Well I've used it with one days growth, two, three and finally four days growth. With a thinner lather (l'm using the Gillette official foam for this razor) and I can easily say it shaves as well with fours days growth as it does with one days growth. This cart has a 10 days on it so in my test only four shaves but its is smooth and easy as when it came out of the wrapper. one thing was on the 4 days growth I did have a lot more touch ups but still no irritation or problems.
New Gillette 2 blades cart: The Gillette Skinguard!
- Thread starter mata_66
- Start date
I have been using the oneblade genesis since it first came on the market a few years ago and get amazing bbs shaves with it. Saw this and thought I would give it a try. I used it with the SkinGuard shave gel that is also a new product.
This is a fantastic razor and shaves bbs effortlessly.
I did a three pass shave.
What I did find was I got a bit of irritation a day later when the hair was growing back on the neck area. Maybe my skin is just used to a single blade cutting the hair.
Has anyone else been using a de or single edge and then tried this?
I also found it did not shave as close as the oneblade does.
I might have to get some sensor excel blades and get my old sensor excel handle to compare it with that.
This is definitely the best cartridge razor Gillette has made in a very long time and will no doubt be so much better for the skin.
This is a fantastic razor and shaves bbs effortlessly.
I did a three pass shave.
What I did find was I got a bit of irritation a day later when the hair was growing back on the neck area. Maybe my skin is just used to a single blade cutting the hair.
Has anyone else been using a de or single edge and then tried this?
I also found it did not shave as close as the oneblade does.
I might have to get some sensor excel blades and get my old sensor excel handle to compare it with that.
This is definitely the best cartridge razor Gillette has made in a very long time and will no doubt be so much better for the skin.
I have been using DEs for years.
There is some technique involved and it does have a small learning curve (2 to 3 shaves).
However, overall, it gets an A from me.
I have tried the Supply V2 Razor and the OneBlade Core. Both of them have now failed for me.
This leaves: DEs, Sensor Excel, SkinGuard, and the Philips OneBlade as my main cutting tools.
My recent experiences gave me a newfound appreciation for my DEs and for some cartridge razors.
There is some technique involved and it does have a small learning curve (2 to 3 shaves).
However, overall, it gets an A from me.
I have tried the Supply V2 Razor and the OneBlade Core. Both of them have now failed for me.
This leaves: DEs, Sensor Excel, SkinGuard, and the Philips OneBlade as my main cutting tools.
My recent experiences gave me a newfound appreciation for my DEs and for some cartridge razors.
Our paths are starting to sound more and more familiar. May I ask what your preferred DEs are?
See the link in my signature.
But, for now, my main DEs are:
1: Edwin Jagger DE89 Knurled/Barley and Merkur 34C HD.
2: Rockwell 6C Gunmetal R1-3.
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In what way did you find the Oneblade core was failing. Is it too mild or you cannot get bbs with it? I think a lot of the reviews say the genesis shaves a lot differently to the core.
I enjoyed using the SkinGuard and will use it again as I got the introductory pack with 4cartridges for £9. It was just the hair regrowth felt a lot different to that of the oneblade shave and felt a few bumps the next day.
The OneBlade Core (not Philips!) felt non-existent and the head was too big.
Even after getting used to it, I discovered that my DEs were just better.
The effort required with the OneBlade and my DEs seemed equivalent to me.
Long term blade availability also played a role in me letting it go (too proprietary).
My dad did use it for a while but his opinion was the same: looks good, works good, but not any better than your DEs.
The blades did seem a little too rigid and thick for my taste also.
To be clear: this does not mean that people using the OneBlade as their preferred razor are fools. It just isn't right for me.
My experience with SEs only made me understand why DEs won out in the long run.
Once again: YMMV.
For those who had a good but not perfect shave with a Sensor Excel or SkinGuard: these razors do require some technique. They are not mindless drones that anyone can use. It took me about 2 shaves to get used to the SkinGuard. Now I have the Sensor Excel and the SkinGuard down to perfection.
Even after getting used to it, I discovered that my DEs were just better.
The effort required with the OneBlade and my DEs seemed equivalent to me.
Long term blade availability also played a role in me letting it go (too proprietary).
My dad did use it for a while but his opinion was the same: looks good, works good, but not any better than your DEs.
