Gillette Mach 3 Razor Review

Gillette Mach 3 Razor Review

Brand: Gillette
Model: Mach 3
Bought at: Cold Storage
Cost: S$16.05 for a replacement pack of 4, S$14.50 for handle + 2 blades, cheaper at Mustafa's

Gillette's Mach 3 is a very good razor. It is also arguably the benchmark for how a razor should be designed. One really gets to appreciate how well it is designed when you have shaved with as many off-brand razors as I have.

The Positives:

Medium sharpness.  There are a lot of people out there who want to have the *sharpest* razor they can. I am not a fan of extremes. Super sharp razors are unforgiving with nicks and cuts. Conversely, dull razors tug and burn. Thus, I believe a good razor is about a 7 on a 1 to 10 scale so it gives a nice smooth shave without cutting up your face.

Smooth shave. The blade alignment/design often determines how smooth of a shave you will have. There are those shavers that have very wide-set blades that give an aggressive shave to cut through very thick hair but are a bit dangerous to catch skin. Blades that are thinly set apart often give smoother shaves, but are not aggressive enough to quickly remove hair in a single or perhaps two passes. Mach 3 seems to have the right medium-distance spacing to give a smooth, plain vanilla shave. Not too aggressive, not too wimpy.

Solid manufacturing tolerances. A well engineered and manufactured head can withstand you misusing it and still not hurt you. These days, people tend to use their cartridges too long and end up needing to press down to get a satisfactory shave. You can even - in a pinch - dry shave without any water or cream with a Mach 3 and it will do the trick. You can really only do this with a well designed razor.

Easy cartridge replacement. The Gillette Mach 3 is idiot proof for removing and installing new cartridges. It even has a satisfying "click" when you lock a new one in. Even the replacement cartridge boxes are well designed, with slots angled diagonally for easily removal.

Swivel. The Mach 3 comes with a "paintbrush" style mounting, where the swivel is at the bottom of the cartridge. This is the riskiest way to mount a cartridge. Too loose and it will miss big swaths of hair at the jawline. Too loose is even worse as it will miss hair and it will burn as you press on the razor to overcompensate for the swivel's floppiness. The Mach 3 has the perfect tension on the swivel. And it works the same every time.

Best flow-through design.  In the old days, razor designs (eg, Atra II, Excel) did not have an open back to allow back flow. You had to swish the razor through water side to side to try and dislodge clogged hair.  An open back allows for back-flow to easily unplug the razor. Mach 3 has a very open back design and it is one of the easiest razors to clean.

Availability.  This is available everywhere, but who know how much longer this will be in the market before it goes like Excel -- stocked less and less until it is effectively discontinued.

The negatives:

Cost. Gillette is the overwhelmingly dominant leader in market share and shelf space. Gillette also prices their second and third tier razors purposely at a modest discount to their top-line razor, which is currently the Gillette Fusion Power line. The simple Mach 3 (not even the Turbo variety) costs S$16.06 at Cold Storage, a Mach 3 Turbo costs S$18.55, the Fusion costs S$21.95, Fusion Power costs S$26.95. So the Mach 3 is significantly less expensive than the Fusion Power, until you consider that even the "lowly" Mach 3 still costs over S$4 per cartridge. It is no wonder that people are using the razors longer and longer to get the per-use cost down.


Light.  The handles have been engineered to remove lots of material, which makes the handles very light. Presumably this saves on material costs and appeals to those who like light devices. This is up to personal preference. I like a bit of heft, like writing with a Parker pen versus a disposable ball point. It feels like smoother and more satisfying. But in terms of weight scale, Mach 3 is about a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10.