Fusion vs. DE

[BeatlesFan]

I’m a very long-time DE user (as in since the 1970s). Recently my 20 year old son has been agitating to get me to try the Fusion (I’ve been trying to get him into DE, so far unsuccessfully). So, today was the day. Here’s my report; as always, YMMV, IMO, etc.

The Set Up:

I lathered with one of my favorite soaps (D.R. Harris Almond).

My DE was a 1954 Gillette, with a Derby blade (day 3).

The Fusion had a brand new blade, with one of those battery jobs, which gives a slight vibration as you shave.

(I must say, even before the shave, the Fusion struck me as an unsightly bit of glitzy plastic that looks as if it could be used as a disposable proctology scope or as some sort of electronic tire gauge. At least to my middle-aged eye, it really looks flaky and dumb as a razor. Cheap, chintzy, and unsightly).

I road-tested the Fusion for one side of my face, and used my regular DE set up for the other side.

Conclusion:

Overall, I can’t see a single reason to be bothered with a $3-per-blade Fusion. It does a worse job than my 50+ year old DE, and it’s wildly expensive. Basically, it’s a triumph of marketing over common sense. I wouldn’t use the Fusion again, unless I had to shave and there was nothing else. It wasn’t even a close-call – DE FOR ME!

Results (on a 1 to 10 scale, 10 being the best):

Closeness: DE = 10. Fusion = 6. This surprised me. I figured with all those blades, the Fusion ought to at least give a close shave. Wrong. Even with the same number of passes for each razor (which is, like, how many gagillion actual blade passes if you have 5 blades scraping over your face on each pass?), it just wasn’t especially close. Definitely inferior to the DE.

Comfort. DE = 10. Fusion = 4. The DE does one thing only: IT JUST CUTS BEARD HAIR. And it does it superbly, with total comfort. The Fusion, by contrast, pulls and tugs, snips a bit, then clogs up and starts dragging, then pulls some more, the cuts another bit. It just isn’t comfortable. I found it a nasty, tugging, dragging, unpleasant experience. Yuck.

Speed. DE = 10. Fusion = 8. This one surprised me also. I figured if there was just one thing the Fusion ought to be able to do, it’s slice through the job fast. Nope. Again, with all that pulling and tugging, I found I actually had to slow down to make the Fusion work at all. Very disappointing.

Irritation. DE = 10 (as in there was no irritation with the DE). Fusion = 3. With the Fusion I came away with some red and irritated parts of my face and (I fear) some ingrown hairs. In fairness, it wasn’t a total massacre, but who needs a razor that leaves you with irritation and worries about ingrowns??

Overall Satisfaction. DE = 10. Fusion = 3 or 4. I find the DE a solid, satisfying daily razor. I found the Fusion to be a ridiculous bit of overpriced junk, that’s designed for one purpose only: i.e., to boost Gillette profits. It feels cheap, it gives a lousy (or at best quite mediocre) shave, and throughout the experience you know in the back of your mind that you’ve been ripped off to the tune of $3 per blade. I’ll stay away, thanks.

So, I can happily report, I’ve tried this allegedly high-tech shaving instrument . . . and I think it’s overpriced rubbish. At least I have the satisfaction of knowing that it wouldn’t even save me any time over shaving with the DE! As ever, YMMV, IMO, etc.

[prism]

Nice report. I give you credit for road-testing this abomination. Well, one good turn deserves another , now it's your son's turn to experience DE wetshaving!! Vic

[Trumperman]

Nice report and I'm with Vic, have you son try a DE and he'll never go back.
(this won't be rocket science for him either eh Vic???)
Regards,

Bill

[notthesharpest]

This is not my experience at all. (For me, the Fusion works fine.) I wonder what the differences are between you and me that cause such a change in the effect?

I do like the DE better for several reasons - it's just that I don't have much bad to say about the Fusion other than the ridiculous cost.

[prism]

Nice report and I'm with Vic, have you son try a DE and he'll never go back.
(this won't be rocket science for him either eh Vic???)
Regards,

Bill

LOL, Bill, well put; I could'nt agree more! Vic

[Pauldog]

I think that for most people 3 blades is at or near the point of diminishing returns. This makes it unlikely that Gillette will add another blade, and it makes me curious as to what they'll patent next.

[Big Swifty]

I heard they are coming out with a razor equipped with a small spotlight so you can see those hard to reach places.
whose gonna buy one first?

[NickNCut]

I LOVE the fusion razor. I had used a mach 3 for years, and was happy with it. Then the fusion came out and I thought all those blades, it must be awsome. So I got one as soon as I saw them. I was so dissapointed partly with the shave, mostly with the cost of the blades and how long they lasted. I got more shaves out of the mach 3 costing half as much as the fusion blades. I searched the internet to see if others had the same experience as I did.