The blades did seem a little too rigid and thick for my taste also.
To be clear: this does not mean that people using the OneBlade as their preferred razor are fools. It just isn't right for me.
My experience with SEs only made me understand why DEs won out in the long run.
Once again: YMMV.
For those who had a good but not perfect shave with a Sensor Excel or SkinGuard: these razors do require some technique. They are not mindless drones that anyone can use. It took me about 2 shaves to get used to the SkinGuard. Now I have the Sensor Excel and the SkinGuard down to perfection.
Well said. My first few skinguard shaves weren't that close, then they got much closer but I had minor irritation, now it's near BBS in 3 passes and 10 minutes or less from start to finish and no issues. It's the same process of the DE learning curve but it's condensed to down to just a week or two. That's a big reason I have been using my brush less and less, it was taking me long to whip up the lather then to actually shave.
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It took me a while to dial in my oneblade Genesis to achieve good shaves I think that also had a lot to do with poor lathers and also watching YouTube videos of people shaving down on the neck in the first pass and finally realising that I need to shave up on my first pass. Finally finding out the right way to shave on each pass helped a great deal.
I have been using Baxter’s of California smooth shave cream which does not lather but you apply with a brush and it gives a great shave.
I will try the SkinGuard again with the Gillette SkinGuard gel and see how I get on with it again. It is a great shaver no doubt about it.
I have been using Baxter’s of California smooth shave cream which does not lather but you apply with a brush and it gives a great shave.
I will try the SkinGuard again with the Gillette SkinGuard gel and see how I get on with it again. It is a great shaver no doubt about it.
My wife has a bad habit of leaving her razor sitting in a soap dish, so its always wet. Thats why she buys cheap razors. She uses them twice and tosses them, before they have time to rust.
With that relatively big frame / lube strips around the blades, how difficult is 'under the nose' shaving?
I have just purchased a Skinguard here in the UK (£9 with 4 blades).
I have not used cartridge razors since the Sensor Excel. Since then I have been shaving with Proraso cream, Merkur 34c and Polsilver Super Iridium blades .
I find the above set up to be great, however somewhat time consuming. So recently I have been using a Braun 5030s electric for quick shaves in between. This achieves totally acceptable quick shaves.
So to the point. I decided to try the Skinguard as it only has two blades and want to speed up my weekly or twice weekly wet shave . I prepped the same as for a DE shave and did one pass on the cheeks, under the nose and chin WTG and one pass WTG on the neck, plus another ATG .
In short, I found the shave to be fast, effortless, comfortable with zero irritation and as close as my DE shaves. The only drawback being the ridiculous price that replacement carts will cost . However, if (big if) the blades last; only using them once/twice a week. They might not prove to be too expensive.
So, in my opinion, for anyone out there who wants a quick, close & comfortable wet shave. Give these a go. I will not be totally sidelining my DE razor, but will just keep it for when I have more time to enjoy the 'art' of a good DE shave .
I have not used cartridge razors since the Sensor Excel. Since then I have been shaving with Proraso cream, Merkur 34c and Polsilver Super Iridium blades .
I find the above set up to be great, however somewhat time consuming. So recently I have been using a Braun 5030s electric for quick shaves in between. This achieves totally acceptable quick shaves.
So to the point. I decided to try the Skinguard as it only has two blades and want to speed up my weekly or twice weekly wet shave . I prepped the same as for a DE shave and did one pass on the cheeks, under the nose and chin WTG and one pass WTG on the neck, plus another ATG .
In short, I found the shave to be fast, effortless, comfortable with zero irritation and as close as my DE shaves. The only drawback being the ridiculous price that replacement carts will cost . However, if (big if) the blades last; only using them once/twice a week. They might not prove to be too expensive.
So, in my opinion, for anyone out there who wants a quick, close & comfortable wet shave. Give these a go. I will not be totally sidelining my DE razor, but will just keep it for when I have more time to enjoy the 'art' of a good DE shave .
It has a single presicion blade on the back to get the hairs under the nose.
I have never had to shave my lip ever as I've always had at minimum a moustache since I could grow facial hair so I can't really comment there. The top blade is pretty high up on the cart and it has the rear trimmer blade so I can't see it being a problem.
