Cartridges and Goo (ProGlide: A Review)

Many of you may have noticed (some even PM'd me about) my absence from the SOTD thread over the past couple of months. There has been a reason for that. As the expression goes, I've been taking one for the team.

This has been my SOTD for the better part of the last two months:



Often in our zeal for our old world ways of shaving/grooming we are often swift in our dismissal of the "Multi-Blade Monstrosities" or "Crappy Cartridges" that many of us once used on a regular basis.

Not long ago Gillette introduced their next generation in the Gillette Fusion series with the Fusion ProGlide. Just when you thought five blades wasn't enough Gillette "improved" the Fusion by introducing the ProGlide with "thinner blades" and the ProGlide Power with "thinner blades" and a "MicroComb".



So, being the curious shave fanatic that I am I decided that I needed to try one. In order to do this I felt compelled to give it a fair shake so I decided I'd use it exclusively (I only slipped twice) for at least a month. In the end I actually used the ProGlide and/or ProGlide power for nearly eight weeks (I know, I know... the horror).

In a further effort to measure these new cartridges in a manner that the average person was likely to use them I also decided to take a step back and not use any of my high end shaving gear. That's right, no brush, no quality creams and no soaps (boy did I miss my Tallow). For this test journey I elected to use Clinique's Cream Shave as I suspected it would be better than canned goo and something more likely to be used by the average Joe. As a post shave I did continue to use my after shave du jour and a matching EDT or EDC.

So without further adieu my impressions.

Opening up the Fusion ProGlide Power I quickly found what I expected, its just another plastic razor, a Fusion in new clothes/colors. In standard Gillette Fashion there was a subtle redesign of the power button and the entire razor got new colors being dressed up in laser blue. Meh, my impression was meh. It's another twist on an old formula. Nothing more there, what more can I say?





So what about the cartridge? Aside from the difference in color you can see that the blades are in fact "thinner" as Gillette alleged. In the picture below you have a standard Fusion (left), Fusion ProGlide (center) and Fusion ProGlide Power (right).



Now the funny part...

The MicroComb (after use, sorry ).

My first thought, what the heck is that thing going to comb?




Since I knew I'd be using this razor beyond the cartridges that came with the razor I also picked up a four pack of blades. $15.79 for four cartridges . Typically, Gillette cartridges last me 5-7 shaves. Basically with the ProGlide I'm paying .60 - .80 per shave just on cartridges!

OK, so lets open the package. Well it is another environmental nightmare. The plastic cartridges are in a plastic case inside of a plastic holder and all are larger than need be. The plastic cartridge holder sits loosely in the larger than necessary cardboard outer box. Again, everything gets a new set of clothes, primarily in blue to distinguish it from the standard Fusion.



OK, so enough with the packaging and appearance. Long story short is basically only the colors changed and Gillette offers "thinner" blades and a "MicroComb" on the Power model.

On to the shave. As I mentioned I used Clinique Cream Shave. I followed the instructions on the tube and squeezed out the appropriate amount and then smeared it on my face. My first impression of the Clinique was... Yuck! It smelled much like canned goo. My first thought was this smells like a hospital. Hospital is not the scent I'm looking for to start my day. Anyway, I'll save a full review of the Clinique Cream Shave for another day.

For years Gillette advocated using cool water when shaving to constrict the pores and tighten the skin to make for a more comfortable shave. So I did just that. It wasn't cold water but it was 'cool'. In a further effort to keep it real so to speak I decided to shave the way I did before I found B&B and saw the light. Each day I did a two pass shave. 1x WTG and 1x ATG without a rinse or reapplication of shaving cream in between passes.

What were the results?! Surprisingly they were quite nice. I achieved a BBS or at least DFS shave every single day that I used a ProGlide or ProGlide Power cartridge. There were only two days out of nearly 8 weeks that I experienced any kind of discomfort either during the shave, post shave or as a lasting effect. Both of those days I had a more significant burn when applying my AS than I experienced on the other days and I also developed a small amount of irritation on my neck. I suspect this was simply due to pushing the limits of the cartridge. Had I changed it a day sooner I probably wouldn't have had any issues at all.

