Gillette Pro Glide Vs. Straight Razor Challenge

by Sven Raphael Schneider on December 23, 2011 in Grooming, Our Best Articles, Razors, Reviews, Shaving

Gillette Pro Glide vs. Merkur Slant Challenge

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A bit more than 6 months ago, Porter Novelli sent me a Gilette Fusion razor set for what they called “the Pro Glide Challenge.” In the meantime, I have had ample opportunity to thoroughly test and compare the new Gilette Fusion technology to my Merkur HD 39C slant safety razor, which I generally use with blades from the Japanese manufacturer Feather.

Slanted Safety Razor

Today, I want to present my results and open up our new category, Grooming. Before we look at the razors, let me explain a little bit about how my general shaving habits affect my choice of razor.

First, it should be mentioned that I have extremely thick and sturdy beard hair and therefore it has always been a true challenge for me to find a satisfactory razor that would not require 45 minutes of my time in order to shave. As such, a straight blade razor was out of the question and so I decided to go with a DE (Double Edge) Safety Razor from the German brand Merkur.

My Standard Shaving Equipment: Merkur HD Slant 39C + Feather Blades

After testing a number of Safety razors, I finally settled on the Merkur 39C, which is also known as the HD Slant or Barberpole Slant. The “slant” refers to the slanted shaving head, the advantage of which is the slightly diagonal angle at which the beard hair is cut, as opposed to straight. Since a slanted razor cuts the hair more aggressively, the skin is also much more prone to nicks and consequently, many men with thinner hair would not find it advantageous to use a slanted razor.

Unfortunately, my hair is so thick that regular blades from Gilette or Personna simply do not provide me with a very close shave. As such, I generally use Japanese Feather blades, which are supposedly the sharpest DE safety blades that are readily available online or in shaving supply stores.

Shaving Basics

Shaving Cream OR Soap

Instead of using cheap foam from a can, I usually make my own lather with a little porcelain bowl, a badger hair (silver tip) shaving brush and various shaving creams. Personally, I never really enjoyed bar shaving soaps and always opted for the cream from a tube. In the US, these are not readily available in stores but you can get them on the internet.

The Gillette Pro Glide Challenge

Size Comparison Merkur - Gillette

Before I shave, I normally prepare my beard by softening it with warm water and sometimes a pre-shave cream; hair conditioner is also a great substitute. I then apply the lather and I am ready to go. Usually I shave first with the grain and then against it, especially around my neck, since I do not achieve a smooth result otherwise.

Gillette provided some additional instructions that were very similar to my existing routine, with the exception that they suggested to use their canned shaving cream.

One Day Stubble

Silver Tip Badger Hair Shaving Brush

As instructed, I used Gillette’s blue gel. For a direct comparison, I then shaved one half of my face with the vibrating Gillette Fusion and the other half with the Merkur 39C and Feather blades. With the Gillette, I felt a little more resistance but my skin felt very smooth. The new Feather blade needs to be handled much more carefully than the Gillette Fusion, so I was noticeably slower with the Merkur. The results after the first and second shave were nearly identical and my wife confirmed that she could not tell a difference. The next time, I reversed the sides, but the outcome was practically identical. Even after shaving 5 days in a row with the same blades I still got satisfactory results, although I could tell that both the Gillette and Feather had lost some sharpness. Overall, I was impressed by the performance of the Gillette Fusion. The fact that the blades on the Fusion were at all times less sharp enabled me to shave considerably quicker than with the Merkur and I did not fear cutting myself.

Therefore, Gillette took the lead.

Two Day Stubble

Gillette Rubber Grip

Given that my hair gets more challenging to shave with each passing day of growth, I waited for two-day stubble and repeated the same process.  I used fresh blades. Now, the Gillette’s duller blade (right out of the box) became more noticeable and I could hear how the blade scratched away my beard (quietly, but noticeable) with every stroke whereas the Feather blade on the Merkur passed effortlessly through my hair, like a hot knife through butter. I had to change the Gillette blade after 3 shavings and the Feather after the fifth time. This time, it took me about the same time to shave, since I had to cover certain areas more often with the Gillette. Overall, this round was a win for the Merkur since it outperformed the Gillette – though not by much.
(continued on next page with 3rd day beard, cost comparison and recommendations)

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Tags: Gillette, Grooming, Merkur, Review, shaving Print article