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124 of 137 found the following review helpful:
 Five Stars From a Life Long Shick User Jun 10, 2010
By Boilermate
To properly evaluate the new Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power razor, I decided to compare it to the new Schick Hydro 5 and my normal razor, a Schick Quattro Power. All started with a new cartridge and a fresh battery as applicable.
I'll begin by saying that I've been using Schick razors for about 40 years and have not been too impressed by most Gillette razors. In particular, they tended to clog up more and were harder to keep clean. I was expecting to be underwhelmed by the ProGlide as well.
ProGlide vs. Hydro 5
Initial impressions: Packaging: Both come in the standard plastic clamshell, but the Gillette is easier to open. The back is perforated for easy opening, where the Schick is more child-proof and requires a sharp object to open it.
What's included: The Gillette comes with only one cartridge, where the Hydro comes with two.
Holders: the Gillette snaps snugly in to the included plastic holder, while the Schick holder just has a small pin to locate the razor. You could use the Gillette's as a travel holder with no problem.
Guarantee: The Schick comes with a money back guarantee. The Gillette assumes you will like it.
The razors: While the Gillette looks more substantial, both weigh 1.4 oz fully loaded. The Gillette has a single blade trimmer on the back of the cartridge. Flip the razor 180 deg to use it. The Hydro's trimmer is under the lube strip that you flip back to use the trimmer.
Cartridge mounting: The ProGlide cartridge slides on easily and snaps in place. The locator pin also acts as "suspension" for the cartridge pivot. The Hydro is a bit more imprecise. You have to line up two small spring loaded fingers on the handle with tabs on the cartridge. Not hard, but not as elegant as the Gillette. The Schick cartridge is smaller than the Gillette...less waste.
On initial "hefting" the Gillette felt better, but in use both were comfortable and easy to maneuver.
The Shave Test
All of the above are secondary to the "Yes, But How Does It Shave" test. I shaved half of my face with the Gillette and half with the Schick, using Proraso Shaving Cream and a badger bristle brush.
Shave No. 1: (3 Day Growth)
The ProGlide felt smooth in all directions, with and against the grain. No pulling on the neck or under the chin. The trimmer was easy to use.
The Hydro was smooth on the cheeks, but pulled noticeably on the neck, especially against the grain. It left a couple of small "razor burn" marks on my neck. To use the trimmer you have to hold the razor with one hand and flip back the cover with the other.
Both razors rinsed clean easily with no clogging.
The Wife Test: Immediately after shaving, Mrs. Boilermate judged the Gillette side marginally smoother, but said that side felt sticky. After my face "dried" she still said the Gillette side was smoother.
Shave No. 2: (2 Day Growth)
The Gillette was smooth while the Hydro pulled noticeably on the neck and under the chin. The Gillette side was again judged smoother in the Wife Test.
ProGlide vs Quattro
Shave Nos. 3 and 4 were done with a two and three day growth respectively using the ProGlide and a Schick Power Quattro (with a new cartridge and a fresh battery).
The first thing I noticed is the ProGlide is noticeably quieter, where the Quattro sounds like an electric razor by comparison.
In both tests, the ProGlide performed as before, with no pulling or burning. The Quattro pulled slightly on the neck, but substantially less than the Hydro did.
As before, the Gillette side was judged smoother by Mrs. B., tho by a similarly small margin.
So what's not to like? The price of the cartridges. Schick cartridges are cheaper across the board than Gillette. Power ProGlide carts are about $4.00 apiece, where Quattro Power carts are about $2.50 each.
While the ProGlide gives an excellent shave, doesn't shave enough better to justify switching from the Quattro based on the cost of the cartridges.
Overall, though, the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Power rates five stars. As a life-long Schick user, I was pleasantly (and unexpectantly) surprised by this razor. If you can get past the price of the cartridges, I highly recommend this razor.
