SchickHydro 5 Razor (1 Razor Handle with 1 Cartridge)

Gillette Fusion Power vs. Schick Hydro 5*Schick pros-Schick consWords can't really express how night and day the 2 blades feel. I have hard, rough hair and the Fusion blade would take quite a while to do the job if I let my beard grow out some. Even while low, it took a few passes to clear me up. This blade wipes it away with a few strokes. The Fusion is nice, don't get me wrong, but this feels nicer and *performs better.The blades and shaver are also *cheaper than Gillettes but of *way better quality. The blades themselves feel stronger. With Gillette it seems nowadays you're essentially paying for the brand image more so than the actual product. Not to say it's bad or anything. But finding a cheaper product with a better quality build is not a good thing on Gillette's behalf.I'll leave an update on longevity of the blade in a few weeks. I'd have to throw my Fusion blades out every 2-4 weeks like clockwork, assuming I use it whenever my beard gets unsightly which is every 4 days. Even when I let my beard grow out some, the blades just don't hold up well after use. The Gillette Fusion blades are so close together, my hair gets stuck in the mechanism and the amount of washing and beating it would take to remove them, well, can't blame the blades for becoming dull and the lubricant for washing away. So far with the Hydro 5, the hairs wash right out effortlessly so it seems the mechanism has the blades spaced a little better in terms of cleanup. Since it doesn't affect my shave negatively, this is a good thing. I have a feeling they'll last a while longer.One thing I do miss is the -vibration from the Gillette Fusion shaver. I'm not sure if it made any sort of difference, but for some reason it made shaving a little more, I don't know...fun isn't exactly the word, but it made the experience better. Whether it's because of the sensation in my hand or the massaging feeling of the blade on my face, it's something I do miss. Hopefully Schick will release a shaver with a battery packed gimmick as well, if only to serve my missed placebo effect.For now, I recommend this product wholeheartedly. Definitely 5 stars based on the pros vs. my previous shaver which are, more affordable system (blades and shaver), better performance and seemingly better quality. While I do miss the vibration from the Fusion Power, I can't and wouldn't down rate this product for not having that. I may remove a star IF I have to throw the blade out too quickly, but I doubt that will happen.

Great qualt

There was nothing to dislike about this blade or the shaver. I bought all 3 with the different blade shaving lubes options. Bottom line is every one of these shavers gave me the best shave I have ever had! For over 55 years I have been shaving and I have used all of them. Some were good and some not so good. But the Schick Hydro has made one of the best darn razors I have ever used. No need to put any pressure on the razor when shaving. You really do not feel it cutting your beard. You may think it is not cutting but it is. The best part I like is that there is NO Razor burn what so ever. Never have I got cut shaving with this razor. And you always get a BBS shave. The lube wears out around 15 shaves, but the blades will give you a few more great shaves. Soon, I will be 70 years old and this Schick Hydro Blade is my go to blade! It really is a keeper!!!

Love this razor

For over 15 years I used only Gillette razors. But after being somewhat disappointed in their newest AAA-powered Gillette Fusion-5, (not only was the price for the replacement cartridges high, but I experienced noticeably duller blades after only a few shaves), I decided to finally try Schick and their latest Hydro-5 razor.*Please see picture above of my submitted "comparison photo" of the 2 blades*On the LEFT is the "Schick Hydro-5", on the RIGHT is the standard "Gillette Fusion-5" (not the Pro-glide version). It's a bit difficult to tell from a 2-dimentional picture, but the Schick blades are clearly of a higher quality. They are not only thicker, deeper, & slightly longer, but they are also more openly-spaced for less "blockage" of shaving cream & hair while shaving. All this not only resulted in a much more comfortable shave vs. the Gillette Fusion, but the cartridges lasted much longer as well. Yet curiously, the lower quality Gillette blades are still more expensive than the higher quality Schick blades...go figure. Additionally, me being a "hi-tech guy", the AAA-powered vibrator of the Gillette was indeed a cool feature to have...but, it was simply not enough to make-up for the lower overall quality of Gillette. Perhaps if Gillette invested as much money into the 'actual product' as they do on their very excessive advertising, they might actually have a higher quality razor to offer consumers.With all that said however, I definitely DID miss Gillette's nice "6th blade", which is located on the very top of the razor for shaving hard-to-reach places, such as directly under the nose (5-blade razors often make this a difficult place to reach). Schick's solution to this is a bit awkward, which involves manually flipping down backwards the top plastic assembly for closer exposure to the top blade. (The part that flips back is the dark blue top lubricating strip with the white dots). Though it's a bit awkward to do at first (vs. Gillette's convenient 6th blade) it's by no means a deal-breaker. For in the end, the Schick was EQUALLY effective at shaving close under the nose, and trimming the sideburns "evenly" with its flip-down assembly. However, just as a minor "inconvenience factor", it is still worthy enough to give the Schick Hydro a 1/2 Star deduction here, which "officially" makes this review a 4.5 Star review (not a 4.0 Star review as displayed above).Gillett's vibrator & convenient 6th blade were nice features to have, but they were just not enough to keep me loyal to Gillette. The bottom line for me personally was, the Schick Hydro-5 gave me a more comfortable shave, had longer lasting blades, and came at a lower price for the replacement cartridges. Therefore, I will definitely be using the much more preferred Schick Hydro-5 for my shaving needs from now on...and for only around $5 with free shipping (was $4.95 with free shipping at the time of this review) I would highly recommend that you at least give it a try as well. If it can change a loyal 15-year Gillette user like myself, perhaps it can change you as well.SIDE NOTE: SHAVING GEL RECOMMENDATION.If you are looking to upgrade your current shaving cream/gel, I would also humbly recommend the German-made "NIVEA For Men Shaving Gel". Though NIVEA currently makes about 5 different varieties, the only one I have tried and can vouch for is the "NIVEA Double Action Q10 Revitalizing Shaving Gel" (though I'm sure they are all equally as good). After using this gel just once, I immediately noticed that it was of a much better quality, and that I would never again be going back to buying the other "standard" store-bought brands of "Gillette" and "Edge", (BOTH of which I had been using for many years). Anyway...just a related suggestion. ;)UPDATE: As of April/2012, Schick now offers a new 3-speed "vibrating" version of the above Hydro-5, called the "Schick Hydro Power Select". I haven't purchased it yet, but I will eventually...for I really did like the vibrating feature on my old Gillette razor. I can only imagine that it will make this "standard" Hydro-5 razor even better.