I generally use the Gillette Embrace razor blades with 5 blades where you replace the heads not the whole razor. But due to a special offer and miss reading the internet shopping blurb I ended up with a packet of the Simply Venus 3 razors. Not wanting them to go to waste I decide to use them.


What are they?
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The razors themselves have 3 blades two less than my normal razor but very similar to the Venus Embrace razors a comfortable non slip handle and a moisture rich stip.

In use
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The first thing that I notice about this razor compared to the Embrace is the feel of the handle. The handle grip is harder and firmer in my hand than the Embrace and compared to the softness of the plastic gel in the Embrace actually feels a bit cumbersome to hold. The handle is narrower than the Embrace and I find that it is a bit harder to manoeuvre because of this. The handle grip also has some ridges in and this seems to allow the water to wash through the handle.
The razor head is narrower on this razor due to it only having 3 blades. The moisture strips are also thinner too. This narrowness means that actually I find that I need to go over some areas several times rather than the once with the Embrace. The head is on some kind of pivot as it moves in an up and down movement on the handle as you shave yourself. Whilst this is great and allows me to have greater control over the blades and reduces the chance of my cutting myself the swivel head is not actually as manoeuvrable as the Embrace and I personally find it doesn't glide as well over my bumpy knees and the control in the bikini area is better with the more flexible Embrace

The razor blades do appear quite close to one another which I guess is the point to give a close shave again comparing it to the Embrace they are not as close meaning that I often do have to go over areas again as smaller hairs can get missed. When I am shaving any part of my body be it legs underarms or bikini line I always use shaving gel rather than just a wet shave with water. The reason for this is twofold one so I can see where I have shaved and to help protect my skin. On shaving with this razor it does go over my skin smoothly and needs on a small amount of pressure to give a clean shave. On cheaper disposable single or twin blade razors I have often found I need to shave the same area two or three times to get rid of all of the hair but with this razor depending on the area it can take one to two swipes to remove all the hair. But again it is not as good as the Embrace which needs only one gentle sweep.

The ribbon moisture strip I can't make my mind up about really. It doesn't leave a film of moisturiser but my skin after shaving does feel noticeably smoother and softer now whether this is down to the having gel I use or the strip I am uncertain but I would probably say it is more likely to be the shaving gel.

Compared to the Embrace where a razor can last me 7-8 weeks using it once or twice a week I find that these disposable razors don't last as long and one razor last 2-3 weeks at most before they start to feel blunt and cut my skin.


Overall and recommendation
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Whilst I don't think this is a bad razor and compared to single or twin blade razors it does perform better and gives a clean closer shave. It doesn't stand up to the better performing Embrace razor by Gillette as the 5 blades of the Embrace give a more closer shave and has a handle that feels nicer in my hand and is easier to control. However I am still going to give it 3 stars as it performs well. I would be happy to use one of these razors on holiday where I just need to pack one and can leave it behind without worrying about the price but in the long-term I am definitely an Embrace girl now.