Another cartridge experiment

[salisburyyates]

While I haven't taken my newly acquired knowledge of wetshaving for granted, I do find myself curious about the days when I only used carts and goo, and how I could have not noticed the bumps, the discomfort, etc.

This Christmas I received Gillette's Thermal Face scrub in my stocking. Remembering I had a Fusion MVP and some HydraGel locked up, I decided to try out this device again. The controlled experiment would be carried out with the full range of products to test the effectiveness of the entire shaving "system" as a whole. The Fusion had about 7-8 shaves already completed.

The thermal face scrub does warm up the face, but the amount of chemicals in the ingredient list is definitely off putting. I used the scrub as the only form of beard prep. I remember having torn my face up with the same blade before. The result : very smooth shave. It seems the thermal scrub is very good at preparing the face. However - the chemicals are the downside and make me wonder at what cost.

I've used this combo (even the cheapo hydragel that seemed to evaporate and dissipate even as I applied it to the skin) about 3 - 4 times now with very good results. Extremely smooth face with no irritation, which is staggering considering how poor the blade seemed in my last attempt. I will try to push the cartridge and see how long it lasts before replacement is needed, but the so-called "thermal" prep seems to really improve the otherwise mediocre performance of the fusion. I will see if this scrub can be replaced with a moisturizing shampoo as per Mantic's suggestion and yield the same results.

[wsfarrell]

I get fabulous shaves from cartridges and goo. It's just that DE's, brush and cream smell better and are more nostalgic.

[Monkeydad]

I get fabulous shaves from cartridges and goo. It's just that DE's, brush and cream smell better and are more nostalgic.

Maybe you have soft stubble or something, but I NEVER got anywhere near the closeness or quality of shave from a cart. I used the Sensor Excel, which is regarded as the best of the cartridge razors around here. Also, tried a Mach 3 I got in the mail once.

I'm not old enough to be nostalgic about the shaves (31), it has everything to do with performance for me.

[Sledgehammer39]

Interesting experiment. With a good soap/cream prep I can achieve good shaves from my Trac II, Atra, and Sensor.

[Spytaco]

I get a consistently decent shave from my Gillette fusion power, but i get poor results from canned goo. A combo of tabac and Burt's Bees for a lather seems to work for me, and the DE is for the days when I have a full 45 min to commit to a real shave. :thumbup1:

[Sabre]

I still use cartridge system razors, but it varies from Croma's, Personna's, Dorco's , Gillette's - Trac II onwards and the same for Schick and Wilkinson Sword's. I haven't used shaving foam since the late 90's as I converted to shaving gel and oils before dabbling with cheap shaving creams and soaps and then discovering French Shea Butter soaps. A brush and a great soap certainly improve a shave considerably, the newer razors such as a Fusion do tug but the Hydro 3 is adequate for those that don't want to spend the time to find the right DE razor and blade combination for themselves.