Where will it stop?

[espritch]

First, there was the straight razor. Then there was the safety razor. Then there was the double bladed safety razor. Then there were three blades. Now comes four blades! Wow! Where will it end?

Ummm...actually, does anyone but me suspect this whole "more blades" thing is just a marketing gimmick to sell more expensive razor blades?

[Donks]

They'll stop adding blades when people stop buying them. I think I'll draw the line at 5.

[Yahweh]

I remember a MAD TV sketch parodying all the multi-bladed razors. It was called the Mach 20.

The first 8 blades were designed to shave astronomically close, the following 6 blades were designed to remove unsightly epidermal skin, the next 4 blades were designed to smooth and grind chin and cheek bones, the final 4 blades were designed to snag any bits of mutilated flesh not torn off by the previous blades.

SNL did a similar sketch called the "mach-8", it wasnt as funny.

(Wait, how many blades are on the Mach-20?)

[Abdul Alhazred]

Originally posted by espritch
First, there was the straight razor. Then there was the safety razor. Then there was the double bladed safety razor. Then there were three blades. Now comes four blades! Wow! Where will it end?

Ummm...actually, does anyone but me suspect this whole "more blades" thing is just a marketing gimmick to sell more expensive razor blades?

Speaking as someone who has a heavy beard and likes a close shave, I will say that the better twin-bladed disposables are almost as close as a straight razor.

Plus they are less hazardous and they might even let you take one on an airplane.

I tried the three-blade after receiving a free sample. Maybe I'd buy it if the price came down

[No Answers]

I'm with you, Abdul. Every individual hair of my beard is as stout as a tree trunk, and resists blades...
I have to shave with an electric first, and then a twin-blade, and plenty of skin-bracer.

[jj]

Originally posted by No Answers
I'm with you, Abdul. Every individual hair of my beard is as stout as a tree trunk, and resists blades...
I have to shave with an electric first, and then a twin-blade, and plenty of skin-bracer.

So, grow a beard already! It's saved me 33 years of facial torture! :D becaus I'm being humorous, but it HAS saved me 33 years of sore face.

And, yeah, I'm one of those people with a piano-wire beard, too, until it's about 3/4" long, when it starts to fold a bit. Of course, it also grows like kudzu.

[rockoon]

Speaking of shaving.. when will the moratorium on the Chaplin mustache be lifted?

[neutrino_cannon]

The theory is that the first blades will pull the hair up a bit, and the subsiquen blades will cut it after it has been pulled. Straightdope's got all the details (but what can't you say that about?).

Go mostly-hairless asian ethnic groups! w007! I shall have to shave only rarely for the rest of my life, thus saving on silly stainless steel razor blades on related nonsense.

[epepke]

Originally posted by espritch
First, there was the straight razor. Then there was the safety razor. Then there was the double bladed safety razor. Then there were three blades. Now comes four blades! Wow! Where will it end?

Anybody else remember the Saturday Night Live commercial? It was just after double-bladed razors came out on the market. It was for a triple-bladed razor, with some amuing animation and sound effects. The end of the commercial was something like "because you're so stupid, you'll buy anything."

I think the end will be when someone come out with a razor with about 200 blades. You just press it against your face and move it about 3 mm, and you're done. Of coure, there will also be a version for women's legs with about 1000 blades.

[Brown]

Originally posted by epepke
Anybody else remember the Saturday Night Live commercial? It was just after double-bladed razors came out on the market. It was for a triple-bladed razor, with some amuing animation and sound effects. The end of the commercial was something like "because you're so stupid, you'll buy anything."I remember this SNL parody. I suspect it may have been responsible for delaying introduction of the triple-blade razor.

After the double-bladed razor was introduced, some manufacturers of electric razors announced that their products had more than two blades. If I remember right, Norelco boasted "We've got fifteen" or something like that.

For years, I used a double-blade razor because it gave a better shave than a single-blade razor (and a single-blade razor gave me a much better shave than a Norelco). A few months ago, however, Gillette sent me a free triple-bladed razor, and I tried it. To my amazement, the shave was much better than a double-blade razor, and ever since then, I've shaved with a triple-blade razor. From my standpoint, then, the addition of the third blade was not merely advertising puffery, but it actually produced a better result.

When someone sends me a free four-blade razor, I'll try it, too.

[pgwenthold]

Originally posted by Brown
For years, I used a double-blade razor because it gave a better shave than a single-blade razor (and a single-blade razor gave me a much better shave than a Norelco). A few months ago, however, Gillette sent me a free triple-bladed razor, and I tried it. To my amazement, the shave was much better than a double-blade razor, and ever since then, I've shaved with a triple-blade razor. From my standpoint, then, the addition of the third blade was not merely advertising puffery, but it actually produced a better result.


As much as I hate to admit it, I am a testimonial, as well. For years, I told my wife I was shaving impaired. I was using the Gillette Sensor Excel (double blade) and it was still torture. I was cutting myself (real blood) 1 - 2 times per day. Of course, as bad as it was, I avoided shaving (it works better when whiskers are longer, anyway). Seriously. Then a friend recommended the Mach III. I was going to try it, and even bought the blades and found out that they didn't fit on the old Sensor. Honestly, I sent an email to Gillette complaining about it, and told them that I thought it was nasty to not have it compatible with the old razor, forcing us to buy a whole new expensive razor. She told me, try it and see. If you don't like it, we'll refund your money. So I tried it.

In the first year with the Mach III, I started shaving pretty much every day (in the shower), with NO shaving cream necessary, routinely getting the closest shaves I have ever had, and I probably cut myself once (when I got sloppy). I now shave 6 times a week, with little irritation. From shaving impaired to not a problem.