During this eight week period I also set aside one full week to shave with the original Fusion Power for comparison. Believe it or not I did notice a significant difference when shaving with the ProGlide as compared to the standard Fusion. Perhaps it was the "thinner" blades but it did actually seem to glide more smoothly than the original fusion. I experienced far less 'tugging' with the ProGlide. Also, the lubricating indicator strip lasted significantly longer on the ProGlide cartridges than it did on the standard Fusion cartridges.

What about the "MicroComb" you ask? Well I didn't notice any difference whatsoever when using a cartridge with the "MicroComb" or a cartridge without but I will say that like the standard ProGlide it did provide a smoother more comfortable shave than the standard Fusion.

So, what's the bottom line? If you are in a hurry and need a decent shave you can achieve it with a can (or tube) and Gillette's newest entry into the shaving market.

That said, I won't be giving up my DE and high end shave goodies. Sorry Gillette, you didn't win me over and draw me back but I'm sure the average Joe will be satisfied with your newest product.

To me the joys of a traditional shave with SE/DE or Straight are many. I get the warm lather applied with a soft badger brush, the amazing scents wafting in the air and the feeling that I'm taking a few extra moments out of my busy life just for me. I had none of those when shaving with the ProGlide. For that reason alone it isn't worth it in my mind.

Tomorrow will be a glorious day! I'll be shaving with Tallow First Penhaligon's Blenheim Bouquet and it will be BB all the way around (AS, EDT, Lotion)!

Has anyone else given the ProGlide or ProGlide Power a try? Anyone else actually using one of these on a daily basis?

Rob-Thanks for giving it a fair chance and writing up a balanced review. Cartridges can do a fine job for many of us, but they are just not our cup of tea.

Thanks for doing this. Just goes to show that the carts will probably work for most. I find it amazing that more people are not seeking alternatives to these insanely overpriced cartrdges.

Captain Flint said:

Well done, Rob.

I understand your experiment's purpose, and I think you should be praised for all the effort, but why 8 full weeks? That's almost two months!
(I don't know how you managed to stay away from your regular shaving gear for all that time...)

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Well, I figured that just as DE has an adjustment period after shaving exclusively with other than cartridges, i.e. - DE, SE and Straights for the past couple of years that maybe I'd need an adjustment period for really measuring what I thought of this particular cartridge. That and at .60 cents a shave I was getting my moneys worth!

beginish said:

Rob-Thanks for giving it a fair chance and writing up a balanced review. Cartridges can do a fine job for many of us, but they are just not our cup of tea.

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And that sums it up nicely. I've no doubt with what I've learned here, and using better prep/products I could get BBS everyday with a cartridge but I'd be missing out on so many things.

ateace said:

Thanks for doing this. Just goes to show that the carts will probably work for most. I find it amazing that more people are not seeking alternatives to these insanely overpriced cartrdges.

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I think thats because so many don't have a clue that there actually are other options.

Rob,

Thanks for doing this.

The cartridges always irritated my neck, and when I cut myself, it wasn't a nick but a cut. One blade nicks, multiple blades cut.

Maybe I could get as close a shave with the Fusion Pro Glide as I can with a DE or SE, but the cost in blades is prohibitive. I think the blades are now going for around $4 a pop around here, plus tax. New Jersey does not tax essential items, but apparently shaving gear is not considered essential.

DunEdinRanger said:

New Jersey does not tax non essential items, but apparently shaving gear is not considered essential.

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I think you meant NJ does not tax essential items.

Well yes i used the Proglide quite enough of times to be able to give my opinion.
First to compare to the old Fusion, i agree with you , the Proglide feels better on the skin.
Like you said , it might be the tinner blades.
The only thing is, i can't shave with that for a whole week, it irritate my face like hell.
You said that you were doing 2 pass when testing the Proglide, i tried that way also, but it left me with a lot of stubbles on the neck and mostly everywhere, and in my head i was saying to myself,,"at 4$ a cartridge the result should be better than that" so i sticked to my normal DE routine of making 3 pass plus touch ups.
But thats the problem with the Proglide(and with most multiblades cartridge razor) ,they are not made for multipass, the average guy dont multipass, he goes all over one time North-South direction and hes done.
On the 3rd pass i can tell you my chin was feeling almost like if i was digging into the nerves of my face, quite an awful feeling.
But the result, very close shave, i admit, and i think it's the only razor that allows me to go ATG on my neck without discomfort.
All that to say, for me the Proglide is not a razor i would use everyday.
First it would be too expensive and second too irritating.
Pricewise i prefer the Mach 3 for a cartridge shave, it gives almost the same result at a fraction of the price and it shaves way better, i find the head on Fusion razors too big.
I will stick with DE for sure, Gillette didn't convert me with their Proglide.

