Until recently, I was a “more blade” skeptic. Then I decided to do some experimenting. I tried some razors with different numbers of blades as well as some different shaving techniques, shaving cream, pre-shave oil, and aftershave lotion.
The results of my experiments show that a razor with more blades does indeed make for a better shave, and this factor outweighs other factors in determining what makes the best shave.
Home Experiments
To get started, I bought a starter pack ($100) from the Art of Shaving store in the Westfield Valley Fair Shopping Mall in San Jose, Calif. It included pre-shave oil, shaving cream, a badger-hair brush to apply the cream, and aftershave lotion. Regardless of what number of blades I used, these products did provide a more comfortable shave.
First I tested a single-blade safety razor from Merkur and watched a DVD supplied by the Art of Shaving, which described how to use their products.
I tried the Merkur razor for one week, following the techniques on the DVD, but I could not get a good shave from this blade. The video said to make one pass with the grain and, if needed, re-lather and make another pass against the grain.
For me, this did not provide an even shave, and it missed patches around my face. When I continued shaving in order to even out the shave, I ended up getting several small nicks, usually around my neck or over my lip.
I tried this blade every day for a week, even trying fresh blades several times, and I just could not get an even or comfortable shave without cutting myself.
Next I tried a standard three-blade disposable razor from Gillette and then the five-blade Gillette Fusion razor. I tried them each two ways—first with products from the Art of Shaving and then with simple generic shaving cream.
The disposable three-blade Gillette razor provided an adequate shave far more easily than the single-blade safety razor, but the Gillette Fusion was by far the best shave of the three. It took the fewest passes, provided the closest shave, and was the most comfortable.
The Art of Shaving products made a difference mostly in terms of the comfort of the shave and the smoothness of my skin following the shave. It made a bigger difference with the three-blade razor.
When I used the three-blade razor with the standard shaving cream, I was able to get a close shave, but my face stung afterward for about an hour and my skin was red. When I used the products—the pre-shave oil, the badger-hair brush and shaving cream, as well as the aftershave lotion, my skin felt very smooth and did not sting at all after the shave.
When I used the five-blade Gillette Fusion with standard shaving cream, I got a nice shave quickly and easily, and the stinging was less severe and only lasted 10 to 15 minutes.
