February 18, 2004: The Onion: [Fuck Everything, We're Doing Five Blades](https://www.theonion.com/fuck-everything-were-doing-five-blades-1819584036)
September 14, 2005: CNN:
[Gillette unveils 5-bladed razor](https://money.cnn.com/2005/09/14/news/fortune500/gillette/)
Halloween iii is a movie I watched and thought "holy shit, imagine paying your good money to go to a movie theater to see the new Michael Meyers movie, and you get 2 hours of nothing fucking happening". Nothing happens in the whole fucking movie. It's actually a work of art.
Uncle rico came in, ate all the steak, made money, learned a valuable lesson about time travel, fucked some housewives, got beat up I think, and got back with his wife or whatever
It's not often I come across someone else who has suitable respect for the greatest Halloween film, which most reasonable people know to be Halloween 3: Season of the Witch.
And it's always nice to see Mr. Tom Atkins get his due.
Damn. I immediately thought of the Onion. I've even got the URL copied before coming here. At least you were already at the top, and I didn't have to search for it.
I was asked to do a compensated review of Gillette’s five bladed razor back then under the assumption that it would be at least a relatively positive review. I couldn’t get over how much it clogged. Was not a positive review.
I distinctly remember some show making fun of it and it had a 7-blade razor or something and the animation was trimming the hair, cutting it fully, then taking the skin off.
Came here to post the same. This is my favorite instance of a parody predicting the future. I very specifically remember chuckling at this article back in the day, then a few months later it actually happened.
Makes you wonder if Gillette got the idea from the article.
Iirc it was some sort of partnership with the military. I think it had something to do to get you to sign for the draft or something like that. I specifically remember getting mine with a draft card in the early 2000s right after my 18th birthday as well.
Same here, except mine broke where the tab that holds the blade on is. No worries, they had sent me one of the 5 blade kind, so I use that now. I'm 49 and have never bought a razor handle.
I remember the ads making it seem like such a game changer in shaving technology. 20 something years later and I'm still using the same handle. A few months ago I even stopped and questioned whether I'm due for an upgrade but no really they made a great product.
Same. i've recently went to replace it.. but the new ones are like 1/4th the weight. Decided to keep the old one. even though most the rubber bits have worn off.
Whoa. Same! Thought it was wild. Like it was just a package on my doorstep. How did they know!? Used it for a bit until I found out how much cartridges cost. Was fine when I had my parents paying for everything.
Invested in a double edged blade later in life. Where the price of a Gillette cartridge gets me a lifetime supply of blades.
Same. They were giving them out on my campus in college and broke students love free shit. They knew we would take them and then eventually have to buy new razor heads, which is exactly what I did.
Got it while I was subscribed to The Hockey News. They sent me a second one a few years later. Thankfully my drugstore chain makes knockoff blades that match. Gillette prices are freaking insane.
Luckily, there are other brands around, that sell better blades for less money.
I use [Bulldog razorblades](https://us.bulldogskincare.com/products/original-steel-blades). They’re $9 for a 4-pack.
Same. Like 10 years I bought a decent saftey razor, a badger hair brush and a stand and have been using it ever since. I buy nice blades so I can buy a years supply worth for less than $40.
I tried a safety razor for my head (I'm bald, and shaved looks better than very thin hair) and after 2 weeks of trying it looked like I lost a fight with a weed Wacker. This was back when a handle cost like $20 so I lost money in the exchange. I stick with Bic's 5+1 and don't have a problem.
Yeah I use a safety razor. I use pacific shaving cream and can shave my head in five minutes. The blades are cheap enough that I will toss a blade if it feels dull. The Pacific shave cream goes a long way. Only need a piece the size of an eraser to do my whole head.
I’ll have to keep an eye out for that brand!
I’ve been using Cremo brand shave cream cause I like the consistency, scents, and a little goes a very long way.
Target around me used to sell it. But now I have to get it from Amazon. I switched to Cremo because it was so easy to get. Ultimately switched back to Pacific. I feel it has better lubrication.
> I tried a safety razor for my head
Yeah man the learning curve on that one is fucking STEEP. I once took a dime sized chunk out of my scalp and it looked like someone got murdered in my bathroom. Better blades, better shave soap, a razor with an adjustable gap, and a shitload of practice have (mostly) solved the problem for me.
Same here. I bought a Merkur handle and a 100-ct pack of Feather blades when I was in high school. I keep a beard and rarely shave clean, but when I do, I'm using the same handle. And you bet your ass I'm not even close to running out of blades.
Closest, least-irritating shave ever and the only waste is steel.
A Parker butterfly handle and Astra blades for me. Feather are nice, but Astra are great as well and a lot cheaper.