52 of 59 found the following review helpful:
 Good for sensitive skin, but expensive Jun 09, 2010
By Chip L
"chip1978"
The first thing I tried with this razor was a side-by-side comparision with my Mach 3 razor. So I put a new blade on my old razor and shaved one side of my face and neck, and the other with the Fusion. Without hesitation I can say the Fusion was a much smoother and less iritating shave. However, both razors seemed to give the same shave in terms of closeness. To be sure, I let my hair grow out a few days and there was no appreciable difference.
I can recommend this to anyone who needs a very sensitve shave. The battery power works in the shower, so that's a nice convenience. Naturally, with a battery, there's more heft than an unpowered razor like the Mach 3.
The downside, you might expect, is that the blades are about twice as expensive as the Mach 3. Since my old razor never bothered me, I won't be switching to these more expensive blades. But if money is no object, or if you really need a more comfortable shave, this would be a good razor for you.
26 of 33 found the following review helpful:
 Doesn't live up to the hype Jul 25, 2010
By A. Ibanez
This razor is okay, but it certainly doesn't live up to the hype, and, most certainly, not the price. It's all sizzle and not too much substance. Don't get me wrong you'll get a good shave, relatively speaking. But I've had better shaves with other less costly razors. I've used the Fusion, both manual and power, and the Mach 3. After shaving for a number of years with both Fusion power and manual, I've detected no difference between a "power" shave and a manual one. The Proglide is no different. The "power" option with battery and all sounds great, but doesn't work at all. It's a placebo and an expensive one at that.
I'm going back to using Mach3.
Here's a tip that has really served me well: use hair conditioner rather than shaving foam, and you will get a much closer shave. At first, I didn't believe a friend of mine when he gave me this tip. But it's true. I get much closer shaves. And the other great benefit is that your razor blades last much, much longer. Instead of a razor blade lasting me for a couple of weeks, tops, when I use foam, my blade is good for six to eight weeks when I use hair conditioner. Needlessly to say, now I only use hair conditioner for shaves. And I don't have to tell you, this translates to not only getting great shaves, but to saving a lot of money!
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Gimmicky smoothness Jun 22, 2011
By MillionMonkeys
I suppose the Proglide could be of value for those with skin issues. But for most guys, it simply doesn't deliver the closeness the "old-fashioned" 2-blade Sensor has been giving for 20 years. The Proglide marketing campaign relies mostly on gimmicks, specifically:
1) They use the same slo-mo cartoon that was once used to show how the Sensor gives a closer shave because the first blade pulls out the hair it cuts, then the second blade shaves it even closer while the hair is stretched out a bit. But in the current Proglide commercial, the cartoon is altered to show the second blade doing nothing except scraping the skin, with the hair ending up sticking out above the skin surface. Major BS here by Gillette.
2) If you're not comatose, you'll notice on their "Take the Proglide Challenge" commercials (the one with the used-car salesman guy), they are actually comparing Proglide vs. a DISPOSABLE RAZOR!!! What does that prove? How low can Gillette go???
Disregarding the guerilla marketing, Proglide isn't totally worthless. They have innovated the smoothest shave ever, by giving up a little closeness. Bottom line is, you're paying 3 or 4 times more to get a smoother (for the first 2 shaves of each razor) but less close shave. After 2 shaves, you're paying 3 or 4 times for a shave that's less close AND less smooth.
8 of 10 found the following review helpful:
No better than Fusion Jun 10, 2010
By Austin Smith
"ajpadre"
With the claims of a revolutionary razor, I believe most of the hype to be exactly that, hype.
Took a shower, washed my face. Applied Gillette Fusion shaving cream and tested it next to my old Fusion. No difference, what so ever. The "larger handle" is not that big of a deal, compared to the fact that a Powered Fusion has roughly the same handle size. The shave was no closer, it was no smoother, I could tell no difference what so ever in razors besides the pretty blue light on my new ProGlide. Having said that, I can't complain, they sent it too me for free.
It's an excellent marketing ploy designed to influence Americans to buy whatever product big businesses want us to buy next. Having said that, I see no reason to switch from my old Fusion to newer and more expensive cartridges. It received three stars due to the promises made by Gillette, and the fact there older products are just as functional as this newer, more expensive one.
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