terrapin69's Full Review: Gillette Fusion Power Phenom Razor
Let's face it. Men, at least most men, need to shave regularly, often times, every day. It's always nice to use a razor that both handles well and does it's job perfectly. The Fusion by Gillette does just that. Do you, honestly NEED 5 blades? Probably not. But it's nice to be able to achieve the closeness they afford.
The shaver is powered by a single battery that will last several months even with daily use. It also features a low life battery indicator that flashes the handles battery icon (yellow) telling the user it's time for a new battery.
The power (vibration) of the shaver feels great and may do a better job at grasping those pesky hairs from even the most stubborn of face shapes. I have yet to record that it's actually superior to a non-vibrating blade, but it's still a nice extra. Gillette claims the razor has a small microchip to assure users of consistent power/vibration. I'm sure that's true, and at $10 or so, it can't be much of a chip and really isn't worth mentioning in greater detail.
There is a small, single, precision trimmer on the blades reverse side. This is actually very useful for detailing around the bottom of the nose (above the lip area) and to taper off sideburns.
Now, as far as the upkeep or maintenance of this razor. Things get expensive and they do so quickly. Blade replacements will kill your wallet; the smallest replacement packet I have seen goes for approximately $12 USD (cheaper some places, more expensive others - But this is a good baseline to consider). Larger packages can run you upwards of $25 for 8 blades. That's expensive, at least in my opinion. Look at it this way. The entire razor plus one blade will run you about $10 USD. You will far exceed this initial cost during the shaver's life. A good analogy would be this. Would you buy a car for $25,000 only to discover that tires would cost you $$30,000 each time you replaced them? I know that comparison may be a little far fetched but blade replacements are something you are going to need, like tires on your car, and there is no getting around that.
For the average, daily shaver like myself, a new blade should last you about 5-10 uses before it needs to be replaced. That's my experience, of course, and your mileage may vary.
I have heard that the old-time razor blade system (screw open the top kind and drop in a true blade) shaves just as well if not better - While that may or not be true, that system will take a lot more getting used to as cuts, nicks, and abrasions will most likely plague the new user. These types of shavers, if you can find one easily, are also much more expensive up front - Of course a replacement packet of double-sided blades will only run you a few bucks in the long run. But the great thing about the Fusion is that it is virtually impossible to goof up your shave thus making the learning curve almost null.
Gillette Fusion Power Phenom Razor Auction is for a Gillette Fusion Power Phenom Razor Gillette's Most Comfortable Shave Fusion Power 5 Blade Shaving ...More at eBay
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