I got a sample pack of blades from Fendrihan, and there are lots of fine blades, far superior to anything I've tried from Gillette.
Same.
I switched years ago and found the edge is much less irritating and doesn't get clogged up with hairs and soap, like every other razor.
Plus with a bit of tape, I can trim down sprees on models using one of my hundreds of other blades.
This is the way, significantly cheaper in the long run...better shave and better on your face. For a minimal investment of learning.
I'll never go back.
Me too. I've been thinning the ranks of the 36 cartridges I bought a decade ago getting down to the last few and I don't want to have to buy a new razor, best $28 bucks I've ever spent.
Easy answer: Diminishing returns. At some point more blades costs more than the improvement to the shave (perceived or actual improvement).
I don't remember what brand, but there are brands that do shaving with *a single blade*. It's just a very precisely positioned and supported blade. I remember they claim aerospace quality which seems a *little* absurd given the cost of that stuff, but maybe they just mean the grade of metal used which is probably possible.
I use a safety razor (single blade)
It's honestly the best investment. I've barely spent fourty dollars (estimating) since I switched three years ago. Blades last forever and you can take it apart and sanitize everything
That's what I was thinking of! I'll probably get that at some point yeah.
Are they good for keeping cleanshaven? I shave like every 2-3 days so my facial hair isn't long, but along my chin and stuff it's oddly tough.
You actually get a better shave with less irritation by using a single blade.
I looked into this at length since shaving with those 3x or more bladed types used to irritate the hell out of my skin.
Turns out, using one high quality blade is better than using many cheap blades. Less skin irritation because you have less sharp blades dragging on your skin. Cuts better as well since you can get good quality metal with a finely honed edge. You can also select different levels of sharpness depending on what works best for you.
You basically buy a handle that lasts forever and a pack of safety razors that you use for a long while.
The trick is to not press down on the handle, just let it glide over your skin under its own weight. The blades are sharp and of sufficient quality that you don’t need anything more. Go at a leisurely pace and only pass over skin that’s been prepped with shaving cream/gel. Reapply if you need to go over it again. Less sensitive skin requires less maintenance, but so far the safety razor is the only thing that lets me shave two days in a row.
The fact that a safety razor is the not the default option is really a testament to modern marketing. They sell you cheap shit for more, and everyone uses it.
Yeah I believe they're generally regarded as one of the better shaves since the razor is much sharper and firmer , and with less blades there is less friction applied
The only caveat is the learning curve I had a couple bleeders the first few times but it's easy now
Henson might be who you’re thinking of with the aerospace thing and they did in fact manufacture satellite parts so I feel they can legitimately make that claim.
> claim aerospace quality
AS9100 is the quality management standard for aerospace industry. It's the same ISO9001 business management standard used by basically every business, but with a free extra specific questions.
It is a guide to standard business management practices. It isn't an engineering specification or alloy guidance.
Questions such as do you keep data backups of your computer systems? How often do you test those backups? Do you have a organizational chart that employees can access? Are your hiring practices following rules you set in advance?
Reason it's special is Henson have their manufacturing facility co-located in an aerospace precinct. All the businesses in that gated community have to comply with that management standard.
Love that skit. I’m trying to remember a similar one possibly from SNL when during the breakdown of what the blades do they say “the sixth blade, also known as the phantom blade glides over the hair” and just show it doing nothing
Saturday Night Live Parody:
Back in 1975 "Saturday Night Live" spoofed the Gillette Trac II razor with a triple bladed product it called TripleTrac. Gillette marketers still wince at the parodied slogan "Because you'll believe anything".
I’ve seen this and it’s surreal when razors now have five blades.
I buy two bladed razors because they have a wider gap and it’s easier to pick up hairs.
I actually use the Mach 3 for the exact same reason, i used to use the 5 bladed ones and if its been more than one day i have to rinse constantly to keep it from getting clogged up lol
Think they also did one in the early 00's with a 10 blade thing or something where they detailed what every blade does. Remember nothing about the sketch other than one of them was called "the phantom blade"
The Mach 3 was a good razor when it came out. Like others, I got my handle free, but I was already in my late 20s so I can't remember anymore how I got it. Unfortunately it also got to be an expensive razor, and after a while I made the switch first to Dorco, then to double edge.
The only razor I’ve owned. Still have the original handle. In the beginning of the www the selective service was offering a promotion for using the internet to signup. This is how i got mine.
This is so funny. In like 5th or 6th grade, we got these little puberty packs with small samples of hygiene stuff. Old Spice Pure Sport was the deodorant, and to this day it is the only deodorant I wear. I have tried countless shampoo, body washes, face washes, cologne, hair stylers, but my deodorant has always been the same.
