Gillette Pivot Ball Razor - Stop The Insanity Already

[brothers]

I did see a display at CVS on Saturday, but it included a can of gel, and I wasn't in need of a can of shaving gel at the time.

[Squire]

It's never too late to learn new tricks, Squire.

You guys go for it, I'll watch from here.

[95%]

I picked up the unpowered version this morning at Walmart, which in my area tends to get new consumer products before other stores. The cost was $9.97 and included one ProGlide cartridge and a full-size can of shaving gel. I would have preferred a second cartridge instead of the gel, but I didn't have that choice with this particular packaging setup.

The shave was highly satisfactory. The head has substantially more weight than previous Fusions; this extra heft seemed to increase the steadiness of the razor as it tracked. Movement of the pivot ball, on the other hand, was so refined as to be unnoticeable - it undoubtedly can be measured only in very small increments. The whole two-pass shave was done almost before it began; shaving has never been easier or faster. Looking forward to using the FlexBall as my daily driver from here on out.

[Johnny]

Well I've always been a sucker for gadgets so when Gillette announced the Flexball I knew I would have one. I got in on the pre-order and mine arrived yesterday.

It is the Gillette Fusion Proglide Power Flexball SILVERTOUCH.

The head has stops on it so it will only pivot just so much. If you look at pictures posted on Gillette's website it appears to have a little round spring or wire just below the blade release button. It is actually a flat spring which helps to bring the blade back to dead center.

It is actually not a ball at all, just a pivoting mechanism. The orange thing that looks like a basket ball is just an orange release button for the blade. Same as used on their regular Fusion Proglide. Clever marketing if you ask me.

Does it work, well I did not stare in the mirror trying to see the the head flex, but I can tell you that I got a truly BBS shave in two passes this morning.

[95%]

I like the looks of that silver handle. I decided against the powered version because I have a new (albeit small) scar on my face following surgery, and I'm extra careful when shaving over it.

[jww]

It's never too late to learn new tricks, Squire.

You guys go for it, I'll watch from here.

Me too.

[Johnny]

I like the looks of that silver handle. I decided against the powered version because I have a new (albeit small) scar on my face following surgery, and I'm extra careful when shaving over it.

I use the power setting on the first pass only. Seems to smooth things out and eliminates any tugging. I too have a scar under my left jaw from a surgery I had a while back, plus a small mole on the right side of my face. No pressure, just let the razor do the work.

[Ouchmychin]

Well, my old Fusion is getting long in the tooth. Maybe I'll give one a try. Got to use up those blades. If I do I'll report how they compare with the Fusion.

[rsp1202]

I tried the manual version. The pivot is so subtle as to add nothing to my shave. Now I remember why I've avoided the Fusion: five blades is irritating (six if you count the trimmer). All the gimmicks in the world won't change that fact.

[brothers]

This is a great gadget, but for me, I'm out of my comfort zone with as many as 3 blades, but I have used 'em. I confess the 5 blade carts just don't appeal to me. For that reason, as the Sharks always say, I'm out. I appreciate those among us who are using them and reporting their results.

[bernards66]

Pete, Well my Gillette #58 is over half a century old and has yet to get 'long in the tooth' ( chuckle ). I dipped out of this game at the Mach III stage and have not the slightest inclination to get back into it.
Regards,
Gordon

[Ouchmychin]

Gordon, my rotation includes a Futur, Gillette Fatboy, Gillette Tech, and a Schick injector. I also use disposables. When I joined this club I was mad at Gillette for making ever more expensive disposable heads that really didn't cost more to produce--just had one more blade. I found myself buying ever more recommended DE blades and ultimately spending the same amount, but I have a drawer full of blades. So I went to ebay and tried to find cheap vibrator razors and blades so I could give them a try--just as I had the regular razors in my collection. Turned out I like them too doggonit. So now the vibrators are included in my rotation.

