5 blade razors are still awful

Sometimes I wish I was okay having a beard or even a goatee, but I just can't do it. Every time I've grown one out, I'm relieved to shave it off. Having hair on my face just doesn't feel right and probably never will, even though I'm blessed with having facial hair that grows very evenly.

Given I like a hairless face, I shave. But I don't shave like I used to.

Years ago, all I would ever use is whatever cheap-but-not-bargain-bin twin blade cartridge razor was available (I probably used Bic Twin Select?) and shaving gel (usually Edge).

What I use now is significantly different.

In early '24, I started using safety razors. I have several now, and the one I'm favoring these days is a simple 3-piece Parker 78R. I also have two "butterfly" types, the 60R and 92R, but I really like the extra-textured handle of the 78R. Very easy grip on that one, which I appreciate.

As for what shaving cream I go with, it's just plain ol' Barbasol Original. I tried Gillette Foamy and some other gels, but my face seems to agree with Barbasol best.

For blades, I have Shark Super Chrome, Lord Platinum, Gillette Perma-Sharp, and some Parker blades. I go back and forth between them since I use a new blade for every shave. There are minor differences with each.

However, no matter what safety razor or blade I use, there are still parts of my face I can't shave that well because of the way a safety razor is shaped. For me, it's a few small areas under the nose and near where the jawline ends under the ear.

You would think that under the chin would be the spot where the safety razor wouldn't shave well, but no, I can shave that area just fine. Just-under-nose and near-under-ear are the places where the safety razor can't quite get to.

Solution? Use a cartridge razor to get to just those spots...

...as long as it's not a 5-blade.

I had an old (but still good) Gillette Fusion 5 kicking around, so I tried using that for those areas of my face I just mentioned. Did it work? Technically, yes, but trying to maneuver that 5-blade head didn't exactly make it easy.

What I needed was a smaller shave head, so I acquired a pack of Gillette Sensor 3's. To be clear, NOT the Mach 3. I know a lot of guys like the Mach, but all I needed was a disposable for very specific parts of my face, so the Sensor is what I went with.

It worked. Sensor 3 has a smaller head that pivots and is super-lightweight, so I could maneuver it very easily.

Just for grins, I tried the Sensor 3 on the rest of my face. Just once. It works, but it wasn't pleasant to use because that's when the light weight works against it. I found myself pressing too hard because I'm very used to the weight of a safety razor.

At this point, instead of being all-in with safety razors, now I use one for most of my face, and a cartridge razor takes care of the rest.

I'm debating right now whether to go even smaller with the Sensor 2, since that also has a pivoting head and would make getting to tight areas even easier, in theory. The 3 works, but the 2 could be even better.

What I might do in the future is get a Parker SoloEdge to get a safety razor with smaller head for the tight spots. It is doable (and normal) to fold and break a safety razor in half while still in the wrapper to get a blade that fits in a razor like that. Alternatively, single edge blades can be bought.

Until then, a combo of safety razor + Sensor 3 works for now.

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Published 2025 Sep 23