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Crossed over to the dark side - Mach 3

Have said it before in another thread and will say it again.

There is nothing wrong with cartridge razors.

As far as the shave they provide goes, I tend to agree.
Not brilliant, but acceptable.

As far as pricing is concerned, I strongly disagree.
The pricing is wrong, very wrong, because it follows charge what the market will bear principle.
Throw lots of $$$$ at marketing hype and then bilk the gullible customer.

$25 for four GilletteLabs refills??? (according to the Gillette website)
Thanks, but no thanks…


As mentioned before, I drew the line when the Mach 3 razors appeared, and today these blades seem to be cheap by comparison.


B.
 
As far as the shave they provide goes, I tend to agree.

As far as pricing is concerned, I strongly disagree.
The pricing is wrong, very wrong, because it follows charge what the market will bear principle.

$25 for four GilletteLabs refills??? (according to the Gillette website)
Thanks, but no thanks…


As mentioned before, I drew the line when the Mach 3 razors appeared, and today these blades seem to be cheap by comparison.


B.
The principle is what the buyer is ready to pay, yes. But it depends on what country you live in. I get 5 Mach3 cartridges for USD 9.
 
P&G using the Gillette brand made an ideologically charged "woke" advert in that year which was perceived by many men and not a few thoughtful and intelligent women as being deeply offensive.

I think it was for the US Super Bowl event of that year. Remember ironically old "real" Gillette's deep involvement with US sports since at least the late 1930's for marketing and advertising.

"Gillette" no longer exists as such. It is merely a name that P&G purchased for a few billion. Gillette is now an empty husk, like so many great companies that have shrivelled to being mere brand names.
I'm looking at all the other P&G brands. Crap I use a ton of them. I can confidently say I don't use any P&G feminine care products.
 
Actually quite comfortable on the noreclo!
I shaved with a foil electric for 10 yrs, always dry. The reason I picked up wet shaving is that I was getting too many ingrown hairs along my jaw line. Many say they switched from carts to the DE for the same reason (ingrowns), but I usually get 1-2 ingrown hairs from my DEs most times I shave. A huge improvement over the electric razor, but maybe worse then what I will get with carts...we shall see. I'm still early in my carts experimentation, but so far I have have had less ingrowns than with DE - counterintuitive and opposite of the wisdom in these forums tell us, I know.
 
Decided to pick up a Fusion 5 to compare to the Mach 3. The fusion 5 is a nice razor too, I really like the detailing single blade for sideburns and under the nose. With that said the Fusion 5 is more aggressive and after a couple of days of shaving it did produce some irritation on my neck.

No irritation from the Mach 3, I'm convinced the Mach 3 is a wonderful razor, despite being a cart. I'm definitely keeping the Mach 3 around, not as sure of the Fusion 5. The 5 blades may be a bit overkill for me, and I like the small head of the Mach 3. Plus I think the Mach 3 looks better. Going to rotate between my DEs and Mach 3 to see how it goes over a longer period of time.
 
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I shaved with a foil electric for 10 yrs, always dry. The reason I picked up wet shaving is that I was getting too many ingrown hairs along my jaw line. Many say they switched from carts to the DE for the same reason (ingrowns), but I usually get 1-2 ingrown hairs from my DEs most times I shave. A huge improvement over the electric razor, but maybe worse then what I will get with carts...we shall see. I'm still early in my carts experimentation, but so far I have have had less ingrowns than with DE - counterintuitive and opposite of the wisdom in these forums tell us, I know.
I absolutely hate the rotary razors, and dislike the foil razors. I think the norelco is far superior to both, my skin didn't even need to get used to using it.
 
I have quite a collection of vintage DE, SE and injector razors. They're fun to collect and use, but my usual daily razor now is a Gillette Trac II from the early 70s. Generic blades cost about $12 for 100 blades. I don't get a BBS shave, but I'm very satisfied. Nicks are very rare probably because I honed my techniques on vintage safety razors. Modern 4 and 5 blade cartridge razors cannot beat the Trac II and they're expensive.
 
Brothers, while recently browsing the Bay, I chanced upon a thing called a "Platinum Edition" Gillette Sensor.

It is both metal, and shiny. And, well...we won't talk about price. It looks like...well...it looks like this.
OIP.jpg

And I'm thinking, what kind of sport shaving razor guy can I be without at least one example of a modern cartridge razor?

