New fusion proglide carts - black casing?

[Tostig]

Hey all, I picked up an 8 pack of Fusion Proglide carts on eBay. Instead of the usual gray plastic casing, these casings are black.

I wondered if they were counterfeit, but after shaving, I have to say this was an incredible shave and noticeably better than any Fusion Proglide cart I've used before. They definitely changed something, and very much for the better!!

Anyone else tried these?

 

[ajkel64]

Any chance of some photos? I have not used a Fusion yet. I have one or two somewhere. Not sure where, to many razors of all shapes, sizes and descriptions.

 

[Furex]

I never used the Fusion and can't say for sure, I just hope you weren't sold a fake cartridge.

Apparently counterfeit Gillette carts are a thing on eBay.

Paging Dr @Sabre again as he certainly knows more about this stuff than I will ever.

 

[Tostig]

I never used the Fusion and can't say for sure, I just hope you weren't sold a fake cartridge.

Apparently counterfeit Gillette carts are a thing on eBay.

Paging Dr @Sabre again as he certainly knows more about this stuff than I will ever.

I'm not an expert on counterfeiting, but I have read a few websites which explain how to verify a Gillette cart is the real deal, and these do pass the test. They have the mice-font numbers on the inside of the cart, which apparently counterfeiters don't do because the equipment to do it is too expensive. And all the little details appear to be Gillette-level quality.

But they are a little different than the gray ones, in several ways. And oddly, they shave *better* than the gray Proglides. But I will keep testing. I did notice, though, that the exterior green strip wore down to what it would normally take 3-4 shaves to get to, after one shave.

Worthy of consideration is, why would a counterfeiter change the color of the casing, which would make it immediately identifiable as "something's different here..."?


.

 

[haiti222]

Those are the King C. Gillette cartridges. They are not counterfeit. I just cracked open a pack to look for you. Walgreens and other stores have had discounted buying opportunities for these blades, especially with using the bonuses on their loyalty card. They are fully compatible with the Fusion. It is unclear what differences, if any there are with the blades.

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/king-c-gillette-men's-shave-and-edging-razor-blade-refills/ID=300401079-product

 

[Tostig]

Those are the King C. Gillette cartridges. They are not counterfeit. I just cracked open a pack to look for you. Walgreens and other stores have had discounted buying opportunities for these blades, especially with using the bonuses on their loyalty card. They are fully compatible with the Fusion. It is unclear what differences, if any there are with the blades.

https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/king-c-gillette-men's-shave-and-edging-razor-blade-refills/ID=300401079-product

Not exactly the same, though. Notice the King blades have a blue lotion strip, whereas on my blades they are green. Mine also have the Proglide single edge trimmer on the back, which it doesn't look like the King's have. Also the packaging is very different. Maybe they ran out of gray plastic casings for the Proglides and grabbed a box of King's? The blades certainly feel very legit, nothing like cheap counterfeit blades. Great shave.

 

[haiti222]

Interesting. There is a 2-star review from "Disappointed Gillette Fan" from October 2020 on walmart.com where he is complaining about the black plastic casing fusion blades he bought at Walmart. Gillette's reply did not touch on the black casing. He has pictures where the strip appears to be blue. He also noted the strip came off fast. Gillette Fusion5 Men's Razor Blades, 2 Blade Refills - Walmart.com - https://www.walmart.com/ip/Gillette-Fusion5-Men-s-Razor-Blades-2-Blade-Refills/150002167

Perhaps Gillette was mixing up the product.

 

[Furex]

Is it possible that differently colored carts come from different manufacturing sites?

 

[Tostig]

I messaged Gillette on FB to try to get to the bottom of it. They seem pretty active on social media, so there's at least a chance they will get back to me.

I have zero complaints with the new blade but am just not sure it's a Proglide. If anything it seems better than a Proglide, but the extremely short life of the lubrication strip (1 shave) is alarming - and it sounds like other(s) have had that problem too. Hopefully Gillette will get back to me on this. Will report in here when they do.

 

[Frankie0210]

Hey all, I picked up an 8 pack of Fusion Proglide carts on eBay. Instead of the usual gray plastic casing, these casings are black.

I wondered if they were counterfeit, but after shaving, I have to say this was an incredible shave and noticeably better than any Fusion Proglide cart I've used before. They definitely changed something, and very much for the better!!

Anyone else tried these?

I bought a 4 pack of the Proshield blades and they had the black casing. Good catch!

 

[Tostig]

I bought a 4 pack of the Proshield blades and they had the black casing. Good catch!

Definitely looking forward to a report on your shave. I can't decide whether these are the same as Proglides or better. My two shaves so far have been superb.