[95%]

Pete, Well my Gillette #58 is over half a century old and has yet to get 'long in the tooth' ( chuckle ). I dipped out of this game at the Mach III stage and have not the slightest inclination to get back into it.
Regards,
Gordon

Gordon - Allow me to give you a new reason to try the FlexBall Fusion ProGlide:

A few years ago you disclosed in this forum that you have a patch of whiskers under the chin that refuses to be shaven clean, no matter which razor you use, or which angle of attack you choose. Now this new razor with the rotating head might just do the trick for you. It's designed for exactly that sort of task. So why not check it out?

[bernards66]

Porter, Are you sure that that was my post? I've had a goatee for forever so the area right under my chin is not an issue as I don't shave it. Starting with the original Trac II and up through the later incarnation of the M3 only two multi-blade cartridges gave me about as close a shave as I get with a DE, although not closer, the original Gillette Sensor and that Schick Flexx model. But even with them eventually I started to get razor bumps and other irritation. I finally concluded that the whole multi-blade set-up just does not work for me and since the cartridges were much more expensive and less satisfying to use I just cut the whole thing lose. I felt I gave it a fair shot and I'm convinced that it was just a marketing ploy from the beginning. Gillette was quite happy to just continue to make DE razors for their DE blades until they found themselves losing serious market share to Wilkinson and at that point, suddenly, a new razor designed seemed called for...?....indeed. If some members like them that's fine but I just don't see any advantage to them, at least not for me.
Regards,
Gordon

[Squire]

The only advantage I had was when they came out with newer versions I would get one in the mail, well, me and everybody else in my neighborhood, but having sold that house I'm no longer on the mailing list.

[95%]

Gordon - I'm sure it was you who posted that a certain patch under the jawline resisted shaving no matter what you did. But the issue must not have been very important since my mentioning it doesn't ring a bell. In that case, and given your long experience as a DE shaver, I doubt that you'd do any better with a Fusion.

Although I enjoyed DE shaving for about 15 years until the advent of the Trac II, I disagree with the proposition that shaving technology forever reached its limits with the coated stainless steel DE blade. The cartridge improved safety in blade handling and virtually eliminated cuts and nicks. Almost half of my life has now passed since I last cut myself; that's about 30 years give or take. How many DE shavers can make such a claim? Razor burn is a dim memory from my early shaving career.

I do think, however, that the newest razors really have taken shaving technology as far as it can go. At some point there can be no better way of removing whiskers, and I think we have reached it. Gillette's next innovation will probably be a Bluetooth-enabled device that connects you to the "Internet of things" and reads your text messages while you shave (or something like that.) At that point I will join the chorus and shout "Stop the insanity already!"

[brothers]

Porter, that is a very good observation about the safety factor resulting from the innovation of cartridge razors beginning with the Trac II. I find that to be true in my case. And also true that even now, if I lose my concentration and becomes too self confident, I can generally count on at least one minor knick or cut along the way, not so much with straight razors, surprisingly, but the double edged razors, almost exclusively.

[Squire]

Porter there's no question that cartridges work, and work well, for the majority of shavers the main downside being cost. The most efficient shaving I know of is using an electric while driving to work. I wouldn't argue with anyone who claims these ways are an improvement over a DE, brush and soap.

For me the means are more important than the end. For instance live bait catches more fish but I will continue to wrap feathers around a hook and cast my fly rod.

[95%]

Squire, it speaks well of a fisherman who gives the fish a sporting chance. Now me, on the other hand, in my fishing days, I used fat juicy nightcrawlers. The guys gave me a hard time about it, but I didn't care. On a good evening I could reel in the fish so fast that my supply of worms was quickly exhausted. The moral of this story as it relates to shaving is:

[loses train of thought]

...let me think...

[Brutus]

It's never too late to learn new tricks, Squire.

You guys go for it, I'll watch from here.

Me too.

Sorry to come late to the party, but I find the latest Gillette discoveries just so uninteresting.

I'm with Squire, Wendell - and Leonardo da Vinci on this one: Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication.



Gillette - driven by the need to come up with something new.