The Gillette Proglide is out. Opinions??

Harry Callahan

Harry Callahan

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Well, the long awaited Gillette Fusion Proglide (power and manual versions) have "officially" hit the market. Yeah, there was a bunch of sneak previews out there but now they're really hanging on the hooks in the shaving section. Cartridge prices (as originally suspected) are totally ridiculous. I have (and use) a birth year british Gillette Knack with Japanese feather blades so I'm covered for DE needs, but curiousity killed the cat after all...

So being the curious kind, I picked up one of these sneak preview packs where you get ONE cart and a manual handle. You also get some body wash and other chem crap. Seven bucks. Found out right quick that these new Proglides are the cat's meow for headshaving. Yikes! I can stay SHINY BALD until late evening with ease. What a killer shave! I can't comment on cart longevity as I've only scraped the scalp twice (this is unheard of). Usually I'd be on my fourth headshave by now. This thing seems to shave UNDER the skin??? I know, optical illusion and all that. But I had the Kojak thing goin on at the ballgame Friday night and I'm JUST NOW in between sandpaper and peach fuzz. No illusion there. It's longer lasting baldness (if there is such a thing).

Worth the insane cart prices? Not in my opinion. But let these babies go on sale. I'm THERE dude.

Anyone else take the Proglide challenge??
 
I checked at the store today and the blade cartridges are pennies shy of $5 each.

Derby blades are $0.10 each.

Each Proglide cartridge had better give fifty times as many shaves as a Derby does. I get six great shaves from a typical Derby (I could push to eight if I was the penny-pinching type). So, a Proglide cartridge had better give 300 shaves. While I will certainly wait for reviews from those who actually try the product, somehow, I doubt that it will.

I have only a limited experience of DE blades, but I have tried the brands that commonly get praised as the best. The best I've tried in terms of durability are the Zyletek Super Iridium blades made by Petersburg Products in St. Petersburg, Russia. Gillette owns Petersburg Products and most of that factory's production is blade cartridges for Gillette though nobody who's saying seems to know which cartridges are made by Petersburg Products, it wouldn't surprise me if the Proglide cartridges are (Gillette would be silly to have any other factory making their premier product). Based on my experience with Super Iridium blades, I would not be surprised if you can get ten or twelve good shaves from a Proglide cartridge. But that's still 42-50 cents per shave vs. 1-2 cents for DE blades.

So, now I'm telling you that you can save $40-48 cents per day by using a DE instead of a Proglide. That's $160 per year and that's a considerable savings. Oh, and that is real savings. For $20, you can buy a hundred DE blades that will last you a 18 months. You will not spend a penny for razor blades for a year-and-a-half. Or, for $20, you can buy four Proglide cartriges that will, assuming all four are good, shave you for six-and-a-half weeks. In six or seven weeks, you will be back at the store plunking down another twenty for four more cartriges. And you will do that every six or seven weeks. The savings by using DE blades is real.
 
Gollnick said:
I checked at the store today and the blade cartridges are pennies shy of $5 each.

Derby blades are $0.10 each.

Each Proglide cartridge had better give fifty times as many shaves as a Derby does. I get six great shaves from a typical Derby (I could push to eight if I was the penny-pinching type). So, a Proglide cartridge had better give 300 shaves. While I will certainly wait for reviews from those who actually try the product, somehow, I doubt that it will.

I have only a limited experience of DE blades, but I have tried the brands that commonly get praised as the best. The best I've tried in terms of durability are the Zyletek Super Iridium blades made by Petersburg Products in St. Petersburg, Russia. Gillette owns Petersburg Products and most of that factory's production is blade cartridges for Gillette though nobody who's saying seems to know which cartridges are made by Petersburg Products, it wouldn't surprise me if the Proglide cartridges are (Gillette would be silly to have any other factory making their premier product). Based on my experience with Super Iridium blades, I would not be surprised if you can get ten or twelve good shaves from a Proglide cartridge. But that's still 42-50 cents per shave vs. 1-2 cents for DE blades.