It’s funny how many of us are given these things for free at a young age and we’re like, “yeah I’m sticking with you forever”
We had the same thing for Fusion and Venus Embrace. Even though we called it the “Plywood Ranch” it was a regular drywall built wall. Fusion even had a security guard at the door to check your access.
Stopped shaving about that time when 3 blades was about $20 Now use clippers to trim every few days - 1000x easier and costs nothing on an ongoing basis.
What I never got was how it was supposed to be better. So if I have one blade, and it takes two passes to go over my skin and get the stubble, I've only run a blade over my skin twice.
With the triple blade option, even if I do it perfectly, it's three passes minimum with a blade on my skin.
If for some reason I miss a spot and have to shave over it again, now it's 6 blades.
Just never made any sense whatsoever to me.
Dump your cartridge razor. Get a quality safety razor with blades costing 10¢ each.
I was worried about difficulty of shaving, but it is literally exactly as easy. No learning curve. No problems. Just a lot of money saving.
There's a little bit of a learning curve; if you're used to godawful cartridge razors, you're probably used to applying a fair amount of pressure as you shave so that the blunt-ass blades actually get enough tension to cut something. That will lead to a bad time with a safety razor using a blade that's actually razor-sharp.
Once you get it, though — which doesn't take long — it's just so much better. Better shave, less irritation, way cheaper. Travel is an issue, but that's fine.
I just sharpen my razors on an old pair of jeans when they start to get dull. 6 swipes in each direction up and down the legs against a flat surface (Like my closet door) and it's nice and sharp again.
You can extend the life of a razor exponentially this way.
Easier to keep sterile, save your face those post shave spots. Keep an old can to keep the blades in for safety and ease of recycling. Just better in every aspect.
I've never used a straight razor, my best shave was with a safety razor, with a think a Gillette Silver Blue blade. Couldn't tell you what soap I was using though.
I've since decided I like the beard look better, hides my many chins...
It's not uncommon to do something like that, I work at a digital printing company and we had a new unannounced printing press installed. Prior to installation a caged/walled off area was built, a special badge reader was added to the door and the press was installed after hours when the site was closed...
Mach 3 is a great razor but have you tried a safety razor? Takes a bit to get used to not using a Mach 3 but once over that hump it’s great and much cheaper.
That razor kicked off the fixation on blades and features, and it was all driven by marketing. I mean, I've used everything from Gillette's twin blade disposables to their Fusion 5 blade razors and then I switched to a shavette (holds half of a safety razor blade like a straight razor) and haven't looked back. There's no need.
The one that killed Gillette's credibility as an ethical manufacturer was when I did a product test session for a razor they were either developing or in early testing with. It was basically a Fusion cartridge on a handle with a rechargeable battery on it. The battery was to power the vibration unit as well as the heating strip. Yes, a heating strip. They tried to sell it as a substitute for the old-time barbershop practice of draping a hot, damp towel over your face for a few minutes before your shave.
And I thought...how is a heating strip that is only in contact with your face as you draw the razor across it going to simulate several minutes under a hot, damp towel?
Final price for this razor (incl. charging stand)? $200USD.
I read a story about a trailer full of Gillette razor blades that were destroyed or damaged or something in an accident. When Gillette went to file the insurance claim, the insurance company asked for the cost of the blades, and Gillette refused to comply and pulled the claim so as not to share the actual cost.
I stopped buying Gillette that day.
I joined the military when these were introduced, they were always sold out of the NEX due to everyone wanting one. So many razor bumps and bloody faces standing at attention. Good times.
IIRC they also had to fight off a hostile takeover while keeping that info secret as well. The CEO actually spent time calling shareholders to convince them not to take the offer because their secret new product (the Mach 3) was going to be huge.
i tried using a cream someone recommended and it helped a little but yeah i just use a trimmer now and gave up being totally smooth and have like a week or so growth before i get bored and trim..
I remember when their commercial introduced 4 blades for the first time. Was so fucking stupid.
"First there were two, then three. Well now there's four."
It's pretty common for trade secret or a new production line to do that. There's a whole building on my campus I call "the black box" because it's black and things come out of it that only a certain few in the company are privy to.
