Schick Quattro Titanium
Brand: Schick
Model: Quattro Titanium Refillable
Bought at: Giant
Cost: S$10.50 (1 handle, 1 razor)
(my packaging was slightly different than the one pictured)
Schick's current key refillable product offering is the three bladed Hydro 3, Hydro 5, and Quattro Titanium. The standard "Quattro" was introduced in 2003, but has since been phased out. The Titanium version touts a titanium coating that claims to reduce irritation.
The Quattro Titanium has a standard lube strip as compared to the bricks-of-jelly that the Hydro line has. It also has four blades, as would be suggested by the brand name. The razor head is smaller than the Hydro counter parts, but its cutting edges are the same distance from the top. So its compactness doesn't translate into reaching under the nose any better. The blades are wider than the Hydro counter parts as the sides are thin plastic moldings, whereas the Hydro has a small metal skidplate on both sides.
The Quattro Titatnium does not have the smooth lubrication that the Hydro has, but does share its gentle shave qualities. For some, the gentleness is welcome. But Schick's products are proving to be on the far extreme of gentle, often needing several passes to shave hair on the downstroke. And the shave is not close, requiring shaving against the grain (which is normally an invitation for bad things to happen) to get a somewhat normal shave. There is no such thing as a close shave with this razor.
And like its Hydro 3 and 5 cousins, the razors are closely spaced and has a thick plastic backing that blocks cleaning it with a blast of water from the back.
Schick does not boldly advertise it, but the Quattro Titanium comes with micro wires going perpendicular across the razor face. These guard wires ostensibly protect the face from nicks and cuts. For other razor companies, these guard wires were a feature added specifically for those who were removing hair in sensitive areas south of the border. So safety is upped and shave closeness is down.
And when you add the guard wires across the razors, you get a razor that is that much harder to clean as hair easily gets trapped. Again, I was forced to unclog my razor with an old toothbrush. I shouldn't have to do this. No other razor makes me work as hard as Schick to keep it free of clogging hair.
The handle is medium-weighted, fits well in the hand, and easily ejects/accepts razors. It is good looking and cheaper than Gillette.
I am not sure who this razor would be good for. It is too gentle for most skin/hair types. It not a cheap razor. And it is increasingly hard to find in Singapore. A case in point, the Quattro Titanium handles have been removed from the Cold Storage website and its replacement razors are not longer being offered. It appears that Schick is going to focus on Hydro 3 and Hydro 5 razors. If you have a hyper sensitive face, go for Hydro 3. If you are anybody else, don't use this razor. For me, I am sticking with the Dorco Pace 4 razor. Best all-around razor for the price that I have found.
