[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] So far I have tried to the Gillette Fusion ProGlide Razor twice and I must say I am very impressed by it. Each time I have used the razor, it has exceeded my expectations in how well it provides a close shave. When I first opened the razor I surprised by the weight of it. It felt a little lighter than the Fusion ProGlide Power but weighed as much as my current razor (Harry's). Looking at the design of the razor handle and being able to play with the pivot point was interesting. You see the display in stores with the razor swaying side-to-side but don't really believe it works that way. When I played with the pivot and sw how it moved I was impressed but skeptical of how well it would follow the contours of my face.
After playing with the handle and blade, I put it to the test and shaved with the Active Sport Shave Gel. After doing my usual shave procedure (one along the grain and then a second against the grain, I was shocked to see how well it shaved. I believe it exceeded the performance of my old Gillete ProGlide Power and my current razor (Harry's). My face looked extremely clean shaven and there was no sign of a potential 5 o'clock shadow. As the day progressed my face stayed the same and it still looked like I had freshly shaved. It shaved so close, it took two days to get my 5 o'clock shadow back.
Thinking this was a fluke on the first try, I shaved Saturday with the kit but this time used my Harry's Shave Foam to see if a different shaving cream / gel would impact the performance. Again, the razor exceeded the performance of my current set (a Harry's blade with Harry's Shave Foam). Again a great close shave and no 5 o'clock shadow later in the day. It is Monday today and I will need to shave as the affects from Saturday's shave have worn off.
When using the blade, you can't tell it moves on a pivot. At least I did not notice and when I shaved on Saturday, I watched for movement yet saw none. I know there is not a lot of movement in the handle, but you would expect to notice some movement. Overall the kit is amazing.
Pros:
1) Clean and Comfortable Shave Every time.
2) Blades in Razor do not get jammed or clog (one of the things I noticed with my Harry's blade).
3) Handle itself is not heavy, matches the same weight as my current handle.
Cons
1) Went to the store to checkout refill blades. They are still pretty expensive even with the coupon. Harry's is much cheaper in that aspect. Sometimes its cheaper to buy a new kit than just blades alone.
2) The wear strip when away after two shaves, it's pretty much gone and the rule Gillette used was if the strip was gone it was time replace the blade. So it seems like the razor could already be dead when they market the blades last a long time.
Still on Fence
1) Blade life - need to see if it lasts as long as they say. I am using the wear strip as an indicator and that makes the razor look almost dead.
2) This goes along with number 1, but will the close shaves continues, which we will find out later today.
At this point the blade and razor is impressive, but I cannot give it five stars until I try it more and see if the performance is still there. Right now the honeymoon phase is still on, so we shall see what happens.