Harry's ... Never again!

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Location
Halifax, Republic of Yorkshire
Not so long back, Boots had a promotional offer for Harry's. Amongst the introductory offers, you could get a the Truman handle kit (handle, cartridge and cover) for £8 which I duly did and ...

Having been enjoying a week or so's growth recently, my shaves have been a shearing pass with a 1912 and GEM blade and then warm wash before lathering up again for a cartridge shave. And this is where I tried the Harry's. Unsure at first as to why I was getting ingrowers again, I didn't immediately suspect the Harry's. I've been fencing a lot more recently, something which seems to give me a crappy jawline what with a sweaty mask and I've mentioned that I've been leaving shaving for a good week in between. Well, after three of those shaves, I got to use the Harry's as normal as possible and used it for a single pass to rid myself of just a couple of the days' growth.

Argh! That was the problem ...

I thought it was bloomin' tuggy, but dismissed it. New to me, and all. This last shave has left me with a right load of painful ingrowers all around my chin and chin line. It'll take a good few days to get through it, so I think my plan is to just grow it out, chuck the Harry's in the bin and return to my usual routines.

Worth a go, I thought, but never again! Never!
 
If you had ever used the old Croma DE blade made by them then you would have known what to expect...


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Sorry, I've been AWOL for a while, but I recently started using a cartridge shaver because I could get a decent, quick shave in far less time than a full-on DE shave - a pragmatic, time-saving option to using an electric shaver, rather than laziness or disillusion with my Feather DE, Feather blades, New Forest brush and Truefitt and Hill or TOBS cream routine.

I bought a 4-pack of BIC disposables (Flex 4, available from Amazon) and actually liked them. I've been through several packs now, and at a cost of something just above £1 for each razor, they're not bad value, and give a comfortable, close shave. Even when I use the Feather DE I'll often use a BIC for the "goatee" area, as it's more comfortable with less chance of taking a divot from what is the most sensitive area of my face.

For cream, I tried some Rock Face Shaving Butter - from memory, it was on offer at Waitrose (lesser supermarkets with a lower MILF content are available), and the combination of this and the BIC is almost as quick as not bothering to shave at all. All of which will probably sound like heresy in this community of lather queens, but there are times when needs must, and pragmatism rules.

I've sneered at the TV when adverts for lesser means of facial fuzz reduction appear, but an advert for Harrys coinciding with the need to re-order some BICS coupled with the availability of Harrys in larger branches of Boots led to the purchase of a razor, pack of four blades on the basis that I might like it, and a tube of their shaving cream.

The razor itself feels nice in the hand, with a pleasantly weighted rubberised handle, the eucalyptus cream smells nice, doesn't exactly lather up, but it's quite slick. So far, so good. The blades. Oh. I suppose that if you haven't used a quality DE shaver with good quality blades, you might find them acceptable, but certainly from new they feel "cheap". They feel scratchy, and tug. The BIC feels much smoother, as though the blades are honed better, or the orientation of them in the head is better, or the lubrication strip works better, and they glide over the skin. The Harrys cartridge flexes more, so it can't be a lack of compliance. After three shaves the Harrys blades feel better, they glide better, and the shave feels better. It's hard to explain adequately, but when I have a new Feather blade in my DE I can always tell that it's very, very sharp, and it always feels better on the second shave. I can't believe that the Harrys blades have a second hone like a Feather DE blade (which is why Feathers lose their edge after three shaves, in my experience), so I guess that it's just down to the factory finish of the blades. I reckon that I could get four or five shaves from a Harrys cartridge, which is about the same as I get from the BIC.

Will I continue to use the Harrys razor? Probably, but I've ordered some more BICs, and I'm not giving up the Feather - I'll continue to give myself the luxury of a proper shave with that whenever I have the time and inclination, but with the BIC or Harrys I can have a refreshing, comfortable wet shave in ten minutes, which is a luxury in itself.

Variety, as the saying goes, is the spice of life.
 
