What has Gillette done?

[Swerd]

Gillette makes money selling razor blades and shaving cream I have had the same Sensor razor since the early 80s and blades are still available but getting harder and harder to find. Also have the Mach 5 and it's not a bad razor but it is different and th blades are far more costly.

Have you recently tried to find blades for the Sensor razor? I know the so-called Gillette Sensor blades Amazon sells are junk. If you know where to buy them, please tell me. I would like to keep using the Sensor, if I could find decent blades. That's what started me on this rant subject.

 

[cpp]

Have you recently tried to find blades for the Sensor razor? I know the so-called Gillette Sensor blades Amazon sells are junk. If you know where to buy them, please tell me. I would like to keep using the Sensor, if I could find decent blades. That's what started me on this rant subject.

Which Sensor blade. CVS has the Sensor Excel pack of 10 for $31.00 also a buy one get the other for 50% off and Wally World has the normal Sensor 10 CT for $13.80 or buy two for $22.88. Or two Excel 10 packs for $23.99

 

[Swerd]

Of course no shaving thread can be complete without...
View attachment 50384
Flashbacks of my cheap-ass grandmother buying this crap. Blessed was the day when I had my own money and could buy Edge gel for myself!

That brings back flashbacks of my cheap-ass father. In his retired years, he bought Barbasol in the Original scent, but only when it was on sale by the carton in a local drug store. After he died, my mother had at least a full carton of the stuff. She appealed to me to take it off her hands. It was free, so I tried using the stuff. It was alright for shaving, but I didn't like the scent, or I should say the lack of any scent. So, when my son turned 6 years old, at his birthday party (late May), we had a big shaving cream fight to use up the rest of the Barbasol.

I ditched shaving cream about 10 years ago because I simply ran out and had to adapt so I used my wife's Camay facial soap which was there and found that it actually works pretty damn good for me and lasts way longer than a can of Edge. I can recall my father and grandfathers shaving with soap when I was a youngster so I stuck with the Camay since then.

Don't know if it'll work for anyone with a heavy beard but if it does, you'll save a chunk of change using it.

That brings up the next topic, preferences in shaving cream. Or, as MaxInValrico has pointed out, why use any shaving cream when his wife's facial soap works?

First of all, I see two issues with shaving cream, form & function. Shaving cream's function is simply defined as: Does it allow one to shave smoothly? Form is probably best thought of as: Is it pleasant to use? That covers scent, feel or texture, and other advertising or marketing aspects.

Over the years, I have used Edge Shaving Gel, Old Spice Shaving Cream, and Gillette Series 3 (foam or gel), and finally basic Gillette Foamy. I have tried other brands, but never stayed with them. I started wet shaving using Edge, but never liked the scent. However, I did learn that the gel works better if its diluted with water. I liked Old Spice much better, and favored it for years, until it was bought by some large company. Was it also Procter & Gamble? They ruined it, and took it off the market. Ever since then, I've used one of those Gillette products I mentioned. I've learned over the years, that foams and gels are basically the same product with different amounts of water removed. Add enough water, and they are indistinguishable. As for Gillette's extensive line of shaving creams or gels, they're all the same as basic Foamy, with various additives, such as aloe or lubricants. They sell for a wide range of prices, and the cans all look quite different. All of that is marketing, and nothing else. With P&G, form prevails over function.

 

[Swerd]

Which Sensor blade. CVS has the Sensor Excel pack of 10 for $31.00 also a buy one get the other for 50% off and Wally World has the normal Sensor 10 CT for $13.80 or buy two for $22.88. Or two Excel 10 packs for $23.99

I prefer the Sensor Excel blades. Those prices are similar to what I see locally or through Amazon. But are any of them the real deal? Or are they poor imitations of the real thing?

 

[ryanosaur]

Blessed was the day when I had my own money and could buy Edge gel for myself!

At some point I stumbled on Edge Gel and have been using that regularly for quite a while. I tried a few different brands and 'flavors' and landed on the Edge Orange lid, Sensitive Skin with Aloe. It works passably well. And in the 2020's "good enough" seems to be the highest bar most companies can achieve in their product offering.
All I know is between that and shaving every 3-4 days, I can usually avoid the worst of razor burn (neck and around my mouth and chin (though I do keep a goatee of sorts, no mustache but with bottom lip and chin)).

Lately I haven't done much shaving, until the growth get out of control and my skin starts freaking out. Then it's the Wahl Clippers turn, followed by the actual shave.

I've taken to shaving in the shower. Since I keep the dome shaved, I've found it much easier to just run the whole process that way. Straight 90% rubbing alcohol for after-shave. Whee.

 

[cpp]

I prefer the Sensor Excel blades. Those prices are similar to what I see locally or through Amazon. But are any of them the real deal? Or are they poor imitations of the real thing?

WEll I've been using them and they shave like the other ones Ive had. I see no difference in my shave, nice and close and smooth.

 

[Mikado463]

That brings back flashbacks of my cheap-ass father. In his retired years, he bought Barbasol in the Original scent, but only when it was on sale by the carton in a local drug store. After he died, my mother had at least a full carton of the stuff. She appealed to me to take it off her hands. It was free, so I tried using the stuff. It was alright for shaving, but I didn't like the scent, or I should say the lack of any scent. So, when my son turned 6 years old, at his birthday party (late May), we had a big shaving cream fight to use up the rest of the Barbasol.
That brings up the next topic, preferences in shaving cream. Or, as MaxInValrico has pointed out, why use any shaving cream when his wife's facial soap works?

