I have to confess, I have been tempted to give a fusion another try, just for curiosities sake. I started out with a Trac II, and did the natural evolution with Gillettes subsequent products to the Fusion. Then I decided to try a DE, to see if the increased cost was worth it. In my journey, and after finding B&B, I feel I have learned ALOT more about shaving than I used to know. I wonder if that knowledge applied to a Fusion would result in some sort of Super Shave? I will never switch back, this is more of a way to confirm what I already believe. Anybody else ever try this, or been tempted?
Fusion thoughts
- Thread starter Blondie
- Start date
I have just started straight shaving , was using fusion for years, Before getting into straights , I started using a badger add better shave creams, and aftershaves with the fusion, which made a nice improvement in my shaves. But now only using them for touch ups after the straight until I get better at using them.
I did notice that when touching up with my fusion that I have a better feel of how the hair on my face grows and how to work wtg,atg etc. better. But soon the fusion will be now more. Just had my 5th straight shave last night , just keeps getting better and better.
I will use a Fusion when traveling on short trips (no checked bags) as a back up for when I can't find DE blades. It is possible to get a close shave with the razor. It takes me a couple of passes to get a DE quality shave. The only caviet is that the Fusion pulls worse than any DE blade I've tried to date. This pulling is very difficult to take - expecially in areas like my chin and upper lip where my hair grows in thickest. Feel free to go that route for the sake of your curiousity. In my case, it's not something that I would look forward to doing like a good DE shave.
Don't Open the Box Pandora!!!!
No possible good can come of it.
..
No possible good can come of it.
..
Behold the only way I'd ever try a fusion again.
Never again!
I think most of us go back and do it at some stage. I hate the fusion for the same reason I wouldn't shave with a pallet, but tried my M3 recently.
Great shave in less time with less effort - always got these before though. But the price of carts hasn't come down, and it was boring. Damn boring.
I did try a Fusion again recently, lord knows why. I just hate that razor. For me, the advances stopped with the Sensor Excel.
I think the DE is easier on my skin. Aside from the learning curve and the occasional bleeder from not paying attention and rushing, the fusion seems to irritate my face more. I know it's different for everyone but just my 2 p
I use the Fusion and I like it. Gives me a reasonably close shave. The main factor for me is time. I get up at 6AM for work and I don't feel like shaving for an eternity. I want to be done in about 5 minutes.
If I really want a close shave with the Fusion i'll do another pass ATG and with a new blade it gets pretty smooth for me. A blade lasts about 6 shaves for me. Downside of course is the price. Once I'm done this batch of blades I'll probably move to Mach 3's which I find give me about the same shave.
If I really want a close shave with the Fusion i'll do another pass ATG and with a new blade it gets pretty smooth for me. A blade lasts about 6 shaves for me. Downside of course is the price. Once I'm done this batch of blades I'll probably move to Mach 3's which I find give me about the same shave.
+3
Everything after the Sensor Excel has been nothing but marketing hype, with zero improvements. I like ,and use the Trac II, and Sensor on very rare occasions (and for travel), but see no need to ever go revisit the Fusion Monstrosity.
I started wetshaving with a DE/safety razor late last summer, switched back to a cartridge for most of December because I was curious and lazy, and am now slowly switching back to my DEs, so take this for what it's worth.
Learning how to shave properly with a DE razor worked wonders for my cartridge razor shaves (Trac II or Mach 3), putting an end to the ingrown hairs and major skin irritation I used to get on a regular basis.
Right now I can shave faster with a cartridge, which is important for the weekday, but my technique is good enough at this point that I'm almost as handy with my Gilette Tech as I am with my Trac II or Mach 3. The only benefit I get from the cartridge razor right now that a safety razor can't give me is the ability to carry the blades on a plane with me. I don't travel by air nearly as much as I used to, so this argument is becoming far less compelling that before.
