I heard somewhere that starting to shave is the masculine equivalent of the female first period. I once read a book- and I digress- about girls growing up. It was clearly aimed at teenage girls, but I read it anyway. Not out of feminine tendencies, you understand, but out of curiosity. After all, young teenage girls are as mysterious to young teenage boys as the Bermuda Triangle, or Area 51. What I learnt from this book (which was a dubious thing for me to read) was that there was a whole culture among girls that I was completely unaware of.
I was vaguely aware of menstruation (I had had Sex Education after all). That is, I knew it happened, and therefore must happen for the first time in the teenage years of every girl. What I was unaware of, and what this book concerned itself with, was the eagerness with which girls awaited their first period. Not with open competitiveness, but with a kind of unspoken rivalry. Whether this book was entirely accurate I do not know,
but I think that it was perhaps not far from the truth.
Everybody knows that boys develop later than girls, so it was a year or so before I could compare the experience of boys shaving for the first time to girls starting their period. The difference for me was that I was an “early starter”, meaning I was 6ft tall with a deep voice when I was 12 or 13. Because of this, I have no doubt that I was the first out of the boys I knew to start shaving, and I never noticed any rivalry. So as for the comparison with girls first periods, it doesn’t even come close. And I expect it’s nowhere near as much hassle.
Now, at 16, I need to shave every other day. When I first started shaving at 13, I used those crappy disposable razors. This was fine for me, as my facial hair was hardly a challenge for any razor. Since then however, my needs have progressed somewhat, and I now require a better quality razor. It just so happened that recently, Gillette were giving away their new Mach 3 Turbo razor free, so one fell through the letterbox one morning and thus became my new shaving tool.
LOOKS
While items such as razors leave little room for fundamental design innovation, every product today has some sort of flashy design, from toothbrushes to shampoo bottles. The Mach 3 Turbo is no different, with a rubber grip handle and wide razor head. The razor heads are rounded, with three blades and what the manufacturers call a “lubricating strip”. The razor looks good enough, but the proof of the pudding is undoubtedly in the eating.
USE
The Mach 3 range covers every shaving product; shaving foam, shaving gel, aftershave etc. I personally do not use these products, as they are too expensive to be worthwhile. All I need is shaving foam or gel, and a decent sized bottle will last me a while.
The advertisements for the Mach 3 Turbo claim that you can “defy gravity” when using it. This does not mean you can float about your bathroom, but rather that you can shave upwards, downwards, or any other direction that should take your fancy with no adverse effects. I am unable to vouch for this, as I have been reluctant to try it after nasty cuts in the past. In my opinion, what’s the point of going against the grain if you can shave twice as efficiently in the normal way? Must be another one of those advertising gimmicks.
Another claim Gillette makes is that the three blades provide the closest shave around. In my personal experience, while the result is undeniably good, there isn’t a vast difference when compared with other razors. And as for the smoothest shave, I’m not quite sure. The shave is smooth if the stubble is short, but with longer or coarser hairs, such as around the chin, the Mach 3 Turbo does seem to struggle and scrape. Having said that, it always gets the job done after a few strokes over a coarse area, and never cuts.
Overall, the shave provided by the Mach 3 Turbo is quick and efficient, and leaves a smooth feel.
Then, of course, there is the question of value for money. The razor itself was free so there’s value you can’t argue with. However, that was an offer and people may now have to buy one. The razor heads themselves are expensive but last a long time. As I mentioned before, there is a whole range of Mach 3 shaving products if you want to go the whole hog.
I believe that the Mach 3 Turbo is a quality product. Not too expensive and excellent results make it my razor of choice. All I need now is the girl on the advert who strokes the guys face.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Advantages: A super close shave, ergonomic design, very little in the way of cuts etc even with my sensitive skin Disadvantages: takes a little "tooing and froing" to get the best shave, expensive, results depend an awful lot on the shaving gel used.
Advantages: A super close shave, ergonomic design, very little in the way of cuts etc even with my sensitive skin Disadvantages: takes a little "tooing and froing" to get the best shave, expensive, results depend an awful lot on the shaving gel used.
very helpful by (90%):
helpful by (10%):