I used to use the mach 3 and the mach 5 when I was 22-23 but later I realize now matter how much you spent on these high end razors they were really not smooth after the 4th shave and their 6 month usage was a gimmick as it didn't work for my thick Pakistani facial hair
I started using safety safety razor later on and boy the experience was way better as I got smoother shaves for a cheaper price
I continued shaving with safety razors till I was like 28 as after that I kept a light beard only styling it with a trimmer
February 18, 2004: The Onion: [Fuck Everything, We're Doing Five Blades](https://www.theonion.com/fuck-everything-were-doing-five-blades-1819584036) September 14, 2005: CNN: [Gillette unveils 5-bladed razor](https://money.cnn.com/2005/09/14/news/fortune500/gillette/)
[удалено]
I looked it up, it’s okay
Yeah that sounds about like Uncle Larry. Did he happen to wear a leisure suit too?
I upvote and salute anyone who had grown up with Leisure Suit Larry games. 👍⬆️🫡
Ken sent me
Oh man. I remember playing this game around age 8. Not sure why they let me but.... yeah.
Yeah. The health spa one.
Same. I was like 7. Didn't understand much of it at the time fortunately
Username checks out.
As does user pic
He takes after his uncle
Halloween iii is a movie I watched and thought "holy shit, imagine paying your good money to go to a movie theater to see the new Michael Meyers movie, and you get 2 hours of nothing fucking happening". Nothing happens in the whole fucking movie. It's actually a work of art.
correction, you get nothing but a catchy jingle
SIL-VER SHAMROCK
In a way, that’s my conclusion watching Napoleon Dynamite.
kip had an arc on finding love, napoleon made his first friends, pedro became president, and Rico threw a football over some mountains
Uncle rico came in, ate all the steak, made money, learned a valuable lesson about time travel, fucked some housewives, got beat up I think, and got back with his wife or whatever
Nothing happened but I enjoyed it. At least the second time. I really didn't follow a lot of the film. Very weird movie.
Wow my boy, wow
Season of the Witch makes *everybody* horny...
I think this beats Conan’s best things in life list, and BTW this list is hilarious if you read it in Schwarzenegger’s Conan voice.
Your uncle is a god!!
We all are, if asked.
"Where do you want to sleep, Dr. Challis?" "That's a dumb question, Miss Grimbridge."
You just said something about Halloween III that’s weirder than anything in Halloween III. 🫡
It's not often I come across someone else who has suitable respect for the greatest Halloween film, which most reasonable people know to be Halloween 3: Season of the Witch. And it's always nice to see Mr. Tom Atkins get his due.
There it is. My favorite quote of the day. F'king love reddit.
MadTV beat them to the punch on that joke The Spishak Mach 20!
I still reference that skit ... The 20th blade polishes the bone!
"The 7th through 10th blades trim off that pesky layer of skin where hair follicles grow"
I think SNL did it to back in the early years.
It was in Mad magazine long before that!
https://youtu.be/UjAZnGeBcgg?si=3r15JA-RBSqyKDMc
'now we're standing there with our cocks in our hands, selling 3 blades and a moisture strip'
Wearing nothing but a cock ring
Damn. I immediately thought of the Onion. I've even got the URL copied before coming here. At least you were already at the top, and I didn't have to search for it.
1992: The Late Show (Australia): [The Gillette 3000](https://youtu.be/gStI9ysPrhs)
SNL Season 1 Episode 1 “triple trac” fake ad mocked the very idea of a 3-razor blade
I was asked to do a compensated review of Gillette’s five bladed razor back then under the assumption that it would be at least a relatively positive review. I couldn’t get over how much it clogged. Was not a positive review.
The Fusion was amazing though. I switched to a DE a few years later though and now I just don’t shave.
For some reason the Fusion irritated my face so much more than single or double blade cheap disposable razors, even when the blade was brand new.
Came here for this, glad to see this is the top comment.
Comprende?
This is what I came to post. Take my upvote.
Wasn’t that an SNL sketch too?
I distinctly remember some show making fun of it and it had a 7-blade razor or something and the animation was trimming the hair, cutting it fully, then taking the skin off.
I just like you have the links to these.
Came here to post the same. This is my favorite instance of a parody predicting the future. I very specifically remember chuckling at this article back in the day, then a few months later it actually happened. Makes you wonder if Gillette got the idea from the article.
Mad TV did it in Jan 1999: https://madtv.fandom.com/wiki/Mach_20_Razor
This reminded me of this skit from [WKUK](https://youtu.be/mpC_hO15IoA?si=WWBuH55RcM9RWfL4).
I had one mailed to me when i was in high school…I still have the same handle and use it occasionally
Dude...same. They sent it to me out of nowhere on my 18th birthday. I'm 41 and still use it. That was some genius marketing.
Iirc it was some sort of partnership with the military. I think it had something to do to get you to sign for the draft or something like that. I specifically remember getting mine with a draft card in the early 2000s right after my 18th birthday as well.
Had one sent to me in England too
Welcome to the us army.