All of this is a long-winded way to say go ahead, try a Fusion and see what happens. My guess is that you'll do the same thing I did and come back to safety razors. They really are the best way to get the job done.
Learning how to shave properly with a DE razor worked wonders for my cartridge razor shaves (Trac II or Mach 3), putting an end to the ingrown hairs and major skin irritation I used to get on a regular basis.
Right now I can shave faster with a cartridge, which is important for the weekday, but my technique is good enough at this point that I'm almost as handy with my Gilette Tech as I am with my Trac II or Mach 3. The only benefit I get from the cartridge razor right now that a safety razor can't give me is the ability to carry the blades on a plane with me. I don't travel by air nearly as much as I used to, so this argument is becoming far less compelling that before.
All of this is a long-winded way to say go ahead, try a Fusion and see what happens. My guess is that you'll do the same thing I did and come back to safety razors. They really are the best way to get the job done.
Last edited:
Agreed. Here are the "revolutionary" features Gillette has bestowed upon us since the Sensor Excel, beginning with the Mach3:
- More floating blades, first a third, then a fourth and fifth. Explaining why this is no improvement would be like shooting fish in a barrel.
- More fins. More fish in the barrel.
- Pivot point moved from the back of the cartridge to the bottom. I don't see this as an improvement, as it actually gives me less control than the earlier pivot point. Having said that, the coupling mechanism on both the Mach3 and Fusion may be less sujbect to failure over time than that on the Sensor, which is important if you're buying aftermarket handles.
- Indicator lube strips that tell me to replace my cartridge way earlier than I need to, and which leave little colored bits of flotsam and jetsam on my face as I shave.
- A special trimmer blade on the back of the cartridge (Fusion only), needed because the damn head is too big to fit in certain places on a normal human face. You know you're looking at snake-oil tactics when they start trumpeting a feature as a "solution" to a problem that only exists because of all the other so-called design improvements they made.
- Vibrating handles. Yay.
And that's it - that's everything Gillette has brought our way since the advent of the Mach3.
Not me. I'm done with Fusions, etc. for good.
What's a Fusion?
I fell back into the quatro when I got my first real job (about a year ago). I've never tried the fusion as it was released around the same time I made the switch to DE.
I now find myself right remembering why I switched to a DE all over again as I suspect most people eventually do.
I now find myself right remembering why I switched to a DE all over again as I suspect most people eventually do.
The whole geometry of the head was changed, not just the pivot point. This was actually one of the few things they did that makes a difference for the average shaver. The thing is designed so that if you push into your face and then pull, it puts the blade edges at their optimum angle. It's completely no fail. It's actually a pretty genius design. The only problem is that it has one major flaw: it relies on pressure in order to align the blades in the proper orientation. If you don't want to use pressure when you shave, this design becomes a drawback. If you try to shave using th M3 and use little to no pressure, it literally changes the blade angle, and in a bad way, such that it is LESS irritating when you use MORE pressure. To me this is a fatal design flaw, although it works for the majority of shavers who don't know any better.
...
This is spot-on, and very funny. Yeah, we FIXED it. Kind of like when Inspector Clouseau first makes it so the doorbell won't stop ringing, and then pulls it off the wall, rips the cords out of the wall, hits it with a hammer, and then rolls it up inside its cords, then says "I have fixed your doorbell from the ringing."
Yep. Completely pointless. The only thing I liked about these is that by putting a battery in there, you could make the handle heavier and more substantial. So I loaded a battery but didn't use the vibrating feature. Worked for me.
I wrapped up my last fusion about a month and a half ago. On to my last 2 cartridges of M3. At the moment, I'm starting my shopping for a DE after a couple months of research. From the M3 and fusion standpoint, for which I've been using a brush and shave cream, the difference between the two is not noticeable at all. In fact, I find the 3 blades of the M3 to be more maneuverable in regards to precision...maybe that's why the fusion offers that single blade on the back of the cartridge?
Similar threads