Rob,

Wow. I feel like someone just ran over Bambi's mother and then hit reverse. sob.


If you need some help returning from the Dark Side, it's available at www.badgerandblade.com or we can have Blake hook you up with some accommodations in the "guest suite" of the Czar's Palace.

Glad to see an objective review. Your conclusion says it all: "the joys of a traditional shave with SE/DE or Straight" trump this new gadget.

Boo! Hiss! Go back to where you came from! Just kidding of course. An honest review is certainly preferable to that caters to the bias of the audience.

I just finished filling out Gillette's ProGlide questionnaire before reading this!

Thanks for the review! Did you use one cart for 5-7 shaves? I would have to toss most carts at 3-4. Also, I can imagine clogging being my second biggest complaint with this razor. I guess I should try it before bashing it, but I've done the multiple blade cartridge thing before, and more blades decreased my satisfaction. Extrapolating from 3 blades to 5, well.... A two blade cartridge is my limit.

How heavy is your beard? I don't see that comb influencing the direction of my whiskers, and not long enough for the first blade to reach the stubble!

Up And Down said:

I think you meant NJ does not tax essential items.

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Yep. Thanks!

I still use my sensor about once a week or less. I love how tiny the head is. One of the reasons I personally wanted to rid my fusion was case the darn head was so big.

I've never had an issue with the fusion as far as shave quality end result is concerned with the exception of my early shave life shaves where I did 0 prep and sometimes didn't even use water, but that's a nightmare i'd rather not dig in to.

All in all, I still own a fusion with a still shaveable head and 3 heads left in the storage compartment. And quattro with about 8 blades. And a sensor with about 40 blades.

Did you have any issue's with clogging? My biggest issue with multi blade cartridge and even single blade disposable razors was clogging. I would have to rinse after every stroke to keep them cleared out.

And to think....I looked up to you!!!!!!!!! :rik1:

Skrymr said:

Did you have any issue's with clogging? My biggest issue with multi blade cartridge and even single blade disposable razors was clogging. I would have to rinse after every stroke to keep them cleared out.

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+1 I remember having to use the plastic cover piece on the atra to unclog the space between the blades.

With the advent of more than two blades, the gap was reduced and clogging increased to the point the blade wasn't effective much more quickly than ever before.

Thanks Rob, for your sacrificial effort. I would be curious, since you considered the shave results, although not the enjoyment, to be surprisingly close to a DE with lather from a soap or cream, would you consider doing a few more days with the fusion, but instead of the Clinique cream, use your regularly preferred soaps and creams? If there's no irritation issue, and you get the same BBS results, I wonder if the enjoyment would be close using the "soft" products and your preferred prep that you enjoy?

I've tried the Clinique brushless cream, and didn't consider it to be one of the best, in terms of slickness, cushion and protection, much less the scent. So I'd be curious to hear if better software made up the difference.

jakespoppy said:

Thanks Rob, for your sacrificial effort. I would be curious, since you considered the shave results, although not the enjoyment, to be surprisingly close to a DE with lather from a soap or cream, would you consider doing a few more days with the fusion, but instead of the Clinique cream, use your regularly preferred soaps and creams? If there's no irritation issue, and you get the same BBS results, I wonder if the enjoyment would be close using the "soft" products and your preferred prep that you enjoy?

I've tried the Clinique brushless cream, and didn't consider it to be one of the best, in terms of slickness, cushion and protection, much less the scent. So I'd be curious to hear if better software made up the difference.

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And to think I looked up to you!!!!!!

God Bless you Rob!