Last week I noticed on a thread someone was asking the difference between the
Fusion and
Fusion Power Blades. I decided to do some investigating and here's what I found:
First, I went to
Gillette.com to see if they had an answer. Here's their canned FAQ answer:
All Fusion family razors and cartridges are interchangeable. However, because the FusionPower cartridge was designed specifically to work with the FusionPower handle, optimum shaving performance and results are achieved with a FusionPower handle and cartridge. The Fusion cartridges will not fit on any other Gillette razors such as MACH3 or SENSOR family of products.Hmmmmm...
Second, I decided to try them for myself... I've been using the Fusion Power razor with Fusion Power blades since they came out (only on the face though). I always notice the price of the Fusion blades is typically $1 - $2 cheaper per 4 pack than the Fusion Power blades. I grabbed a 4 pack of the regular Fusion blades at Wal-Mart for about $12.36 (versus $13.74) and took them home to see if Gillette is telling the truth or if they are pulling our legs and profiting from a clever marketing ploy...
The Test and Results...
The first thing I noticed was the regular Fusion blade was blue rather than orange... could that be the "specific design" mumbo jumbo that they were talking about?
I like orange, but not for an average upcharge of $1.50 per four pack...
I then jumped in the shower and used the same routine that I always do, so the standard was set... Hot shower, HeadShed, KoS Alpha Shaving Gel...
After chroming the dome with the Headblade, I grabbed my old Fusion Power razor handle with the shiny new regular Fusion blade and starting shaving the mug... Amazingly enough, the shave was just as close and smooth as if I were using a Fusion Power blade...
Since my first shave with the regular Fusion blade, I have mixed it up some using various cleanser, exfoliator, shaving cream/gel combinations, like I normally do, and still have not experienced a more "optimum shaving performance and results"
My take on Gillette Fusion Power blades is that the blades are the same as the, dare I say, ordinary Fusion blades and they market them at a higher price to deceive men that they will get a better shave using the Power blades because they are designed differently.
I plan on writing a letter to Gillette with my test results and see if I can get an answer that is a little more above board!
*while I will never buy a Fusion Power blade again, I do truly believe that the Fusion Power handle with it's buzz does give a more comfortable shave no matter the blade attached to the end. I realized this one time when the battery died...