Trac-II carts are expensive?... I don't know what to say but to me (who lives in Pakistan), these seem to be very adequately priced. Correction, the thread was posted under "Cartridge razors" category. No one has a problem with your opinion. The way you present it, is another matter, though.
This thread is in the cartridge razor subforum, not the main safety razor forum. Had this thread appeared in the main safety razor forum, I would not have responded to you the way I did.
I'm not an engineer, but I'll offer my layperson's understanding. The spring mount allows blades move in a horizontal plane - from the front of the cart to back - as they encounter surface irregularities. The razor is held to the face in this horizontal plane - pressing from back to front. Thus, the blades can compensate for the pressure, as well as adjust to any surface irregularities. The cutting force is in a vertical plane - from the top of the cart to bottom - as the razor is pulled in a downward motion. Gillette's spring blades do not adjust in a vertical direction, and hold their position when encountering whiskers. They do not "give" when cutting through hair, and as such, they retain their cutting efficiency.
Ok so here is the confusing part, wouldn't the blades treat the beard growth as an irregularity and skip over it? Or is the spring mount really that good, which makes the blades adjust properly for every single whisker?
Think of the shape of a whisker versus your average skin irregularity - e.g., mole, bump, etc. The blades cut through whiskers, because of the shape. They stick straight up (or at a slight angle) out of the skin, and the blade edges catch into them and cut through them. Most skin irregularites - moles, etc. - or more gradual in their slope, so the blades can ride over them. I suppose if you had a skin tag that stuck straight up, similarly to a whisker, the blade might slice through that.
Mach-3 in bootcamp. Just a blade and water. How far I've come: Free razor, with free water To $200 razor, using 25ยข blades, a $50 brush, and $30 shaving cream.