That is how I found SMF. With in two weeks I owned a Progress and have never bought another Gillette cartidge. I always have a little chuckle when people say Gillette's introduction of these new razors is just about profit. I know the exact oppsite is true for me.

Eric

[Minstrel]

I LOVE the fusion razor. I had used a mach 3 for years, and was happy with it. Then the fusion came out and I thought all those blades, it must be awsome. So I got one as soon as I saw them. I was so dissapointed partly with the shave, mostly with the cost of the blades nad how long they lasted. I got more shaves out of the mach 3 costing half as much as the fusion blades. I searched the internet to see if others had the same experience as I did.

That is how I found SMF. With in two weeks I owned a Progress and have never bought another Gillette cartidge. I always have a little chuckle when people say Gillette's introduction of these new razors is just about profit. I know the exact oppsite is true for me.

Eric

So, as I understand it, you love the Fusion razor because it made you go out and find SMF and got you started on DE shaving?

Personally, I was using the Mach 3 for a long time, and used to avoid shaving because of the (in my opinion) prohibitive cost of blades and shaving foam/gel. I even stopped using foam and just used water for a while to try and cut costs. When the Fusion came out and it became apparent that the Mach 3 blades were going to go up in price as a result, or even be phased out entirely eventually, I was thoroughly disgusted and felt ripped off. Then a friend pointed me to mantic's videos on YouTube, and this forum, and the rest, as they say, is history.

/Nicholas

[2clfrwrds]

Nice report and I'm with Vic, have your son try a DE and he'll never go back.

I don't know, my friend. After one shave, he might post, "Using a DE is like shaving with a wolverine -- vicious and unpredictable. Touch it to your skin wrong, and it nicks you; hold it at the wrong angle, and you get weepers. Too unforgiving for me!" Of course, a little experience with the DE and he would develop his technique. With a Fusion, experience doesn't make much difference. Either you like it, or you don't, and either way, your feelings probably won't change with use.

--Glenn

[shavedhead]

The Fusion will NOT shave you better than a good DE once you get your face accustomed to shaving with one. The Fusion cartridges are so expensive too and I can buy razors for a year with just one purchase of a Fusion 8 pack

[f308gt4]

I get the opposite results. For me, the fusion wins hands down. Faster, fewer passes required, and no annoying nicks.

I think it really is a case of YMMV.

I have no problem paying the cartridge prices. Each cartridge lasts me about 3 weeks. I've spent more in shaving creams/soaps than blades, so it just doesn't bother me.

[Trumperman]

YMMV must be the key word. I could never shave the corners of my mouth or under my nose without getting visible stubble when using the Fusion. My neck is another story. I got all kinds of irritation trying to get a good shave down there.

Yes, the old DE's take a bit more practice but for me going back to the old ways that I learned as a teenager were more than welcome to my face. As Glen said: "Either you like it, or you don't, and either way, your feelings probably won't change with use". Absolutely true. Many guys could care less about a shave. They just want to get the drudgery over as fast as possible and go on with their day. As far as I'm concerned, that's why they invented the electric razor. Bam, you're done. What ever works best for your particular needs is the way to go. The best thing about all of this is that we have choices. Vive La Choices!

Regards,

Bill

[bernards66]

BeatlesFan, Fine post, but no surprises here, as far as I'm concerned. I started shaving in 1964, with a brand new Gillette long handled adjustable DE that I bought at the local drugstore. Great razor, I still have one. But, out of curiosity, and in the interests of 'open mindedness' and 'fairness' and all that, I dutifully did check out ever multi-blade cartridge that Gillette cranked out; from the first Trac II up through the Mach III Turbo ( and a few of the Schick numbers as well ). At that point I quit...I'd had more then enough, and I figured I'd been more then fair. None of them shaved me as well as the old DE, and all of them, sooner or later, gave me razor bumps and/or other irritations. It was obvious to me that it was nothing but a marketing gimmick from the very start; a long range strategy to recapture, and hold, their near monopoly on razor blades, that had slipped seriously during the 1960s. And I agree with Bill; for the gents who don't care, and just want of 'get it done' as rapidly as possibe, the electric shaver is preferable to these ridiculously over priced cartridges and canned goo.
Regards,
Gordon

[stealth]

I made the switch from a Fusion to a DE a while back and agree with much of what you wrote, but I find it surprising that you were able to shave more quickly with a DE. It likely has much to do with my own technique still being in development, but I can get a very close shave rather quickly with a fusion, while it takes a bit more care and several passes with a DE to achieve those kinds of results. Still, I far prefer the DE experience and only break out the fusion when speed is an absolute must. Hopefully I'll be able to get to the point where I can shave with a DE as quickly some time soon.

