Your Favorite Cartridge Razor?

This has changed to the Hydro 3, however my Hydro 5 is still in it's packaging.

 

Wilkinson Hydro 5 is proving to be surprisingly good. Very comfortable to use. But then I can only compare with my Mach 3. I'm not big on cartridge razors these days.

 

Personna Trac2 cart with the Merkur metal handle.

 

Trac II is my favorite followed closely by Atra.

 

The Gillette Trac II for me, which I used for 30 years. I tried an Atra a few times, but did not like it and stuck with the Trac II after that. The Trac II generally gave reasonably good shaves. With Kiss My Face cream and the Rite-Aid store brand cartridges, however, it gave an outstanding BBS shave every time. It was the combination of that particular cream and cartridge that made the difference. The cartridges were rebranded ASRs, but were far better than the typical store brand ASRs being sold by other outlets.

Ironically, it made me realize shaving could be enjoyable, and led me to start using a DE razor. I figured Rite-Aid would change suppliers sooner or later, and then it would be back to the same ordinary shaves. There were a lot more DE blade brands available than cartridges, so I figured there was a better chance of finding shaving nirvana witn a DE. That turned out to be true, and at far lower cost.

Rite-Aid got bought by CVS a few months later, so those great cartridges are likely gone for good.

 

I fly for a living, so half my shaves are in hotel rooms with a Trac II. More accurately, a Feather handle and Personna Twin II cartridges. (The latter are almost as inexpensive as DE blades, ten for $3 from personna.alice.com, shipping included.)

I try to keep things simple, and besides, I've found that pivoting mechanisms tend to get broken in my luggage.

 

And since I got a Gillette Fusion Phenom I'm hooked on that one as well

 

Already on record in this thread as saying Atra, which means one of my two original Atra handles from the 1980s with the generic Personna made cartridges. My favorites are the CVS branded ones, of which I still have quite a few. The per-shave cost compares well enough with DE or SE blades.

Only, I'd now have to change that to the Schick Hydro 3 based on shave quality. Not very cost-effective perhaps, but okay for occasional use. It's what I'd use for travel if the logistics of transporting regular blades were a problem.

 

Now if I could just get The Real Shaving Company products at CVS like they have at Rite Aid!

 

We still have both in my town.

 

My all time fav is the Hydro 3.

It is the closest shave, no razor burn, no drag....I love it!

The Hydro 5 is ok, same close shave, but a bit bulkier.

 

Has anyone tried the new Azor 5, and what are your thoughts on it? Thanks.

 

I'm already on the record as a long-time Schick Tracer FX user. But I have to admit, I too like the Hydro 3.

 

I need to get some good carts for my first year Sensor. I've been using my 84 Atra occasionally for headshaving, but I'd like to try the Sensor for that.

If I need a quick shave, I usually use some non lathering shave gel and my Merkur slant. One pass is good enough for work.

 

I like the Gillette Sensor the most... I just need to get new cartridges for it

 

I have a tremor in my hands also, thus I've been hesitant to invest in a DE. May I ask what types of problems you encounter due to using a DE with a tremor? Do you get nicks often, or do you just have to really take your time?

 

The razor I referred to selling was a Merkur Slant. A whole different animal that a regular Merkur DE. I still have several DE's that I use in my rotation and have no problem with them. I am especially fond of my Merkur HD, Merkur 1904 and my Merkur Classic. Yes, I am a Merkur fanboy. I have several vintage DE's but I never use them to shave with....just to display. Then I use my Gillette Sensor in my rotation. I rarely ever even get a nick with my DE's, but I have had a few cuts with my Sensor, just not very often.

I find my tremor to be much better when I wake up in the morning and am rested, so that is when I shave. It is a very relaxing time for me. Don't hesitate to try a good DE. There are lots of folks here who can recommend several mild shaving DE's. Of course as I said I'm especially fond of Merkurs and the Merkur Classic or HD is an excellent place to start.

 

Due to price, longevity and quality of shaves I get, my only cart razor is the Dollar General, used with a weird brass Trac II type handle I found somewhere. I still have the Sensor and Sensor Excel but they just don't seem to perform as well. A disposable Schick 3 blade I used before going DE (can't recall the name) wasn't bad.

The new five blade Gillette, though, gave me excellent results when I used the sample they sent out last year. My wife has since claimed it for leg shaving, which is fine with me. If those carts were cheaper, I might be tempted to sell off all my DEs, SEs and injectors and go all out...the results were that good (ymmv).

 

A flea market near me has had a bin of sealed minty Hydro 3s for some months now, marked at $4 each. They'd probably come down if I dickered. I've never tried the H3...would you say that's a decent price? I assume it's got only 1, maybe 2 carts with the stick, haven't ever looked closely.