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Gillette Fusion Proglide - 12 Shaves and Counting

A few moments ago, I just finished my 12th shave with the Gillette Fusion Proglide Power cartridge I received with the ProGlide challenge. For this shave I hand-lathered KMF shave cream. The previous 11 shaves (by the way, these were not all in a row--I mix up my routine) were also with KMF shave cream, either hand lathered on my face or done properly with a brush and bowl. Even though this is the 12th shave on the blade, I was able to achieve a BBS shave in 2 passes + touch-up with no appreciable irritation. The shave is fast. Color me impressed.

----------Backstory----------
I've been DE shaving for many years. I got into DE shaving because I was never that happy with my cartridge shaves... I mean, the Mach 3 got the job done well enough and quickly, but I always had horrible acne breakouts after shaving a few days in a row. Then, the Fusion came out... I bought it along with a huge pack of blades at Costco. I immediately hated the Fusion, it was mean to my face caused massive irritations and a lot of acne, so I set it aside and went back to my Mach 3. I was venting to a friend about how horrible the Fusion was (I believe this was in 2006) and he suggested I look into DE shaving. The idea appealed to me a great deal, so I ran with it. For the better part of the years in-between now and late 2009, I DE shaved about 70% of the time with my Merkur 38c using random blades from a huge sampler pack and used my Mach3 the rest of the time.

By the end of 2009, I had ranked my picks for my DE blades. I started looking into shaving forums to see what else was out there. So far this year, acquisition has really set in. I've purchased hundreds of DE blades (my favorites are now Feather, Russian Yellow Gillette, and KAI). I've picked up a Merkur 38b (I like the handle better) and all nature of old Gillettes. Not satisfied with that, I picked up a Gillette Sensor, a Shick Hydra 3, and soon I'll have a Bump Fighter handle and some Personna Trac II blades.

Variety is the spice of life. I'm no longer satisfied to just use the same old razor every day.
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The Gillette Fusion Proglide Cartridge is really impressive to me so far. I've never had a blade of any sort give me a 2-pass BBS shave after having already used it for 11 previous shaves. The moisture strip on this thing is starting to flake away--it's extremely thin now and will be gone very soon. I honestly wonder how much longer this thing can last. That said, the astronomical price per cartridge continues to surprise me.

I really wonder how the old Gillette Fusion cartridges were the worst cartridges and worst shave I've ever had while, conversely, the Gillette Fusion Proglide cartridge I've been using for several weeks is easily the best and most durable cartridge I've ever used. There really must be a difference in the metal/coatings. I've often wondered if the old Gillette Fusion cartridges were made out of soft metal on purpose (to sell more replacement blades).

Oh yeah... and one other thing: I really have to wonder if the consumer blades being sold in, say, a year from now, will be as good as the blades in the sampler cartridge. Time will tell.

p.s. I'm still mainly a DE shaver. =)
 
R

rainman

Update us on how long it lasts. I can't believe that any cartridge razor would work that good for me but good for you. I do like the KMF.
 
Cartridge blade longevity as always been a sore issue with me, which is why I wet shave (and have been for many moons). Unless this cartridge is dramatically different that other cartridges, I doubt I could get more that 5 shaves from it. It becomes as much a clogging issue as well as a sharpness issue in my case.
 
Great if it works for you and you like it. I will agree that catridge razors usually last much longer than DE blades. I personally hate the fusion proglide just as much as the fusion. However I did try the new 3-blade schick Hydro and found it to be WAY better than the fusion or fusion proglide, and its cartridges also give me about 20 shaves. So if you like cartridge shaving you really should give the hydro a try as it is much better IMO than the proglide.
 
Great if it works for you and you like it. I will agree that catridge razors usually last much longer than DE blades. I personally hate the fusion proglide just as much as the fusion. However I did try the new 3-blade schick Hydro and found it to be WAY better than the fusion or fusion proglide, and its cartridges also give me about 20 shaves. So if you like cartridge shaving you really should give the hydro a try as it is much better IMO than the proglide.

It seems the general consensus is that the Hydro system is better than the Fusion sysfem.
 
Problem is...even if you get 20 shaves from a $4.00 cartridge...still costs a ton more than even 2 shaves per DE blade...and most likely will give an inferior shave on top of it.

No matter how long they can stretch a cartridge's life out...it still falls short.

