Ever since I was a youth, I have always been infatuated with facial hair. Maybe it is because no one else in my family ever had any. Well, except that aunt that I saw once a year at family reunions. However, that was a light mustache. I had never really seen facial hair on anyone in my life until I meet my stepfather's brother Ralph.
Ralph was Bill's youngest brother. He was in his mid twenties when he entered my life in the late 70s he came from California to live in Lubbock shortly after Bill's mom passed away. He was the coolest guy I had ever met and he had a full beard and mustache. Growing up I tried to emulate him in various ways. I finally gathered the courage to ask my mom how it was that Ralph was able to grow a full beard, while her husband had a hard time managing to grow three hairs to use in a comb over attempt. She explained how the entire shaving thing worked: when you shave something it will come back in about ten times thicker / denser than before you shaved it.
So, being the ever-adventurous sort, I began to use Bill's razor at night to shave my face when I would take my baths. After a couple of weeks of this, and far too many nicks and cuts, I decided that a beard just wasn't the thing for me. I swore off shaving for all of eternity.
Fast forward now to my mid thirties; if I go more than three days without shaving, small children can get lost in my facial hair. I love the old-fashioned straight razors and soap bars with the little bristle applicators -- another throwback best saved for another tale. I have long been a fan of the Mach 3. I originally thought that it was a dangerous razor; I mean come on 3 razor blades? With my penchant for being accident-prone? (Not to mention I still recall walking to my bedroom with half a toilet paper roll scattered over my impish face.)
Then they came out with the Powered Nitro version. Motorized razor blade times three. I personally thought that they were attempting to reduce the populace of the United States, much akin to Dr Kevorkian. However, finding that the Quatro was less than satisfactory, and in dire need to get my summer beard ready, I broke down and purchased the Gillette M3 Power Nitro.
I am a shower shaver. I guess this harkens back to my days of youth and those late night shavings. I will simply state this: I love this razor. It is basically like having an water-safe, electric razor that you can use with or without shaving cream. You get a very close shave in one pass. I have a tough beard. I have yet to nick or cut myself, and considering the rather large Adam's apple that I have, that in and of itself is quite the accomplishment. I have had the same set of blades in for well over a month and they have yet to begin showing signs of wear. This is a good thing, since the replacement blades are a bit on the higher-end side. The razor in and of itself is well constructed, comes with a triple A battery. The one that I got came with one razor cartridge. The construction is solid, much like the original Mach 3. The replacement of a cartridge is a simple slider mechanism that allows for quick and easy replacement once you decide that the blades have dulled.
The grip design happens to be rubberized to minimize slipping, and for those interested, this instrument is safe enough for more delicate shaving areas. I do not plan to use this on my underarms but would not hesitate to recommend it for the females in the audience for their trimming needs. The angles of the three blades are such that no matter what degree of an angle you place it against the human body, it is safe. There is a nice on / off push button that allows you to quickly switch between a conventional style as well as the motorized version quickly and safely.
If you are in the market for a new razor and haven't found one that you are happy with yet, I would strongly recommend picking this one up.
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