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Mach 3 revisited

So today I shaved with a Mach 3 and a VDH/Barbisol superlather. Lanolin was also my preshave. And the shave was harsh. Sure I got a close shave but it felt like I was rubbing a cheese grater across my face sometimes. And there was alot of tugging around my chin, where the hairs are the thickest. I could only manage one pass with some touchups, after that I called it quits

This is suppossedly a new cartridge. But it's sat a while in a drawer, perhaps up to ten years. Did I get a dud cartridge or is Mach 3 really this bad? When I shaved with the Mach 3 Sensitive cartridge, it was fairly mild in comparison.

"The best a man can get"? I dont' think so.
 
As with all things duds do happen. I find that if I use the same technique as I use with a double edge razor I get the best results from a cartridge. I mean a very light touch and shorter strokes.
 
Where did you purchase the pack of carts?

Probably from a CVS about a decade ago.

Come to think of it, most Mach 3 carts I have tried in the past year have been sorta harsh. Maybe I'm just used to a single blade.

My Sensor doesn't bug the hell out of my skin the way the Mach 3 does, and I can get about a week and a half before it's so dull it irritates my face. But Sensor is getting hard to find and pricey.

I just felt like mixing things up occasionally. I have been shaving with DE's and injectors alot and wanted to see the other side of the fence.

I've got a sort of sensitive combination skin. My cheeks tend to be dry, but my forehead and nose are oily. So that means my cheeks are frequently irritated by shaving.
 
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ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
I think that it is possible to get dud cartridge blades the same as you can get dud DE and SE blades. That is just my opinion though. Also some reckon that a blade edge will dull with age. Also again, my opinion only. I think a cartridge blade can be just like a DE blade and get better with use.
 
In a decade maybe this razor got rust.
In the next shave, use shaving soap and a brush.

Sent from my Huawei P9 Lite using Tapatalk
 
I think you should try the Mach 3 Turbo if you are eager to compare to a newer Mach 3. Mach 3 Turbo supposedly have DLC coating and may shave smoother and maybe last longer. If you can find the Turbos for a good price and you want to experiment of course. :)
 
I'm pretty sure that Gillette uses DLC in alot of their newer Mach 3 cartridges. The Sensitive cartridges I have advertise that on the package. However, these particular carts are so old, they may not have that. They are not Turbo cartridges that have the blue lube strip, they have a blue and white lube strip.

The Sensitive was just a so-so shave. A little better than a DE but only lasted about a week, even though I wiped them over a Razorpit. Using a Razorpit is an art in itself- the lather and pressure must be exact or it could easily be detrimental to the blade. However, I have seen an overall improvement in blade life using it, but it's hit or miss.

The Mach 3 cart I tried yesterday had blades that were obviously sharp as I got a few very small nicks from them and they didn't feel dull. I think the stretching fins were causing some drag that I'm not used to. This might work better with something like Cremo and I may try that some time.

I definitely think the hysteresis thing was working because some areas of my face were cut quite close and I'm noticing alot less stubble on the second day, and the stubble that is there is softer. So all in all I think the carts are probably OK, it's just the Mach 3 isn't necessarily a sensitive skin razor and must be matched up with a very good shaving cream or gel.
 
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I just gone done with another Mach 3 shave, this time using Nivea Sensitive Cool Gel in the can (I used a brush, though). The shave was equally harsh. So I'm going to pitch the cartridge and try another one again in the future... probably from a completely different set.

Should I pitch the whole set? Maybe I should just write on it with a sharpie or put it into a labelled bag, so I note that they are iffy.

The blade edges have no sign of rust, they look pretty good. But they certainly don't feel good. Gillette as a manufacturing company has good practices, so my guess is that if one cart is bad, they are probably all bad.

I also have some brand new Gillette 3 carts that should fit the handle.

Maybe some blade-sharpening experts could chime in, hopefully.
 
Here's a picture of the cartridge. This is the bevel of the first blade. I took it with a 640x480 microscope I have laying around . I am thinking of upgrading it soon. I believe you can see where the bevel starts, and the darker area is where a coating begins, I believe. I'm guessing the bright areas are water spots and soap scum (you can really see them on the bevel of the second blade at the far bottom).


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I may have to experiment with my Razorpit and the microscope more to see if I can't improve the cleaning of the blades, to remove some of the soap scum on the second blade.

Maybe somebody with some blade knowledge can chime in if they see anything. It does cut arm hair and the blades feel sharp, but shaving with it in one pass is like shaving with 3 passes with an aggressive SE razor in terms of the skin irritation. There's definite razor burn on my chin, for instance, and it's weathered my cheeks a little. Neck is OK.
 
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I have found tugging can come from issues with lather and prep. Have you been using the same lather and prep without issues before you tried the Mach3?
 
I have found tugging can come from issues with lather and prep. Have you been using the same lather and prep without issues before you tried the Mach3?

I used two different creams, both had the same results. First shave was a superlather of VDH and Barbasol, second was Nivea Cooling Sensitive shave gel.

They weren't the worst shave's I've ever had, but I wouldn't describe either one as comfortable.
 
oh well, FWIW I never get tugging with Mach3 but also never get a close shave, especially on my neck so I rarely use it anymore.
 
I tried the same cartridge again, this time after a shower. It was a little easier and the blade is smoothing out a little bit, but it's still a harsh way to shave, and I think the tugging sensation is the hysteresis-effect in action, because it seems to help it shave closer. I just wouldn't say that's the only criteria I look for in a shave.

I am guessing these are older Gillette blades and don't have the better coating of the sensitive blades I tried earlier.
 
I think after you get used to a single blade of any kind, the multi-blade cartridges feel kind of harsh on the face, particularly if they have more than two blades.
 
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