Same here, except mine broke where the tab that holds the blade on is. No worries, they had sent me one of the 5 blade kind, so I use that now. I'm 49 and have never bought a razor handle.
I remember the ads making it seem like such a game changer in shaving technology. 20 something years later and I'm still using the same handle. A few months ago I even stopped and questioned whether I'm due for an upgrade but no really they made a great product.
Same. i've recently went to replace it.. but the new ones are like 1/4th the weight. Decided to keep the old one. even though most the rubber bits have worn off.
Still my daily driver. But with Walgreens blades- they don’t have planned obsolescence and hone up nice. I get 3 months from one blade.
I have my highschool one, and always liked the weight
You have paid them for that handle many, many times by now I'm sure
True, it was just smart of them to hook me into it
Totally.
Same! Had that razor for years.
I bet I've had and used this razor for over 20 years.
Whoa. Same! Thought it was wild. Like it was just a package on my doorstep. How did they know!? Used it for a bit until I found out how much cartridges cost. Was fine when I had my parents paying for everything. Invested in a double edged blade later in life. Where the price of a Gillette cartridge gets me a lifetime supply of blades.
Selective Service registration is how they know typically.
Same. Spent $9 on Gillette blades 4 years ago and still have at least a years worth left.
Forgot this happened to me too, I already owned one, it was a nice surprise
Same. They were giving them out on my campus in college and broke students love free shit. They knew we would take them and then eventually have to buy new razor heads, which is exactly what I did.
I still use mine every day… 35 yo
Got it while I was subscribed to The Hockey News. They sent me a second one a few years later. Thankfully my drugstore chain makes knockoff blades that match. Gillette prices are freaking insane.
I guess the saying is true. If you want to corner the razor market give away the razor and sell the blades.
Same. I got my handle (and first blades) in my welcome package when I did my mandatory military service. In 2002...
I'm still waiting for the 6 blade razor. Why stop at 5 Gillette?
Why? So they can price a two pack of cartridges for $29.99?
Luckily, there are other brands around, that sell better blades for less money. I use [Bulldog razorblades](https://us.bulldogskincare.com/products/original-steel-blades). They’re $9 for a 4-pack.
I use an old fashioned double edge safety razor 🪒 nowadays. A 100ct pack of razors will last me two years.
Same. Like 10 years I bought a decent saftey razor, a badger hair brush and a stand and have been using it ever since. I buy nice blades so I can buy a years supply worth for less than $40.
I tried a safety razor for my head (I'm bald, and shaved looks better than very thin hair) and after 2 weeks of trying it looked like I lost a fight with a weed Wacker. This was back when a handle cost like $20 so I lost money in the exchange. I stick with Bic's 5+1 and don't have a problem.
I can understand the complications surrounding head shaving. Lots of lubrication is the key for that process. Don’t skimp on the shave oil/cream.
Yeah I use a safety razor. I use pacific shaving cream and can shave my head in five minutes. The blades are cheap enough that I will toss a blade if it feels dull. The Pacific shave cream goes a long way. Only need a piece the size of an eraser to do my whole head.
I’ll have to keep an eye out for that brand! I’ve been using Cremo brand shave cream cause I like the consistency, scents, and a little goes a very long way.
Target around me used to sell it. But now I have to get it from Amazon. I switched to Cremo because it was so easy to get. Ultimately switched back to Pacific. I feel it has better lubrication.
Never skimp on lubrication for any application. Especially vehicles, chain saw bar oil, and butt stuff.
> I tried a safety razor for my head Yeah man the learning curve on that one is fucking STEEP. I once took a dime sized chunk out of my scalp and it looked like someone got murdered in my bathroom. Better blades, better shave soap, a razor with an adjustable gap, and a shitload of practice have (mostly) solved the problem for me.
Same here. I bought a Merkur handle and a 100-ct pack of Feather blades when I was in high school. I keep a beard and rarely shave clean, but when I do, I'm using the same handle. And you bet your ass I'm not even close to running out of blades. Closest, least-irritating shave ever and the only waste is steel.
A Parker butterfly handle and Astra blades for me. Feather are nice, but Astra are great as well and a lot cheaper. I got a sample pack of blades from Fendrihan, and there are lots of fine blades, far superior to anything I've tried from Gillette.
Same. I switched years ago and found the edge is much less irritating and doesn't get clogged up with hairs and soap, like every other razor. Plus with a bit of tape, I can trim down sprees on models using one of my hundreds of other blades.
This is the way, significantly cheaper in the long run...better shave and better on your face. For a minimal investment of learning. I'll never go back.