Sorry, I've been AWOL for a while, but I recently started using a cartridge shaver because I could get a decent, quick shave in far less time than a full-on DE shave - a pragmatic, time-saving option to using an electric shaver, rather than laziness or disillusion with my Feather DE, Feather blades, New Forest brush and Truefitt and Hill or TOBS cream routine.

I bought a 4-pack of BIC disposables (Flex 4, available from Amazon) and actually liked them. I've been through several packs now, and at a cost of something just above £1 for each razor, they're not bad value, and give a comfortable, close shave. Even when I use the Feather DE I'll often use a BIC for the "goatee" area, as it's more comfortable with less chance of taking a divot from what is the most sensitive area of my face.

For cream, I tried some Rock Face Shaving Butter - from memory, it was on offer at Waitrose (lesser supermarkets with a lower MILF content are available), and the combination of this and the BIC is almost as quick as not bothering to shave at all. All of which will probably sound like heresy in this community of lather queens, but there are times when needs must, and pragmatism rules.

I've sneered at the TV when adverts for lesser means of facial fuzz reduction appear, but an advert for Harrys coinciding with the need to re-order some BICS coupled with the availability of Harrys in larger branches of Boots led to the purchase of a razor, pack of four blades on the basis that I might like it, and a tube of their shaving cream.

The razor itself feels nice in the hand, with a pleasantly weighted rubberised handle, the eucalyptus cream smells nice, doesn't exactly lather up, but it's quite slick. So far, so good. The blades. Oh. I suppose that if you haven't used a quality DE shaver with good quality blades, you might find them acceptable, but certainly from new they feel "cheap". They feel scratchy, and tug. The BIC feels much smoother, as though the blades are honed better, or the orientation of them in the head is better, or the lubrication strip works better, and they glide over the skin. The Harrys cartridge flexes more, so it can't be a lack of compliance. After three shaves the Harrys blades feel better, they glide better, and the shave feels better. It's hard to explain adequately, but when I have a new Feather blade in my DE I can always tell that it's very, very sharp, and it always feels better on the second shave. I can't believe that the Harrys blades have a second hone like a Feather DE blade (which is why Feathers lose their edge after three shaves, in my experience), so I guess that it's just down to the factory finish of the blades. I reckon that I could get four or five shaves from a Harrys cartridge, which is about the same as I get from the BIC.

Will I continue to use the Harrys razor? Probably, but I've ordered some more BICs, and I'm not giving up the Feather - I'll continue to give myself the luxury of a proper shave with that whenever I have the time and inclination, but with the BIC or Harrys I can have a refreshing, comfortable wet shave in ten minutes, which is a luxury in itself.

Variety, as the saying goes, is the spice of life.
I would pick up a Bic compatible razor, the KoS retro or just the Hybrid.
 
harry's is a fairly good razor, i have a blue navy one bought on amazon usa (on amazon italy they haven't any). the only strange thing is you have to adapt to the non-pivoting head (it's hinging instead). However, cart razors are NOT meant to be used on several day long beards. In thqat case theyoblviously clog. But you cannot take a razor designed to daily saving, using it on a week-long beard and then blabing the razor on the inferior quality of shaving. You are the culprit in this particular case, not the razor. You are using a tool for the wrong purpose.
 
I used the similar Cornerstone and can't say it floated my boat. Rather crap to say the least and as for the bendy blades, say no more.

I'll stick with my DE's, SE's and whatever else E's.
 
The other half tried her new 'Harry' at the weekend, you know, for the lady bits, legs, underarms etc. Her conclusion was a triumphant 'best razor I've ever used'! Now, I still use my daily Braveheart, and am not about to vary my routine, even as a trial. Maybe y'all shaving the wrong bits for this razor LOL
 
The other half tried her new 'Harry' at the weekend, you know, for the lady bits, legs, underarms etc. Her conclusion was a triumphant 'best razor I've ever used'! Now, I still use my daily Braveheart, and am not about to vary my routine, even as a trial. Maybe y'all shaving the wrong bits for this razor LOL
They should rebrand it as Harriet's
 
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