So I look at the razor a few times. And a few more times. Then, for no particular reason at all, I google "Gillette Sensor blades".

Yeah...$2 a cartridge.

And then I'm thinking, maybe one of those metal handled things that takes the Atra instead?
 
Decided to use my Mach 3 today, have only shaved with it 3 times. I typically use 1 of my DE razors. The shave wasn't half bad...no irritation, nice close shave with little effort. I did use a brush and shave creme instead of canned foam, but man...makes me wonder if I should start using carts again now that I have honed my technique with DEs.
The Mach 3 is a classic, and as I've said a few times maybe the last 'reasonable' cartridge product made by Gillette, when it wasn't a P&G puppet.

I've always picked up a feeling of wide respect for it on B&B.

That 'dark side' stuff has never cut it with me as the Atra and Mach 3 are now near 40-50 plus year old systems and becoming vintage. It's all wet shaving anyway and the Mach 3 is actually rather fun to use. Its a superb piece of engineering and Gillettes last independent hurrah. The wretched Fusion was developed under the P&G ownership of Gillette after it became merely an empty 'brand'.

I always get an excellent shave from mine. I have recently found a single ATG Mach 3 pass will keep the hairies away for a good 24 hours for a totally hassle-free swift daily shave if you are out of time, or temporarily out of patience with life, the universe or anything which may be ailing you. A second XTG pass will take you as near as damn it to BBS.

Boots here in the UK are now providing an own brand cartridge line of Mach 3 compatibles for £5. I can get 25-30 single pass ATG shaves easily from a cart which makes it a very economical and highly efficient occasional use razor.

As always, I highly recommend the magnificent Mach 3.
 
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The Mach 3 is a classic, and as I've said a few times maybe the last reasonable cartridge product made by Gillette, when it wasn't a P&G puppet.

It has wide respect amongst the Brothers and Sisters here I sense.

I always get an excellent shave from mine. I have recently found a single ATG Mach 3 pass will keep the hairies away for a good 24 hours for a totally hassle-free swift daily shave if you are out of time, or temporarily out of patience. A second XTG pass will take you as near as damn it to BBS.

Boots here in the UK are now providing an own brand cartridge line of Mach 3 compatibles for £5. I can get 25-30 single pass ATG shaves easily from a cart which makes it a very economical and highly efficient occasional use razor.

As always, I highly recommend.
This whole thing has made me curious about what razor I was using when I went to Basic Training in 1991 and continued to use while in the Reserves in Ohio, then on Active Duty until 2001 (ending a week prior to 9/11). Honestly, though I don't remember, I probably continued to use that even into the National Guard and my tours into Iraq and Kuwait. I simply don't remember. The only solid thing I do remember is when I transitioned to DE razors with the Microtouch One after seeing the Pawn Stars guy doing the commercials.

My memory wasn't solid, but after research it is clear I was using a Gillette Sensor. I wasn't sure, but knew it was either the Sensor or the Mach 3. The Sensor came out in 1990, well before the Mach 3, which would've made the Sensor the "state of the art" when I enlisted in 1991. And that's what I would've bought for the trials and tribulations of Basic and AIT. Before that, as a bog standard teenager, it would've been plastic disposables. I mean not even cartridge. You just throw the whole wretched thing away. Like a bag of "Gillette Good News". Not like. More precisely, exactly that.

And it harkens to a time when I didn't know a darn thing about shaving. Not really. But you can get by as a teenager not knowing how because a single pass with the grain, north to south is all you need. I mean who do you think you are? A U-Boat captain? Grizzly Adams? Not hardly. Either that is the truth, or we all had those drill sergeants completely fooled!

Oh, that Platinum Edition Gillette Sensor I mentioned? I just bought it. There is just some kind of toxic influence this place has on a guy. But when you just relate a story like I have of a razor that accompanied me for several years, how could I not want one again?
 
This whole thing has made me curious about what razor I was using when I went to Basic Training in 1991 and continued to use while in the Reserves in Ohio, then on Active Duty until 2001 (ending a week prior to 9/11). Honestly, though I don't remember, I probably continued to use that even into the National Guard and my tours into Iraq and Kuwait. I simply don't remember. The only solid thing I do remember is when I transitioned to DE razors with the Microtouch One after seeing the Pawn Stars guy doing the commercials.

