My First Cartridge Shave in 6 Months...

[JamieW]

...and my worst shave in 6 months.

After hearing folks espouse the virtue of the Trac II system, I took advantage of a great deal on the BnS forum and picked up a handle with a bunch of blades. Today, I decided to give it a shot.

I took a hot shower, lathered up some Tabac, loaded a fresh Wilkinson Sword blade on, and gave it a go. The first think I noticed was that the lube strip left a trail of mucous stuff on my face. The blades definitely glided across, but it felt like it wasn't cutting any hair off at all. It also left a lot of soap behind, causing me to go over an area several times to remove all of the soap. The first pass removed some hair, but I could definitely tell I would need another.

One of the reasons I want a cartridge system is for those days when I can't take 30 minutes to shave with my DE. So given that the WTG pass was so smooth and quick, I went straight to an ATG pass. Same deal with the slime, same mediocre shave.

Sadly, rinsing after my 2nd pass revealed that I would need a 3rd pass. Lathered up, went for another ATG pass. Rinsed. Felt my face. Still needed a cleanup pass.

The end result of 3 passes and cleanup was merely a comfortable shave. Back when I shaved with a Mach III I would have considered it close, but those days I only ever made one pass. I've had a much closer shave from every DE + blade I have tried.

In the end, it wasn't much faster, and definitely wasn't as close.

 

[Merkur25]

Im sorry to hear that you used a cartidge. What did you expect?

I seriously have not used a cartidge razor since I was 16.

 

[cactusbrush]

Don't know how the Trac II was used, or if there was a problem with the blades. I use a Trac II frequently and as a travel razor, and routinely get close shaves with it. I like it better than any of the other multiblade cartridges, except perhaps the Sensor.

 

[edutton]

If only I could get my LOTH to stop using cartridges. I've tried to get her to convert using a Lady Gillette, but she refuses. She just wants the speed of the shave, and says the shave she gets is close enough for her. I guess I have no say in the matter...

 

[global_dev]

...and my worst shave in 6 months.

i just took some Bic Metal disposables on a trip with me and I thought they were great. I did a couple of quick passes with them and was really surprised at the nice DFS shave I got, no redness, just smooth. No pain as I even jumped right into the sea after the shaves almost everyday. i picked up 5 for $2.

 

[Den]

I love the Trac II and get BBS shaves out of mine just about everytime. Doesn't matter if I use Gillette carts or any other brand. Although the Gillettes are unbeatable. It's all YMMV as long as your angle was right.