[Updated April, 2022. Purchase links are affiliate.] Gillette through their GilletteLabs division and The Art Of Shaving has introduced a razor that heats up for your shave. I bought a Gillette Heated Razor to try for myself.
The GilletteLabs Heated Razor made its first appearance in a crowdfunding campaign. With all the financial resources Procter and Gamble have at their disposal it’s difficult for me to believe they “needed” a crowdfunding campaign. But they did meet their funding goal (in fact, surpassing it 5X).
The razor is available from The Art Of Shaving website, the Gillette website, and other sources with a price of US $150. From the sales pages:
Features:
- Instant heat at the touch of a button. The warming bar heats up in less than a second.
- Adjustable temperature between two levels of heat for optimal comfort.
- Intelligent Heat Control System – Four intelligent heat sensors consistently maintain even warmth through each shaving stroke.
- 5 blades for incredible comfort. Includes 2 cartridges of Gillette’s best blades.
Benefits:
- FlexDisc technology contours to your facial features to ensure contact with the warming bar on every stroke.
- Wireless magnetic charging ensures the heated razor is ready when you are – up to 6 shaves from a single charge, depending on usage. (Charging base must be plugged in)
- Premium Grade aluminum zinc handle adds an air of sophistication to the razor’s overall look and feel.
- Fully waterproof design ensures you can use it in the sink or the shower.
The Razor Handle And Charging Dock
The GilletteLabs Heated Razor handle is described as a “premium-grade, aluminum zinc handle.” It’s about 5.5 inches from the base of the handle to the cartridge connector (about 6.25 inches with cartridge) and it weighs about 2.6oz (75 grams) with cartridge and battery. I was a bit surprised when I weighed the razor because it “feels” heavier. And I think the razor’s balance is actually quite good–it feels comfortable and secure in my hand.
The Heated Razor’s heat has to come from somewhere, and in this case it’s from a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery inside the handle. By the way, the handle is sealed and “100% waterproof” according to the sales literature so you can run it under water or use it in the shower, but the instruction sheet that comes with the razor cautions it “must not be cleaned in a dishwasher!” (emphasis theirs).
So if the razor is sealed, how does the battery get charged? With “inductive coupling,” that’s how (you know how some smartphones charge by just laying it down on top of a charging pad? Same concept). The razor stands upright on the dock with magnets to hold it in place (you’ll want to keep this thing away from other things that may be magnetically sensitive) and the power indicators slowly pulse on and off to indicate charging.
Speaking of heat, there are two heat settings available: the “low” setting (the power indicator glows yellow) is about 110 degrees Fahrenheit and the “high” setting (power indicator glows orange) is about 120° F. I preferred the “high” setting but YMMV….
The Cartridge
Although the razor and blade cartridge clearly takes its inspiration from the Gillette Fusion, in that the cartridge has five blades (with a trimmer blade in the back) and handle has a FlexBall-like side pivot (in addition to the usual front-facing pivot), it is NOT a standard Fusion cartridge. The head design has been modified to accommodate the razor’s heating element and it uses a completely different cartridge/handle mounting scheme.
Like the Gillette Fusion ProShield cartridge and the more recent Gillette Fusion SkinGuard cartridge, the Heated Razor cartridge features “before and after” lubrication strips.
Replacement cartridges are available online and in some “brick and mortar” sources: a pack of eight count is about US $50.
My Shaving Experience With The Gillette Heated Razor
Since the Gillette Heated Razor is promoted by (and I bought it from) The Art Of Shaving I decided to give this razor its maiden shave with a lathering shave cream, using a shave brush. I prepped with a shower then lathered up as I normally would. Since my face was already warm from the prep and I had warm(-ish) lather from the brush and cream, I felt very little heat from the razor itself during the shave. Further, the razor cartridge’s lubrication strip interacted with the cream in an odd way, producing “tendrils” of cream as I shaved and a bit of a “sloppy track” on my face.
But the result of the shave was quite good: an easy, “darn fine shave” (DFS).
