I was in India several months ago and went to pick up DE products avlbl. A bit of a different experience than what I expected. I should caveat that my visit was limited to Mumbai and Bangalore, so the rural or sub-urban universe might have a different story.
The, now ubiquitous, chain stores like Reliance Fresh, More, Big Bazaar etc., had extremely limited (if at all) DE blade supply. In the ones that did, the stock was sparse with Gillette wilkis and greens being the most popular, along with a sprinkling of the Gillette blacks, Topaz and SuperMax. The one shaving product that dominated the shelf space was the Gillette Guard. The look through the partially transparent package and the light weight of the razor create the impression of these being very poor quality products. But at 15 rupees (~30 cents), it was very difficult to resist the temptation and I bought one. It only took me a few months to get myself to actually shave with it though.
Prep: Shower/Zirh Clean/Anthony Logistics Pre-shave Oil
Lather: eshave Soap
Brush: Muhle Best Badger
Aftershave: Alum/Witch Hazel
After applying the copious amount of lather the soap produced, I opened the package to feel a very cheap, a tad better than disposable quality plastic razor. Broad and built well enough to provide a good grip. It had a much larger blade-casing gap than any other cartridge. All in all, I expected to draw blood and a somewhat disastrous shave.
Man, am I shocked!!! Good enough to compel me to finally post something after months.... A very smooth blade, a good pivot. Extremely smooth WTG pass. The blade felt sharp (almost like the Gillette Black), the cut was smooth with no drag. For the second pass, my confidence and expectations had increased. So I skipped the XTG pass and went straight for an ATG pass. Smooth, even in the chin area that is a difficult one for me. After splashing with warm water, I ran the alum on my face which only confirmed how good the shave was - no irritation at all. The shave was not BBS but pretty close. I would rate it a notch below the usual Gillette Super Adjustable with a Feather or Yellow - this was far superior to the shave experience using a Gillette Travel DE razor during the trip. Wish I had conducted the 'experiment' earlier. This is definitely becoming my go-to razor for travel or just for a change!
Based on my experience, both on shave quality and the success it has enjoyed in India, it leaves one pondering about Gillette's strategy.
The, now ubiquitous, chain stores like Reliance Fresh, More, Big Bazaar etc., had extremely limited (if at all) DE blade supply. In the ones that did, the stock was sparse with Gillette wilkis and greens being the most popular, along with a sprinkling of the Gillette blacks, Topaz and SuperMax. The one shaving product that dominated the shelf space was the Gillette Guard. The look through the partially transparent package and the light weight of the razor create the impression of these being very poor quality products. But at 15 rupees (~30 cents), it was very difficult to resist the temptation and I bought one. It only took me a few months to get myself to actually shave with it though.
Prep: Shower/Zirh Clean/Anthony Logistics Pre-shave Oil
Lather: eshave Soap
Brush: Muhle Best Badger
Aftershave: Alum/Witch Hazel
After applying the copious amount of lather the soap produced, I opened the package to feel a very cheap, a tad better than disposable quality plastic razor. Broad and built well enough to provide a good grip. It had a much larger blade-casing gap than any other cartridge. All in all, I expected to draw blood and a somewhat disastrous shave.
Man, am I shocked!!! Good enough to compel me to finally post something after months.... A very smooth blade, a good pivot. Extremely smooth WTG pass. The blade felt sharp (almost like the Gillette Black), the cut was smooth with no drag. For the second pass, my confidence and expectations had increased. So I skipped the XTG pass and went straight for an ATG pass. Smooth, even in the chin area that is a difficult one for me. After splashing with warm water, I ran the alum on my face which only confirmed how good the shave was - no irritation at all. The shave was not BBS but pretty close. I would rate it a notch below the usual Gillette Super Adjustable with a Feather or Yellow - this was far superior to the shave experience using a Gillette Travel DE razor during the trip. Wish I had conducted the 'experiment' earlier. This is definitely becoming my go-to razor for travel or just for a change!
Based on my experience, both on shave quality and the success it has enjoyed in India, it leaves one pondering about Gillette's strategy.
