unless I absolutely have too. I live in Florida and most of my family and friends are in Pennsylvania or New Jersey. If you drive straight through it's about 15-16 hours, the flight is only 2-2.5 hours. However you have to get to the airport 4 hours before boarding, the drive to the airport is 40 mins, you sit on the plane for 1 hour after boarding before taking off, sit on the strip after landing for 1 hour before unloading, then have to wait 1 hour to get your bags, then it's another 40 min drive to the area I would be visiting from that air port. So 15-16 hours in my own car and bring whatever I want or go through 11+ hours of air travel stress and be limited in what I can bring.

That also isn't taking into account the fact that it only costs me about $90 in gas to do that drive but I'll spend easily $300-$400 on tickets, fees, and baggage with a plane.

 

[been around]

The Wilkinson DE disposable I remember was sealed so the blade wasn't removable. I guess you could break it open, but you can do the same thing with a twin disposable and secure the blade(s) in something for a weapon. You are right about airport security. Most know what they are doing, but a few aren't the brightest crayons in the box. Sometimes just get in the car and enjoy the ride.

 

[BradWorld]

I started using the guard for carry-on travel about a month ago. Switch from. Trac II. The guard gives me an easier and smoother shave, with closer results. But thankfully it will never give as close of a shave as a DE, not one as pleasurable, or else my hobby would be in trouble.

I just used my first ever BIC Metal razor. I find it interesting that I quickly and accidentally searched up my own post from when I started using the Guard as my carry-on travel razor almost exactly four years ago. I don't carry-on frequently, but the Guard has filled that role very well over the last four years. I had intended to get some Metals, but never got around to it. Got a couple of 5 packs now. This first shave was quite a bit more pleasurable and efficient than the Guard. Felt more like using an SE. Very injector-like. Again, not nearly as close or as pleasurable as using a real DE, but it's good enough for the traveling. Only one shave in, but I think it is better than the Guard. Not as smooth, but better results. I found a steep angle works great. I will use it some more.

 

[Rhody]

I just used my first ever BIC Metal razor. I find it interesting that I quickly and accidentally searched up my own post from when I started using the Guard as my carry-on travel razor almost exactly four years ago. I don't carry-on frequently, but the Guard has filled that role very well over the last four years. I had intended to get some Metals, but never got around to it. Got a couple of 5 packs now. This first shave was quite a bit more pleasurable and efficient than the Guard. Felt more like using an SE. Very injector-like. Again, not nearly as close or as pleasurable as using a real DE, but it's good enough for the traveling. Only one shave in, but I think it is better than the Guard. Not as smooth, but better results. I found a steep angle works great. I will use it some more.

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Great review on both. I use a guard to shave the back of my neck. I’ve been using the same one for ages, I find the guard hard to purchase so I ordered the metal to give that a try.

 

[Jopo]

Someone needs to make a good double edge disposable that we can carry on a plane. Wilkinson use to make one, but I haven't seen it or Wilkinson in the U.S. in years.

You might try finding some Gillette Permatiks, which is sold in Turkey. I quite like them. Like a half DE razor. It's a half-DE blade (assumedly a Gillette Permasharp , like they sell in the barber box for use with shavettes) encased in plastic. Made in the PPI plant in Russia.

There are disposable DE's are manufactured for medical preparation. Some people seem to be using them for face shaving, reviews are not great.