I was recently thinking about razors and shaving. Probably because I just switched razors.
I used to have a Gillette Sensor Excel. I rather liked it, mainly because it was free. All I had to do is register for the Selective Service. It was a great deal. I trade the opportunity to be drafted for a ten dollar razor. Well, its a great deal only because there hasn’t been a draft in my lifetime. If one comes, then its a total rip off.
Especially since I don’t even have it anymore. It was one of the many things stolen. Maybe I can use that as an excuse if there ever is a draft. I don’t have a razor, therefore I’m not eligible for the draft. Except that its illegal not to register when you turn eighteen. So the best I could probably do is talk myself into some jail time.
About a week ago, I went out and bought another razor. Someone recommended a Gillette Mach 3. In hindsight, I’m not sure why I took her advice since she has never used one, and has never even shaved her face. Anyway, the big “upgrade” is supposed to be the Mach 3 has three blades, as opposed to the measly two blades of the Sensor Excel. Not that I could tell a difference. Shockingly, the three blades didn’t shave any better than two. Its as if the “more blades is better” was pure marketing hype. My trust in humanity took a big hit that day. I suspect that two blades shave better than just one, but after two.. eh, doesn’t matter.
The only noticeable difference between the razors was the neck. On the Sensor Excel the handle was right behind the blade. The neck allowed the blade give and flex up and down. On the Mach 3 the handle is in line with the blade. The neck flexes so the blade can move front to back as well as up and down. The result is its very hard to nick yourself with the Mach 3. The downside is you can’t apply any real pressure to the blade. If you do, the neck bends and no pressure is applied to the actual blade. It didn’t seem to make any difference in the shaving ability, but it was a bit unnerving. I guess I’m used to having more pressure when I press down on the razor. The other thing is the Mach 3 had trouble around my jaw line. It doesn’t like changing directions quickly. I’m guessing its to prevent nicking, but it means I had to go over my jaw line a couple of times.
The design of the neck is pretty important, as I experienced when using a disposable razor. Yeah, I ended up having to use the shaving kit. The disposable razor had two blades, and was shaped a lot like the Sensor Excel. The only difference was the neck of it didn’t give up or down or any other way for that matter. As a result, the shave was really rough. I had to get the angle of the blade just right, to get it to shave correctly. The wrong angle meant that I didn’t get all that close and left hair, or got too close and got nicked or razor burn. I guess using the Sensor Excel made me lazy. I just had to get the approximate angle and the neck would flex to the correct one.
All of this is because I can’t use an electric razor. When I first started shaving I was using an electric razor. But it had a bad habit of chewing up my face. My hair is slightly curly, especially on my neck. For some reason, the razor couldn’t handle this. Probably because all the hair on my neck was pointed in a different direction. I’d have to go over my neck many times, just to get most of the hair. As a result, I got some pretty serious razor burn. I gave up on electrics early on in my shaving career.
All this thought about shaving brought me to the ultimate question: why do we even shave to begin with? Well, if you’ve ever seen a shaving commercial, you know the answer: women. Yep. All the shaving commercials, whether about razors, shaving cream, after-shave, pre-shave gel, or whatever, they all feature attractive women. Its never just a dude shaving. And who wouldn’t believe this answer? After all, its from the same people who said three blades are better than two. Plus there’s my personal experience. I took advice on shaving from a woman. She’s never shaved her face or even used the product she recommended. But I wholeheartedly took her advice. Why? The answer is obvious.