Great review! I also agree that the cart price is a little crazy, especially when we are used to DE blade prices. However- I average 12-14 shaves (minimum) per skinguard cart yet could only manage 2 shaves (tops) out of even the best DE blade I've ever tried. With my current purchase pricing on the skinguard carts I get them for around $2.50 (rounded up) a piece which comes out to $0.21-$0.18 per shave (rounded up) where as the best "per shave price" I've ever gotten from any DE blade was around $0.10. Yes, that means the skin guard averaged cost doubles per shave... A whole ten cents US lol. The cost of the the skinguard is on par with my per cart bulk price for the Indian Guard. For me, the speed, closeness, and minimal irritation from the skinguard are worth an extra ten cents any day.
My best advice with the skinguard:
Buy it and try it, you may love it or find it boring but you won't hate it. If you love it, either use it primarily or only as a travel razor. Trying to use this razor in a regular rotation with DEs will absolutely promote laziness and take your mind off of angle with DEs.
Shave 5 with 6 days growth. ABC Cream light. BBS no irritation or razor burn. Next update next Tuesday with 7 days growth. Pushing this blade to see what it can do.
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Wow, 5 days growth on a cart. That's epic! If you don't mind my asking, would you consider your beard growth/density average, heavy/thick, or light/thin?
Shaved again today using the Skinguard. Yesterday I shaved using the oneblade genesis and got a super close BBS.
I normally shave every other day but wanted to shave today.
I used the same prep and the same cream. Baxter’s of California smooth shave cream which you do not need to lather just apply with a brush.
Got a very good shave but had to work hard to get bbs. It was the third shave with this cartridge.
No irritation or nicks but the Skinguard does not cut as close as the oneblade and also hard to go against the grain on the upper lip. The single blade is not good to shave with it is more to just get the few hairs up by the nostrils.
I have got thick coarse hair so I need a sharp blade. Even with the oneblades feather blades I can only get two good shaves with it.
The Skinguard is a good cartridge just will not cut as close as a DE or SE razor.
I normally shave every other day but wanted to shave today.
I used the same prep and the same cream. Baxter’s of California smooth shave cream which you do not need to lather just apply with a brush.
Got a very good shave but had to work hard to get bbs. It was the third shave with this cartridge.
No irritation or nicks but the Skinguard does not cut as close as the oneblade and also hard to go against the grain on the upper lip. The single blade is not good to shave with it is more to just get the few hairs up by the nostrils.
I have got thick coarse hair so I need a sharp blade. Even with the oneblades feather blades I can only get two good shaves with it.
The Skinguard is a good cartridge just will not cut as close as a DE or SE razor.
After comparing the SkinGuard and the Sensor Excel for a while: for me, the Sensor Excel still wins.
Couple of reasons why:
(1) The smaller head is a lot more maneuverable, especially around the bottom of my neck.
(2) The face feel is "better" because a smaller head makes it easier to feel the blades rather than all the other extra surface on the large flat head of the SkinGuard.
(3) The SkinGuard is probably more forgiving when you apply force. But, us DE users have learned how to not apply force. This non-application of force is rewarded by the Sensor Excel.
(4) It seems better to me at chomping down multi-day growth. Also, I could spend a lot of time without rising the blade on both razors.
(5) It was faster.
(6) The tilting works better on the Sensor Excel with my DE technique.
(7) Cheaper: ~$1.25 vs ~$3.00.
If anything, I've now mastered the art of using up to 4 razors in 1 single shave.
Couple of reasons why:
(1) The smaller head is a lot more maneuverable, especially around the bottom of my neck.
(2) The face feel is "better" because a smaller head makes it easier to feel the blades rather than all the other extra surface on the large flat head of the SkinGuard.
(3) The SkinGuard is probably more forgiving when you apply force. But, us DE users have learned how to not apply force. This non-application of force is rewarded by the Sensor Excel.
(4) It seems better to me at chomping down multi-day growth. Also, I could spend a lot of time without rising the blade on both razors.
(5) It was faster.
(6) The tilting works better on the Sensor Excel with my DE technique.
(7) Cheaper: ~$1.25 vs ~$3.00.
If anything, I've now mastered the art of using up to 4 razors in 1 single shave.
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