Tale of Three Razors

[Suzuki]

Ok guys, before you ride me out on a rail, let me explain. Over the past few months, I have been traveling extensively and flying carry on only, which necessitates the use of a cartridge razor. So, in the interest of science, I have been testing the various new cartridge razor offerings that have hit the market.

The three - that's right, three systems I have been testing are:

1) Schick Hydro

2) Gillette Proglide and - wait for it

3) Azor M with V2 cartridges

I threw the Azor in to the mix to make it more fun - also, I got the razor and 10 cartridges (2 with the handle and two packs of 4) for about $18 shipped from the UK (they don't sell the Azor in Canada) as there was a pretty good offer.

This post is just a teaser and I'll post some more (and hopefully some pictures) detailed feedback over the course of the next week or so, but here are my initial impressions:

I really like the Hydro, but find that the amount of slime released during the first few shaves can negatively impact the closeness of the shave. However, after this initial period, the razor performs very well and provides a comfortable shave.

The Proglide represents no major innovation as far as I'm concerned - there's barely any difference between the shave you get from a Proglide and a Fusion. In short, this is a lot of Gillette marketing hype and an excuse to charge more for their "new blades".

The Azor is an interesting razor - totally different concept from the others (which is either good or bad depending on personal preferences). The new M (metal) handle is much nicer, stiffer and less cheap feeling than the original (which I have also used) and the V2 cartridges have been slimmed down from the original cartridges in all dimensions (in fact, the M and V2 cartridges address all of the criticisms I raised when I tested the original versions). There's also a nice little pointer on the side of the cartridges so you know where the top blade is, which makes doing sideburns/edging easier. I've only had a couple of shaves with the Azor M and it provides a nice close shave, the only issue being its hard to get under the nose if you want to go across or against the grain.

I'll post more feedback after extended use and welcome any comments (aside from generic cartridges are lousy posts) from folks who have used more than one of these products.

While I've had some surprisingly good shaves from some of these razors, I'm always happiest when I go back to the DE - I still can't get a better shave than what I get from my Futur (which is my weapon of choice).

Oh, and I've used some form of soap or cream (including brushless) for all my testing - nothing out of a can.

 

[michiganlover]

I really like the Hydro, but find that the amount of slime released during the first few shaves can negatively impact the closeness of the shave. However, after this initial period, the razor performs very well and provides a comfortable shave.

I have used the Hyrdo for around 10-12 shaves, and the slimy goo is what I take most issue with. Otherwise, it provide a close shave, with no fuss (but no better than my Trac II/Atra, or Injector).

Most people who have reviewed the Hydro also talk negatively about the goo; oddly enough, I found the goo to be less of an issue when used with the Schick Hydro Gel (aka goo in a can). (I decided to try it once with canned goo, just to see what the average experience would be like, for the average user).

 

[beginish]

Chris-Do any of these offer an advantage over Trac2, Atra or Sensor cartridges in terms of convenience or shave quality?

 

[Ru4scuba?]

...I really like the Hydro, but find that the amount of slime released during the first few shaves can negatively impact the closeness of the shave.

I've wondered the same thing after watching the commercials...

Thanks for suffering through the reviews! Travel sucks and no matter what anyone says...its a PITA to regularly ship blades every time you travel (if you travel alot).

 

[Suzuki]

Chris-Do any of these offer an advantage over Trac2, Atra or Sensor cartridges in terms of convenience or shave quality?

I think that they are all more forgiving than the TracII and Atra cartridges in that they are less prone to irritate, nick, etc. I think the Sensor (either the two or three-bladed version) is one of the best cartridge razors Gillette made and that's really my cartridge razor comparison point. So, to the extent I think the Sensor is better than either the TracII and the Atra (and this is personal opinion and very much a YMMV issue) from an ease of use/ability to get a quick and decent shave, I like all of these better than the TracII and Atra razors. That being said, I think part of the problem is that the currently available Atra and TracII cartridges don't seem to be as good as the vintage cartridges I've used. I think the TracII is a very good razor, but you need to take a little more care than with any of the razors I'm playing with. A HUGE advantage of the TracII and Atra is the small size, which makes it easy to edge and get into the tight spots - something that is an issue with all of the test razors (and one that I don't think is overcome by the addition of a trimmer).

Not to spoil the ending, but I've been pretty impressed with the AzorM/V2 blade combination. I've also been very impressed with the longevity of all of these blades (I do a two pass shave with cartridge razors - with and against the grain - and some touch up). I've gotten 10 shaves from the Hydro and about 7 from the Proglide (and its not done yet). While I'm not there yet with the Azor, the original cartridges had very good lifespan and I expect the same to be true for the V2.

Oh, and for test purposes, I have fairly thick, coarse whiskers and am not a masochist - which means that I will stop using a razor once I no longer feel its reasonably comfortable to do so.

As

 

[Suzuki]

Update - having used each of these razors for a couple of weeks, I have the following conclusions:

AZOR

PROS: Inexpensive, something a little different, nice handle weight, long blade life, indicator showing where the top blade is to help with edging

CONS: Not widely available (I have to order from the UK, but shipping is cheap) a little odd - technique is a little different, quite awkward under the nose

IMPRESSIONS: I really liked the Azor M and the V2 cartridges. The metal insert (and its real metal) gives the razor a nice heft and stiffness that gives you a better feel, which is important given that, unlike most cartridges, the razor uses a rubber "hinge" as opposed to some sort of pivot. On this point, there is a very short learning curve while adapting to the hinge and getting a feel for the ergonomics/feel of the Azor. The lubricating strips are the least gooey of any of these razors (which I consider a positive) and have good longevity. I got 10 good shaves from the cartidges and felt that I got the closest shave from the Azor. I had very few nicks or ingrowns when using this razor. The cartridges have a white indicator on the side that shows where the top blade is, which is an inexpensive, yet effective, way of helping with edging and trimming - although not quite as exact as the trimmer on the Hydro5 or the Proglide.

