Cartridge razor appreciation thread

I have one, if I have two I could open and use it. If I have three...

 

What scares me is that I read that...and completely understood and agree with it.

 

Sometime soon, I will post my detailed comparison on Quattro vs. Mach-3. "The battle of former heavyweights" - .

 

Used one of my recently acquired Atra cartridges and plopped it onto the Atra "Deluxe" (in lack of better name for it).
Had a great shave. Love the length and weight of the metal handle. I did find the Atra to be a bit more tuggy than say Mach 3 cartridges.

In the end I walked away with a clean, close shave and no bloodshed

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Is it a vintage cart, or current issue? I have quite a few vintage Atra carts that came with various handles, and they were all horrible. I don't know if they were made that way, or if they lost their edges over time. They were open in the case, not sealed, so it could be they were exposed to adverse atmospheric conditions. Regardless, current issue Atra Plus carts have all been very smooth.

 

It's a, I believe, rather vintage pack:


Maybe I should give more modern offering a try?

It wasn't bad at all though - just that in comparison to the Mach3 I just used it didn't feel quite as smooth

 

Yeah, that's pretty vintage.

I actually find Atras to be smoother than M3 carts, since there is less surface area on the Atra, and thus less drag. That said, on the whole, I do find M3 carts to be more comfortable. I found the same thing today using a Sensor Excel. Definitely less drag with the Excel than the M3, but the results afterward weren't as comfortable as with the M3. Smoothness and glide aren't everything, I guess.

 

Same here, Sensor feels way better on face than Mach-3. But, it gives slightly less closer shave than Mach-3 too. I'm sure that the gents who can go ATG can get much better results with this razor than I can vs. the Mach-3.

 

While I liked the shave and lack of irritation of the Mach3 I prefer the slightly stiffer pivoting of the Dorco version. I get the same smooth, irritation free result as with the Mach3 but the razor head maintains more consistent contact with my face. I also find the Dorco carts every bit a sharp and long-lasting as Gillette for a third the cost.

 

The feedback on all carts is quite an amazing spectrum, Atra's are not as sharp as they used to be, planned obsolescence etc Vintage carts are not as sharp, Dorco's are dreadful etc. I have never had an issue with any cart from Gillette, Schick, Wilkinson Sword - whether NOS or recent products, or Dorco. I may even have had success with a batch of Chinese non branded carts. I have had issues with Bics, and other cheap branded twin disposables. I should try some Russian or Egyptian made twin blade carts. Indian ones are hard to find, and I don't like the look of the triple blade Indian carts...

 

Have you considered using a shave oil in your routine?

 

Sometimes I use a bit of Myrsol emulsion as a pre-shave.

 

Same here. I can get good shaves with any razor. The only carts that performed terrible were the dull WS and Schick blades. I love the quattro razor (also would love to give another try to WS hydro 5 if I get the cartridge pack) but nothing can match the disappointment that comes from a fresh dull blade of Schick/WS.

 

Consider yourself lucky. If you'd used the ones I did, you might have a different take. Or perhaps I'm just more finicky than you. I've never had an issue with any new Gillette cart not shaving well, but I found these particular vintage Atras to be profoundly uncomfortable to use. As I said, it could be because they were unsealed, and had degraded. Or maybe the coatings weren't as good back then. I really don't know the reason. All I can report is what I experienced.

FWIW, current Atra Plus carts sold in the US are made in China, and are excellent, IMO.

 

It does depend how you evaluate your shave? I used an Injector for SEptember, and it was smooth like butter going across my face, yet the shave wasn't as close as a cart. Now an Mach 3 does feel tuggy to me, but delivers a smooth shave, I tried a Sensor 3 recently and it gives a smoother feel on the cheeks but it doesn't cope with a bumpy neck as well as a Mach 3. But at the end of the day, all deliver a good clean shave.

 

In the case of my vintage Atras, shave evaluation didn't apply. I mean, these things were rough and uncomfortable to shave with. Although the carts looked fine, they felt like something I once saw in a Beavis and Butthead cartoon.



Like I said, I think the edge had degraded. That may not be indicative of how well-preserved vintage carts shave, but it is an indication that some vintage carts can be problematic, which was all I was getting at when trying to assess why Darkbulb thought his Atra felt a bit tuggy.

 

Maybe the Atra cartridge just needed one shave to get the tugginess out, maybe the Grange-designed handle is just so good that it makes any cartridge work well, etc...
Regardless - a great shave this morning with my Kenneth Grange designed Wilkinson Royale. Love that handle!

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The best designed handle ever, I sometimes feel I should go to Devon and shake KG by the hand...

 

It really did feel great during the shave - I'll be using it again tomorrow

 

What a great looking handle! Nice SOTD pic too.