All we need is your address and we'll send you a suitable envelope into which you can place your old Gillette Mach3 blades to post to us. One of the things we liked most about the Mach3 is its handle, which has a more traditional round shape, compared with the toothbrush-like contours you’ll find on some competing models. We guarantee you will get as close if not a closer shave than your 5-blade razor, and it will be adjustable and comfortable. He’s tried and loved shaving with everything from straight razors and old-school double edges to disposables and electric razors.

There are lots of ways to get rid of facial hair, and if you’re happy with your current method, stick with it.The concept works—detritus flushes right out—but that width, along with a somewhat Harry’s-like reverse flex mounting system, also made the Defender the only razor that consistently left me with nicks and cuts. His books include Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World, and he received a James Beard Award for his writing on bananas.

After all those months of shaving, our pick is the same as it’s been for the past seven years: The Gillette Mach3 continues to provide the best balance of speed, smoothness, and safety. This razor’s five closely packed blades meant smoother shaves for some of our testers, and it has a trimming blade for fine edges. This provides the wood with perfect protection against water and makes it particularly long-lasting.However, products may be improved or updated which could result in changes to the product information, ingredients, nutritional content and allergy advice. Gillette’s Sensor razor line is ancient even compared with the Mach3, having been introduced during a time known as the 1980s, an age when men allowed their chest hair to range upward and connect, like the vines covering the walls of a respected university, to their facial hair. Multiple blades: One blade is certainly enough to get the job done, and seven is definitely overkill. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.

Its enhanced Lubrastrip with water-activated Comfortgel technology provides you with the ultimate comfort. Several polishes with fine oils provide an additional seal for the surfaces and give them a silky-matt finish. One other negative came from a user who’d previously loved the now-discontinued Mach3 Sensitive, which used a thinner blade with a different coating. While we considered blade durability, it ended up not being a deciding factor because it varies substantially from person to person.

Unfortunately, adding a seventh blade is like adding a seventh ring of hell (for the record, Dante posited nine, so razor makers still have a journey ahead). A handle that works: A handle should have a good grip—any razor that slipped when wet during our testing was instantly disqualified. Although it has the fewest blades, it gave me the closest shave from all razors with the fewest rinse-outs.