How many shaves did you get with cartridges, 3 blades or more?

[Slivovitz]

This isn't intended as a Fusion or Quattro bashing thread. I'm pretty much sold on DE razors, but I'm curious about the specifics of the "DE blades are cheaper" argument.

I've haven't used cartridges with more than two blades. Generic replacements for Atra are available at CVS or K-Mart for around $0.50 each or even less. I would get about 4 or 5 shaves from one of the CVS "Pivoting Plus" cartridges, so I have some idea how the cost compares with the DE brands I've tried.

I know that Fusion, Quattro, or Mach 3 cartridges are a lot more expensive, but I don't know how many shaves you can get with one, or with other brands (Azor?). For those who have used them, how many shaves would you say?

 

[mmack66]

$1 a week.

 

[garyg]

This isn't intended as a Fusion or Quattro bashing thread. I'm pretty much sold on DE razors, but I'm curious about the specifics of the "DE blades are cheaper" argument.

I've haven't used cartridges with more than two blades. Generic replacements for Atra are available at CVS or K-Mart for around $0.50 each or even less. I would get about 4 or 5 shaves from one of the CVS "Pivoting Plus" cartridges, so I have some idea how the cost compares with the DE brands I've tried.

I know that Fusion, Quattro, or Mach 3 cartridges are a lot more expensive, but I don't know how many shaves you can get with one, or with other brands (Azor?). For those who have used them, how many shaves would you say?

I used to get a week or 10 days out of a Fusion, I get 8 out of a Feather, with better shaves, so $5 for a Fusion cart, $.30 for a Feather, so, lets cipher, naught from naught, Sharks cost $.17 each

 

[laconic1]

When I was using a Fusion I was only getting three decent shaves out of a cartridge. After that it was irritation hell. I suspect this was due to the blades clogging so easily since they are so close together. I couldn't use the age old method of tapping the razor on the sink to clean it out since the cartridge just popped off the handle on the first tap. I ended up using a water-pik to clean it out and by the time it was cleaned out I think the blades distorted. So yeah, a dollar a day to use those.

Mach 3 was a little better. I seem to remember getting 5 or 6 shaves out of those, so about thirty cents a day for that.

 

[machine99703]

This must be some kind of weird parallel universe at my parents house, but my dad swears to me he can use a fusion blade for 3 months!!!!!!

Don't ask me to explain because I am clueless to how this happens.

 

[MichaelG]

This must be some kind of weird parallel universe at my parents house, but my dad swears to me he can use a fusion blade for 3 months!!!!!!

Don't ask me to explain because I am clueless to how this happens.

 

[garyg]

When I was in chemo & radiation therapy a Fusion lasted 4 months. Depends on the load & frequency of use.

 

[ChrisG]

I usually go for about 5 shaves with a cartridge whether it's an Atra, Sensor or Trac II.

 

[gone down south]

I could get max 5 shaves out of a cartridge, and that's pushing it.

There are lots of people who claim to use a Mach-3 for weeks or months, best I can figure is that they've just lowered their standards to the point where they don't notice how bad their shave it. Why else would Gillette be pushing the "change cartridges when the blue strip is gone" line so heavily?

 

[Blondie]

I could get max 5 shaves out of a cartridge, and that's pushing it.

There are lots of people who claim to use a Mach-3 for weeks or months, best I can figure is that they've just lowered their standards to the point where they don't notice how bad their shave it. Why else would Gillette be pushing the "change cartridges when the blue strip is gone" line so heavily?

This must be some kind of weird parallel universe at my parents house, but my dad swears to me he can use a fusion blade for 3 months!!!!!!

Don't ask me to explain because I am clueless to how this happens.

I have a friend that claims the same thing. I got him to at least start using a brush and proraso. My deal with the fusion and mach 3 is that as soon as the Lubri-strip is gone, they just go to hell, and are really draggy after that. The strip lasts about three to four shaves.

 

[OldSchoolYoungin]

I was lucky to get three shaves out of one cartridge.

 

[machine99703]

I have a friend that claims the same thing. I got him to at least start using a brush and proraso. My deal with the fusion and mach 3 is that as soon as the Lubri-strip is gone, they just go to hell, and are really draggy after that. The strip lasts about three to four shaves.

I'm willing to bet they spend more time making that strip go away quicker than they spend making the blades cut well.

 

[spinyeel]

A guy can get 50 shaves out of a cartridge,but only the first 3 or 4 are remotely acceptable.

 

[rickboone1]

I couldn't get much more than 4 shaves from a cartridge.

Unless I used my As Seen on TV blade sharpener thingy. Then I could double the life. 8 shaves. 10 was pushing it. After 6, the last 2 seemingly took more work.

Mind you, I never multi-pass shaved either. I went down the cheeks and up the neck.

With a DE blade...no clue how many shaves I get. I swamp them out so much with so many different razors. I can't keep up.

 

[Wil Dorenbos]

I know that Fusion, Quattro, or Mach 3 cartridges are a lot more expensive, but I don't know how many shaves you can get with one, or with other brands (Azor?). For those who have used them, how many shaves would you say?

I changed them every 3 days.

 

[michiganlover]

There are lots of people who claim to use a Mach-3 for weeks or months, best I can figure is that they've just lowered their standards to the point where they don't notice how bad their shave it. Why else would Gillette be pushing the "change cartridges when the blue strip is gone" line so heavily?

+1

When I used a Fusion, I more, or less assumed that lots of cuts were par for the course, and couldn't be avoided. As such I used them for 3-4 weeks of shaving every day.

Now that I am enlightened, I would say I could probably get 3-5 shaves from a Fusion cart before the shaves were downright horrible, and I could proceed no further. But that is a guesstimate, as I have never re-approached the Fusion, since I decided it was too expensive after buying my first ridiculously priced 4 cartridge refill.

I did happen upon some cheap Mach 3 carts at one time, (which was right around the time I found B and B), and I could get about 5 shaves from those, before the shave quality was obviously subpar.

 

[lamina]

M3?! A friend of mine says 6 to 8 months...

 

[40boy]

With Mach III or Fusion, I would get 6. Every week day morning, then once on the weekend.
New blade every Monday morning.
By the 6th shave, there was a noticable drop off in performance.

Dollar a week my ***....

 

[Sweeney Todd]

With Mach III or Fusion, I would get 6. Every week day morning, then once on the weekend.
New blade every Monday morning.
By the 6th shave, there was a noticable drop off in performance.

Dollar a week my ***....

Pretty much the same for me, I'd pop in a new M3 or Fusion balde each week
and shave 6 out of 7 days a week. With DE blades I get 3-4 shaves.

Each Fusion blade works out at approx USD 5.50 each in Ireland.
I save at least 4 dollars a week by switching to DE blades.

 

[karm]

I shave twice a week. When I was using an M3, I could only get 3 shaves... mostly because they clogged too easy on the extra growth.