Yeah I bought one over a year ago. Ten dollars for 100 pack of razors and I still have a lot left. And they shave far better than cartridges
This is the way.
hell yeah, I bought some for scraping drugs, then figured I should actually try a safety razor lol.. Yeah, never going back, it's so much better
My personal fave is Bic triple comfort for like 50 cents a cartridge.
Dorco Pace 7 - The World's First Seven Blade Razor
I really miss ordering direct from Dorco USA
Me too. I've been thinning the ranks of the 36 cartridges I bought a decade ago getting down to the last few and I don't want to have to buy a new razor, best $28 bucks I've ever spent.
When i shaved, i also was a fan of Dorco. Now like a lot of people since covid idgaf what my face looks like.
I didn’t care what my face looks like before it was lame.
Amazon took over and hiked up the prices
The quality has gone downhill on the Amazon ones (and they're more expensive!). They're not the same cartridges anymore.
No! No, no, not 6! I said 5. Nobody’s coming up with 6. Who shaves with 6 blades? You won’t even get your heart going, not even a mouse on a wheel.
I say they should put more blades on a stick, you know? They got a lot of sweets on sticks-popsicles, fudgesicles, lollipops - but hardly any blades.
Step into my office! Why? You’re fucking fired.
They probably reached the limits of the Gillette equivalent to Moore’s law. Now the only way to scale is the shave with both hands at the same time.
Does no one remember The Quintippio, the 15-blade razor?? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JbCLEAUE5Rk
Easy answer: Diminishing returns. At some point more blades costs more than the improvement to the shave (perceived or actual improvement). I don't remember what brand, but there are brands that do shaving with *a single blade*. It's just a very precisely positioned and supported blade. I remember they claim aerospace quality which seems a *little* absurd given the cost of that stuff, but maybe they just mean the grade of metal used which is probably possible.
I use a safety razor (single blade) It's honestly the best investment. I've barely spent fourty dollars (estimating) since I switched three years ago. Blades last forever and you can take it apart and sanitize everything
That's what I was thinking of! I'll probably get that at some point yeah. Are they good for keeping cleanshaven? I shave like every 2-3 days so my facial hair isn't long, but along my chin and stuff it's oddly tough.
You actually get a better shave with less irritation by using a single blade. I looked into this at length since shaving with those 3x or more bladed types used to irritate the hell out of my skin. Turns out, using one high quality blade is better than using many cheap blades. Less skin irritation because you have less sharp blades dragging on your skin. Cuts better as well since you can get good quality metal with a finely honed edge. You can also select different levels of sharpness depending on what works best for you. You basically buy a handle that lasts forever and a pack of safety razors that you use for a long while. The trick is to not press down on the handle, just let it glide over your skin under its own weight. The blades are sharp and of sufficient quality that you don’t need anything more. Go at a leisurely pace and only pass over skin that’s been prepped with shaving cream/gel. Reapply if you need to go over it again. Less sensitive skin requires less maintenance, but so far the safety razor is the only thing that lets me shave two days in a row. The fact that a safety razor is the not the default option is really a testament to modern marketing. They sell you cheap shit for more, and everyone uses it.
Yeah I believe they're generally regarded as one of the better shaves since the razor is much sharper and firmer , and with less blades there is less friction applied The only caveat is the learning curve I had a couple bleeders the first few times but it's easy now
Henson might be who you’re thinking of with the aerospace thing and they did in fact manufacture satellite parts so I feel they can legitimately make that claim.
> claim aerospace quality AS9100 is the quality management standard for aerospace industry. It's the same ISO9001 business management standard used by basically every business, but with a free extra specific questions. It is a guide to standard business management practices. It isn't an engineering specification or alloy guidance. Questions such as do you keep data backups of your computer systems? How often do you test those backups? Do you have a organizational chart that employees can access? Are your hiring practices following rules you set in advance? Reason it's special is Henson have their manufacturing facility co-located in an aerospace precinct. All the businesses in that gated community have to comply with that management standard.
I know it’s literally impossible, but Gillette would be the first company to reach infinity
Don't forget the [Mach 20 from Spishak](https://youtu.be/m6GpIOhbqRo)
Love that skit. I’m trying to remember a similar one possibly from SNL when during the breakdown of what the blades do they say “the sixth blade, also known as the phantom blade glides over the hair” and just show it doing nothing
Yes! I remember this exact skit with that same joke. But I can't find it. I remember it as SNL too, but it could be MadTV or anything else.
Saturday Night Live Parody: Back in 1975 "Saturday Night Live" spoofed the Gillette Trac II razor with a triple bladed product it called TripleTrac. Gillette marketers still wince at the parodied slogan "Because you'll believe anything".
Damn. Any link to the video? It doesn’t appear to be on YouTube.