First of all, I see two issues with shaving cream, form & function. Shaving cream's function is simply defined as: Does it allow one to shave smoothly? Form is probably best thought of as: Is it pleasant to use? That covers scent, feel or texture, and other advertising or marketing aspects.

Over the years, I have used Edge Shaving Gel, Old Spice Shaving Cream, and Gillette Series 3 (foam or gel), and finally basic Gillette Foamy. I have tried other brands, but never stayed with them. I started wet shaving using Edge, but never liked the scent. However, I did learn that the gel works better if its diluted with water. I liked Old Spice much better, and favored it for years, until it was bought by some large company. Was it also Procter & Gamble? They ruined it, and took it off the market. Ever since then, I've used one of those Gillette products I mentioned. I've learned over the years, that foams and gels are basically the same product with different amounts of water removed. Add enough water, and they are indistinguishable. As for Gillette's extensive line of shaving creams or gels, they're all the same as basic Foamy, with various additives, such as aloe or lubricants. They sell for a wide range of prices, and the cans all look quite different. All of that is marketing, and nothing else. With P&G, form prevails over function.

I think it all comes round to your original comment(to which I agree), preconditioning your skin with water first and the softer ones water is the better IMO.

 

[Alex2507]

Straight 90% rubbing alcohol for after-shave.

Probably ... possibly not a good idea for your face.

Maybe for hairy private areas ... pics on the way.

 

[ryanosaur]

Maybe for hairy private areas ... pics on the way.

For some reason I just thought of the Barf-o-Rama in Stand By Me. Just without the pie.

Probably ... possibly not a good idea for your face.

Drying effects aside, it's what we keep for various reasons. Thus far, my face hasn't pealed, blistered, melted or anything else unwanted... and my instance of razor burn has dropped significantly. Nothing of note warning against from the medical community.

 

[Dude#1279435]

I use the generic version of Barbasol and Mach 3's. I'll have to put water on my face first before the foam to see if that helps.

 

[Swerd]

I think it all comes round to your original comment(to which I agree), preconditioning your skin with water first and the softer ones water is the better IMO.

Please try, at least once, my practice of letting the shave cream/hot water mix sit on your face for a minute or two. With all the back & forth razor talk, I don't remember if your beard is heavy or light. It probably matters more for heavier beards.

Yes, soft water might be better. But I have medium hard water, and I don't know how I could easily test out softer water.

I do remember you now use an old school safety razor. Those are old school enough to scare me. I had one of those a very long time ago, before I abandoned electric shaving for good. I occasionally dragged out that safety razor, and proceeded to rip my face to shreds. Those words, 'safety razor' are a big euphemism. Probably invented by some highly paid marketing MBA.

 

[Swerd]

It's now late afternoon, and I'm all done with razor talk. It was fun for a while, and sure beat talking about politics with the mental midgets of that other thread. Thanks for all the ideas & suggestions, as well as the general commiseration about facial hair.

I've made up my mind – ordered some Mach3 Turbo blades from Costco, and ordered a Mach3 type handle from Amazon. I hope they're acceptable. I promise to ignore my first impressions, and spend several weeks adapting to the new tools before I pronounce them good or bad.

I briefly looked at the Dorco razors. I didn't like having to choose between 4 or 6 bladed razors.

Reading the Amazon customer reviews of Gillette products is enough to make me a raving paranoid. Those rat bastards at Gillette seem to make a practice of introducing a new line of razors while making sure they put the best quality blades in them. At the same time, they deliberately degrade the quality of their older razor lines. What a way to run a business!

 

[Trell]

It's now late afternoon, and I'm all done with razor talk.[my bold] It was fun for a while, and sure beat talking about politics with the mental midgets of that other thread. Thanks for all the ideas & suggestions, as well as the general commiseration about facial hair.

So you are feeling a bit on edge?

 

[Trell]

Please try, at least once, my practice of letting the shave cream/hot water mix sit on your face for a minute or two. With all the back & forth razor talk, I don't remember if your beard is heavy or light. It probably matters more for heavier beards.

A shave directly after a shower without drying the face sure makes the shave smoother.

 

[MaxInValrico]

Probably ... possibly not a good idea for your face.

Maybe for hairy private areas ... pics on the way.

No thanks, I'll pass.

 

[ryanosaur]

No thanks, I'll pass.

Wouldn't be able to unsee it... but... knowing Alex, I'm disturbingly curious.

 

[Mikado463]

Please try, at least once, my practice of letting the shave cream/hot water mix sit on your face for a minute or two.

For sure, been doing it that way for ever.

With all the back & forth razor talk, I don't remember if your beard is heavy or light. It probably matters more for heavier beards.

I consider it light, thus my every other day shave with no irritation.

I do remember you now use an old school safety razor. Those are old school enough to scare me.

nah, although patience in shaving is helpful !

I remember years back treating myself to a shave with my barber, the hot moist towel treatment first, the leather strap used to sharpen the straight razor, hot moist shaving cream applied, worth every penny !

 

[Replicant 7]

How about expense? 5 Gillette cartridges, over 35 bucks at Wally world. They say oh but they'll last a month each, yeah right after two or three shaved they pretty much dull. I use the 5 blade Gillette, 1st use very smooth clean shave second not so much third razor burns. But hey got 5 blades.

 

[Sanyobusiness]

I use one of these:

after I went to the drugstore and discovered that a 12pack of Fusion replacement blades cost 50 bucks. I got 100 double edged replacement blades on Amazon for $8. Plus I can pretend I’m Cary Grant.

 

[Mikado463]

I use one of these:

I got 100 double edged replacement blades on Amazon for $8. Plus I can pretend I’m Cary Grant.

Try the 'feather' blades I mentioned earlier, I think you'll be quite pleased