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Gillette Fusion Power Razor

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Originally posted by: torpid
Be careful with the DE. It's a bit of a learning curve. Or has been for me anyway.
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I'm getting pretty confident with my face/cheeks.....the neck, however, it's pretty touch-and-go at the moment.
 
Goober, pay special attention to the angle of the blade on your neck, for it is very easy to have too aggressive an angle and burn yourself there. Add the facts that the neck is more sensitive than the face, and the hair there is a little thicker, means you should take extra care. Make sure the metal bar underneath the razor blade is always touching skin when you are shaving, ensuring proper angle, that way you won't have to worry about cutting or burning that sensitive area. Also, feel your neck stubble to see which way it grows. Your first pass should always be with the grain, not against it, and since most mens' neck hair grows upward, a South to North pass is what is usually called for. After that, you can make a GENTLE second, against the grain/North to South pass to clean up any stubble left over. Of course, you should be stretching your skin while you shave any part of your face to flatten it for the razor to glide over. Try putting your fingers just below the adam's apple and pulling the skin on your neck down with your free hand. Pulling the skin upward right under your sideburns works great for the cheeks as well.

Happy shaving!

Winston
 
Originally posted by: Winston Marmaduke III
Good sirs, the gents at shavemyface.com will surely steer you in the right direction in your quest for the perfect shave!


Winston Marmaduke III
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You are freaking awesome.
 
Winny,

I'm definitely interested in trying one of these single blade razors once I have the time and money this summer. We'll see how much I like this Fusion razor tomorrow when I get it in the mail. I read your post about how we're missing out on a luxurious morning experience and I think what you're explaining is just what I need to pep me up before work or school each morning. Definitely looking into getting a beginner's single razor and the rest of the accessories. What would you suggest as a tru beginners blade.

Raj
 
The most often recommended razor for beginners (and perfectly all right to keep and use forever, but you will probably get hooked and start collecting them) is the Merkur HD. It is modeled after the venerable Gillette Superspeed, which you can find on ebay if you don't mind cleaning and sterilizing it (I use an adjustable Gillette myself). Just don't fall for some of the ridiculous prices the old Gillettes get bid up to. If a used Gillette gets bid up to as much as a new Merkur, I'd opt for the Merkur. Glad I could be of service!

-W
 
Winston, a PM sent your way 🙂

EDIT: I'm actually growing out my beard right now in anticipation of the fusion haha...I cant wait to try the old fashion single blader... I might just have to splurge on myself for VDay.
 
So I tried a Fusion (Power) over the weekend. The first shave was with the Fusion gel that came with the razor. The shave was ghastly: the cream was so thick that the razor couldn't get a decent bite and I wound up with a fairly uneven shave. Afterwards I used a badger hair shaving brush and a decent lather shave soap (Crabtree & Evelyn "Sienna"--great smell). Because the lather is "thinner" I got a decently-smooth shave. The comfort was about like my Mach3 Power, but the huge cartridge of the Fusion made getting around contours (like on my neck) more difficult. Bottom line, I'll stick with my Merkur Progress safety razor, which can wipe up the floor with any cartridge razor out there, for routine shaves; and my Mach3 Power if I'm in a hurry.
 
Originally posted by: supafly
When I first heard about the Fusion razor, I was excited. 5 blades? How pointlessly cool! Anyway, I'll get right down to it:

Not since I was a kid has my skin *EVER* been so smooth after shaving with the Fusion power razor!

BUT! It came at a price, both in dollars spent and in comfort. Gillete claims the 5 blades are "spaced closer together to help reduce pressure - for less irritation and more comfort." Bullsh*t I say! I can't even remember the last time I've gotten razor bumps & burn from shaving.. probably when I was a young teen (I am now 22). Even then, I don't think it was as bad as the Fusion caused. Luckily, with the help of my Nivea aftershave, they have pretty much disappeard in the last 20 minutes since I finished shaving. I did not have any cuts from the Fusion.
I can only hope that this is because my skin needs to adjust to the new razor. I know that at least with electric razors, the manuals usually say it can take a month for the skin to get used to it..
Obviously, the money spent on the razor and its blades come into question. You can probably find the razor itself for fairly cheap, but it will cost roughly $27 for 8 cartridges, 35% more than the cost of the M3 Power cartridges, and about 65% more than the M3 Turbo cartridges. So is it worth the extra price? No.

Other notes: I was impressed at how easy it was to clear the blades off with just running water. When I tried the Shick Quattro in the past, that thing was a nightmare to get the hair out of. I was thinking the Fusion would be even harder, but it was as easy as the normal Mach3.
The single blade on the back is quite useful for trimming the hair right below my nose, above my lip.

