best razor? womens razors better?

Hair Removal Methods Shaving/Trimming
#1

I heard that womens razors work better than mens razors since women have much more area to shave.
I don’t know how many times a women can use a razor on her legs, but i figure there’s 6 or more times the surface area on their legs than our face.
Is there any truth to this?

There’s the Mach3 and the Venus which are the male and female counterparts, both with 3 blades. I figured the actual blades would be exactly the same.

I bring this up because I recently used a Quattro for Women.
My regular razor is a Mach3 Turbo, it vibrates <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
There was a offer to get one free online, so I did.

The Quattro for Women works much better. I don’t know if it’s because it’s just because it’s the Quattro, or because it’s also the ‘for women’ version.

It felt like it sucked onto my skin and gave a really great shave. It was easier to shave everywhere and it felt like it cut the hair much better. It also lasted much longer. I used it for as long as I used my Mach3 normally. Then I just put a new blade in my Mach3 and used it till it died. Then I tried the same Quattro that had just been sitting there and it still worked really well. It’s still there and I used it once in a while to get trouble spots for the Mach3.

Anyone here tried the Quattro for men and women along with the mach3?

-Adam

#2

Quattro for men is very good, but the Mach 3 (M Power) is much better, it gives a faster shave and is easier to clean. It also works better on heavy growth.

The Quattro for women is very good also. It has rounded edges so it is better for shaving legs behind the knees and armpits. But it does not compare to the Venus Vibrance. Like the M3 Power, it shaves closer and quicker, and works better on heavy growth.

The Vibrance is comparable to the M3 Power, the handle is designed to be easier to grip for shaving legs and armpits. I find though that once the handle gets wet it is very slippery. It is more noisy than the M3 Power but that is not a major issue. The M3 handle is easier to hold onto when it is wet.

This is how I would rank the razors from best to worst:

  1. M3 Power
  2. Venus Vibrance
    3 Quattro for Women
  3. Quattro for Men

If you are just shaving your beard, go with the M3. If you shave your legs, chest, or armpits you should at least try the Vibrance. Some like the Vibrance better than the M3.

RJC2001

#3

Hi Phazei

The actual surface area for women (or men) who shave their legs is approximatly 9 times the beard area shaved by men. I don’t think the durability of the razor between male and female versions differ. Women have finer hair than men and don’t need to shave as much to keep their skin smooth (usually). Also manufacturers of razors want to sell consumabiles so it’s not in their interest to make a razor last too long.

Regards
Stuart

#4

Hi:

I like the Schick Xtreme3 since it has a flexible blade and pivot action. The flexing action is good for working on those curved areas on the legs.

I believe the mens ones may be the same design except in a more masculine blue. The womens ones are a nice pretty lilac shade.The handle grip is also good and has a rubberized section.

Alicia

#5

you knowI have wondered the same

#6

I think the women’s Vibrance is the best for legs and other body hair as the blades are in a more rounded holder that glides over the curved skin areas better than a man’s razor, and is much better at avoiding nicks. It cannot get into tight spots as well as a man’s which is not an issue on the large surface area of legs and so forth. I agree the Vibrance handle gets slippery when wet, but is far better designed in terms of being able to hang on to the end of it to shave harder to reach spots.

It may be worth noting that Men’s M3 Power and Women’s Venus shaving heads can be used on either handle, so if you prefer the M3 handle, and prefer the Venus shaving heads, you can do that with no problem. I personally use the Venus, but now and then it does slip out of my hand, but otherwise it is a wonderful product. The blades themselves appear exactly the same, as do the lubricating strips, so I highly doubt one lasts longer than the other. THe only difference is the shape of the blade holder. Also, in my experience, they make equal noise.

I can use the Vibrance for about a week between changing heads, which is 6 - 7 shaves, upper and lower legs, armpits, and chest. I would think for a woman who mostly has hair on her lower legs and armpits it would last twice that time. I find shaving the back of my upperlegs (hams) very difficult as the surface is not smooth due to the tendons, and am kind of jealous that women often don’t need to shave there.

#7

I think the women’s Vibrance is the best for legs and other body hair as the blades are in a more rounded holder that glides over the curved skin areas better than a man’s razor, and is much better at avoiding nicks. It cannot get into tight spots as well as a man’s which is not an issue on the large surface area of legs and so forth. I agree the Vibrance handle gets slippery when wet, but is far better designed in terms of being able to hang on to the end of it to shave harder to reach spots.

It may be worth noting that Men’s M3 Power and Women’s Venus shaving heads can be used on either handle, so if you prefer the M3 handle, and prefer the Venus shaving heads, you can do that with no problem. I personally use the Venus, but now and then it does slip out of my hand, but otherwise it is a wonderful product. The blades themselves appear exactly the same, as do the lubricating strips, so I highly doubt one lasts longer than the other. THe only difference is the shape of the blade holder. Also, in my experience, they make equal noise.