My memory wasn't solid, but after research it is clear I was using a Gillette Sensor. I wasn't sure, but knew it was either the Sensor or the Mach 3. The Sensor came out in 1990, well before the Mach 3, which would've made the Sensor the "state of the art" when I enlisted in 1991. And that's what I would've bought for the trials and tribulations of Basic and AIT. Before that, as a bog standard teenager, it would've been plastic disposables. I mean not even cartridge. You just throw the whole wretched thing away. Like a bag of "Gillette Good News". Not like. More precisely, exactly that.

And it harkens to a time when I didn't know a darn thing about shaving. Not really. But you can get by as a teenager not knowing how because a single pass with the grain, north to south is all you need. I mean who do you think you are? A U-Boat captain? Grizzly Adams? Not hardly. Either that is the truth, or we all had those drill sergeants completely fooled!

Oh, that Platinum Edition Gillette Sensor I mentioned? I just bought it. There is just some kind of toxic influence this place has on a guy. But when you just relate a story like I have of a razor that accompanied me for several years, how could I not want one again?
Yeah, I didn't really register the Sensor when it came out. Jeez, I was using the vicious disposable Bic SE white, then the orange 'sensitive' from about 1980 to 2007-8 (?). Only then I got a Fusion Power, then went to DE.

After that weirdly, I got turned on to the Mach 3 as a classic, primarily from my B&B membership.

So a strange timeline of razor usage. Unsure if the Sensor was marketed as hard here as in the US. Vaguely recall the Mach 3 ad campaign, but not the Sensor. I was pretty much tone deaf to shaving gear prior to getting my first DE TBH, as is my memory of gear used, prior to the Fusion, although the memories of the Bics dominate in my shaving 'dark age'. Much as your experience it sounds!

That platinum Sensor you picked up looks sweet BTW.
 
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$25 for four GilletteLabs refills??? (according to the Gillette website)
Thanks, but no thanks…

Yeah, definitely excessive. Found a pack of 8, plus handle and stand, on clearance at Costco for $25. Still not as cost effective as DE but I'll have blades for quite a while.
 
I have quite a collection of vintage DE, SE and injector razors. They're fun to collect and use, but my usual daily razor now is a Gillette Trac II from the early 70s. Generic blades cost about $12 for 100 blades. I don't get a BBS shave, but I'm very satisfied. Nicks are very rare probably because I honed my techniques on vintage safety razors. Modern 4 and 5 blade cartridge razors cannot beat the Trac II and they're expensive.
The Trac II is a phenomenal razor. If anyone ever opens a safety razor hall of fame it should be a first round unanimous selection.
 
One of the best shaves i ever had was with a Fusion Power razor i think (long time ago).

Whatever works works - simple as that
 
As far as pricing is concerned, I strongly disagree.
The pricing is wrong, very wrong, because it follows charge what the market will bear principle.

How is this different from any other product in the world? Am I meant to believe that Dorco sells DE blades for so much cheaper than cartridges just because they want to be nice to people like us? I tend to believe DE blades are sold for "what the market will bear" too—but with lower manufacturing and warehousing costs, and certainly with much lower advertising costs.
 
How is this different from any other product in the world? Am I meant to believe that Dorco sells DE blades for so much cheaper than cartridges just because they want to be nice to people like us? I tend to believe DE blades are sold for "what the market will bear" too—but with lower manufacturing and warehousing costs, and certainly with much lower advertising costs.

It’s really not that difficult to understand once you ask yourself…

How many alternatives do I know that will fit a Gillette Fusion?
How many alternatives do I know that will fit a safety razor?



What you are meant to believe is that if Dorco sells their DE blades for an exorbitant price, people will switch to BiC, Astra, Feather, (even) Gillette, Wilkinson, Lord, Perma-Sharp, Rapira, Derby, Minora, Tatra, Shark, Rockwell, Parker, Merkur, just to name a few…

And even Gillette owned companies see themselves forced to sell DE blades at competitive prices.



B.
 
There are a couple of ways that you can save on cartridges for a Mach 3. One is buy them in larger quantities at Costco. Another is to buy KMart's brand, Up & Up at a much lower price. It appears to be an Edgewell product, which also owns Schick.

Still another exceptional three blade cartridge that is cheaper is Dorco which is available from Amazon. Dorco was the original supplier for Dollar Shave Club.

Personally, I would like a slightly meatier handle for my Mach 3, but I have not found one yet.

I found a nice fatter handle on AliExpress. It arrived today and I'll try it tomorrow morning.
 
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