[ZiggyDeath]

odd... i've never made multi passes with any multi-blade cartridges

whenever i make multiple passes the shave quality is worse, and i get razor burn

since i started shaving with the Sensor Excel, M3T and Fusion, i've always made a single ATG pass

that has always given me the best shave, i have btw very tough hair

IMO when you have WTG or XTG passes, the blades are incapable of grasping enough hair on the final pass causing most of the problems, as well as removing too many layers of skin as a result

i believe that multi blade cartridges require different technique, as in less passes, and that the recommended multi-4pass is a relic from the DE era

that being said, i shave with a DE, i'm just stating that your technique may be the result of your poor experience

[Timpac]

I found that using a fusion like a DE does result in decent shaves. I've shaved with the grain, cross grain, and against, lathering between each pass with the best freakin' lather I could generate. The difference I found, even if I skip against the grain passes with DE or fusion, is that I'm more liable to have some form of irritation after a steady week or two of use with the fusion. Heck, if it wasn't so expensive, I'd probably use it for travel, but then I'd be spending almost 4 bucks for a cartridge that'd only get used once. I can buy an entire pack of DE blades for cheaper, even if, worse case, I have to throw most of 'em out depending on the travel situation. So, for me, it works well, but not as comfortable in the long haul.

[BeatlesFan]

BeatlesFan, Fine post, but no surprises here, as far as I'm concerned. I started shaving in 1964, with a brand new Gillette long handled adjustable DE that I bought at the local drugstore. Great razor, I still have one. But, out of curiosity, and in the interests of 'open mindedness' and 'fairness' and all that, I dutifully did check out ever multi-blade cartridge that Gillette cranked out; from the first Trac II up through the Mach III Turbo ( and a few of the Schick numbers as well ). At that point I quit...I'd had more then enough, and I figured I'd been more then fair. None of them shaved me as well as the old DE, and all of them, sooner or later, gave me razor bumps and/or other irritations. It was obvious to me that it was nothing but a marketing gimmick from the very start; a long range strategy to recapture, and hold, their near monopoly on razor blades, that had slipped seriously during the 1960s. And I agree with Bill; for the gents who don't care, and just want of 'get it done' as rapidly as possibe, the electric shaver is preferable to these ridiculously over priced cartridges and canned goo.
Regards,
Gordon

Gordon -- Like you I dutifully stepped up and tried each Gillette new-generation item, and was consistently disappointed (the only exception, for me, being the Sensor, which I kinda liked, and still keep around for use when I'm flying). I had the same reaction that you did -- the new stuff just wasn't as good as the DE. My son keeps asking me why I bother with all this "old school" shaving, and the answer is -- for me it just works best. And I was as unimpressed with the Fusion as I was with all the other Gillette offerings since the DE (Sensor excepted).

Finally, I also did the electric thing over the years. Now -- I realize this is quite heretical around here -- I'd have to say that I could get a perfectly decent shave out of a Braun electric razor. I agree that if you just want to avoid pain and get it over with, with no appreciation of the shave experience, that's how I would go.

The problems I have had with electric have been (1) boring, (2) loud, and (3) I seem to have a problem with dead skin building up on my face, which gets nicely whisked away with traditional DE shaving. If it weren't for that problem, I might go the electric route, but in the end, it just doesn't seem to be good for my skin.

Has anyone else had that experience with an electric?

Anyway, on balance, the best shaves for me have been with a brush, shaving soap, and a DE, and those shaves have just been getting better thanks to the new products I've learned about from this forum.

Bottom line: As usual, I agree with Gordon's post 100% !!

[notthesharpest]

The problems I have had with electric have been (1) boring, (2) loud, and (3) I seem to have a problem with dead skin building up on my face, which gets nicely whisked away with traditional DE shaving. If it weren't for that problem, I might go the electric route, but in the end, it just doesn't seem to be good for my skin.

Has anyone else had that experience with an electric?

Precisely the same, all three.

For me the electric shave was never very good anyway - but I never bought the expensive electric models either.

[Trumperman]

NTS and Beatlesfan,

I tried an electric razor two times. The first and last was all in one shave. I cut my neck up so bad that I looked at my father and just shook my head. It threw me right back to my old Fat Boy. Like most everyone else here I progressed through the different Gillette's thinking that I would find Shaving Valhalla. A few years ago I was in Trumper's and was chatting with Mr. Gavin and he asked me if I ever visited the now old Wet Shavers group. I said that I had not and he gave me the web address. Well, I started to read the posts and got hooked. I've been back to the old trusted DE ever since. My only regret is buying that new Fusion just prior to getting on board here. I could have used that money for the old AD fund!

Use what works for you. that's the bottom line. I, for one, like the relaxing routine of lathering up and shaving with a DE. And Gents, don't forget to turn off the water so you can enjoy the auditory sensation as well. It's the closest thing you get to hearing someone shave you with a straight.

Regards,

Bill