I can use the Vibrance for about a week between changing heads, which is 6 - 7 shaves, upper and lower legs, armpits, and chest. I would think for a woman who mostly has hair on her lower legs and armpits it would last twice that time. I find shaving the back of my upperlegs (hams) very difficult as the surface is not smooth due to the tendons, and am kind of jealous that women often don’t need to shave there.

I agree with the Venus/M3 Power comparison. Are you going to try the Fusion (5 blades) when it is available early next year? I hope the blades fit the existing handles. I have not seen any reviews of the Quattro Power yet. I am surprised that Gillette didn’t patent the power vibrating part.

RJC2001

#8

Thanks for that post RJC, I’m getting fed up with my cheesy disposeable twins. I think I’m going to go get me a Venus Vibrance. I’ve had it with these Gillette Custom Plus Pivots. In that I can use a disposeable Gillette Sensor four times on my heavy facial hair area, and a Custom Plus only twice, max. I think the steel of the blades is higher quality on the better razors. I was thinking of going with a Sensor on the legs, but why deal with all that disposeable plastic? Might as well get something that’ll generate less trash, and give me a better shave. On the Custom Plus, I really hate it when the lubristrip starts falling apart because then the blade angle changes slightly. I used to think that at $5.85 for ten, with one use each, that the Custom Plus Pivot was a good, no frills way to go. But, now I really think the skinny head on the Custom Plus isn’t nearly as efficient as something even like the Sensor or the Vibrance. Besides, I have a lot less hair than I used to and a razor will last longer now. As long as I can get two or three full leg shaves out of one Venus Vibrance cartridge I’ll be happy.

I was looking at the handles of both, I think the Venus handle would be easier to use to get the lower legs and around the backs of the legs. I’m sure the Power handle is great, but it looks like something off the movie set of ‘Alien’. I’d probably wake up too early one morning and smack it off the bathroom shelf thinking it was a lizard or something. I get so tired of these new black spaceage shapes that are supposed to look so modern. I just wish they’d make in with a normal handle in orange. I’ll make sure to give you my feedback soon.

Mantaray

#9

Actually the Venus handle works extremely well for all over your body. Obviously the engineers at Gilette did their homework on this one. The little flat part at the tip is great for hanging on to the razor while reaching down at your lower legs, or if you are trying to nip a few back hairs. I’ve found there is also a little finger rest somewhere towards the front that allows you to keep it very stable. The Vibrance handle is a bit more slippery than the normal Venus, but that is offset by the vibrating feature, and the greater weight which keeps it more stable. You will drop it from time to time, though. I get almost a week of leg and chest shaving out of a cartridge, though I’m too cheap to replace them sooner, it really does work that long.

#10

Thanks for that post RJC, I’m getting fed up with my cheesy disposeable twins. I think I’m going to go get me a Venus Vibrance. I’ve had it with these Gillette Custom Plus Pivots.

You’re welcome. It’s great to have a forum like this where we can trade shaving tips and find out about new products.

I’ve never tried the Custom Plus. When I first started shaving my legs, I used the Sensor which was pretty good for it’s time. But the Mach3 and Venus came along which worked even better.

As long as I can get two or three full leg shaves out of one Venus Vibrance cartridge I’ll be happy.

I was looking at the handles of both, I think the Venus handle would be easier to use to get the lower legs and around the backs of the legs.

You should get two to three shaves out of a Venus with no problem. I get that many and I am probably changing blades too soon. I have almost no hair on my chest and armpits so I can probably use a cartridge for more shaves.

The Venus handle is no doubt the best for leg shaving. It’s easy to grip at the end, making it easy to shave the lower legs. And the rubber they use on the end grip doesn’t get slippery when it’s wet. If they would use the same material on the Vibrance, it would be perfect. You can’t top the shave provided by the vibrating head!

RJC2001

#11

I used the Venus Vibrance this morning for the first time. Boy! Don’t you just love American ingenuity, no wonder we put a man on the Moon. That thing is up there with the microwave oven and the pocket calculator. I was really impressed how carefree I could shave and get no nicks and do a more thorough job. The first thing I noticed was the extended pivot range of the head. It allows the razor to stay more flush in broad sweeps and around the legs. Although it would buzz outside of the shower, once wet and in use, that went away, but it took a few minutes to get used to the fact that it was vibrating around, I couldn’t feel the blades on the skin as well, but once I got the feel for amount of pressure needed, I gained a lot more confidence and shaved a lot quicker.

I have an ‘eternal nick spot’ on the outside of my left ankle, I was impressed with the way it shaved the area smooth but didn’t nick at all. I even went over it twice with increasing pressure. Nothing. What I’m realizing now is that there isn’t the usual skin iritation i normally feel! This is great. No pickery feeling or redness.