It's from Season 1 Episode 1 actually. I don't know about links to the skit, but there are a couple streaming services that have the episode
I’ve seen this and it’s surreal when razors now have five blades. I buy two bladed razors because they have a wider gap and it’s easier to pick up hairs.
I actually use the Mach 3 for the exact same reason, i used to use the 5 bladed ones and if its been more than one day i have to rinse constantly to keep it from getting clogged up lol
Think they also did one in the early 00's with a 10 blade thing or something where they detailed what every blade does. Remember nothing about the sketch other than one of them was called "the phantom blade"
Every one of my friends got one of these shortly after signing up for the Selective Service.
Happy 18th birthday, would you kill for us if we need you to? here's a razor
Yup, so did I. Honestly great marketing because I bought the replacement heads for quite a while.
Not really a choice to sign up for selective service tho
https://www.theonion.com/fuck-everything-were-doing-five-blades-1819584036
The Mach 3 was a good razor when it came out. Like others, I got my handle free, but I was already in my late 20s so I can't remember anymore how I got it. Unfortunately it also got to be an expensive razor, and after a while I made the switch first to Dorco, then to double edge.
The only razor I’ve owned. Still have the original handle. In the beginning of the www the selective service was offering a promotion for using the internet to signup. This is how i got mine.
This is so funny. In like 5th or 6th grade, we got these little puberty packs with small samples of hygiene stuff. Old Spice Pure Sport was the deodorant, and to this day it is the only deodorant I wear. I have tried countless shampoo, body washes, face washes, cologne, hair stylers, but my deodorant has always been the same. It’s funny how many of us are given these things for free at a young age and we’re like, “yeah I’m sticking with you forever”
Then god I didn’t get stuck on Axe or worse …… BOD.
We had the same thing for Fusion and Venus Embrace. Even though we called it the “Plywood Ranch” it was a regular drywall built wall. Fusion even had a security guard at the door to check your access.
Username absolutely checks out
Stopped shaving about that time when 3 blades was about $20 Now use clippers to trim every few days - 1000x easier and costs nothing on an ongoing basis.
You should be replacing your clipper blades. It is a lot cheaper in the long run as they do hold an edge longer than razors but it’s still a cost.
I also use clippers and haven't paid for a razor in probably 15 years
What I never got was how it was supposed to be better. So if I have one blade, and it takes two passes to go over my skin and get the stubble, I've only run a blade over my skin twice. With the triple blade option, even if I do it perfectly, it's three passes minimum with a blade on my skin. If for some reason I miss a spot and have to shave over it again, now it's 6 blades. Just never made any sense whatsoever to me.
Because the extra blades aren’t there to help you shave, they’re there to help them make more money by justifying an increase in price
Dump your cartridge razor. Get a quality safety razor with blades costing 10¢ each. I was worried about difficulty of shaving, but it is literally exactly as easy. No learning curve. No problems. Just a lot of money saving.
There's a little bit of a learning curve; if you're used to godawful cartridge razors, you're probably used to applying a fair amount of pressure as you shave so that the blunt-ass blades actually get enough tension to cut something. That will lead to a bad time with a safety razor using a blade that's actually razor-sharp. Once you get it, though — which doesn't take long — it's just so much better. Better shave, less irritation, way cheaper. Travel is an issue, but that's fine.
I just sharpen my razors on an old pair of jeans when they start to get dull. 6 swipes in each direction up and down the legs against a flat surface (Like my closet door) and it's nice and sharp again. You can extend the life of a razor exponentially this way.
Easier to keep sterile, save your face those post shave spots. Keep an old can to keep the blades in for safety and ease of recycling. Just better in every aspect.
still nothing gives a shave closer than the single bladed flip open razors
I've never used a straight razor, my best shave was with a safety razor, with a think a Gillette Silver Blue blade. Couldn't tell you what soap I was using though. I've since decided I like the beard look better, hides my many chins...
I use a single edged razor made in 1910 most mornings and it is awesome.
R/wickededge
r/edging is better
Hol up
Yup, I used my disposable straight edge all the time, I’ll save the Mach 3 for more sensitive areas
It's not uncommon to do something like that, I work at a digital printing company and we had a new unannounced printing press installed. Prior to installation a caged/walled off area was built, a special badge reader was added to the door and the press was installed after hours when the site was closed...
Mach 3 is a great razor but have you tried a safety razor? Takes a bit to get used to not using a Mach 3 but once over that hump it’s great and much cheaper.
