King of Shaves - Or Pretender To The Throne? (King of Shaves Azor Razor Warp)

Member Name: plipplop

Product:	King of Shaves Azor Razor Warp
Date:	17/06/09 (191 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Cool design, competitively-priced, no wasteful packaging, reasonably good shave

Disadvantages: Not good in difficult places, need to replace blades fairly frequently

Like me, I'm sure that most men will agree that when you find the right combination of razor and shaving cream, you don't deviate for love nor money. My facial skin isn't what I'd call super-sensitive, but for years, if I ever deviated away from the combination of a Gillette razor and the Gillette sensitive shaving gel, there would be hell on (translated as spots and stubble burn.) Earlier this year, disaster struck when Gillette decided to revamp its range of foams and gels, leaving me without my regular shaving gel and, worse still, my skin seemed to hate all the replacement versions. I quickly concluded, therefore, that if my loyalty to the brand were to go unrewarded then it would cease.

King of Shaves is increasingly becoming a significant competitor for Gillette. The company has been around since 1993, and in that time has grown a strong brand presence, focusing on technology and simplicity in its products, without the multi-million pound advertising presence that seems to keep David Beckham in new underpants. They sell products for both men and women and you can find them in most supermarkets and high street chemists.

Azor is the newest razor from King of Shaves. The Azor razor has won a number of awards, notably Best Buy in the April 2009 report in Which? I had seen advertisements in London's free men's weekly, Shortlist (where it also won an award) and eventually tracked it down in Waitrose after I finished with Gillette.

There are four key claims made by King of Shaves about this razor, which, having now used it for several months, I have mixed feelings about.

The design is intended to make the razor very light and easy to handle. It has a simple, ergonomic grip that sits comfortably in your hand regardless of whether you are shaving in the bath, the shower or in front of the basin. I'd definitely agree that this is the case. I was astounded at how light this razor was in comparison to the Gillette system and I loved the styling. It's very sleek and eye-catching, almost like a designer brand item and it's very easy to handle.

The razor has four coated blades that allegedly stay sharper for longer, reducing the amount of times that you have to change them, saving time and money. I can't say that I've seen strong evidence of this. I would previously have made one Gillette head last maybe six or seven shaves. With the Azor, I'm finding that the sharpness just isn't there after three or four uses and I'm swapping them out very frequently. When the blade is brand-new, the closeness and comfort of the shave is excellent, but after a couple of uses, the razor becomes noticeably blunter and it takes longer to get the desired result.

The unique 'reflex hinge' of the head is supposed to bend and flex with every contour of your face, providing a close, safe shave. This works pretty well on the easy, larger areas of your face, such as your cheeks and the main part of your neck. But it's not a terribly good design for those 'hard to reach' places. I find that, for example, the area around my jaw line takes some patience and precision to get properly shaved and even then, I'll still occasionally find little patches of rogue stubble after I've shaved and showered. The area immediately below my nostrils is also a bit of a bugger and I miss the precision of the additional blade fitted to the back of the Gillette Fusion that helped shave in these places. You CAN press hard on this razor without injuring yourself but in reality, you sometimes find yourself pressing really hard and still not catching the little bits you missed before. There is, in fairness, an element of technique here. If your skin is well-prepared with a scrub, along with very hot water and a good shaving product, the razor performs far better than a rushed job - but the same is true of all such products.

Finally, the razor advertises a protective rubber bumper that sweeps across your face, lifting hairs and (apparently) making it easier to have a close shave, without nicks and cuts and without leading to in-growing hairs. I can say that I haven't once cut myself with this razor, but the claims about in-growing hairs are hard to accept or refute because I've never really suffered with this. I do still suffer from some stubble burn, but seem to have minimised this with a good selection of pre and post-shave products. For shaving, for example, I use the King of Shaves Alphagel, which seems to do a pretty good job, though needs to be used sparingly or your face becomes too slick for the razor to perform fully. I found the Alphagel Shave Oil almost entirely worthless, with nowhere near enough lubrication to help cut the hairs on my face and when using the oil, I suffered with the worst stubble burn I have ever known.

I've yet to get the knack of changing the blades. The 'plug and click' method that was so easy with Gillette razors doesn't seem to work here (regardless of what it says on the leaflet) and you have to pull open a little rubber cage in order to pop the blade into place. The blades are about the size and width of the Gillette Fusion blade but significantly cheaper at around £5 for four. The little plastic case that is used to hold the replacement blades can also be used to store the razor, and this system in general is far less wasteful on packaging compared to Gillette. The retail pack is packaged partly in cardboard, which can be recycled, and then the little plastic unit for the blades and is far more minimalistic.

All in, I have mixed feelings about the Azor system. The price is favourable compared to the market leaders and the design is stylish and simplistic. The quality of shave, however, is a little too variable for me and whilst this is partly dependant on a combination of factors, it is noticeably more dependant on taking lots of time and attention. Gillette Fusion was expensive, but you could literally whizz it around your face in no time at all. I can't honestly say that I've had a really, really good shave since moving on to the Azor, but the combination of this razor and the KOS shave gel seems to be the best compromise that I've been able to find since Gillette changed its product recipe.

Summary: The coolest razor in town - but not necessarily the best