June 16, 2004
How many blades did you say?
Returning from Japan, I somehow misplaced my trusty Gillette Mach3 razor that I'd been using for the majority of the whisker-growing portion of my life. Since I'd so recently decided not to be overly sentimental about the materials of life (a conclusion I came to in Japan after acruing, then throwing away, seemingly hundreds of slips of paper: ticket stubs, train passes, receipts, flyers, handkerchief packets), I decided not to worry too much about my lost razor and went out to buy another. Seeing the variety at my disposal, I hesitated grabbing another Gillette, even the brand new Mach3 Power, eyeing the infamous Schick Quatro.
Four blades! I know, right?
I bought the Quatro, seduced not only by that fourth blade, but also by the medicating strip it professed. Yup, the blades were slightly more expensive than the Gillette ones, but if I could achieve a superior shaving experience, then maybe I wouldn't need to shave as often.
Well, shortly thereafter, I found my original Mach3, and this, in turn, prompted an experiment: I'd alternate razor blades and determine, in my own little way, which I thought was, indeed, the best a man could get. After three weeks of experimentation, the results are in. Whether it's a long term bias or the heart-wrenching determination of James M. Kilts, CEO and President of Gillette Company in an article I read (see below), I've found that the Gillette razor really does give me a better shave. Whether four blades is just too much for my face to handle, or Schick just hasn't figured out the ideal configuration, the Quatro was always sub-par.
The Onion produced an article back in February about how Gillette was considering leap-frogging the four-blade trend, heading right for five blades (Fuck Everything, We're Doing Five Blades). He explains, "If two blades is good, and three blades is better, obviously five blades would make us the best fucking razor that ever existed." Well, James M. Kilts, five blades or not, I, at least, will not be switching brands any time soon.
J-Rude at June 16, 2004 10:20 AM
Wait, wait, back up. You lost something?
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Kenji at June 16, 2004 10:24 AM
Har, har.
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Ken at June 16, 2004 01:47 PM
Mach 3 Forever!
Not the disagree with your test results, but aren't half-asians bad test subjects? Shouldn't someone who's actually capable of growing a beard perform the experiment instead? Even in a three-week experiment, I'd be hard-pressed to shave four times.
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cyndi at June 16, 2004 04:29 PM
Both of your commentors make very valid points.
(i love you)
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Jaclyn at June 21, 2004 02:42 PM
You should try the vibrating razor from Gillette (the brand-spankin' new one). It's good for girls and boys. I don't really know you people...so I'm just going to leave it at that. My beau did say that it worked better than his old Gillette.
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