Personna M5 Magnum; Review

That is unfortunate, sorry it didn't work out for you. I'm on my second pack of blades and still loving this razor. In fact I am consistently getting over 30 shaves per cartridge. I forgot that the 24th of this month was the mark I was supposed to change blades on and so this morning I had my 34 shave on my current blade/cart and it's still not pulling or acting like a worn out blade should.

So it may be awful for you but it is great for me. Like most things it will work for some and not for others. Same goes for the fusion and quattro. However I am under no delusions that the M5 will overtake either the fusion or Quattro in sales, they simply are lesser known and way less heavily advertised than the "big boys". I am simply glad it is there as an alternative for me since it saves me beau qu bucks. I will not ever go back to the fusion as long as I can get carts for my M5.

 

Oldspice, you're making me very tempted to try the M5, esp. when you say you got 34 shaves out of it!

How coarse is your beard?

 

Thanks boyextaordinare. I'm certainly not saying everyone will get 34 shaves just saying I did. My beard is to me what I'd call medium. I certainly know many men with much coarser beards than mine, but it ain't peach fuzz it's a real beard.

I'm of Scotch-Irish descent if that helps, all I can say is the razor is fairly cheap and comes with two blades and is worth a try. Four blades cost $5.88 compared to $14 for the Fusion and to me actually cuts better and feels better on my face.

Only drawback for me is the blade on the back for triming sideburns and beneath the nose works better on the Fusion but the difference is minimal, certainly not worth the cost of the Fusion and I have adjusted to using the one on the M5.

Give it a try and let me know what you think of your experience. Hopefully it will work for you as well as it does for me.

 

I definitely will.

I'm big fan of Personna (disposables, Twin II carts, DE blades) and can't stand Gillette's modus operandi.

The never use the single blade on the back anyway.

 

I just bought the M5 Magnum and have to say Iwont be buying refills until they offer it without the trim blade on top. If you need to shave close to your nose at all then beware because you can get cut by it.

 

First off, Welcome to The Shave Den cubby2006! A great community of guys and gals that enjoy wet shaving, I hope you enjoy your stay!

Be sure to sign up for the October Newbie Give-Away for a chance to win some great shave gear!

While its not required, how about you hop over to the Newbies Section and give yourself a proper introduction thread, I'm sure you'll receive many warm welcomes from the friendly folks of this community.

 

Personna M5 Magnum

If you like the M5 but want power like the Gillette try attaching some sort of vibrator to it (a new clean one). I have tootbrushes that simply have a vibrator in the handle but you can try taping something to it if that is the only reason you don't like the razor. That is what I would do if I liked a much cheaper razor just the same as a big brand name one. That is just my opinion. I would get a bunch of people who want it to ask for it. If there is a good enough market for it they will make it but they need to know how many people want it so they know if it is worth their investment.

 

G5

Although I have not been that happy with the G5, you may like to know that it is now available at Costco. 1 razor with 20 blades for $17.95. I thought I would try it for that price vs. 16 fusion blades for $41.00... Have to say, the blades don't match Fusion.... but I am going to go through my 20 blade mistake until it is used up... I hope my face will still talk to me!

 

Bought a G5 a couple of days ago. Use the Personna II blades with a Bump Fighter handle exclusively now since selling all my DE's and have never used a 3 blade let alone a 5 blade. So thought I would give it a try. I am not impressed, doesn't work for me. It is a little closer shave than my Trac II but alot more pull on the first pass and some irritation, especially on my chin. The trac II is alot more smoother shaver and works the best for me. I got about as close a shave as with the 39C I use to use and about the same irritation, but I would prefer shaving with the 39C and Feather blades if it was between the two. The 39C was alot smoother with no pull. It seems like the blades are extremely dull to pull that much or maybe it is because you are cutting with 5 blades that make it drag, but it isn't much fun. The Trac II works the best for me. No irritation and a close shave with little or no drag. The G5 almost felt like it was pulling the hairs out on the first pass and my beard wasn't that long, just one days growth. Still needed a two pass shave to get as close or maybe a wee bit closer than the Trac II. But wasn't that close with just one pass and not enough difference from the Trac II to go through the pulling instead of cutting. JMHO

 

M% missing from Wally World

I also picked up this inexpensive
razor from Wally World and loved it. Not good as the fusion, but for the price, who cares. It's more than adequate. My problem is that the Wal-Mart in my area seems to have now suddenly quit carrying the M5. I also checked local drugstores and K-Mart. Maybe order online.

 

The makers of personna products lost their contract with walmart. They have moved most of their products to internet sales I believe but I may be wrong, I was in dollar general yesterday buying some as splash and saw that razor and blade refills. Try there if a store is in your area.

 

I just found the M5 Magnum and 20 Cartridges on Amazon.com for 39.99 and Free Shipping, I love this razor my 3 initial cartridges lasted...6 months, but have finally work out. I have a medium beard.

 

I shave with derby blades. One a week, four in a month. Costs me a total of $0.32

 

this is the best razor ever....

 

I've been using the M5 for a couple of years now and though the blades might not be quite as great as the $15 -$18 versions it work for me at a much better price. It hasn't ripped up my face yet and I only change cartridges about once a month like Old Spice Guy.
If you can't find them at Walmart as Personna M5, the same cartridge is available under the Wilkinson Sword brand at places like Giant Tiger, also recently found it at Shopper's Drug Mart as Balea (one of their house brands). Their price isn't as good but still only half of the big guys.