They'll never make them last TOO long...refills are how they make their money, not by selling razors. In fact, this is why they give out so many free razor handles, they know they'll make up for it as soon as someone buys a single pack of refills.
 
Problem is...even if you get 20 shaves from a $4.00 cartridge...still costs a ton more than even 2 shaves per DE blade...and most likely will give an inferior shave on top of it.

No matter how long they can stretch a cartridge's life out...it still falls short.

They'll never make them last TOO long...refills are how they make their money, not by selling razors. In fact, this is why they give out so many free razor handles, they know they'll make up for it as soon as someone buys a single pack of refills.

While I agree and you are somewhat correct, an 8 pack of hydro 3 catridges at my local walmart are only $14.40, which equals about $1.75 per blade, not $4.00 per blade. So they are actually somewhat cost effective. (atleast for now). No telling if they will stay at that price forever, but as it stands now IMO they are as cheap to shave with as feathers.
 
While I agree and you are somewhat correct, an 8 pack of hydro 3 catridges at my local walmart are only $14.40, which equals about $1.75 per blade, not $4.00 per blade. So they are actually somewhat cost effective. (atleast for now). No telling if they will stay at that price forever, but as it stands now IMO they are as cheap to shave with as feathers.

Well, that may be the case but you can get great shaves with other brands of DE blade at less than 1/2 the price of Feathers. I think to the point being made is that cartridge shaving is more expensive than DE shaving. Anyway, do you think $1.75 per cartridge is going to be the long term price of Schick Hydro blades?
 
It seems the general consensus is that the Hydro system is better than the Fusion sysfem.

Of course.,
the Fusion/Proglide cartridges gave me 4 good shaves, the 5th one i ended up with ingrown hairs on my neck, while the Hydro cartridges seem to last forever and are way cheaper.
Also the built quality of the Proglide is very cheap, while the Hydro weights a lot more and seem more resistant.
 
Well, that may be the case but you can get great shaves with other brands of DE blade at less than 1/2 the price of Feathers. I think to the point being made is that cartridge shaving is more expensive than DE shaving. Anyway, do you think $1.75 per cartridge is going to be the long term price of Schick Hydro blades?

sure hope so, need to keep some in stock for those times where I dont have 1/2 hr to shave properly:blushing:
 
Problem is...even if you get 20 shaves from a $4.00 cartridge...still costs a ton more than even 2 shaves per DE blade...and most likely will give an inferior shave on top of it.

No matter how long they can stretch a cartridge's life out...it still falls short.

They'll never make them last TOO long...refills are how they make their money, not by selling razors. In fact, this is why they give out so many free razor handles, they know they'll make up for it as soon as someone buys a single pack of refills.

Precisely!! Even if I got AS good a shave with a cart it wouldn't be worth the money!! Figure: I like the cheaper blades; Lords, Dorco's etc. So, if I get 4 shaves out of a 10 cent blade that's 2.5 cents/shave. For the $4+ carts I would have to get 160 shaves!!! There is no way they will make them last that long!! Even the expensive Feathers!! At 35 cents/blade, I get about 7 out of a feather, that's 5 cents/shave. Or 80 with that cart!! No thanks. I'll spend that money on good shave cream and after shaves!
 
Precisely!! Even if I got AS good a shave with a cart it wouldn't be worth the money!! Figure: I like the cheaper blades; Lords, Dorco's etc. So, if I get 4 shaves out of a 10 cent blade that's 2.5 cents/shave. For the $4+ carts I would have to get 160 shaves!!! There is no way they will make them last that long!! Even the expensive Feathers!! At 35 cents/blade, I get about 7 out of a feather, that's 5 cents/shave. Or 80 with that cart!! No thanks. I'll spend that money on good shave cream and after shaves!

you guys get a lot of shaves out of yours, I am getting 2 shaves tops out of derbys and Super Iridiums, granted, I shave head and face with them, 1 shave good, second time I end up getting irritated & sometimes change the blade after one pass.

ordered Israeli Reds, that should cut down the cost got 200 blades for 30 bucks.
 
Well, that may be the case but you can get great shaves with other brands of DE blade at less than 1/2 the price of Feathers. I think to the point being made is that cartridge shaving is more expensive than DE shaving. Anyway, do you think $1.75 per cartridge is going to be the long term price of Schick Hydro blades?

