INTRODUCTION
i had been looking for a schick injector razor ever since the mach 3 was introduced. i believe this was around the time the schick brand injector razor was discontinued. (an aside--i think that the sensor excel was the last serviceable product gilette produced and anything beyond that has been useless excess.)
i purchased a fixed-head NWC injector razor along with a pack of schick blades. i also picked up a pack of personna OEM blades locally but have not tried them yet.
the following are my initial observations and comments.
THE GOOD
razor:
the safety bar was straight. blade insertion was smooth. the long metal handle with rubber/plastic insert allowed for a good grip. blade angle is relatively flat compared to a DE razor but is easy to figure out during the first shave.
blade:
i got a close, comfortable, smooth shave without any nicks, cuts or irritation from the schick blade.
shave:
my shave consisted of one pass WTG plus T&C (against the grain does not work for me with any razor).
i used truefitt and hill shaving soap lathered with a savile row brush.
THE OK
build quality:
average, definitely not in the same league as a merkur HD DE or feather artist club but equivalent to a gilette sensor handle.
the razor was lighter than i anticipated.
fit and finish:
there were two superficial scratches in the chrome finish on the top of the handle.
THE BAD
brand:
it simply isnt a schick injector razor.
COST ANALYSIS
if one was to purchase a fixed-head NWC injector and one pack each of the schick and personna blades, the shipped cost would be roughly 30 dollars. assuming the blades lasted one week each (my beard is average density but course as copper wire) then the cost per blade is roughly $2.15, well below the cost of a fusion cartridge.
CONCLUSION
i would recommend this to someone who wanted to switch from a current gillette system and did not want the expense of a full DE/STR8 and brush/cream/soap setup. even if the razor only lasted through two packs of blades, you still come out ahead compared to the cost of gilettes latest offerings.
long-term durability remains to be seen.
that being said, i am still interested in locating a NOS schick brand injector razor, at a reasonable cost, for comparison.
finally i hope this post isnt too long and you have found it somewhat useful. i may update this post in the future with additional comments/observations, specifically regarding long-term durability as well as shave quality with the personna blades.
thanks,
mike
ADDENDUM 08-08-06
the blades that i received from NWC were the new schick injector blades that come in a plastic blister pack with a carboard backing that states copyright 2005 energizer holdings made in germany.
(the NOS schick injector blades that are still floating around come in a hanging carboard box that states copyright 1997 warner lambert.)
ADDENDUM 08-09-06
i tried the personna OEM blades (from rite-aid) today and was not impressed with them. they are on par with the personna DE blades thus they are pretty rough and don't give a very good shave. also, the plastic injector cartridge is poorly made. besides coming apart, it inserts the blade at an odd angle that requires some wiggling and jiggling to get the blade seated properly. someone (ron, was that you) mentioned in the past that the odd angle of insertion allows the entire edge of the blade to come in contact with the bump on the edge of the safety bar thus ruining the edge. finally, it appears the personna blades are a little thinner than the schick blades.
i had been looking for a schick injector razor ever since the mach 3 was introduced. i believe this was around the time the schick brand injector razor was discontinued. (an aside--i think that the sensor excel was the last serviceable product gilette produced and anything beyond that has been useless excess.)
i purchased a fixed-head NWC injector razor along with a pack of schick blades. i also picked up a pack of personna OEM blades locally but have not tried them yet.
the following are my initial observations and comments.
THE GOOD
razor:
the safety bar was straight. blade insertion was smooth. the long metal handle with rubber/plastic insert allowed for a good grip. blade angle is relatively flat compared to a DE razor but is easy to figure out during the first shave.
blade:
i got a close, comfortable, smooth shave without any nicks, cuts or irritation from the schick blade.
shave:
my shave consisted of one pass WTG plus T&C (against the grain does not work for me with any razor).
i used truefitt and hill shaving soap lathered with a savile row brush.
THE OK
build quality:
average, definitely not in the same league as a merkur HD DE or feather artist club but equivalent to a gilette sensor handle.
the razor was lighter than i anticipated.
fit and finish:
there were two superficial scratches in the chrome finish on the top of the handle.
THE BAD
brand:
it simply isnt a schick injector razor.
COST ANALYSIS
if one was to purchase a fixed-head NWC injector and one pack each of the schick and personna blades, the shipped cost would be roughly 30 dollars. assuming the blades lasted one week each (my beard is average density but course as copper wire) then the cost per blade is roughly $2.15, well below the cost of a fusion cartridge.
CONCLUSION
i would recommend this to someone who wanted to switch from a current gillette system and did not want the expense of a full DE/STR8 and brush/cream/soap setup. even if the razor only lasted through two packs of blades, you still come out ahead compared to the cost of gilettes latest offerings.
long-term durability remains to be seen.
that being said, i am still interested in locating a NOS schick brand injector razor, at a reasonable cost, for comparison.
finally i hope this post isnt too long and you have found it somewhat useful. i may update this post in the future with additional comments/observations, specifically regarding long-term durability as well as shave quality with the personna blades.
thanks,
mike
ADDENDUM 08-08-06
the blades that i received from NWC were the new schick injector blades that come in a plastic blister pack with a carboard backing that states copyright 2005 energizer holdings made in germany.
(the NOS schick injector blades that are still floating around come in a hanging carboard box that states copyright 1997 warner lambert.)
ADDENDUM 08-09-06
i tried the personna OEM blades (from rite-aid) today and was not impressed with them. they are on par with the personna DE blades thus they are pretty rough and don't give a very good shave. also, the plastic injector cartridge is poorly made. besides coming apart, it inserts the blade at an odd angle that requires some wiggling and jiggling to get the blade seated properly. someone (ron, was that you) mentioned in the past that the odd angle of insertion allows the entire edge of the blade to come in contact with the bump on the edge of the safety bar thus ruining the edge. finally, it appears the personna blades are a little thinner than the schick blades.
