I've picked up a Mach 3 some time in the last few months, and my results were pretty much the opposite - disappointed how rough it felt compared to the Wilkinson Sword "Barber's Style" cart, and the Henson Al13 beat them both.View attachment 119226
Back to the late 90s for me...
I'm using carts a lot these days, mostly Feather but picked up a Mach3 on offer out of nostalgic curiosity and I'll be darned if it isn't the finest razor I ever used... They really nailed it with that design. Also shout out to Gillette Labs foam, I can lather up in 10 seconds and it's got a pleasant modern cologne scent not too dissimilar to Sauvage or something like that.
So, I'm now a heretic but stuff the masculine ritual, I'm all about results and the above gives a better shave and faster than anything else.
I've picked up a Mach 3 some time in the last few months, and my results were pretty much the opposite - disappointed how rough it felt compared to the Wilkinson Sword "Barber's Style" cart, and the Henson Al13 beat them both.
I think I tried this a few times, comparing each other in a single shave (to make sure facial hair, skin and lather were the same), and the results were pretty consistently as described above.
And the Fusion and Gillette Labs blades were even worse than the Mach 3 for me.
Prep makes a difference for me, though - I shower after I shave, as I don't really do hot water showers, so my facial hair wouldn't get steamed much anyway.
I do wonder whether people overload their brushes way too much and whether that might be why they end up coming back to canned foam.
I found that for face lathering, if my facial hair is already reasonably well hydrated, I can get a very good lather with a 5 second load and 20-25 seconds of moving the brush about the face with a bit of water dropped into the knot as needed.
Eventually, I realised that pivoting head razors only work well for me comfortably well if I maximise the pivot, so I effectively end up using them like a fixed head razor anyway. The Gillettes still work for me worse than the ones mentioned above, though.
I suppose it's a roundabout way of saying my milage varied (repeatedly).
I used a cart last month after watching kevyshaves use the Gillette skin guard. So the following day I went to the big Tesco in Dudley and got one.YMMV indeed!
I'm also a cold water shaver
I also very much agree with you regarding overloading, it was using straights which made me appreciate a thinner lather
I just came to the conclusion proper soaps and creams are a waste of time for me, I can happily shave using a straight with pretty much anything, so foam with a cart is life on easy mode. Speaking of which, for me it just works... Eyes closed BBS in under 60 seconds, love it... I can go about my day.
I did fall out of love with the hobby and it became a chore so I guess this is exactly the end result one might expect lol. It's a funny life, back when I had to scrimp and save, wheel and deal for every purchase I couldn't get enough of it. When I wasn't shaving I was discussing it, researching it, hunting for new products, vintage treasures...This went on for a good 6+ years but a couple of years ago my life circumstances changed and I could suddenly have anything I wanted, price not an issue, nobody to ask... And I lost all interest There's a lesson in that somewhere!
I used a cart last month after watching kevyshaves use the Gillette skin guard. So the following day I went to the big Tesco in Dudley and got one.
Results was 11/10. I threw it in the bin as soon as I shaved because I knew it was a flawless result. I felt embarrassed and shamed just at how much I love the addiction of buying and selling and buying and selling. Don’t get me wrong …. With the items that I have…. They are keepers and the reason they are keepers are because they also give me 11/10 shaves. But bar the thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds that I can quite confidently say we’ve all spent on gear…. A skin guard - a synbad knot and a Stirling soap could see me to the grave….. but I am an addict and the buying and the selling is something I am trying to leave behind