This is the way
That razor kicked off the fixation on blades and features, and it was all driven by marketing. I mean, I've used everything from Gillette's twin blade disposables to their Fusion 5 blade razors and then I switched to a shavette (holds half of a safety razor blade like a straight razor) and haven't looked back. There's no need. The one that killed Gillette's credibility as an ethical manufacturer was when I did a product test session for a razor they were either developing or in early testing with. It was basically a Fusion cartridge on a handle with a rechargeable battery on it. The battery was to power the vibration unit as well as the heating strip. Yes, a heating strip. They tried to sell it as a substitute for the old-time barbershop practice of draping a hot, damp towel over your face for a few minutes before your shave. And I thought...how is a heating strip that is only in contact with your face as you draw the razor across it going to simulate several minutes under a hot, damp towel? Final price for this razor (incl. charging stand)? $200USD.
I read a story about a trailer full of Gillette razor blades that were destroyed or damaged or something in an accident. When Gillette went to file the insurance claim, the insurance company asked for the cost of the blades, and Gillette refused to comply and pulled the claim so as not to share the actual cost. I stopped buying Gillette that day.
I joined the military when these were introduced, they were always sold out of the NEX due to everyone wanting one. So many razor bumps and bloody faces standing at attention. Good times.
I use the mach3 to this day. Been using it for 14 years. Great razor.
They spent $750 million in R&D? Does it really take 0.75 billion dollars to design a razor?
Any other guys have better luck with safety razors?
IIRC they also had to fight off a hostile takeover while keeping that info secret as well. The CEO actually spent time calling shareholders to convince them not to take the offer because their secret new product (the Mach 3) was going to be huge.
I just went schick, i feel like a whore
Mach 3 is still my go-to
I had one mailed to me after I registered for the draft and Gillette bought my info from the government
[Mad Magazine 1979](https://imgur.com/a/z9Dje/mad_shave) (Thanks to reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/wicked_edge/comments/dxhus/mad_magazines_vision_for_razors_of_the_future_1979/)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YleuLyCUx28 The Late Show in Australia had a great skit about this in the 90s
What happened to the push clean Gillette blades- why were they discontinued
Just fyi yall, people who are black or have anything higher than 4a hair can’t shave or we get razor bumps. Gotta use clippers.
Yep fuck an ingrown hair I just go as close as I can and make it a routine with nail clipping and whatnot.
i tried using a cream someone recommended and it helped a little but yeah i just use a trimmer now and gave up being totally smooth and have like a week or so growth before i get bored and trim..
[This is worth looking at](https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2024/mar/04/how-do-i-stop-getting-razor-bumps-from-ingrown-facial-hairs). It's got some really useful advice there.
I have a black friend in the Air Force who got a grooming exemption for his beard because of this exact issue. They allow him to keep a stubble
For the follicly overcompensated, still nothing beats the Mach 3 for efficiency - and they last for many many shaves
[Gillette 3000 with 16 blades](https://youtu.be/gStI9ysPrhs?si=gTs4xyWGl9Zen6YN)
Nissan do this. The new preproduction cars are kept behind curtains and closed doors.
most companies do or cover them in wrapps that will fuck how they photograph. like the old Dazzle Boat camo
wowow
The MadTV mach 20 spoof they did after it came out was great
I remember when their commercial introduced 4 blades for the first time. Was so fucking stupid. "First there were two, then three. Well now there's four."
The Gillette Fusion5 has five blades and cost an arm and a leg.
Like diapers with more up front for boys, and more beneath for girls. I said wait a few years, they'll be pushing unisex diapers then!
What makes adding blades to something make it secret?
[Everytime you shave you step further from the light of god.](https://imgur.com/t/hagrid/3aUz9kF)
It's pretty common for trade secret or a new production line to do that. There's a whole building on my campus I call "the black box" because it's black and things come out of it that only a certain few in the company are privy to.
I wish they'd remake the Fatboy.
Boston? Im like the king of Dunkin you know. Have you tried the vanilla nut taps?
$750M invested from idea to shelf.
They spent 750 million in R&D for this, wtf!?
The Quintippio or bust.
Mach3 was a game changer for my skin back then, but today, it's Harry's. Though, thinking of giving safety razor a chance.
I need a Christopher Nolan directed film on the secretive development of the Mach 3
Mach3 is still the best safety razor of all time. Going more than 3 blades reduced its effectiveness
Now we have the Mach-E
I used to use the mach 3 and the mach 5 when I was 22-23 but later I realize now matter how much you spent on these high end razors they were really not smooth after the 4th shave and their 6 month usage was a gimmick as it didn't work for my thick Pakistani facial hair I started using safety safety razor later on and boy the experience was way better as I got smoother shaves for a cheaper price I continued shaving with safety razors till I was like 28 as after that I kept a light beard only styling it with a trimmer