OneAndOneIs2

The Gillette Mach 3, contrary to popular belief, isn't a razor. It's a self-torture device with clever marketing.

So I would have sworn after it made four long years at university noticeably longer. It's amazing how much sore bleeding skin can impact on your day.

But I'm a curious type, and I couldn't help but wonder how well it would work if, instead of using it on dry skin covered with gel out of a pressurized cannister, I used it with my now-customary brush-applied lather.

So this morning, I dragged my old enemy out of retirement and gave it a go after my shower.

It's actually a very weird experience, dragging a flat plastic cartridge across your face when you're used to a more traditional type of razor. It kind of reminds me of a potato peeler we've got in the kitchen...

Ah well.

I didn't get a single nick or cut. I'd have been genuinely surprised if I had, to be honest - soap-based lather really does make that much difference. I was, however, expecting to be left with somewhat scraped-feeling skin. Three passes, four (and even five) in places, using a three-bladed cartridge... that's a lot of wear & tear.

However, I can honestly say that the mildest single-blade razors I've got do more damage than the Mach 3 did. Even the Alum block test agreed that there was no damage done - not the slightest tingle.

So all-in-all, a hugely different experience than I had ten years ago (God that makes me feel old.) The Mach 3 used to be painful, bloody, and not a very good shave.

Today... two out of three ain't bad. As stated above, in some places, I actually applied lather & shaved five times to get a reasonably good finish.

The Mach 3 did a pretty good job on flat surfaces, such as my cheeks. But it struggled badly with the area under my chin, which is admittedly densely-packed with hairs. And it just couldn't do anything with my jawline: The sharp angle was just too much for it.

I think I'll keep some spare blades around for it: If nothing else, it's very easy to shave with - no worries at all about maintaining the right angle.

But there's no chance at all that I'll switch to it full-time. Regardless of what the marketing & sales people may say, it just doesn't shave as well as a single-blade.