Today's rant is on the subject of razor blades. I'm talking strictly about wet shaving. If you shave electric and like it, no need to read further.
Personally, I like wet shaving, and have done that ever since 1971. As a teenager, I shaved with an electric razor and hated it. I had a heavy beard, was shaving everyday by age 15, but was too inexperienced to know anything else. Once I started wet shaving and got used to it (Yes, there is a learning curve!) I realized it was much better.
I used Gillette razors exclusively. They were cheap and easy to find. At first, I used the Gillette Techmatic razor, and liked it. For those not familiar, there was a replaceable cartridge head with a long razor blade band inside. Rotate the handle on the back, and you've got a fresh razor blade. At first they had the equivalent of 5 fresh blades, and later had 10. I liked the flexibility of that razor band.
Sometime in the late 70s or early 80s, Gillette phased the Techmatic out, replacing it with the newer Track II razor. When I couldn't get them anymore, I reluctantly tossed out the Techmatic handle and got a Track II handle. I didn't like it as much because the razor head/handle assembly was rigid. But, I eventually got used to it. Shaving is definitely a matter of getting used to the tool in your hand.
Time went on, and Gillette did the same thing with the Track II, replacing it with the Atra, and later the Sensor handle. The Sensor, and later the Sensor Excel had the advantage of a razor head that rocked (swiveled?) a bit as you shaved. It provided some of the flexibility I had liked with the old Techmatic.
Time continued to march on. Gillette, once an independent shaving company, was bought by Procter & Gamble, a large soap, cosmetics, and consumer products company. Prices went up, and too many new razor gadgets and shaving cream products appeared. It was confusing trying to learn what was what.
Sometime in the last year or two, I wasn't paying attention, Proctor & Gamble phased out the Gillette Sensor and Sensor Excel razor handles and replacement blades. The most recent blades I bought were unusable, so bad in quality that I tossed the first blade of the 10-pack, trying the 2nd and 3rd. They were all no good. I had to throw out the entire package. The package said it was Gillette, but the blades obviously looked different from the older blades I had known for many years, and they were obviously poor at shaving. It would have been better if Gillette stopped selling it's older line of blades. Instead they sold poor quality, imitation junk. Can I trust any Gillette product?
So what does an old wet-shaving fan do? I don't much like the idea of switching to one of Gillette's newer 3 blade or 5 blade razors. Five blades! Seriously? I'm pretty sure I don't want or need a razor with more than 2 blades. There are new brands sold only through the internet, but I have to wonder the same about them as I now do for Gillette – are they any good?
