I know, I know, the horse is dead. I just thought I'd share the experience I had today with my Fusion. I'm not gonna sit here and state the obvious, I just wanted to talk about how it was for me.
I'll start by saying that before my switch I used a fusion. It was a quick shave in the shower before work and always one pass. When I switched to a DE shave, that's when I had my first honest to goodness BBS, and not only that, it was a very comfortable shave.
I've been shaving with DE's and SE's for about 4.5 to 5 months, progressed quickly and now have a rotation of a 40's Tech, Fatboy, and an Ever Ready Lather Catcher.
I didn't throw my fusion away when I switched, as a matter of fact, it is still hanging in my shower and I've looked at it nearly every day. I've been considering giving it a spin again but was just convinced it was inferior and decided not to give it a try. I think because inside I was afraid there wouldn't be a big difference, that all of this time, money and effort was spent just to get to the same place.
Today I just figured, "To heck with it, I'll never know unless I use it." So I did, with my Rooney 3/1 Super and TOBS Gentleman's Shave Cream.
When I started, I was surprised at first how uncomfortable it was, like I was taking sand paper and running it over my cheeks, the first (WTG) pass went well enough and reduced my beard more than any in my current rotation does on the first pass. However, I still felt stubble in all of the usual spots, Chin/mustache area and along my jawline. One thing I noted was, now that I've experience BBS or DFS shaves on a pretty regular basis, I didn't realize how incomplete the shaves were that I had been getting with the Fusion. On to pass 2.
Pass two was XTG and now my cheeks were BBS but still could feel hairs on the dimple of my chin, mustache area and parts of the jawline. Keep in mind, it's still uncomfortable; sandpaper.
Pass number three was ATG and cleaned up the vast majority of the hair that was left. I finished up in the same way, Witch Hazel, Cold Rinse, AS, then Balm 10 mins later.
The shave overall was better in terms of being smooth, but not by much. There are still a few places, the usual ones, that just don't want to cooperate. It was certainly less comfortable and no where near as enjoyable of an experience. My face has that definite "over-shaved" feeling and does not feel refreshed (including one weeper) . Which is not too surprising considering there were 15 blades passed over my skin. I think as I continue with my DE and SE razors and become more technically proficient, the subtle overall difference in terms of smoothness will disintegrate and will eventually surpass the fusion. However, in terms of enjoyment and the comfort of my shave, there is no question that the SE and DE razors when wielded with a relatively proficient hand, far surpass the fusion in nearly every respect.
Those of you who have gained some experience and are past the "Excited Newbie Hates Cartridges and Doesn't Quite Know Why Outside of the Price" stage and have been debating on trying your Mach3 or Fusion again, even using your current routine, I'd encourage you to do so. It's kind of an eye opener and you'll better understand that there are very good reasons, beyond price, to shave the way we do.
Thanks for reading guys.
Adam
I'll start by saying that before my switch I used a fusion. It was a quick shave in the shower before work and always one pass. When I switched to a DE shave, that's when I had my first honest to goodness BBS, and not only that, it was a very comfortable shave.
I've been shaving with DE's and SE's for about 4.5 to 5 months, progressed quickly and now have a rotation of a 40's Tech, Fatboy, and an Ever Ready Lather Catcher.
I didn't throw my fusion away when I switched, as a matter of fact, it is still hanging in my shower and I've looked at it nearly every day. I've been considering giving it a spin again but was just convinced it was inferior and decided not to give it a try. I think because inside I was afraid there wouldn't be a big difference, that all of this time, money and effort was spent just to get to the same place.
Today I just figured, "To heck with it, I'll never know unless I use it." So I did, with my Rooney 3/1 Super and TOBS Gentleman's Shave Cream.
When I started, I was surprised at first how uncomfortable it was, like I was taking sand paper and running it over my cheeks, the first (WTG) pass went well enough and reduced my beard more than any in my current rotation does on the first pass. However, I still felt stubble in all of the usual spots, Chin/mustache area and along my jawline. One thing I noted was, now that I've experience BBS or DFS shaves on a pretty regular basis, I didn't realize how incomplete the shaves were that I had been getting with the Fusion. On to pass 2.
Pass two was XTG and now my cheeks were BBS but still could feel hairs on the dimple of my chin, mustache area and parts of the jawline. Keep in mind, it's still uncomfortable; sandpaper.
Pass number three was ATG and cleaned up the vast majority of the hair that was left. I finished up in the same way, Witch Hazel, Cold Rinse, AS, then Balm 10 mins later.
The shave overall was better in terms of being smooth, but not by much. There are still a few places, the usual ones, that just don't want to cooperate. It was certainly less comfortable and no where near as enjoyable of an experience. My face has that definite "over-shaved" feeling and does not feel refreshed (including one weeper) . Which is not too surprising considering there were 15 blades passed over my skin. I think as I continue with my DE and SE razors and become more technically proficient, the subtle overall difference in terms of smoothness will disintegrate and will eventually surpass the fusion. However, in terms of enjoyment and the comfort of my shave, there is no question that the SE and DE razors when wielded with a relatively proficient hand, far surpass the fusion in nearly every respect.
Those of you who have gained some experience and are past the "Excited Newbie Hates Cartridges and Doesn't Quite Know Why Outside of the Price" stage and have been debating on trying your Mach3 or Fusion again, even using your current routine, I'd encourage you to do so. It's kind of an eye opener and you'll better understand that there are very good reasons, beyond price, to shave the way we do.
Thanks for reading guys.
Adam
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