Five Blades?

[JLibourel]

I note that Merkur razors seem to have a certain vogue with the habituees of these fora. I'll have to pass. They remind me way too much of the old single-blade Gillette safety razors that I grew up cutting myself with for my first 28 years of shaving.Thanks but no thanks! As far as I can see, aside from elegance and quality, there is no difference between the Merkur product and the old Gillettes that I used, or am I mistaken in this?

[maxnharry]

I will report shortly. I have gotten caught up in the razor hysteria and ordered a Merkur myself. I was too young to use a Gillette Safety Razor but wanted to try to see what the difference is between it and a Mach 3. I suspect the answer is alot of styptic pencil.

[renoles]

I would argue against the point that the old style safety razor is a lesser shaving experience. I used a Gillette Sensor/Mach 3 for years and now you couldn't give me one of the things. I use an adjustable Merkur (and a Gillette HD for travel) and get closer shaves that last far longer (I shaved before 6 this morning it's now after 11 and I'm just beginning to feel a little stubble - it was a rough one at the office today too) with no irritation and unless I get sloppy (varies by day and amount of caffeine I get before the shave) I get no nicks. I would add that every face is different and that might be the cause for some troubles (I will say my learning curve with the Merkur was short but occasionally messy). I think Charles Roberts' "Shaving Graces" have been brought up here - a wealth of good information (regardless of razor).

[The Mofussilite]

I have used a Gillete razor in the 60's and yes I got a few shaving cuts, but the Merkur is a much heavier razor and you needn't push the razor in the face like one might do with a sensor. This results in fewer nicks and cuts, but if you concentrate on the task, you will have a very nice shave experience, and avoid the shedding of blood.

[risto]

Well ... it's now here. Just noticed the following on a website. Oh dear, what's next.

[Cufflink79]

If you include the one precision blade on the back you have six .

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[JamesT1]

It does seem quite rediculious, but the other day I bought one, as I needed a new razor, and I have actually grown quite attached to it. I have rather sensitive skin and usually develop terrible razor burn after shaving. However, I never got my usual burn after using this razor. How knew that the more blades the razor has, the less burning there is?
As for the sixth blade in the back, I've never used it as I don't really know what it is there for.

[King Arthur]

I have a very thick beard and I have to shave twice a day.
I get a good shave with the five blade razor.
I like it.

[ccffm1]

This reminds me of a memorable quote from the movie "There´s something about Mary". Some of you might be familiar with it:

Hitchhiker: You heard of this thing, the 8-Minute Abs?
Ted: Yeah, sure, 8-Minute Abs. Yeah, the excercise video.
Hitchhiker: Yeah, this is going to blow that right out of the water. Listen to this: 7... Minute... Abs.
Ted: Right. Yes. OK, all right. I see where you're going.
Hitchhiker: Think about it. You walk into a video store, you see 8-Minute Abs sittin' there, there's 7-Minute Abs right beside it. Which one are you gonna pick, man?
Ted: I would go for the 7.
Hitchhiker: Bingo, man, bingo. 7-Minute Abs. And we guarantee just as good a workout as the 8-minute folk.
Ted: You guarantee it? That's - how do you do that?
Hitchhiker: If you're not happy with the first 7 minutes, we're gonna send you the extra minute free. You see? That's it. That's our motto. That's where we're comin' from. That's from "A" to "B".
Ted: That's right. That's - that's good. That's good. Unless, of course, somebody comes up with 6-Minute Abs. Then you're in trouble, huh?
[Hitchhiker convulses]
Hitchhiker: No! No, no, not 6! I said 7. Nobody's comin' up with 6. Who works out in 6 minutes? You won't even get your heart goin, not even a mouse on a wheel.
Ted: That - good point.
Hitchhiker: 7's the key number here. Think about it. 7-Elevens. 7 doors. 7, man, that's the number. 7 chipmunks twirlin' on a branch, eatin' lots of sunflowers on my uncle's ranch. You know that old children's tale from the sea. It's like you're dreamin' about Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby. Step into my office.
Ted: Why?
Hitchhiker: 'Cause you're fuckin' fired!

[Costi]

hehe!
I think they have long lost the customer's interest from sight - it has become an arming race between manufacturers!

[risto]

Having recently arrived to my destination without luggage (thanks once again, Austrian Airlines), I had to purchase some emergency toiletries and decided to try the new Fusion with five blades for fun. And now I must admit that it gave a great shave. Considerably better than with the Mach 3s I've been using for quite some time. Who knew. I may actually stick with the five blades from now on.