I needed to get some new razor blades, as I look far better clean shaven than I do with a beard which doesn't suit me at all. It does make me look old and my wife really hates me with one and gives hints about me looking scruffy, if I don't have a shave for a few days.
It has been quite some time since I got some new razor blades as I usually buy enough to last me some time, six months to a year. In the past this has worked out as I have been able to get them fairly cheap in the sales. It hasn't always worked out that way as I have tended to or always gone back to to my Gillette Mach 3 which I recluctantly moved on to when I could no longer get replacement blades for my G2 razor.
I have tried other razor brands with their various combinations of blades and while the first shave might have been good, the following shaves haven't been. The razors, well most were quite fiddly to get along with and changing the blades, took some doing. The other big disadvantage to them all was where do you put the razor when not in use and where do you store the blades? Most if not all had been on sale, that is cheaper than the usual price for them when I got them and perhaps the reason for that is that, people aren't buying them as they are not that good.
When looking at the price of blades this time, there was very little difference in the price of them, may be a £1 not much more. Then I saw the Gillette Razor Gold Edition which came with 4 additional blades to the one already in it, making 5 blades and my wife suggested I try it, because of the price and if I liked it I would get a new razor which I probably needed. So I purchased it after thinking about for a day or so and luckly, it was still on offer in Boots where I had seen it so I got it.
UNPACKING
Gillette have not done a very good job with the packaging of the razor at all, particularly if you are older you will find it annoying and hard to get through it all and then trying to open the travel tin, which mine came with almost makes you want to through the whole thing away! After about half an hour and billions of Fucks sworn, you get to what is a good looking razor complete with a stand and calmness returns.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I was pleasantly surprised about how it looks in real life, having only ever seen the television advertisements which don't really show the whole razor. The Razor Blades come with exfoliate and really don't look much bigger than the Mach 3, if anything (I have not measured) smaller. You can tell that a lot of thought has gone into the design of the razor, how the blades attach to it and how they are angled to fit to the face. I am impressed by the comfort of the grip and the weight of the whole thing. The srand is just great and a good addition to the whole thing and the razor when not in use just slots into it and it fits nicely on our sink and I have left it there since I first opened it ready for the first use.
THE SHAVING EXPERIENCE FIRST SHAVE
I thought I would get a good shave just holding the razor, before I used it. What I got was in all honesty beyond what I expected and yes Gillette it is the best a man can get. The angle of the blades make it just fit to the face and without any real effort on your part they remain in the correct place thanks to the movement of the head assembly which means even the awkward places under the nose and arounf the mouth are easy to get at. Although I was worried about the number of blades, I really didn't need to have been as I was able to shave without any problems what so ever . I really was impressed by this.
After the shave as I rinsed of the remaing shaving foam that I had used for the shave, I had a wow moment when I noticed how great the shave was, no stubble left anywhere and no going back to get the bits the blades had miss. Not only did it feel good, but it looked good as well. It did it so well that I could leave off having a shave for 3 days before needing one again.
FOLLOWING SHAVES
I was delighted with the next shave I had as it was as good as the first one. The next two shaves I have had, have also been as good and I am really pleased with the results, more so, because I had one shave just the hot water from the sink tap alone (I usually add extra hot water from a the kettle that I boil just before starting the shave). This last shave, using the tap alone was very impressive, something I would not have said about other razors.
CONCLUSIONS
The inital cost of the razor might seem high, however the Gillette Website has offers on it and shows the complete range, you can do as I did shop around locally and get a good offer on the razor as well.
The cost of the blades is also quite high. I chose to get the multi pack of them, which was about £50 ! Yes I did have an ouch moment at the price, but if as Gillette state, they last 20 months based on 3 shaves a week it isn't too bad. From my experience of using the razor with the blade is anything to go by, you might get more than 3 good shaves from each blade.
I used Shaving Foam from the Co-op which is less than £2.00 as I find the gel a bit messy to use. I added extra hot water from the kettle which had recently been used as our tap water is limited to a certain temperature. These things are part of what I do when I am shaving so I think it is a fair comparison to other razors and the shaves I have had over the years.
I liked the weight and feel of the razor, the grip is very good and the head moves enabling you to get into the odd places. If you do down strokes or up strokes or even side strokes while shaving the shave is equally as good. Gillette advertising, as far as I am concerned is correct is the best a man can get. The best ever? Well may be.
As a great choice for a razor the Gillette Labs is for me way out in front of the competition and I can really say it is hard to fault so would be an ideal replacement or first razor for most adult males who shave.
PLEASE NOTE I HAVE NOT BEEN PAID FOR THIS AND I HAVE NO CONNECTION AT ALL TO GILLETTE - IT IS MY PERSONAL VIEW ON USING THE RAZOR WHICH I PURCHASED THIS MARCH 2025
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