Before I started shaving my head, I only had to buy razors about once a year or so. I was the type of guy who’d get a short haircut and not go back to the barber for six or seven months. I’d use a disposable razor to trim the outline of my beard every couple of weeks and that was it. Don’t even mention shaving any other part of my body; I’m quite happy being a mammal, and mammals have fur.
Now that I’ve gotten hooked on shaving my head, I’m having to really learn more about shaving than I’ve ever had to know before. The first few times I shaved my head, I used a disposable Gillette Sensor razor and it was difficult for me to keep the blade at a good angle to get the hair all around my head without cutting myself. I nicked my head badly each time and the kids were getting used to me sitting at the computer, reading the Sly Bald Guys forum with a bloody paper towel wrapped around my head. A sad sight, in retrospect. Glad I didn’t give up.
Then I ordered a HeadBlade. I debated between the Sport and the ATX. Mrzed had recommended the Sport, but I figured that the since the ATX was the most recent model, it might be better. I ordered the ATX, and it was a huge improvement over the disposable razor. The main benefit for me, I think, was that as the ATX rolled around my head, it automatically kept the blades at the correct angle for the hair, and it also dramatically reduced the amount of nicks on my head. The only real issue I had was that I couldn’t seem to get a good shave at the flat spot at the crown of my head.
Now that I was hooked, I also ordered a HeadBlade Sport, as mrzed had originally recommended. The main difference between the ATX and the Sport is the fact that the blades on the ATX are behind the wheels of the razor, while the blades of the Sport are in front of the wheels. This amounts to shaving with kind of a pulling action with the ATX, while you are kind of pushing with the Sport. I don’t think there’s much of a difference there. The “suspension” of the two razors is a little bit different, though. The ATX’s suspension is much more flexible, but I don’t know whether that’s an improvement or not, as I’m actually finding that I enjoy the Sport more.
The other difference is that the ATX comes with a 4-blade cartridge while the Sport comes with a 3-blade cartridge. I found this out when I ordered some new cartridges for my ATX and accidentally ordered the 3-blade cartridges. This turned out to be a happy accident, though, as I realized that I much prefer the 3-blade cartridges. I get a good, close shave, but I seem to nick my head even less with the 3-blade carts. In fact, I almost never nick my head at all anymore.
I don’t know why, but the Sport also shaves that flat spot at my crown with no trouble. Maybe it just has to do with
Another change I made was to shave more frequently – never going more than two days between head shaves, and that made the shaving easier.
This past week, I tried the ATX again, with the 3-blade cartridge. After using the Sport for so long, the ATX felt different in my hand. The ATX is a sturdy little unit, with slightly larger wheels, a less flexible finger loop, and a heavier feel. I like the way it feels in my hand, but I think I prefer the overall performance of the Sport, so the Sport remains my go-to razor at present.
Others around here know more than I do, so they can probably better speak to how the difference in suspension between the two models affects the shave, or why a pulling vs. a pushing motion might be preferable. I can summarize by saying that the ATX feels better in my hand, and I like its finger loop better; but I prefer shaving with the Sport, which gets my difficult spot more easily. I also find that I prefer the 3-blade cartridge to the 4-blade.
- Munk
Edited to add: I've gone back to using my ATX lately (with the 3-blade cartridge), and I'm getting excellent shaves. My technique has probably improved. So I'll have to conclude that it's possible to get awesome shaves with either the ATX or the Sport model; you'll just have to decide which motion you prefer (pushing or pulling), and which one feels better in your hand. At present, I prefer the more solid feel of the ATX in my hand, but I prefer to use the 3-blade Sport cartridges with it. Enjoy!
