Watsons vs Boots 5 blade razor systems - views?

[Altalake]

Kiwibatch and Minnehaha are right in their posts - Maca Root is very good - but it costs about 20% more in Thailand than it does in North America. I have used it for 20+ years, and it is better than the Crabtree and Evelyn product, as well Taylor's of Bond street  - both being a lot more costly than the Maca.

 

If you use a brush rather than e.g. scoop out a dob of the Maca root and put it on your face, you will only get 4-5 months out of it.

 

I use Fusion Gillette - silly price (a Gillette guy told me it is 'cos with beards being in fashion, they have had to up their prices thro' diminishing sales - tanx a laht Gillette)! A blade can last me 6 weeks - Gillette try get you to use one a week with their misleading "blue stripe" on it, that goes white when the blade is "kaput". But it is not! But I shall try

 

Maca root does not smell at all, the Crabtree and Taylor's have a scent. I will try the Tesco blades etc. just for fun.

[kkerry]

The price of shaving gel is ridiculous in Thailand. The same Nivea gel that costs about 200 baht is often available from Chemist Warehouse in Australia for $3.99... and when you read the small print on the can you discover... Made in Thailand!

 

Electric shavers in shops like Central can easily be purchased online in Australia from Shaver Shop for less than half the Thai price when on sale, which is generally most of the time. The replacement foils/cutters aren't cheap in Australia so I order from Amazon at a more competitive price, even after shipping costs to Australia.

[mikiea]

On 8/5/2017 at 3:58 PM, bberrythailand said:

Better than gilette seems difficult to trust if you don't care price. But I will try. Bic Thank you.

next trip back home my  carry on will be packed with blades , the follicle challenged drug store peeps can kiss my ........

[SooKee]

16 hours ago, stubuzz said:

Blade sharpers are the way to go. You can see them here.

 

Looked at those before but could have sworn, when they were in stock, they were 8-900 baht plus?  Maybe I'm mistaken.

[rak sa_ngop]

On 8/6/2017 at 11:03 AM, Sparkles said:

Razor blade manufactures bring out new models every few months its simply marketing .Over the years we have gone from one blade to 2, then 3, then 5,  next year I guess there will be 6.

 

I suspect that when people like Gillette bring out a new model they intentionally use a lower grade of steel for their existing models. So suddenly the 5 blade model gives a better shave than the 2 blade model, even though when the 2 blade model was introduced it gave a very good shave.

 

But I do like the Gillette 5 blade model as each razor lasts me over a month. I buy them in the UK in the 25 pound promotion packs: 13 blades plus one handle.

[digger70]

17 hours ago, tpinvest said:

The solution to expensive shaving is staring you in the face. If shaving was so very expensive for Thai men then perhaps we should expect them all to have beards!!

 

However the Thai trick is to use 1 trip blades over and over again.

 

Once used throughly clean the razor with an old toothbrush while holding under running water. Then rub  the blade

in a reverse direction on the hairs on your arms for a few minutes and voila the razor works perfectly again!!!!

No way, 55555

[katana]

On 05/08/2017 at 8:09 AM, SooKee said:

With the ever increasing prices and what seems to be like ever degrading quality (esp longevity wise!) of the Gillette Mach 3 razor blades...

I've noticed the degrading quality of Mach 3 blades too. Wasn't sure if I was inadvertently buying fakes or they're doing it on purpose to push everyone onto their new 5 blade system.

 

On 06/08/2017 at 6:38 AM, Scottie12 said:

If you are going to the UK or have any pals going to the UK try Tesco's own razor, an excellent shave and a packet of 10 triple blades is £3.50, also, Aldi's shaving gel seems to last forever and is only 85p for an aerosol can.

Do you know quality-wise how they compare to the Gillette Mach 3? I guess there's the handle to buy too.

Thanks in advance.

[jeab1980]

Why not buy the fake ones if Lazada just as good  been using them for years and a dam sight cheaper.

[lopburi3]

9 minutes ago, jeab1980 said:

Why not buy the fake ones if Lazada just as good  been using them for years and a dam sight cheaper.

Have tried the fakes and even if paying full price for the top brand would do so to avoid them - they are not even close.

