A lot of people think the Hydro 5 cartridge head is large, hence the flip back hydro lube strip. Also there are some people who don't like the hydrating strip because it feels like slime. So what I did was pull off the whole flip back hydro lube hinge (the white part). Now the head is a lot narrower and I don't have that annoying lube strip. All I have is the basic head with the 5 blades. I haven't shaved with the razor without the lube strip, but will try it out the next time I shave. I will use regular shaving gel and see how well it shaves.