Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Let's talk about single and double edged razors and the blades that they use.
Post Reply
User avatar
Ouchmychin
Posts: 1595
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:03 pm

Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Post by Ouchmychin »

Today my rotation got to my Schick injector with a three times used Personna Tungsten blade. When I finished three passes and a polish I still felt stubble on my face and neck. No amount of polishing could remove any of it. I grabbed my Hydro 5 (used 4 or 5 times) and easily polished off the stubble. Best of all there was none of the chafing I felt with the injector when I was struggling to polish off the stubble. I believe the injector swept off all the brushless cream I was using and left my skin without protection. The slimey bar on the Hydro just needed my face to be wet to work with ease. I have learned to steer the darned thing now and so the maneuverability of the injector was not a serious advantage.
Ouchmychin (Pete)
brothers
Posts: 21514
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 7:18 am
Location: Oklahoma City USA

Re: Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Post by brothers »

Unfortunately, I had a similar experience with the injectors. Searched for an aggressive model, and their devotees advocated a couple that were supposed to remove stubble, but that didn't happen for me. Evidently the basic design of the injector razor precludes meaningful deviations.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
BeatlesFan
Posts: 935
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:07 pm
Location: USA

Re: Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Post by BeatlesFan »

And, yes, the Schick Hydro is a great razor. I agree with you about its gel reservoir; I think it makes for a better, more comfortable shave. (FYI, I prefer the Hydro 3, but it's the same concept.)

Injectors can be a good razor for people trying to break the cartridge habit, because the pre-set angle is helpful and also intuitive. However, in my experience, the blades I tried just weren't as good as a top-drawer DE blade. I don't include any Injectors in my rotation.

I use the Schick Hydro exclusively when traveling by air, and often enough at home, especially for hitting those "last spots" in a final touch up. If presented with a choice of Injector vs. Hydro, I'd pick the Hydro every time. Great shaver, the Hydro!
User avatar
Pauldog
Never Shave a Husky
Posts: 6313
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2005 6:39 pm

Re: Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Post by Pauldog »

What about other injector models, including the adjustable, tried with different blades, including the latest Schick blade and the old Schick Plus Platinum?

For many people with more sensitive skin or tendency toward razor bumps, single blade razors, especially ones with thicker blades, have given much relief, and they often have trouble with multi-blade razors. This is my motivation here, not single-blade dogmatism. I've used a Hydro 3-blade cartridge, as well as may other multi-blades.
User avatar
Ouchmychin
Posts: 1595
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:03 pm

Re: Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Post by Ouchmychin »

I have limited experience that I don't recall with other injector blades. My comment still applies only to my experience. No other multi-blade razor with the possible exception of the dollar store KAIs and the Gillette Fusion can be as slick and safe to slide over whiskers. Those lubricating strips make a great deal of difference. I have seen posts that said the poster preferred to get rid of the strips or use the razors with the vibrator turned off. I can't explain that. Just not my experience at all.
Ouchmychin (Pete)
brothers
Posts: 21514
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 7:18 am
Location: Oklahoma City USA

Re: Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Post by brothers »

The results I get from the Hydro and the injectors seem similar in the one characteristic that I can't get around -- stubble, as in not smooth.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
User avatar
Ouchmychin
Posts: 1595
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:03 pm

Re: Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Post by Ouchmychin »

Not my experience. If you check my first post I have to use the Hydro to clean up stubble left by the injector.
Ouchmychin (Pete)
brothers
Posts: 21514
Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 7:18 am
Location: Oklahoma City USA

Re: Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Post by brothers »

The Hydro does a better job than injectors. I agree.
Gary

SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
User avatar
Brutus
Posts: 492
Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2007 4:52 pm
Location: Vancouver (Canada), Coimbra (Portugal)

Re: Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Post by Brutus »

Thank you all, very useful information.

I had contemplated going back to my early 70's days of shaving and get an injector to toss into my bag for overnight flights. If I can't take a straight or Feather AC, I did not want to depend on cartridges and thought an injector might fit the bill.
Apparently not.

I better keep carrying a (dismantled 3-piece) DE razor as back-up as I don't find it too hard to find blades locally at my destinations.


B.
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.

Bertrand Russell
BeatlesFan
Posts: 935
Joined: Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:07 pm
Location: USA

Re: Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Post by BeatlesFan »

Brutus, based on your airplane photo and worldwide locations, I'm guessing that you are a frequent flyer. I also travel often by air. For a long time I struggled with how to deal with the TSA (or equivalent security in other countries), and the fact that a loaded DE razor (or even unloaded, with a pack of blades) isn't really approved, and often leads to holdups, blade surrender, etc.

Also, I hate to check luggage (esp. with the additional checked luggage charges nowadays, not to mention a less-than-100% assurance that your bags will arrive with your flight), so I always try to carry on whenever possible.

The solution that I have found that works for me is to bring a Hydro 3, which is fully TSA compliant. I find it to be very comfortable, and it presents me with none of the problems I've encountered with many other cartridges (ingrowns, irritation, etc.). Then I either bring a cake of DR Harris Almond with a cheap boar brush (ergo, if lost, no great tragedy), or I self-pack some good brushless cream (as a seeming minority-of-nearly-one around here, I'm a fan of Earthscience Azulene moisturizing brushless shave cream) in an under-3oz, TSA approved plastic dispenser. The shave from this set up is perfectly acceptable to me, if perhaps a little different from DE.

That simple air-travel kit has essentially solved my shaving-and-flying problems, EXCEPT the problem of early morning flights. I have a 7 am flight coming up over the holidays; it's hard enough to get up and out to the airport at such an un-Christian hour, let alone having to shave several hours earlier than usual on a face that hasn't yet awakened. And I have never had any luck shaving in the airport or on a plane - it just doesn't work for me. If anyone has any suggestions about how to tackle the dreaded "early-flight-shaving conundrum" I'm all ears!

Anyway, Brutus, I can endorse a Schick Hydro (I like the 3, but you should try both the 3 and the 5) as a good, TSA-compliant, travel razor.
User avatar
Ouchmychin
Posts: 1595
Joined: Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:03 pm

Re: Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Post by Ouchmychin »

After all this time it is necessary for me to open this thread to post a discovery I made. I find that I just have a problem with the stubble on my jaw. Every razor I use leaves a residue there. What works is to take any razor and dry shave so the stubble has no protective slippery lather or wetness to hide under. I condemned the injector because I was using it when I first started noticing this problem. Now I must apologize for my incorrect opinion.
Ouchmychin (Pete)
User avatar
Squire
Squadron Leader
Posts: 18932
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:41 pm
Location: North East, MS

Re: Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Post by Squire »

That's a tricky area for me as well Pete though I've learned to compensate with an extra pass or two.
Regards,
Squire
FireDragon76
Posts: 51
Joined: Wed Mar 18, 2015 2:31 pm

Re: Is The Schick Hydro Better Than The Injectors?

Post by FireDragon76 »

I've been using a Chinese-made injector recently, it's a clone of the Schick M. I have a tendency towards irritation on my neck. The shaves are not quite as close as a DE but that may just be my technique

If you find yourself dry shaving to touch up, might I suggest an inexpensive, battery-powered Braun electric shaver? They are water-resistant so you can use them on a wet face. I find the blade + shaver combo better than trying to touch up after two passes.
Post Reply