However, I am not convinced that it is three blades that matters, I think it is more the razor design. For example, I have tried the Mach III Turbo and the Schick 3-blade versions, but neither works as well as the old Mach III. So I am sticking with that. I think they could also do it with two blades, if they wanted, but so far, no 2-blade razor has done it.

I am completely sold on the Mach III. Don't know why it works, but it does. The difference is tremendous for me.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Originally posted by epepke

I think the end will be when someone come out with a razor with about 200 blades. You just press it against your face and move it about 3 mm, and you're done. Of coure, there will also be a version for women's legs with about 1000 blades.

Obviously there is a point of diminshing returns.
I have tried the triple and found it minimally better than the double (but not worth the price difference).

I doubt if a man of average beard heaviness could tell the difference at all.

I think, seriously, that it stops at three. And the triple won't catch on unless the price comes down. And even at that it will be a niche market.

[Abdul Alhazred]

Duplicate removed.

[Larspeart]

Thick facial hair sufferer here.

I used the decent twin-blades for a while, until I saw the Mach 3.

For the astronomical price of $20 for a pack of eight darn blades, I can finally get a decent shave though. I can't use anything else anymore, because I have to admit that the expensive little buggers DO indeed work better.

If only the price would come down.

:(

[kookbreaker]

But is having a four-bladed razor just like having an Angel by your side? :D

(not one of Madison Ave.'s better moments of Super Bowl advertising).

[HarryKeogh]

Mach 3 for important events, other days i use my Braun electric.

shaving sucks.

[pgwenthold]

Originally posted by Larspeart
Thick facial hair sufferer here.

I used the decent twin-blades for a while, until I saw the Mach 3.

For the astronomical price of $20 for a pack of eight darn blades, I can finally get a decent shave though. I can't use anything else anymore, because I have to admit that the expensive little buggers DO indeed work better.

If only the price would come down.

:(

I should note, though, that I can use a single Mach III blade for a whole week, but when I was using the Sensor Excel, I was going through more like 2/week, and that is only because I would only shave every other day.

Mach III blades will last 5 - 6 uses. Best I could do with the Sensor was 2.

[Voob]

Mach III rocks!
I remember a thread about this, over a year ago (I think), in which one poster predicted the release of a 4-bladed razor within a year.

Whoever you are, sorry I doubted you.

[malaka]

Want your blades to last longer? Try http://greatrazors.zoovy.com/

I can't use anything with more than 2 blades because the area under my nose and above my lip is too small. For instance, the hairs growing directly under my nose would only be cut by one blade. The ones a bit further down would be cut by 2 blades. Only the hairs directly above my lip would have the advantage of being cut by all 3 blades. Two blade razors (I use Excel) have small heads which fit nicely into snug or tight spots.

I saw another pardoy of the multi-blade craze on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The were "promoting" the 16 blade razor (which was 4 4-blade razors mounted on a motor) that spun then around at high speed. :)

[Soapy Sam]

I find with multi blades, that the cut hairs, mixed with soap or whatever lubricant is used, plug the gap between the blades, reducing the thing to uselessness after about six strokes.

Cleaning them out is impossible without damaging the edge of the blades. (Unless you have a 1500psi wash gun in your bathroom.)

I buy single blade disposables, use them twice and chuck 'em. I also let the beard grow back whenever circumstances permit.

[Agammamon]

Well, as a daily shaver I'll throw my opinion in about the 2 vs 3 blade controversy.

I've been using the 3 blade razors for a while and recently (when the store was out of them) I used a pak of 2 blade. Definately noticed a difference. So I'm sticking with the 3 bladers from now on though I think they might be hitting the point of diminishing returns as extra blades are added. I mean there's only so much hair to remove.

[Matabiri]

... an announcement from Gilette:
http://www.theonion.com/opinion.php?i=1&o=1

[Diogenes]

I have found that the twin blade disposables work best for me.. But......



Has anyone considered the mechanics of the ' spring loaded ' blades and the total nonsense involved..


Fact: Until they bottom out, they are not going to cut anything !


Of course it sounds good, saying " They Gently Follow the Contours of Your Face... "... But they obviously cost more to make while providing no benefit to the shaving process...

[RSLancastr]

Originally posted by epepke
The end of the commercial was something like "because you're so stupid, you'll buy anything."Yup, I remember it. I believe the tagline was simply "Because you'll believe anything."

[Mark]

I have a beard; thus do I dispense with their silly marketing ploys.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! :p

[patnray]

So do you use two bladed or three bladed scissors when trimming your beard?

[Mark]

Originally posted by patnray
So do you use two bladed or three bladed scissors when trimming your beard?

An electric razor. That, or when I am feeling especially manly, I yank the hairs out one by one while drinking 90 proof whiskey. :D

[patnray]

I'll agree with pgwenthold on one thing: shaving in the shower. The beard is much softer and thus easier to shave with any kind of razor. I've been doing it for years and generally use cheap two blade disposables for about a week each. Also, it is much easier to keep the multiblade models clear of debris when shaving in the shower.

[Soapy Sam]

...and you can pee simultaneously.

Well, someone had to say it.

[espritch]

Has anyone considered the mechanics of the ' spring loaded ' blades and the total nonsense involved..

Of course it sounds good, saying " They Gently Follow the Contours of Your Face... "... But they obviously cost more to make while providing no benefit to the shaving process...

I found that I tended to cut myself more with those than with fixed blades. I guess that was part of why I was supicious of the whole "more blades" thing.

I'm a little surprised at how many people have said they like the Mach III. I guess I might have to try it out after all. But I'll let some one else be the lab rat for the 4 blade thingy.