[jeab1980]

2 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

Have tried the fakes and even if paying full price for the top brand would do so to avoid them - they are not even close.

Sorry disagree been using them for years shave close stay sharp. Whats not to like.

[lopburi3]

9 hours ago, jeab1980 said:

Whats not to like.

[KittenKong]

On 05/08/2017 at 2:42 PM, lopburi3 said:

I have found Bic Easy Clic from Lotus to be very good at 110 baht per 4 blades.  Did not like the more expensive 4 blade model.  Previously used Mach 3 and there 5 blade models.

 

I bought loads of 4-packs of those Bic blades for just 42B per pack at Foodmart in Jomtien several years ago. Checkout assistant probably thought I was mad. I still have one pack left, so that will be good for a few more months.

 

I hope the promo price will be back on before I run out.

[jeab1980]

59 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Never had that problem maybe you need to learn how to wet shave

[lopburi3]

Been practicing for over 60 years and never experienced such issues until tried those Chinese alternative blades (and I did try different types) - they cut skin well - hair not so good.  And I hate paying excessive costs of name brands as much as anyone - that is why a happy camper with Bic at about 20% of Mach3 cost.  Much better than the fake 5 blades being sold. 

[jeab1980]

39 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Been practicing for over 60 years and never experienced such issues until tried those Chinese alternative blades (and I did try different types) - they cut skin well - hair not so good.  And I hate paying excessive costs of name brands as much as anyone - that is why a happy camper with Bic at about 20% of Mach3 cost.  Much better than the fake 5 blades being sold. 

Lets just leave it as thats your take on other blades. I have a completley diffrent set of results. With well over 60years of experiance.

[ben2talk]

I think Printers have the same marketing plan. There is one kind, as good as you need at less than 20% the cost of the other popular brands (with the printer, I get 1500 sheets for a 300 baht ink cartrige from HP).

 

With razors, Bic has it for me. about 100 for a handle with blades, and blades in packs of 4 around 25 baht each...

 

I pick them up at Tesco-Lotus. They're out of stock 50% of the time, but you only need to buy them once every 2 years at that price - clear the shelf.

 

There are two widths of strip - the one you see has a thin orange strip, but the new ones have a wider strip. Honestly I can't tell the difference when I use them.

 

TOP TIP - keep blades sharp by not keeping them in the bathroom/shower. I use mine in the shower, then take it with me to the bedroom and leave it in the wardrobe with my deodorant. If you keep them dry they stay sharp and useable for longer.

 

I don't bother with gels now, I have a mirror in the shower and just use a fine spray - keeps the razor cleaner to rinse on every swipe and in a nice hot shower I find that just shower gel works just as well.

[jayceenik]

I bought a pack of 8 disposable blades at one of those shops outside BigC Rama BKK that sell everything imaginable for 20b.

Good for two shaves but scratch scratch. Not again.

 

BTW I use an old style shaving brush and plain soap.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Just bought the Bic 3 Easy Clic with 2 spare blades from Big C at 99 Baht ( reduced from 130 ) .

But for some reason only charged me 1.00 Baht !!

 

Winner !! but the burning question is ? does that make the lottery numbers 99 or 01 ??

[tj916]

29 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Just bought the Bic 3 Easy Clic with 2 spare blades from Big C at 99 Baht ( reduced from 130 ) .

But for some reason only charged me 1.00 Baht !!

 

Winner !! but the burning question is ? does that make the lottery numbers 99 or 01 ??

Which big C?

Im on my way.    

[idman]

It ain't rocket science to find good razor blades and get three weeks of daily shaving from them. Buy Gillette Vector blades, properly prepare your face hot water while showering and a good lubricant and bobs your uncle you have a close shave. For the "cheap charlies" who buy the six or eight packs of cheap poorly made blades stop your whinning when your face ends up with nicks and cuts. You get what you pay for.

[SooKee]

I think the problem with Gillette is that they ain't as good as their marketing cracks them up to be. I tried the Vector before I switched to the Mach 3. Didn't rate them to be honest.