So, now I'm telling you that you can save $40-48 cents per day by using a DE instead of a Proglide. That's $160 per year and that's a considerable savings. Oh, and that is real savings. For $20, you can buy a hundred DE blades that will last you a 18 months. You will not spend a penny for razor blades for a year-and-a-half. Or, for $20, you can buy four Proglide cartriges that will, assuming all four are good, shave you for six-and-a-half weeks. In six or seven weeks, you will be back at the store plunking down another twenty for four more cartriges. And you will do that every six or seven weeks. The savings by using DE blades is real.
Click to expand...

yep what he said:thumbup: i made the swich to DE and wont go back:D
 
Does anybody have a reference of how long Super Iridium may last? I did the same digging around and got a selection of razorblades, but couldn't find Super Iridium's. they worth a try? look to be little under 30 per 100. good deal if they're as great as everybody says. cheaper and supposedly last longer than feathers.

Gollnick, you made a reference to having done cost estimates. Though I guess those threads have gone off and died somewhere. What did you get for shaving cream vs soap? excluding the quality, enjoyment, and brush cost, does a drugstore soap like still prorasso win out over goop?
 
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You can get a thousand Derby blades for $80 plus $20 for shipping, which should buy you 19 years' worth of face shaves.

For head shaving I don't know how DE would match against a cartridge. I don't shave my head, so you're gonna have to enlighten us.
 
I bought a Proglide just last week. I've been burned enough times that I never believe the hype about new razors and blades, but I bought one because it was on an "introductory" sale.

Understand that I loathe shaving, and have never had a razor that I thought lived up to its billing... till now.

The Proglide? Believe the hype: it really is that good.
 
dawsonbob said:
I bought a Proglide just last week. I've been burned enough times that I never believe the hype about new razors and blades, but I bought one because it was on an "introductory" sale.

Understand that I loathe shaving, and have never had a razor that I thought lived up to its billing... till now.

The Proglide? Believe the hype: it really is that good.
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I loathed shaving too, till I switched from canned shaving cream to the more traditional shaving soap. It made a world of difference for me, I now get up early just to shave:eek:. I am making the change over to a DE razor end of the month, so no more expensive cartridges for me:thumbup:
 
Munky88 said:
Does anybody have a reference of how long Super Iridium may last? I did the same digging around and got a selection of razorblades, but couldn't find Super Iridium's. they worth a try? look to be little under 30 per 100. good deal if they're as great as everybody says. cheaper and supposedly last longer than feathers.
Click to expand...

My conclusion on Super IR is that they are the most durable blade that I have tried, but they are harsh. Some people love 'em. I like 'em. I got good shaves with them.



Gollnick, you made a reference to having done cost estimates. Though I guess those threads have gone off and died somewhere. What did you get for shaving cream vs soap? excluding the quality, enjoyment, and brush cost, does a drugstore soap like still prorasso win out over goop?
Click to expand...

A can of goop costs about four to six bucks depending on brand. Big name brands are more. A typical $4 can give 20 or maybe 25 shaves. So, it's about 20 cents per shave for lather. My favorite Gentlemen's Quarter is $10 per puck and I get about 30 shaves per puck. So, that's about 33 cents per shave. So, lather is a bit more expensive, 10-15 cents per day. But if you are saving 50 cents per day on blades, you still come out way ahead.

And consider the environmental impacts. I'm not an environmentalist whacko, but there are simple things we can and should all do. Recycle your glass bottles, for example. Glass recycles beautifully. There is just no excuse other than sloth not to recycle glass. Prefer products which are less packaged and more recyclable. Shaver cartridges are a co-mingled metal and plastic nightmare. DE blades are pure, high-grade metal which recycles wonderfully. Cartridges come in plastic trays inside of cardboard and plastic over-sized packages with metalic and glossy inks... very bad. My favorite BIC DE blades are wrapped in paper and come five in a small, very minimal paper box. 100 are in a case made of cardboard which is as small as can be. It's the minimum packaging and 100% maximally-recyclable. Canned goop comes with an aerosol propellant in a metal-and-plastic can painted and with a plastic cap You throw most of the product away. It's just horrible. Most saving soaps are wrapped in paper in a cardboard box. Maybe there's a thin plastic bag, But there is less plastic in the packaging of a year's supply of soap than there is in the button assembly of one can of goop. And look at what the goop itself is made out of... just chemicals.