I’m glad I treated myself to this. When I bought it, the Wal-Mart cashier looked at me and said, ‘You know for the same price of $8.94 you can get it in the Girl-to-Goddess starter kit, it comes with shaving gel, instructions, and a plastic tote bag.’ I said, ‘I really have no desire to become a goddess.’ It was kind of funny. I think I’ll get the Men’s Power for my face as well. Thanks for the heads up on this both of you.

Mantaray

#12

I figured you would like the Venus Vibrance! That, along with the M3 Power, are serious shaving machines. The Shick Quattro came out with a power version but I am so happy with the M3 and Vibrance that I never got around to it.

RJC2001

#13

Okay, just some ongoing opinions I have here on the two razors after about a week of use.

The Vibrance. I absolutely love this thing. And better yet, I can get four or five uses out of one cartridge. The big thing as mentioned above, is to take advantage of the ball at the end of the handle. Once I started using the ball at the end, rather than clutching the entire handle, things got a lot easier and quicker.

The M3 Power. You know RJC, I agree with about 99% of what you say. Unfortunately, the M3 is the 1% I beg to differ. Me and this razor didn’t agree from the start. I shave my face in the shower so the handle is always wet. I think this razor is very hard to keep a grip on. The whole back inch and a half is just slick metal. With all the grippy rubber things high up on the neck, I have to choke-up on it to get a good grip when it’s wet. I feel my hand start cramping on the black metal end just to make sure it won’t drop and ruin a $2.50 cartridge.

I used it for face twice and the color strip has already faded. The blades still work fine though. I do nick less, and I do get no irritation, that alone is actually pretty good. And actually is a deal breaker in favor of using a powered razor. Getting nicked drastically gets in the way of my getting dressed for work quickly as I don’t want any blood on my collar, and it always manages to find its way on there.

The weight of the handle is good, and I’m glad I don’t throw away as much plastic. I wish it had come in a wall mountable case like the Vibrance, but it’s just a little resting stand. I would like having it at quick reach. Actually I think the best thing is to get another Vibrance handle and use M3 cartridges. That’s probably what I’ll do. But it does look pretty machismo sitting in the bathroom. My Girlfriend (who I just gave her own Vibrance [astute students will recall Mantaray and his girlfriend also used matching Braun epilators as well]) said, 'ooh, what a manly razor!

On a side note, the inclusion of Gillette having the razor come with three little tubes of shaving gel, wash, and skin conditioner was a good move. The gel works a lot better than the Colgate foam I was using. I never would have tried it without getting this sample tube. And the skin conditioner really helps with taking the dry edge off the skin. Here in San Diego we have pretty dry weather and it can kill your skin if the dryness is just ignored. The wash was useless, takes too much time to use a different soap for face.

There you have it. My two-penny opinion. And thanks again.

Mantaray

#14

the handle on the M3 is not perfect, far from it. The best handle is the original Venus, now if they can cross that with the Vibrance it would be perfect. I still think the M3 handle is not as slick when wet compared to the Vibrance. I just don’t grab it by the end where there is no rubber. Still that doesn’t mean it’s great though. Can’t argue with the results though for either version. Maybe Gillette will revise the Vibrace handle to make it less slippery.

You’re right about the lube strip. It wears off very quickly. It is probably not a good guide to blade replacement.

RJC2001

#15

Hi Everyone! I have the most sensitive skin when it comes to shaving my face and always bleed heavily–I have to let at least three days go by before I can take the razor to my face again and I still get a lot of irritation and white and red bumps. Even though I exfoliate, use a mild hypo-allergic facial cleanser, I still bleed and need a rich cream to stop all the bleeding and the whole process is really time consuming.

I recently started using the Macho 3 Power razor and earlier had used the Mach 3 Turbo. I haven’t noticed a huge difference between them and unfortunately, I still bleed a lot after using them. I used to use the Sensor Excel and really don’t feel that they are that much better on my face. As someone mentioned earlier, the orange strip really does fade pretty fast.

My question is whether the Venus vibrance or some other women’s razor would be more gentle on my face–or is everybody here just using them on their legs? Is it anymore “gentler” and how close a shave does it give? Can all of the vibrance blades be used in the Mach 3 series?

Thanks for your tips!

#16

Smoothlover–I think you should just try the Vibrance on your face, if you already have one for your legs, why not? I think you will be pleased, in my experience it does in fact seem to shave a bit less closely. The blades are much better protected in the woman’s razor, as they are designed to shave a lot of skin, and many women are probably not being terribly careful, and don’t want to bleed all over. I’ve used it on my face it I didn’t have my M3 handy, and I think it is less close. You will probably have a great deal of difficulty getting it to shave your upper lip, as it can’t get in the tight spaces well at all. However, I think for the balance of your face and neck, you will enjoy it, and get a smooth, painless and nick free shave that is certainly close enough. Maybe just use the M3 on your upper lip, and the Vibrance elsewhere.

