Cartridge Shaving Part 3 - Final Thoughts

Now that I'm all clean and shaven from all those cartridge shaves, let's review shall we :) As Jerry Springer would say, these are my final thoughts.

While my overall impression with the cartridge razors was a good one, I'm not going to be switching over to them anytime soon. Sorry, don't get your hopes up. However, even though I had an overall good impression with them, I would like to point out a few things I have a problem with.

First is the outrageous prices for the cartridge blades. These companies are screwing over the consumers with their overpriced replacement blades. I remember reading somewhere that the mark up on these things are like 4000%! That is just wrong. Think about it... How much does it really cost to manufacture that little bitty piece of of plastic and metal. NOT MUCH. I understand that a company has to make a profit, but my word. Paying $20 or $30 for a replacement pack is absolutely ridiculous. PERIOD!

Another problem I have is the constant battle that these two companies have to "out-blade" each other. We started out with 1 blade. Then came the duo blade. Mach 3. Then the Quatro, etc... When will this end? Really? 5 and 6 blades is just overkill people. There is just no need for it. Think about it. 5 blades?! Comon! 1 blade should be sufficient enough.

I do believe that the lube strip is a pretty good idea. I have no problem with more hydration and protection. But how is it constructed on the razor again? First the little rubber fins pull the hair, then cut, then lube the face?

Isn't this backwards? As Larry the Cable Guy says, "It's like wipin' before your poop, it don't make sense!" By removing the fins, and putting the goo strip on the bottom of the razor, you wouldn't have a need for fins or a precision trimmer. Instead, you would have the lubrication strip first, then the blades. This seems like it would work much better to me. But hey, I don't make the razors.

I don't intend to sound mean or pessimistic. It's just my general observations of marketing failures.

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Now, like I said in my reviews of the razors, I did enjoy the shave I got with both razors. Like I said earlier,

I won't be switching to cartridge blades anytime soon, but I think using them has now changed my mind on the fact that they are not evil anymore. In fact, with the proper hydration and preparation, they can give you a pretty darn good shave.

Going from a razor that has 1 blade to 5 was different. But, ultimately, a razor is a razor. Whether a cut-throat blade, Double Edge safety blade, cartridge, or sharp rock, all will cut and remove hair. Some prefer the traditional styles over the others, while some prefer the more modern day technology. That’s fine. “To each his own”, I say. People can argue over this all day. However, whatever gives you the most comfortable shave, I say stick with that. Me? I still plan on enjoying the nostalgia and the tradition of using a brush and DE razor. It's just my thing. However, I don't think cartridge razors are as bad as I had originally thought.

Happy Shaving!