 

Cheaper doesn't necessarily mean cheap and Watsons and Boots look to be producing some decent gear, the blades may well even come from the same manufacturer, they maybe just don't have the overheads that Gillette does (at least part of which would be down to marketing costs I'm sure).

 

Bottom line for me though is that Gillette doesn't by default mean best (or even good) these days. It sure does mean expensive though and that's fine IF their products are better, proportionately (to the price difference), than competing products. At the end of the day though it's whether the competing products offer better value for money in terms of the quality of the shave being good and / or the blade lifespan vs the cost. In that respect I'd rather (and plan to) judge it for myself rather than gullably swallow Gillette's marketing coolaid.

 

First up is the Bic Click system that I picked up from Big C on promotion today [emoji3]

 

Posted using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

 

[jayceenik]

22 hours ago, idman said:

It ain't rocket science to find good razor blades and get three weeks of daily shaving from them. Buy Gillette Vector blades, properly prepare your face hot water while showering and a good lubricant and bobs your uncle you have a close shave. For the "cheap charlies" who buy the six or eight packs of cheap poorly made blades stop your whinning when your face ends up with nicks and cuts. You get what you pay for.

No need to brand me a "cheap charlie" because I mentioned trying something new I found while shopping at BigC Rama.

And I don't like this about me having to stop my "whinning". I just mentioned the poor quality.

This a thread about razors and razor blades. No need for your useless ad hominem unpleasantness.

 

I've used Gilette Twin Blades for ages. They last good.

Just found that I still have an unpacked Mach 3 and two packs of Mach3 blades bought long long time ago.

Should try it when I run out of Twin Blades.

 

 

[SooKee]

The main driver for me on this is the last batch of Mach 3 blades I bought, the green Sensitive version. Absolutely crap!!! Virtually unusable within 2 weeks of daily shaving despite being mollycoddled in the normal 'blade care' way and way way worse than the regular Mach 3 I used to buy.


Posted using Tapatalk

[SooKee]

Just a quick update FWIW.  Changed the plan on trialling the systems.  Decided to start with one and use it until the first cartridge dies before trying the next.

 

Started of with one of the Bic Clik system cartridges and surprisingly been using it almost daily since around 11 August.  Still going strong with no signs of dulling or drag.  Be interesting to see if the Watsons or Boots systems give a noticeably better shave but at the price of the Bic system cartridges it might not even be worth trying.

[amvet]

Buy at Feather Lazada.  Try once and never use anything else.  I use to trim my sideburns.  Use Norelco Phillips to shave in the shower or outside. 

[SooKee]

5 minutes ago, amvet said:

Buy at Feather Lazada.  Try once and never use anything else.  I use to trim my sideburns.  Use Norelco Phillips to shave in the shower or outside. 

Problem with all the electric systems in Thailand.  Availability and price.  New heads for the above system (as with most others and IF you can get them) 3-4k.  Bargain :)  The other problem for me is the electric systems always start off giving a reasonable shave (but in my experience with numerous Brauns, Phillips and Remingtons - from mid to high end) but are pretty terrible after 3-4 months once the blades have dulled.  Gave up on electric since moving to SE Asia.

[amvet]

1 minute ago, SooKee said:

Problem with all the electric systems in Thailand.  Availability and price.  New heads for the above system (as with most others and IF you can get them) 3-4k.  Bargain :)  The other problem for me is the electric systems always start off giving a reasonable shave (but in my experience with numerous Brauns, Phillips and Remingtons - from mid to high end) but are pretty terrible after 3-4 months once the blades have dulled.  Gave up on electric since moving to SE Asia.

I just just buy the blades from Norelco/Phillips  here and replace every 6 months.

[ricklev]

Gillette Fusion. Best razor I've ever used. Never cut myself. Blades last two months. I can shave faster than it takes to put the barbasol on and it's a perfect shave every time.

[amvet]

10 minutes ago, ricklev said:

Gillette Fusion. Best razor I've ever used. Never cut myself. Blades last two months. I can shave faster than it takes to put the barbasol on and it's a perfect shave every time.

With an electric you can shave outside of the bathroom and don't need a mirror which is the advantage of shaving while doing something else for example walking the dog or watching TV.