I have long been an advocate of the fact you can use the Gillette cartridges on either gender razor handle. So, if you prefer the ladies handle and the M3 cartridges, there is no harm in mixing them. I guess if a guy can shave his legs, he can deal with a hot pink razor as well, lol. The older Venus came in more manly blue colours, but what the hell…

After much use, I agree with those that find the Vibrance handle more slippery than the origianl Venus handle, which was a perfect razor handle. I guess it was changed to accomodate the battery, I don’t know. The bulb at the end is awsome, and that is the same on both Vibrance and Venus. I must admit I drop the Vibrance at least once a shower, but I don’t think it hurts the blades. And, I get about a weeks worth of whole body shaves out of a cartridge, which almost offsets its absurd price.

Now, if someone could help me with how to shave my hamstrings I’d be a happy camper. Maybe if any women are reading this, they could help. I have very muscular, defined legs, and the hams are just too uneven to shave. No matter what I do, they end up stubbly, and/or bleeding. I can get the rest of my legs smooth as a baby’s skin, which I personally love <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

#17

The Vibrance sounds great but I feel a lit sheepish in getting one. They keep these expensive blades behind the cashier’s counter here to prevent shoplifting, so I kinda dread asking the cashier for the “Venus vibrance”. I might check the hypermarkets such as Tesco where it could be avaible on the open shelves and then just throw it in with the rest of my usual shopping articles. The big supermarkets are more anonymous and always busy, so the cashiers probably won’t make snide comments. I guess Mantaray has a pretty good sense of humor and responded the right way when the cashier told him about the “girl goddess” offer.

#18

I probably worry too much about this stuff but I’m kinda self-conscious asking about the Vibrance razor in drugstores–I don’t know whether some of you have also been humiliated for buying women’s razors. I’ve had a few situations in the drugstores where I got a funny smirk or laugh from the shop assistant, or they seem really surprised that a man might need a body lotion for dry skin or a facial cream for sensitive skin which embarrassed me. I guess in Poland, men aren’t supposed to have these problems (or even use these products) or they just suffer–they’re too busy acting macho or they are afraid to ask for these products for fear of being considered gay. It’s really stupid because why should one suffer from dry and itchy, peeling skin to be considered a “real” man? I guess in my case, I could get away with buying the vibrance and just be seen as the “eccentric foreigner” but it’s still a bit humiliating.

#19

If you are THAT concerned about what shopkeepers will think of you for buying a woman’s razor, just say it is for your GF or wife. How hard is that? They may or may not believe you, but what can they say. I buy women’s shaving products all the time, and no one says anything. They do typically keep them behind the counter here too, as they are expensive, but people in stores today really have seen it all, and for a man to buy a womann’s razor is no big deal. Many men shave their legs, chests etc, and lots of them use woman’s razors. And, many men in fact do buy blades for their wife, so there’s really nothing to be said if you make that claim. I suspect in the not too distant future someone will make a body shaver that is for “athletes”, not women, so this issue will go away. Depending upon your body, you could claim to shave for athletic reasons as well. Loads of male cyclists shave their legs, for example.

Or, you could just say you shave your sex bits, that your GF likes it that way and gives you tons of oral. That will shut them up.

I have noticed that for the vast most part, no one says anything at all. Maybe they don’t even realize I shave my legs, or maybe they don’t care. Now and then a woman will comment that I have nice legs (not to be boastful, but, in fact, I do have nice legs), but they don’t directly mention they are shaved. I don’t think I’ve ever had a man comment on my legs at all. Men would be too embarrased to be caught looking at another man’s legs, lol.

#20

Veinlover, you’re right about not being overly concerned but I guess I’m a little shy by some comments from my ex-girlfriend who said that men “shouldn’t shave their legs or chest”. Shaving wasn’t the reason for the breakup but it does undermine your confidence a bit as well as some other experiences I’ve had at drugstores here. Maybe, it’s just a generational thing–she’s in her late 30s and maybe younger women are more open to this.

BTW, can you buy the Philips “bodyshaver” in the US? I’ve looked for it in shops here but it’s nowhere to be found. I recall in some other forum that someone said that they “weren’t planning to launch it in the US” till next year or possibly not at all. That’s really strange–is the UK so much more progressive when it comes to shaving than the US??? Have you seen any ads recently showing smooth men or advocating body shaving?

I’m really surprised that the media hasn’t done more to promote body shaving in the US. It seem like that it would catch on if a few athletes or actors appeared with smooth legs or chests and then things like Philips bodyshaver would become more popular.