Whether it’s for a job interview or for a neater aesthetic to spice up your look, choosing the best razor can decide whether you’ll be turning heads or be left nursing those shaving nicks instead.
Good quality gives out good results, and that’s why we recommend looking into two of the hottest products from world-renowned shaving companies like Gillette® to choose the best razor for you.
We’ve looked into two of the best products they have to offer like their Gillette ProGlide and the Gillette Fusion5 to see whether which of these two contenders can really give you that baby-bottom smooth feel and find out which really is, as Gillette’s tagline would say, “The Best a Man Can Get”.
The Specs
Gillette Fusion5™ Men’s Razor | Gillette®
Ever wonder why Gillette’s new razors have so many blades? (5 to be exact!) According to Gillette themselves, the specific manufacturing process they do ensures that the right geometry and amount of blades used within their products ensures a more even shave due to the razor design putting more even pressure on the skin’s surface, lessening skin surface bulge by up to 30% when compared to older models.
This means lesser nicks when shaving and even lesser chances to worry about a patchy shave. This reason specifically is one of the key revolutionary designs present in the Fusion5 razor.
The Fusion5 boasts these 5 precision cutting blades coated with TUT (thin uniform telomer coating) that greatly reduce the resistance needed by the blade to cut through the hair by reducing the friction that results from the blade and the skin surface.
What this results in is that it would require less pressure to shave as well as cutting down the minutes taken to actually groom yourself in the morning, giving you that extra time to keep yourself looking sharp every day.
Not only that but expect to get a feather-like feel when shaving due to the cartridge of Fusion5 two biggest features:
- A 1.05 mm gap between blades – The small gap ensures that hair follicles are cut at a short interval and uniformly aligns each stroke so that hair is cleanly shaven off.
- A spring system is integrated into the blades – The spring system in which the blades are attached allows for great accuracy by allowing the blades to shift positions depending on the unique contours of the face or body of the person using it, making this design ideal for irregular surfaces such as the human body.
If there is one thing that separates other generic razor blades from Gillette, it’s that Gillette does not skimp on the Ergonomics department. Often times we think that it’s enough to just have something that can hack of your beard, but in reality, there’s so much more to the art of shaving that goes deep into the attitude and technique that comes with it.
For one, having a razor that can provide substantial grip can be the tipping point to have an even shave or a patchy one given that your hands are inevitably going to be wet from water and shaving cream, giving that danger of moving the blade in unwanted ways or worse yet, going against the grain of the hair growth (Oh, the horror!).
Luckily, these ergonomic choices reflect well in the design of the Fusion5, specifically on the very edge of the blade cartridge lies a lubricating strip that assists the gliding action of the razor as well as acting as a wiper for the shaving cream that leaves that smooth finish on your shaving routine.
The razor handle also features a ribbed design called “Micro fins” that grip your hand no matter what wet conditions there may be.
Assuming you shave five times per week, one blade refill provided can last you up to a month of constant shaving usage – that’s about 20 shaves in total. The Fusion5 retails for about 19 USD on their website, which comes with 4 refills already. There’s a lot going on to unpack with this beast of a razor, but how does it fare against the ProGlide?
Gillette ProGlide Men’s Razor | Gillette®
Philosophers often say that “You don’t have to reinvent the wheel” anymore, but Gillette’s innovative answer to this age-old question is, “Why not just reinvent the chassis instead?”
The ProGlide comes packed with the same antifriction blade cartridges that come with the Fusion5, giving you that premium feels on both departments regardless of what you choose. Where the ProGlide innovates on, however, is the ergonomics side of things as well as its user-friendly ability that makes it very convenient to use and even changes the whole experience of shaving altogether.
For starters, the lubricant slip is redesigned to have bigger real estate, covering both the top and bottom parts of the blade that lubricates your face both before, and after the shave, giving a much more refined edge to your shaving sessions. Mineral oil has also been glossed over the strip, alleviating dry skin and that scratchy feeling you get after shaving.
The biggest and greatest delineation of the ProGlide by far however is the added feature of a FlexBall technology integrated within the handle. Usually, razors are locked straight wherein the handle is one solid piece and the ability to control and contour the blade towards the skin surface is innate within the blade itself.
Now with the FlexBall present in the ProGlide, not only does it allow for better precision in shaving but its flexibility allows for a much more efficient and even shave because, with this specific design, it can adjust to the unique contours of anybody’s face better than if the handle was a solid piece, relying on blade pivot entirely. Now you get two modes of integrated flexibility with the ProGlide model that you can’t find anywhere else in the market.
Similar to Fusion5 the blade refills last for a month for up to 5 uses per week or 20 uses in total. The ProGlide retails for about 22 USD on their website, which also comes with 4 refills already. That’s about 2 dollars more than the Fusion5. Granted that it has got more bells and whistles, but are those shiny features really worth the 2 extra bucks?
The Final Verdict
Both razors have quality minted in their designs and frankly, you can’t go wrong with either of them. From a comparative standpoint, however, the better precision and leeway that the ProGlide provides with its FlexBall technology that allows better pivot and control to how you shave is ultimately better and worth the added 2 bucks.
These razor handles aren’t meant to be disposable and ultimately, investing in the ProGlide gives you much more ability to get stubborn hair follicles the way you want in the long run. If you really want to pinch your pennies then there is absolutely nothing wrong with going for the Fusion5, after all, it is one of Gillette’s models that took the industry by storm in its heyday.
How about you? Got any questions for us? Got any shaving stories you’d like to share? Feel free to comment them down below we’d love to hear your wonderful thoughts!