An Offer I'll Be Re-Fusion (Gillette Fusion)

Member Name: IainWear

Product:	Gillette Fusion
Date:	13/09/06 (1284 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A smooth close shave, when the blade is new

Disadvantages: Not sufficiently better to be worth the excess cost

The rise of “Metrosexual Man” in recent years has made the male grooming market a huge growth industry. However, the male need to shave was always present, so the razor manufacturers have had to increase their market share in the old fashioned way; by coming up with new and better products and stealing their rivals’ customers.

It seems that better has equated to “more blades” in recent years. From the days of the simple twin bladed disposable razor, Gillette added a third to produce the Mach 3 and, later, added a battery for the Mach 3 Power. Wilkinson Sword went one better, making the four bladed Quattro. Now comes the latest innovation is wet shaving with the Gillette Fusion; a razor with, perhaps predictably, five blades, but which has also added a sixth blade on the back to act as a precision trimmer, in much the same way that many electric shavers have a sideburn trimmer.

There has been a lot of money spent on launching the Gillette Fusion and it appears that a fair amount has been spent on design. Gone are the days of dull looking razors, uniformly shaped and coloured. The grey handle is augmented by blue plastic grips, contoured to fit your hand better and reduce the chance of it slipping out of wet hands.

It’s not just the handle that’s changed, either. This is a whole new razor from top to bottom, with the top curved to make room for a much larger blade release button, making it easier to release the blades, without affecting the ease with which a new blade can be put on. Even the plastic holder is contoured and coloured and cooler than ever before and, for the first time in my shaving history, there is an easy open section on the box, so I’m no longer reduced to destroying the whole package with a pair of scissors to get as my razor.

What Gillette are really trying to sell the Fusion on is the shave, however. The five blades are supposedly closer together, reducing the pressure on the skin and so, in theory, reducing razor burn. Certainly the first time I used it, it felt like all the advertising was true. Even using my regular shaving gel and not the special Fusion gel, the razor glides very easily across the face and gave me the closest shave I ever remember getting from a wet shave. There was no razor burn at all and, possibly for the first time, no cuts at all. This was putting it through a fairly tough task first time out, as I don’t tend to shave on a regular basis, as my lifestyle doesn’t demand it, so it was attacking 3 or 4 days worth of growth and still acquitted itself well. My main fear was that with five blades so close together, it would be difficult to clean, but rinsing it under the tap afterwards shifts as much of the clippings as with my old triple bladed razor.

The precision trimmer is less impressive, unfortunately. I can see the need for it, as the lubrication strip and the plastic bits designed to make the hairs stand up mean that the razor blades themselves are getting further and further away from the edge of the razor, making it tougher to get right under your nose with the razor. Faced with a task like this, the trimmer does OK, but I certainly wouldn’t call it precise. This is even more true if you’re trying to neaten up your sideburns, as it’s not at all obvious where the blade is, so you might not be trimming the bits you like. If you go too far up into the longer hair as well, it gets easily gummed up and is very difficult to clean afterwards.

If this were the whole story, I would have to say that the Gillette Fusion is the best razor ever and well worth the money. However, subsequent shaves were not as good as the first one. Certainly, the Fusion continues to give a closer shave than the Mach 3, but after the first shave, there is some evidence of razor burn and discomfort afterwards, although less so than with my old Mach 3. Changing the blade does remove this, however, but it doesn’t perform any better than any other razor in terms of discomfort after a few shaves.

It doesn’t really do any better in terms of longevity, either. The lubrication strip starts to look a little ragged and worn after only two or three shaves, although it doesn’t fade completely until after around six or seven shaves, at which point Gillette recommend you switch blades. This is, again, fairly standard for a razor blade.

With all this under consideration, the real struggle with the Gillette Fusion is with the price. At an initial outlay of £7.49 for the razor and a couple of blades, or £9.99 if you want the battery powered version, this is £3.00 more than any other razor on the market. Add to this a replacement pack of blades will set you back £7.99 for 4 or £14.99 for 8, which is again at least £3.00 more expensive than for most razors and the cost of shaving has risen sharply with the Gillette Fusion. There is even more expense if you opt to buy the Fusion gel and after shave balm, which I have so far managed to resist.

Admittedly, experiences may differ, as every man shaves differently and I shave on a far from regular and far from daily basis. If the advertising is to be believed, using the Gillette Fusion shaving gel may also improve my shaving experience. However, with all things being equal to my previous shaving routine, I would like to have seen more from the Fusion than it offers. In the short-term, it’s the best shave I have ever had, but in the long-term, it’s not enough of an improvement in the whole shaving experience to be worth the money.

If keeping up with the latest trends is that important to you and you want to impress people by having something funky and stylish in your bathroom, then this is the razor you need to be using. However, if you’re into value for money and not prepared to spend whatever it takes to look good, which isn’t something I’m all that bothered about; the Gillette Fusion simply isn’t worth the money.

Summary: A funky looking razor that isn't as good as it looks