Do five blades really make a difference?

[nicbvd]

Hi,
I wonder if a razon with 5 blades (rather than the 3 blades I use currently) really make a difference ar far as smoothness is concerned. Are you owners able to get rid of the shadow effect?

  Nico

[Daven]

I used to use the Mach 3 and now LOVEb the Schick Hydro 5. To me it's a closer shave. I'm blond (and grey) soave no shadow so can't advise you there, sorry.

[YoungOnline]

I gotta agree with Daven, the Hydro 5 is God's gift to shavers everywhere! 5 blades really DO make a difference in terms of speed and quality.

[Daven]

AND AND AND they don't have the wires on the blades and DO NOT clog up with hair and shaving cream. REALLY superior shave.

[ORTO]

I think I'm going to have to try one.

It's funny. I use a Mach III, but here I am trying to decide if I should switch to five blades, or grow a pair and challenge myself to learn to use a DE. Ha.

[texanron]

I will never shave my head with less than 5 blades again!

[Daven]

I second what Tex said. I use a Schick Hydro 5 and can't see myself changing. It's awesome!

[nicbvd]

I wish there was a was to teleport my hair and follicles away from my head for good!

[ronthejazzcat]

I can't seem to find any razor regardless of blades that does better than the mach 3. It's designed to keep the hair from clogging the razor, and I'm pretty sure the angle of the blades is different than most other razors.

Even the 5 blade fancy schmancy razors out there either burn the head or don't get nearly as close a shave as a trusty mach 3

[Daven]

I can't seem to find any razor regardless of blades that does better than the mach 3. It's designed to keep the hair from clogging the razor, and I'm pretty sure the angle of the blades is different than most other razors.

Even the 5 blade fancy schmancy razors out there either burn the head or don't get nearly as close a shave as a trusty mach 3

Do yourself what I imagine would be a favor- try the Schick Hydro 5. It has blades that have more space between them and does not have the wires across the blades. When inured the Mach 3 it clogged easily. My hydro never clogs up. Give it a try. It's a $12.00 experiment.

[D.A.L.U.I.]

I picked one up a week ago--it's fantastic and has been since the first day.  I really liked my M5, but I could easily become obsessed with the Hydro 5.  Only thing I miss is the trim blade, but it's a small problem over all.  A very forgiving comfortable tool.  Never even the smallest nick, not even a really small one.  GREAT.

[xnewyawka]

I may just have to give this a try. I was in both Walmart and Target earlier this week, and I was thinking about buying a Hydro 5. I decided against it since I have the 5 Blade (CVS version of M5) and I'm happy with it. If I can still get it on sale, I will pick one up.

[glockmeister]

I tried the Hydro 5 for 2 weeks and the longest my head stayed smooth with no stubble was 5 hours.The power Fusion works best for me,it keeps my head smooth for 12 to 14 hours with the Mach 3 coming in second keeping my head smooth for about 10 or 11 hours.I was hoping the hydro would work for me because the blades are so much cheaper but it was a no go.

[Ming the Merciless]

I would not know, except from the point of view that they surely make a difference to the wallet.

What matters is, did you find your old standby good enough?  If so, recall what Voltaire said, "The perfect is the enemy of the good."

And for a more up-to-date take on the matter of "choice":

http://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/0060005696/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312593207&sr=1-1

With this being part of a review:

"Who woulda thunk it? Here we are, in the early years of the twenty-first century, being driven bonkers by the staggering array of consumer goods from which we must choose. Choosing something as (seemingly) simple as shampoo [or a razor?] can force us to wade through dozens, even hundreds, of brands. We are, the author suggests, overwhelmed by choice, and that's not such a good thing. Schwartz tells us that constantly being asked to make choices, even about the simplest things, forces us to 'invest time, energy, and no small amount of self-doubt, and dread.' There comes a point, he contends, at which choice becomes debilitating rather than liberating. Did I make the right choice? Can I ever make the right choice? It would be easy to write off this book as merely an extended riff on that well-worn phrase 'too much of a good thing,' but that would be a mistake. Despite a tendency toward highfalutin language ('the counterfactuals we construct can be tilted upward'), Schwartz has plenty of insightful things to say here about the perils of everyday life. --David Pitt

Point?  I think we over-analyze the quality of our razors, and that most kinds will give a "good enough" result.  However, I'm sure some others here will swear otherwise and that they have, of course, found the "perfect" razor.  So, if price is no object, fine.  But recall, basically any car does the same thing: Point A to Point B, and while a Lexus might seem "better," from the POV of getting around, even the rustiest working clunker will do the basic job.  Razors, likewise, I'd say.  Come on, I don't mean "rusty razors," I mean basic ones.

Confession: I use a single blade razor; always have and probably always will.  It's good enough.  And the blades are damned cheap (like me--there are too many other more pressing demands on Ming's Imperial Treasury).

[Robmeister]

I wonder if...5 blades (rather than the 3 blades I use currently) really make a difference

YES