As I said Im not really sure if the price will stay that way. Although seeing as how its a 3 blade cart and schick is almost always cheaper than gillette it seems very likely itll stay that price. Also Seeing as how iridiums give me the most shaves and they can usually only muster 4-5 shaves, and the hydro cart got me 20(and almost certainly coulda given me more, i just threw it away to be safe), hydro shaving for me anyway is just as cheap as DE shaving. DE shavin is certainly more enjoyable, But im starting to wonder if Hydro razor is just plain better for my skin and a better shave overall.
 
Precisely!! Even if I got AS good a shave with a cart it wouldn't be worth the money!! Figure: I like the cheaper blades; Lords, Dorco's etc. So, if I get 4 shaves out of a 10 cent blade that's 2.5 cents/shave. For the $4+ carts I would have to get 160 shaves!!! There is no way they will make them last that long!! Even the expensive Feathers!! At 35 cents/blade, I get about 7 out of a feather, that's 5 cents/shave. Or 80 with that cart!! No thanks. I'll spend that money on good shave cream and after shaves!

Your a lucky man, Ive never been able to get more than 2 shaves out of a feather, and i usually only get one. Im not trying to say hydro shaving is cheaper than DE shaving, but works really well for my skin. I have very dry skin and it makes me feel great and irritation free. And i must still point out that and average hydro cart is only $1.75, not $4.00+. Just an observation on how well it works for me.
 
Your a lucky man, Ive never been able to get more than 2 shaves out of a feather, and i usually only get one. Im not trying to say hydro shaving is cheaper than DE shaving, but works really well for my skin. I have very dry skin and it makes me feel great and irritation free. And i must still point out that and average hydro cart is only $1.75, not $4.00+. Just an observation on how well it works for me.

$1.75 is a lot better, but, I still get a better deal out of the 10 cent blades.
 
I am glad a multi blade razor is giving you great shaves. My experience with a multi blade has never been postive. I am getting BB shave with a 50year old Fat Boy and Astra blades. I switched to DE, to get a much better shave that lasts most of the day, a more cost effective shave. I have exceed my expecations of what a great shave I am getting. Great for you that you have found a great shave also.
 
I was checking out the new Proglide razor at Walmart...I saw that 4 blades are $18!! That is absolutely crazy!! I guess they charge what the market will bear.
 
you guys get a lot of shaves out of yours, I am getting 2 shaves tops out of derbys and Super Iridiums, granted, I shave head and face with them, 1 shave good, second time I end up getting irritated & sometimes change the blade after one pass.

ordered Israeli Reds, that should cut down the cost got 200 blades for 30 bucks.

Feathers give me about 3 good shaves and KAI and Yellow Gillettes give me about 4 good shaves. Anything beyond that is always a stretch, but it's not a huge problem. I have 290 feather, 90 KAI, and 110 Yellow Gillette blades in my stash--I'm good for a while.

I don't really have problems with clogging because I always shave in the shower and rinse the razor off after a few strokes (whether I'm DE shaving or cartridge shaving).

For the last 3 years I've been using wetshaving techniques whether I'm shaving with a cartridge or a DE and that alone has solved the majority of the problems I used to suffer. I have good success with a wide selection of DE razors and blades as well as TracII, Sensor, Mach3, Fusion Proglide, and Hydro3. However, I have never once been able to get a great shave out of a Fusion (regular). Since that thing came out, I've gone through something like 8 cartridges... every single one was horrible for me.

I mainly shave with DE razors, but I put some cartridges in my routine for variety. I also sometimes pop in a dorco blade for variety. I find that I can rush a cartridge shave, but I must still take my time when DE shaving, so I tend to use my cartridges for those times I know I won't be able to take the time to really enjoy my shave.
 
Your a lucky man, Ive never been able to get more than 2 shaves out of a feather, and i usually only get one. Im not trying to say hydro shaving is cheaper than DE shaving, but works really well for my skin. I have very dry skin and it makes me feel great and irritation free. And i must still point out that and average hydro cart is only $1.75, not $4.00+. Just an observation on how well it works for me.

Indeed! I only get one shave out of my Feathers as well but I get face and head....

I am going to try the Schicks and also see how they work on my wife's "legs" :wink2:
 
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