*************Update*************
Not that anyone seems to have cared, but I did promise to update and I never did. I thought it was unfair to continue reviewing it so soon since my face obvoiusly hadn't adjusted to it yet.
After shaving with the Fusion Power several times now, I can say that it is an excellent razor - probably the best multiblade there is. With the help of the Gillette Hydra gel, I no longer get anymore razor burn or bumps, and my face is extremely smooth. With refill cartridges cheapily available on ebay in bulk, I am officially retiring my M3 Power.
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I am going back and forth between the two. I really do like the fuscion better. not sure it is really worth the extra cost yet, but if the blades are cheaper in bulk maybe 🙂
 
I got a fairly uneven shave with the unpowered version as well - I think it was that the blades are so close together, they clog very quickly. so it's "shave half an inch, rinse, shave half an inch, rinse...."

one of these days I'll have to try a DE...but I have very dry/sensitive skin, so I'm a little hesitant.
 
Originally posted by: AMDZen
Originally posted by: DLeRium
Originally posted by: AMDZen
Originally posted by: Sureshot324
I'm happy with my regular mach 3. The blades don't last very long (maybe 3-4 shaves for me) but i get a close and comfortable shave. Don't see much point in getting something more expensive.
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Are you fvcking kidding? A Mach3 blade lasts you 3-4 shaves?

One blade lasts me a month if I shave daily, which I don't anymore
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uhhh that's one nasty blade in the end. i shave bi-weekly and a blade gets me by 2 months?
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Now I shave about the same, bi-weekly - but a blade lasts at least 3 months maybe 4.

Maybe your "stub" is just stronger then mine or something. My beard isn't very "thick"
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Could also have to do with care of the blades. I wash and dry my Quattro, then wrap the cartridge in a dry paper towel after I shave. I go about six months between cartridge changes.

Then again, I have a pretty light beard, only shave every other day, and--perhaps most importantly--buy cryogenically-treated blades.
 
Winston, you are currently challenging Wduaqnug as my favorite alltime ATOT poster.

Question for you - got any recommendations on best bang/buck combo on badger brush, shaving cream, and DE razor? Also, how much time does a typical DE razor shave take vs. a typical runthrough with a Mach III?
 
Originally posted by: Dubb
I got a fairly uneven shave with the unpowered version as well - I think it was that the blades are so close together, they clog very quickly. so it's "shave half an inch, rinse, shave half an inch, rinse...."

one of these days I'll have to try a DE...but I have very dry/sensitive skin, so I'm a little hesitant.
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A DE, along with a shaving brush and a decent cream, is actually better for dry, sensitive skin than multi-blade razors with gel. The kicker is that there's a learning curve to get the proper technique down, so you may not see the benefits for a month or so....

--Mark

 
Originally posted by: Mani
Winston, you are currently challenging Wduaqnug as my favorite alltime ATOT poster.

Question for you - got any recommendations on best bang/buck combo on badger brush, shaving cream, and DE razor? Also, how much time does a typical DE razor shave take vs. a typical runthrough with a Mach III?
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Let me take a "IMHO" stab at this while Winston collects his thoughts. 🙂

Brush: Savile Row from QED and Vulfix from Classicshaving are generally considered to be the best values from well-known e-tailers. Pick a "super" badger grade in a size no more than 4" and you may not ever want to upgrade later ($50-75).

Shaving Cream: Taylor's of Old Bond Street is the "value leader" of the old-school, British shaving cream (~$12/tube). But if you have a Target department store locally, pick up a tube of Proraso shaving cream. Its very inexpensive (half the price of Taylor's) but excellent (if you don't mind eucalyptus).

Razor: If you don't mind going eBay, there's a guy selling Indian-made Parker DE's for under $20. Cotton Blossom Crafts sells a Chinese-made razor for under $20 as well. Both are considered "gentle" razors. The Merkur "HD" (or "Heavy Classic") is a little more expensive (~$30 from QED or Classicshaving) but very popular.

Blades: I think the most outrageous deal out there are the Isreali-made Personna blades you can get on eBay for about $15 for 100 (sample link). This is my preferred blade: much better than US-made Personna's and 15 cents per blade!

--Mark
 
Forgot: Shave time with DE vs. cartridge. They're roughly the same after you have your DE technique down. Cartridge razors are perhaps *slightly* faster but the bulk of the time is actually spent with the lather and the brush.

--Mark
 
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