The two real downsides to this razor are the difficulty in getting it - its not widely sold in the US and not at all in Canada and the fact that I had a heck of a time getting under the nose. The nose issue stems from the fact that the size/shape of the cartridge, combined with the ergonomics of the razor mant that I had a hard time going against or across the grain right under my nose - I eventually figured out a way to do a decent job, but its a bit of a pain.

HYDRO 3 and 5

PROS: Cheaper than the Proglide, neat concept in terms of the lubrication and trimmer on the 5; liked the approach of having a common handle with 2 blade options; cartridges gave a good shave and had good lifespan

CONS: The trimmer on the 5 should also be on the 3, as they have the same general dimensions at the top of the cartridge (I suspect there was some cost-cutting done to introduce the 3 at the lower price point), the lubrication "system" puts out way too much goo for the first couple/few shaves

IMPRESSIONS: Overall, I am quite impressed with the Hydro and thought that both the 3 and 5 bladed versions did a good job, but ultimately liked the 5 better (partly because of the trimmer option). The ergonomics of the handle are fine. I think the little guide rods do have an effect, as I found the shave from either cartridge to be quite smooth. The blades have good longevity and I got about 8 shaves fromthe 3 and 10 shaves from the 5.

My MAJOR criticism of the Hydro is the amount of slime this thing puts out for the first few shaves. Not only does it leave your face feeling slimy (in fact you can get little strings of goo that run from your fact to the razor), but the layer is so thick during the first few shaves that it seemed to interfere with the shave. The goo is also quite persistent and took a few rinses to clean off my face. Fortunately, the volume of goo settles down after the first 3 or so shaves. I found that the way to mitigate the goo issues during the first shaves is to rinse the razor well every couple of strokes and use a thinner lather (the Hydro worked well with nothing more than a good olive oil bath soap).

PROGLIDE

PROS: If you like the Fusion, you'll like the Proglide, I guess the fact that the rubber bumper isn't as huge is a good thing, but I never found it overly problematic in the first place.

CONS: I see this as the Emperor's Clothes and a lot of marketing hype to get people to buy a slightly tarted up version of the Fusion, crazy expensive cartridges

IMPRESSIONS: Basically, this is a Fusion - sure they've spent millions on marketing and made a couple of tweaks, but it shaves just like its predecessor. I suspect that Gillette got wind that Schick was introducing a new razor and whatever patent protection on the Fusion cartridges had expired (Over the past few months, I've seen Fusion clones at the drugstore), so they felt compelled to introduce something "new" and came out with the Proglide because they didn't have anything else on the drawing board and figured that men are stupid enough not to realize that they're being played. The only upside of the Proglide is that it might mean Fusion cartridges are more likely to go on sale.

The Proglide shaves fine, but its uiltimately hard to get excited over this razor, as it doesn't offer anything new (except the prospect of paying even more for cartridges!). In terms of comparison, I like the trimmer feature of the Hydro 5 more than the trimmer on the Proglide (again, the same as that on the Fusion).

CONCLUSION

First off, none of these razors gave me as good a shave as my DE.

But, they all gave me a quick, decent shave with minimal fuss and irritation.

So, bottom line, any of these razors are fine choices for when a DE or straight isn't an option. I really liked the Hydro5 and the AzorM/V2 and think they do provide a good shave and a reasonable value given that you can get 10 good/decent shaves (and possibly more depending on your beard) from a cartridge.

In terms of how these razors stack up to other models, I think the Hydro is the best razor Schick has put out to date - I thought the Quattro was very "meh" and I think the Hydro is going to kill it for sure - especially sine the 3s are cheaper and the 5s only a buck more per 4-pack than the Quattros.

Unfortunately, for the Azor, North American distribution is a limiting factor (they're only available online or at Duane Reade). That being said, they offer some good sales (right now the AzorM with two cartridges is going for $6 online) and shipping is quite reasonable. The standard price for a 4-pack of the V2 cartridges is about $10 - so right in line with the Schick pricing.

Why anyone buys the Proglide is beyond me - the cartridges cost a whopping $17 for a 4-pack, which is just freaking insane. Even the "regular" Fusion cartridges (wonder how long they stay on the market) cost about $13.50, which is still a pretty steep premium over the Azor and Schick Hydro pricing.

In terms of whether these are "better" than the TracII, Atra or Sensor, it really depends on your preferences. My personal view is that all of these razors provide a quicker, no-brainer shave than either the Trac or Atra (both of which can cause irritation and nicks if used without care). While I think the Sensor provides a very good shave (in either the 2 or 3-bladed versions), I need more touch up than with the current crop of multi-blade razors and I find that, at most, I can get 5 shaves from a Sensor. Given that Sensor blades cost between $10 for five 2-bladed razors and $10 for four 3-bladed razors, the new razors are actualy cheaper for me given that they last twice as long as the Sensors.

Hope you guys find this post interesting - it turned out to be a much longer post than I expected.

Please share your experiences with any of these razors.

 

[taffy]

Never got on at all with the azor, and could never get close under my nose, though here in the uk the cartridges are cheaper than gilette, the new gilette is not available here yet, and as for the schick hydro, again not tried this, though i do like the wilkinson quattro, and this was my favorite when i did use a cartridge, intersting post