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Any Generic blades fit Mach3?

Don't get mad. I know that Mach3 is a dirty word around here.

I haven't touched mine in about 2 months, since I finally found some DE handles at a local antique store. But I don't want to throw it out ... at least not until I collect some more DE handles. (It's the Turbo model with the vibrating motor. It gave decent results, prior to re-discovering wet-shaving and DE razors.)

Probably I'll keep it in my locker at work, along with a tube of cream so I can get a quick shave when I need one.

So back to my question ... are there any generic or non-Gillette blades that will fit? I see names like M3 and Matrix hanging up in the blade department, but I'm not sure if they will work.

Does anyone know for sure which ones (if any) will fit?
 
Nope.

And until Gillette's patents run out, there won't be.

Gillette invented the cartridge shaving game since its original business model (give the razor away, sell the blades at a steep profit) no longer worked for the DE safety razor they invented. So we had Trac II, followed by Atra, followed by Sensor, followed by Mach3.....

Long and short of it: Nowadays, Gillette's patent lawyers and designers wrap things up so tight that any blade system that would fit the handles wouldn't be worth shaving with. They are smart enough, however, to leave the handle business open to outsiders, knowing that they'll make plenty of money selling cartridges at $1.50 or more a pop.
 
You'd have to get the handle intended for use with the other-branded multi-blade razors, unless the package specifically says "for use..."
 
Actually, I've seen Mach3-compatible store-brand blades in my local CVS very recently. Haven't bought any, since even before I switched to DE, I had 'downgraded' to Sensor for the cheaper cartridges. But this seems to be a recent development. Either the patent has run out, or now that the Fusion has been out for a while, Gillette is licensing the patent to the stores' suppliers.
 
Actually, I've seen Mach3-compatible store-brand blades in my local CVS very recently. Haven't bought any, since even before I switched to DE, I had 'downgraded' to Sensor for the cheaper cartridges. But this seems to be a recent development. Either the patent has run out, or now that the Fusion has been out for a while, Gillette is licensing the patent to the stores' suppliers.

i've seen those too. i don't think they are what you think they are. i think they fit on the mach3 but aren't the "generic" version of the mach3.

does that make any sense?
 
Actually, I've seen Mach3-compatible store-brand blades in my local CVS very recently. Haven't bought any, since even before I switched to DE, I had 'downgraded' to Sensor for the cheaper cartridges. But this seems to be a recent development. Either the patent has run out, or now that the Fusion has been out for a while, Gillette is licensing the patent to the stores' suppliers.

Thanks, I'll have to check my local CVS and see what they've got.

If worse comes to worse, I'll just bite the bullet and buy a pack of Mach3 blades ... considering it will just be used for my spare razor at work, a pack of the Gillette blades won't kill me, even though they're now approaching $10 per 4-pack.

And that's a good idea about downgrading to Sensor. I may still have a handle somewhere under the sink.
 
In the UK Boots do a 3 blade razor which costs around £4.49 for 8 blades. In my opinion it is a better razor than the mac 3.
 
Alternative 1: Buy Gillette blades. You probably won't be using the Mach 3 very often so in the long run the cost isn't that great.

Alternative 2: If you like the speed and ease of a cartridge razor buy a Merkur MII. It has adaptors so it can use a variety of different cartridges.

Alternative 3: Use a DE razor at work.
 
I've seen at the 99 Cent Only Store cartridges made by the Korean company Dorco. On the box it says they fit the Mach3 razor.
 
I noticed the CVS razors are marked M3 (note not Mach3) but I couldn't tell if the head would fit Mach3. I also have this quandry: The Jagger Chatsworth DE razor cost a lot less than the cartridge versons. The Merkur head must cost a lot more to make than the disposible cartridges. The Fusion is a whopping $61.75 more than DE. Does Gillette charge more in license fees than Merkur? Is it supply and demand?

Fusion $145.35
Mach3 $94.05
Sensor $94.05
DE $83.60

Cartridge Link

DE Link
 
i've seen those too. i don't think they are what you think they are. i think they fit on the mach3 but aren't the "generic" version of the mach3.

does that make any sense?

You're saying that they fit a Mach3 handle, but are different in some non-trivial way from Mach3 blades? In what way do they differ?

If they fit the handle, though, they probably solve the OP's problem.
 
You're saying that they fit a Mach3 handle, but are different in some non-trivial way from Mach3 blades? In what way do they differ?

If they fit the handle, though, they probably solve the OP's problem.

oh ****! oops haha. i meant to say that they DO NOT fit the gillette mach 3. i think they are replacement blades for whatever 3 bladed razor CVS has. which is also NOT the "generic" equivalent of the mach 3.

now even i'm confused.
 
oh %#$@! oops haha. i meant to say that they DO NOT fit the gillette mach 3. i think they are replacement blades for whatever 3 bladed razor CVS has. which is also NOT the "generic" equivalent of the mach 3.

now even i'm confused.

I'm going to have a look at them when I swing by CVS after work today, and I'll check the packaging. Not that I actually have a use for them, but I'm curious.
 
Okay, I had a look at both the box of cartridges and the handle. The cartridges are very similar to Mach3, but the connector is clearly not compatible (despite being very similar in terms of how it allows the cartridges to move, and how it releases used cartridges). So yeah, not generic Mach 3.

I was rather surprised by this, since it breaks the naming convention of CVS-brand products (generics have names similar to what they replace).

Huh. Perhaps these are made by Dorco?
 
The patents are still active for the Sensor/Mach3/Fusion, so it would be a violation of patent law to make generic blades if I understand it correctly. The patents have expired on the TracII and Atra razors, so you can find generic cartridges for those.
 
"Gillette accuses Dorco and a California subsidiary of Dorco, Pace Shave, of intentionally imitating various Gillette razors, including its micropowered three-bladed M3Power razor "with lower quality" products like Dorco's V3, M3, S3, Four Blade and Six Blade razors."

some many jokes to make about low quality and gillette right now.
 
The patents are still active for the Sensor/Mach3/Fusion, so it would be a violation of patent law to make generic blades if I understand it correctly. The patents have expired on the TracII and Atra razors, so you can find generic cartridges for those.

I had been buying aftermarket blades for a sensor for at least 5 years before I came over to the dark side.
 
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