So I received my new razor yesterday. I shaved with it this morning, both head and face. All I can say is...meh. Not as close as cartridges like Fusion or Sensor. A bit on the rough side especially on the head. I shaved at about 630 and here at 930 I already can feel stubble on my face. It may be cheap, but I guess the old adage you get what you pay for comes into play. I can say it does rinse quite easily.
Colonel K jnr is showing the first signs of hair on his lip. Still early days, I bet a quick scrub with an Omega boar would probably get rid of most of it. The Guard will be his first razor when things get a bit more substantial.
What's your address? If you would like I will send you the Handel and the 12 Brand new cartridges still sealed in there package. A PIF for a young man coming of age and to foster a nice father/son moment is wOrth a few bucks in shipping
That is an extremely generous of you, but I'm afraid I will have to decline. I'm the UK and the postage would be too high. Thank you anyway, appreciate the offer.
I haven't as yet experienced the Guard. I ordered two razors and a supply of carts off Ebay recently cut haven't received them as yet. I was curious based on the many positive posts I have read, and couldn't resist the temptation to try one. Looking forward to the experience.
Finally received the Gillette Guard razors from India last week. Wow! Outstanding shave for a replaceable cartridge razor that costs so little. Looks much heaver than it actually is, as the handle is hollow. I doubt one could make a razor with replaceable cartridges, any less expensive than this one. In spite of it's inexpensive construction, it is a very nice looking, simple, yet functional design. This razor is ultra light, so for those who don't care for lightweights, this may not be a good choice. I took a couple of small bolts and hot glued them into the hollow handle which now give the razor a little more heft and balance for my tastes. This is probably a good choice for those who experience clogging, as most of the back of the cartridge is open, and would literally be impossible to clog. My first shave felt a little unusual handling a razor this light. After adding the weight, it now handles fine. I must admit, I didn't expect much from a single blade inexpensive razor designed for India. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only does it work well, but it works amazingly well. Reading about the development of the razor for the India market, Gillette definitely got this one right. In their marketing research they learned that the typical male in India has a beard typically much coarser than most. As a result, the blade setup in the Guard is super sharp and specifically designed to cut coarse whiskers. The first thing I noticed was the lack of any type of audio feedback or resistance. Initially I thought the razor was merely skimming over the skin without doing anything. After checking to see if it cut anything, amazingly, I couldn't even feel a single whisker. For shavers like myself who do multiple short strokes, instead of one long continuous stroke, one lather removal resulted in a near BBS shave with no touchup. The Atra style pivot of the cartridge followed every contour of my face without missing anything. After seven shaves on the same blade, it is still cutting as new. About the only possible negative I have noticed, is that my five O'clock shadow is now at 3 O'clock, as the razor is not cutting the whisker below the skin level like multi-blade carts, so whisker regrowth is a little sooner. For those who experience ingrown whiskers, irritation, clogging and the other assorted issues some have with carts, this razor is something they may wish to try. The price is definitely right. I purchased two Gillette Guard razors each with a blade, and twenty additional replacement cartridges, for $11.00 on Ebay with free shipping from India. I still have difficulty believing that this razor can cost so little and shave this well. As always, shaving is a very personal and subjective experience, and others may have an entirely different experience from mine.
I don't think that is possible. No matter how convenient gillette guard gets, the razor itself can't beat the hefty balance feel of the DE safety razor. I live in Pakistan and I frequently see Treet's Safety razors (starline and comfort) come and sold out. The thing is, you can't change everyone's taste just by making something more convenient. I am trained enough to enjoy manual transmission car and I don't really see a point in purchasing an automatic transmission. However, it is possible that Gillette might be able to "force" the people to switch to Gillette guard by dropping the supply of DE blades. I remember a complaint made on Gillette's official FB page by an Indian person. He complained that he was unable to find Gillette's DE blades anywhere in his market region and why the supply suddenly has stopped. I'm quite sure that rise in Gillette guard's supply and fall in DE supply, shows Gillette's true intentions.
This recent news seems to be quite threatening for the world's biggest DE market. I'm sure that Gillette will spend millions in order to promote Gillette guard in younger generation and move them away from DE.
I like the Guard for what it is - cheap and easy alternative to DE on the road (read: when flying). But it cannot compare to a good DE setup. Not even close.
