Wilkinson Hydro 3&5

Interesting i'll have to give the balm a go, normally a fan of bulldog balm personally though nowadays i rarely have need for it.

I have the hydro 5 and i like it, though i get the impression the 3 blade would do a better job.
 
I got the Hydro 3 a few weeks ago (in the week they were delivered to the shops). I didn't get the Hydro 5 handle but as the heads are interchangeable I picked up a pack of blades but haven't used them yet.

Unfortunately I didn't give the Hydro 3 a full and proper 'test' - just half a dozen shaves or so - so I can't offer any kind of in-depth review.

All I can say is - the shaves must have been alright or it would have gone in the bin there and then.
 
I used my Hydro 5 wih the Hydro shaving cream applied by hand. What a mess compared with applying by brush! I really didn't like the greasiness of the cream. Despite misgivings, I went through my 3 pass routine and ended up with a very comfortable shave. Not particularly close, but my skin felt very good indeed.

Today, I used my brush and Martin de Candre soap. Much more enjoyable. The 3 pass shave again was very comfortable. The fact is, the razor is very effective. It does clog up a bit but more regular use would lead to a better understanding of the amount and type of lather neeed for an effective shave with minimum problems.

The experience doesn't tempt me away from DE shaving. Apart from anything else I cannot get away from a sense of waste in spending so much on blades. About the best deal for the Hydro 5 seems to be around £1.38. Even if it lasted a couple of weeks, it's a daft price to pay when you have mastered DE shaving and can get decent blades for less than 10p.

The Hydro is a very effective performer and I found it more comfortable than my Gillette M3 Power and Mach 3 set ups. But I'm soon going back to DE razors.

The Hydro balm is an excellent low price after shave treatment.
 
heroblob said:
Fido said:
Even if it lasted a couple of weeks, it's a daft price to pay when you have mastered DE shaving and can get decent blades for less than 10p.
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I read on the box the blades can last up to 3 months. :eek:
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There are posts from people reporting double-figure shaves but 3 months is a bit far fetched.

As for the 'mastered DE shaving' bit . . . I've never bought into that. Shaving is shaving, simple as that - what's to master?

Horses for courses I suppose but I haven't given any kind of DE razor a second thought for (what seems like) ages.
 
joe mcclaine said:
As for the 'mastered DE shaving' bit . . . I've never bought into that. Shaving is shaving, simple as that - what's to master
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I agree with Fido - it took me a few weeks to get any good at DE shaving and months to feel 100% confident, but I suppose we are all different and you may have had no probs at all. I think if it was that simple the cartridges wouldn't have taken off as you'd have to try pretty hard to cut yourself with one of those things.
 
I now switch between cartridge and DE on a more or less a monthly basis. And there is definitely a difference in technique to 'master' (or at least adjust to).

That applies when to switching from DE to cart and vice versa.
 
Now then chaps.

I don't believe for a minute that men turned their backs on DE razors because they failed to master the art of shaving.

They turned their backs on them because it is a million times easier to deal with enclosed blades than it is bare razor blades.

I can just as easily shave with a disposable, a straight, a DE or a cartridge razor with pretty much the same result every time.

The downsides of each (for me are):
Disposables: too bulky to store more than, say, 5
DE: Dangerous blades when young kids are about - or sleepy Vinnies
Straight: Maintenance

The 'convenience' of the cartridge makes the decision (for me, anyway) a no-brainer - even at twice the price.
 
OK, putting aside my involuntary sarcasm and attempts to wind people up.

The lube that gets left behind is fairly thick and it feels almost like it is 'masking' any stray whiskers. It takes a while to wash all the residue off too. Which is a proper faff.

The 'blade guards' produce too narrow a blade gap which gets clogged quite easily.

Perhaps this system would work better with the Hydro gel that they introduced but I won't be giving that a whirl any time soon.

I'd take the Quattro over this razor but still prefer the Gillette systems (from Sensor to Fusion) over any Wilkinson Sword razor.
 
If it wasn't for commercial considerations I can't really see why Gillette would have ever needed to move on from the twin blade Sensor. Certainly not for an improved perfomance imo.

JohnnyO. :geek:
 
JohnnyO said:
If it wasn't for commercial considerations I can't really see why Gillette would have ever needed to move on from the twin blade Sensor. Certainly not for an improved perfomance imo.

JohnnyO. :geek:
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I would agree if I was only shaving my face. The Sensor is as good as it gets for shaving the face. The blade gap is just right so doesn't clog and the pivoting head and 'floating' blades means shaving is a doddle, quick and comfortable.

The thing is, I am also a head-shaver, so I need a one-tool-does-eveything approach and that's where the Mach3 and especially the Fusion trump the Sensor.
 
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