So, lather does cost a bit more. But, your overall cost-per-shave is way less with DE and soap than with carts and cans. And your environmental impact is way less too.
 
and Gentleman's quarter ($12 for 3g) is not exactly the cheap stuff. Sounds like Prorasso ($8 for 5.2oz), Col. Conk($5 for 3g), and J.M Frasier ($14 for 16oz tub) could all be easily much cheaper than goop.

Prices are from Canadian sources.
 
That could very well be. We'd need some data on how many shaves one gets from a given product. But that is also variable. I think I tend to us too much soap simply because that is a faster path to a lather. More soap means less work -- and less time -- to build a lather. So, I buy time. As a new product developer, my general motto is, "if you have a chance to buy time, take all that is on offer." Your water will also affect how much soap you have to use. My water is not artificially-softened, but our tap water in this area is among the naturally-softest in the nation.

My guess, though, is that less espensive soaps or creams could get the cost-per-shave down closer to canned goo. But I doubt that most guys will save on lather. But, given the huge savings on blades, a few cents extra spent on lather still adds up to a huge overall saving on shaving.
 
Well I'll try and measure Prorasso tomorrow. I think that's a good benchmark for value and quality.
 
Unless I misread the price at Sam's Club, the Proglide blades were closer to $3.00 each than they were $5.00. Closest and most comfortable shave I have experienced. Worth the money in my view.
 
i'm a quattro guy, regular bar soap mostly and i sport the kojack look also...
i get quite a few really good shaves from one, and a few not so good:) then a fresh cartridge.
Never shaved with one of the safety razors, are they much different in handling, be nice to save some money.
thanks for the heads up on the gillette
cheers
gene
 
dan oliver said:
I honestly think you could get 1 month out of the new Fusion blade.
Click to expand...

How many shaves a man can get from any blade depends not just on the blade but also upon the man's beard and on the quality of shave he is willing to accept.

I have, I think, a more-or-less average beard. But I have come do expect a very high standard for my every day shave.
 
I am in agreement with everything Gollnick has stated. That being said... my wife got me a new ProGlide for Father's Day... a great few shaves so far! Very smooth re: both the shaving process and the result on my face/neck. I have a very tough beard and this new setup has done a magnificent job of leaving my skin very smooth. Best shave I have had other than barbers using hot towels, hot shave cream, and straight razors. YMMV.

AJ
 
Okay....AJ.....is that shave worth say... $3.50 in total.....for at least a doxen shaves....and maybe as many as 30? Seems like it to me.
 
This Proglide may be good but watch the price rise even further if it takes off....

No cartridge blade can deliver as close or smooth a shave as a DE. True, they can be useful in difficult or strategic areas, in my case right under the nose due to their compact size. Yes they are quicker to use but they seem to promote rash, skin problems such as ingrowing bristles and poor finish.

The waste and environmental issues are very important, and will become more so. Plus the endless advertising that the consumer has to foot the bill for. DE scores massively on both these counts.

I'm a bit surprised by the cost analysis of aerosol squirt versus shaving soap/cream. I would've thought that the older stuff might have had the advantage too. I shall have to rethink that one. The Taylor cream I use is about is in my money about 9 Euro Proraso less, soap seems to last longer and the Conk or L'Occitaine I use seems very long lasting (probably because I have several creams or soaps on the go!) Aerosol squirt is not cheap and AGAIN delivers a significantly inferior shave, ,most of it smells vile too. Shaving soap/cream does produce more lather, I waste quite a bit due to 'overproduction' so I could probably cut costs there.

Head shaving probably is better with a cartridge, easier, but then, head hair is a lot different from stubble/beard.
 
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