Big Green buzzing machine (Gillette M3Power Razor)

Member Name: sit2020

Product:	Gillette M3Power Razor
Date:	13/05/06 (1224 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Close shave

Disadvantages: Cost

Before you begin to read this review, yes it is and will be about the Gillette M3 power, but first I would like to write a little about shaving first, the reason will become clearer further in the review.

As little boys grow into men we start to develop facial hair, we are also quite shy about it, some of us shave at the first sign of a hair, others resort to plucking the one odd hair as it appears, still others try to grow a moustache with the wispy stuff, not realising that instead of it looking manly, mummy may well pass a comment about the bumfluff, never realising just how delicate and shy us men are at this crucial time of our lives.

We are also a very proud if not silly breed, very few of us actually ask for help when it comes that time to remove the offending facial growth. Worse still when we grow older we tend not to offer help to our children in the process. The end result being a lot of blood, screams of the after shave and the infamous five o’clock shadow at about nine in the morning.

So with all that in mind here follows a short description on the correct way to shave. Go with the grain, not against it. That in essence is it.
Let me explain a little more. Hair does not grow straight out from the skin, ask any cat that has had its fur rubbed the wrong way. So if you imagine the arrow is the direction you should shave in ---> ///////////
Not against the grain ---> \\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Okay I hope that explains that in an easy to follow way. Lubricate the beard well, go with the grain and you will find less cuts and or sore skin. Try it.

It would also be worthy of mentioning that facial hair differs not only from person to person but from one part of your face to another (it also gets courser as you mature, but your skin also tends to get less sensitive), so with that in mind try to slow down the speed at which the blade passes across your skin as this can help in reducing abrasion and get a closer shave. Better to spend an extra five minutes shaving rather than ten trying to stop the blood and soreness.

Now I am already a satisfied user of the Gillette Mach 3, so what would make me try the M3 power?
Was it the promise of the vibrations?
Was it the snazzy luminous green colour?
Well none of the above is the answer, it was a simply a question of special offer. Yep a bargain a day and all that.

When I compared the Mach 3 and the power, all the only difference that I could see (apart from the aforementioned colour) was a button on the front, as well as a space in the handle for me to place one AA battery.

The blade looked identical in shape to the Mach 3 (three blades close together) and having realised from the Mach 3 that three blades do shave closer and tend to cut less, I was confident in using this for shaving.

As is my way, I washed my face thoroughly, then whilst my skin was still wet applied shaving gel and produced a nice creamy lather. To save me repeating this throughout this review, that is how I always prepare for a shave.

The first couple of times I tried the M3 power I did so without the battery (I did not have one to hand, and felt a little worried by having sharp blades buzzing and vibrating next to my skin), but in a way that was fortuitous as I can say that this razor gives the same results as the Mach 3 when not using the power button.

Then it was time for the buzz. I was quite apprehensive the first time I depressed the button on the front of the handle and the razor sprang to life, I carefully placed the now alive little green beast against my moist chin (complete with one day of beard growth).
It felt a little strange the fairly quiet buzz running along my jaw bone, not an unpleasant feel, just strange, the vibrations were impossible to actually see such was their delicate nature, but even so the power was there for me to feel.
The first time I used it powered up so to speak, I did not notice a closer shave than I achieved when using it unpowered or using the Mach 3. I did carry on using it power on and off for months before I started to realise its true worth.
The battery should be changed every six months, I would say that when you notice the power waning it is time to change the battery, this therefore would depend on how often and for how long you have it switched on.

The secret

On the parts of my face where the beard is thicker (mainly around the chin itself), I have found that by using the M3 power slightly slower than normal and not always going with the grain, I can achieve a closer shave than I have ever managed. I am not sure of the exact reason why this works, nor for that matter if it will work for others, but it seems the vibrations and going slower help to make the bristles stand proud of the skin and therefore I am able to achieve that closer shave.

The Downfall

This is not a fault specific to this razor, rather it is the same with all multiple blade wet shavers. If you have much more than a days growth, they struggle to reach the skin and give you a clean shave, the blades will clog up very quickly with hair and the end result will be a lot of time and effort before you get a hair free face. I find the best way to not get into this situation is to either make sure you shave daily or if you have a lot of growth, then either use an electric shaver or use a single bladed shaver as these do not clog up so easily.

Blade life

I tend to get up to three weeks (if lucky) before I need to change the blade, although I do find the keen edge has dwindled before this, I do try to make each blade last as the cost of them is high. A tip here to increase blade life, do not place a protective cover over them straight after use or leave them laying face down on a no porous surface, either of these will mean leaving the blade wet and open to rust or at least losing its edge, far better is to place the blade on a towel for a few minutes so the water is absorbed before placing the shaver away.

The safety bit

Never leave shavers in the reach of children’s hands, if they have seen you shave they are sure to try and copy you, even the safest of shavers can result in accidents, imagine that curious child running their little finger across the blade, ouch.

Cuts

Yep they do happen occasionally with these, not that often though thankfully.

Gel

Although this review is about a shaver, I have found that a good quality shaving gel really does help when it comes to shaving.

Changing blades

As with most razors, the pack of blades has a space for the old one, It is simply a matter of placing the old blade in the space, pressing a button that is just behind the blade, thus releasing it from the handle, then placing the handle against the new blade, click and you can withdraw it from the case.

That power button

One slight niggle, it took me more than a few shaves to get used to it, not because it is hard to reach or to turn on and off, the opposite in fact is the case. The button sat nice and snugly either under my thumb or forefinger with the same result, switching off and on when I did not want it to. I have got used to where the button is now and that is now a thing of the past.

The final secret

I am not sure if Gillette will approve of this, I have done it though and have not found any detrimental effects from doing so. The proper replacement green blades are very very expensive, so I gave the black original Mach 3 blades a see if they fit and work test. Guess what, yep they fit, yep the shave is as close and even better the price saving is fantastic

Summary: Great shaver but the blades are expensive