Thread: I tried the Gillete Mach 5, haha!

i got one for free in the mail and figured, what the heck ill give it a try.

it was actually pretty smooth! probably the smoothest shave ive ever had...so far.

i just bought my straight razor off ebay where the guy said it was shave ready. i got a strop with some paste...sharpened it. i think its pretty sharp but i still feel it more than the mach 5. the mach 5 felt like i was wiping shaving cream off with a squeegee. when i use the straight razor i can hear and feel it cut every single hair..it leaves me face slightly red.

it seemed pretty sharp to me already, im guessing i need to get it sharpened. im probably going to mess up if i try to hone it myself...so where can i go to get it sharpened...and does it sound like i should?

Please read the help files on this site. They'll give you all the basic info you need to get your blade shave ready. If you want to get your blade honed, contact Lynn (adjustme69) or Joe (Joe Chandler). They charge for their services but they're worth every penny and then some, especially to a beginner.

Well, I don't think it's too hard to get a close shave when your passing 5 blades over your skin. It's just that for some people, 5 machine sharpened blades is just a recipe for razor burn and irritation.

As for your straight razor experiences. Give it some time. Assuming the blade you have is actually shave ready, then you really can only go up hill. Your face will adjust to the new style and technique will improve. I don't doubt that you'll be lovin' straight shaving once you get in a nice groove.

Originally Posted by clam61

so where can i go to get it sharpened...and does it sound like i should?[/B]

You can go to your mailbox and send it out to someone who will do it for you

Can you imagine 3 of those blade aligned on a straight razor, maybe even with spring mounts? WOW!

I agree with Firestart on sending it to either
Lynn or Joe to be honed. This way you will
have a razor to use as a benchmark for true
shave ready sharpness.

Lynn - [email protected]

Joe - [email protected]



Terry

Hi clam61,

I'm surprised that you got such a good shave with the Mach 5. I received a 5 blade fusion at a street festival and I hated it with a passion. I didn't even finish shaving my face with it I had such a bad experience. I'm really glad that I got it for free because I think that it's overpriced, especially the replacement cartridges.

Maybe the problem was that I haven't shaved for a week and my beard was about 0.5 cm long but I had to pass on the same spot over 5 times to actually notice anything happening. I haven't shaved in a while because I didn't have the time which is now norm for me. The fact that I had to make multiple passes and the extra time caused my skin to become irritated. I had to finish shaving with my Mach 3 which I never had any problems even when I let my facial hair grow that long.

With my straight razor I don't have any problems. I got it shaved ready form izlat so I know that it's had a good edge. Since you bought it from ebay the seller might not know what shave ready really means. I noticed that when I was looking around in Toronto for a shave ready razor. If I were you I would get it honed by someone on the forum.

With one pass of my straight I was able to cut every hair that without any nicks or cuts. I didn't feel any pulling of the hairs and I could see as the razor passes on my cheek the hairs being cut. I could also hear it happening and I enjoy that sound.

In my experience, various razors give you a good shave and if your skin is tough, then using the Mach III, Fusion, etc may give you a decent shave.

However....when a straight razor is keen, there is absolutely no comparison. I can shave with a fusion and appear to get good close shave, but without exception within a several hours (say 5-6 hours) I feel the stubble coming back and by the late afternoon, I could shave again no problem.

That is simply not the case with my straights. I shaved yesterday at 6pm and woke up this morning at 7am not needing a shave. There is some slight stubble if I rub againsts the grain of my beard, but still very smooth the other direction.

Anyone here can attest to the fact that getting a really great shave simply takes time to achieve because experience in a mutlitude of areas is necessary to get good consistent shaves. That's what makes it fun!

As the others said, get one of the guys here to hone your razor, so you can feel what a keen edge feels like. And keep at it, it's a blast to get to the point where you can care for you're own razors. I've been shaving for about 1 year and I just sent 3 razors to Lynn to hone for me, while I work on some others myself. This ensures that I have some really good razors to shave with, while I continue to hone my skills, pun intended