Posted on 06/21/2014 5:27:10 AM PDT by rickmichaels
Have you heard the big news? Gillette is promising that its new razor will usher in “an entirely new era in shaving.” Got that? Entirely new. Henceforth, we shall presumably blast away facial stubble with laser cannons or perhaps coax it out using the power of positive thinking. You can do it, Mr. Whisker!
Given the focus of recent advances in shaving technology, you’re probably thinking: more blades. Bet they gave it way more blades. Six blades. Seven. Introducing the Gillette OctoBlade with built-in WiFi and awesome lightning decals along the side!
But no. This time around, Gillette invested five years of R&D and millions of dollars to create, test, hone and perfect—are you ready?—A Handle That Pivots Slightly. (Officially, the company refers to this as FlexBall™ Technology—probably because that sounds more impressive than A Handle That Pivots Slightly™. Which, FYI, is what it is.)
Gillette says its new Fusion ProGlide razor with FlexBall™ Technology is so powerful that it allows capital letters to be placed in the middle of made-up words. It also apparently “responds to facial contours”—unlike my old razor, which, when confronted by anything other than a perfect 90-degree angle, simply exploded into flames.
According to Gillette, for too long now, men have been burdened with the onerous task of having to “twist their faces in awkward ways” when they shave. You ladies out there don’t know what it’s like. One morning back in ’06, I had to lift my chin slightly. And I know a guy who still suffers from PTSD (post-traumatic shaving disorder) on account of having to scrunch up his nose that one time.
Enter the FlexBall™, which is designed to protect men from the countless perils of moderate head tilting. Speaking with reporters, Gillette’s director of Shave Care R&D said, “Yes, that’s my actual job title. Why are you all laughing?” OK, I made up that quote, but what he actually said was: “I think we’ll look back on today and say, ‘This is when shaving changed again.’ ”
Except here’s the thing, Gillette: You’ve already nailed shaving. Your last two razors were both really great. Unless evolution throws us a curveball, and men’s whiskers abruptly become sentient and develop the ability to deploy countermeasures, we’re good for razors. We can shut down Gillette labs and free up the company’s scientists to devote their intellect to more pressing needs, such as a cure for cancer or whatever makes Billy Corgan sing like that.
But frankly, Gillette’s “breakthrough” fits with the current times. U.S. innovation is in a real slump these days.
For instance, Apple’s corporate strategy for the past few years has been to make a bigger and bigger deal out of smaller and smaller advances. We’re, at most, a few months away from CEO Tim Cook presiding over a three-hour announcement of a software update that will make the yellow icons on your iPhone up to 12 per cent “more yellowy.”
And did you see the new sandwich being touted by Burger King? It’s got two all-beef patties, a special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun—so, yeah, it’s a Big Mac. They even call it a Big King, in case you’re too thick to realize it’s a Big Mac. I’m not saying Burger King is going backward with its product development, but we can all look forward to the next new offering on its menu: One Entire Living Cow.
So perhaps it is unsurprising that a company is going to spend $200 million to market a razor that, by its own best estimation, shaves facial hair one-fortieth of one millimetre shorter than before. (Now I can wait an extra six seconds before I shave again. Thanks!)
Sure, some have been hard on the FlexBall™, calling it “a glorified marketing gimmick” and “a dumb novelty.” And sure, I bought one, shaved with it and immediately thought to myself: “Wait, did I just use my old razor by mistake, because this feels exactly like my old razor? Nope, new razor.”
But, on the other hand, the new CEO of Procter & Gamble—which owns the Gillette brand—recently said he sees an opportunity to squeeze more revenue out of the high end of the market for the products that people use every day.
So there is some profoundly American innovation behind this new product after all. The innovation is charging more.
My bride of 34 years likes a clean shaven man...
But, she's old school and not impressed with silly pop culture trends...
1) Find a good hiding place for your real razor.
2) Put out an identical-looking razor, which you've previously rubbed with poison ivy (wear rubber gloves).
3) Within a week, the problem of the wife using your razor will be over. (Your marriage as well, probably, but that's beside the point -- a man's razor is sacred).
some do! it is called dermaplaning... you can find tutorials on youtube... it takes away all the peach fuzz, and leaves the face so smooth... make-up goes on better... looks better... a plus is it exfoliates, leaving the skin younger-looking... and no--the hair does not grow in coarser... no stubble for women...
by the way, i would rather shave my face than my legs... have you ever tried that? :)
I have been using shaving soap and a brush for about 15 years. That and dollar store disposable razors. Best move I ever made.
I don’t get it. I use disposable blades and get about 25 shaves per blade in the shower with soap. Cost me almost nothing. I shave daily and have a moderately heavy beard.
I just picked one of those up at a yard sale this summer. Gave it to a barber friend who has a display of old barber tools in his shop.
The handle costs $25, but will last a lifetime. The blades run around 10-20 cents each, compared to $2.50-3.50 for the multiblades.
I’d rate the single blade as about 85-90% effective as the Mach 3. I think more blades than 3 harms the shave.
You can also buy Gillette Atra blades and handles online, for around the same price.
My initial investment ($17) got me a Feathers razor & blade set - absolutely amazing and closer than all of the cartridges.
Then I bought a Edwin Jagger long "ivory" and, with Feathers blades, is the ultimate. btw, Feathers are the sharpest and HIGHLY recommended!
And soon to follow a model for the ladies to have entertainment while they shave their legs.
Considering some of the places ladies have to shave, I’m not sure they have it any easier than men in that department. Their “spots” are just as sensitive and there’s a lot more acreage.
I had similar results when Gillette still sold the Sensor, those were great cartridge/disposables, since I graduated to things like the Mach 3 I’ve gotten crappy blade packs on a regular basis, seems like the blades weren’t even sharp. This was in a variety of conditions. Cold water while deployed, hot water while home station, in the shower, using creams or soaps. Ensuring the razor was exposed to air to dry out, and so on. Same crappy results. Everybody’s mileage is going to vary when it comes to shaving.
That said, I separate from the military in about 8 months so my facial grooming will be a matter keeping a beard trimmed for the foreseeable future.
Only problem is they run about $25 now - yikes!
Blades are cheap if you buy in bulk. I have yet to find any of the old reliable Gillette “Super Blue” blades. It’s what I learned on.
Looks like my Merkur. I love it.
Single blade works jus fine
On second thought barging in has its drawbacks, especially if my daughter was using it.
Yeah, I love the soap. I was surprised at the difference between shave foam from a can and soap lathered with a brush. For those guys here who haven’t tried it, I would definitely recommend it. My guess is that the majority of those who tried DE shaving wouldn’t go back.
My Proraso shave bowl lasts about a year and cost 10 bucks.
I started with Merkur blades but switched to the Feather. Happy I did. Great blades.
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