For my next shave with the heated razor I tried a good niche’ brush-less cream: Nancy Boy (“Replenishing” version). Again prepping with a shower before shaving but with a room temperature lather, I did notice more of the heating effect from the razor (and a better “track” on the face as well). A “DFS” shave was easily achievable but getting to that “baby’s butt smooth” (BBS) level was still elusive, even with five blades and two pivots. Maybe the cartridge design is a little milder than a Fusion?
On the following shave I did not shave immediately after showering but instead did a minimal face prep: a quick wash with a pre-shave soap then again lathering with Nancy Boy (I thought about using Gillette PURE shave cream–since discontinued–but ultimately decided not to because I figured someone who spent the money on the razor would not “cheap out” on a mass market cream. But Gillette’s Plant Kind shave cream would work well, too). This time the razor’s heating effect was more noticeable and, yes, even pleasant. Once again an easy DFS but “baby’s butt smooth” (BBS) took a little more work.
OK, I’m realizing that the best results from this razor may come from the thinnest possible lubrication and minimal skin prep. So my next shaves with the GilletteLabs Heated Razor were with shave oil: I tried Pacific Shaving’s Natural Shave Oil and Village Barber Shaving Oil.
Ah haaaa…. Now I’m getting somewhere.
The heating effect of the razor was much more pronounced and getting that BBS shave feel was easier to achieve.
There are two cartridges included with the razor. After several months of use these cartridges seem to last slightly longer than a “regular” Gillette Fusion cartridge. However “your mileage may vary” depending on your individual circumstances.
Conclusion
Pricing of the razor and replacement cartridges aside, I think this razor does represent some interesting technological applications.
If you’re a shaver who practices good preparation and uses lathering shave cream or soap with a shave brush I think you may not find much additional benefit in the GilletteLabs Heated Razor. Similarly, if you use a thick brushless shaving product that “insulates” the razor’s heat bar from the skin, you may experience less of the heating effect that this razor provides.
If you use a thin lubrication product, like a gel or an oil on (relatively) cool skin, you will be much more likely to enjoy the feeling of the GilletteLabs Heated Razor. You can get it at The Art Of Shaving website and other sources.
I prefer shaving cold, I get much less irritated, and on top of that I think it is easier to achieve a good shave.
Plus I am also in the I will not ever do business with Gillette again since the whole woke thing camp.
I didn’t know P &G used crowdfunding to develop that POS! Who are the intelligent people who supported that? I might have a bridge to sell.
Thanks for the review. It confirms this is a $200 marketing gizmo for the sheep to blindly follow, from a company that already took a swipe at masculinity in their ill-fated ad campaign last year.
No thanks. I’ll spend my $200 (or less) on a more deserving company making fine shaving products.
If the DE razor was invented today, I wonder how much it would cost?
Imagine, a razor that actually worked better and was cheaper in the long run.
Technology electronics taking over shaving ? I can see the Razor breaking down and logging a fault code, then you have to take it to a Dealer to see whats wrong and then clear the codes for it to work at your expense. And remember ( No power No heated Razor ) Sorry I’ll stick to my simple blade setup.
Oh, Gillette, where to start?
Crowdfunding? You (P&G/Gillette) have assets of over $150 billion. But you ask me to kick in $50 for the *privilege* of buying a $200 shaving contraption (plus lifetime $6 head refills) that won’t shave as well as my ‘59 Fatboy. Pass.
You expect me to forget about your unfortunate sojourn into woke, #metoo virtue signaling.
(How’d that work out, anyway?)
I can hold a corporate grudge forever; hell, I *still* won’t buy Heinz products because of John Kerry. Pass.
Worst of all, you want me to buy gimmicky, craptastic products like I don’t have good sense. You’re still trying to sell the sizzle when you quit cooking steaks years ago. Hard pass.
I’m done with you, Gillette. I won’t even buy your blades anymore.
Interesting – thanks for this review. I’ve been curious about it. Was waiting for someone (ok, you 🙂 ) to give it a try.
NOW I’VE SEEN EVERYTHING. My god, a company like Gillette having a Kickstarter is insulting and goes against what and who a kickstarted is really for. Shame on Gillette for exploding that avenue. Lets put that aside and examine yet another overpriced “exclusive” razor for people to make them feel special. This is madness thinking, Gillette should know about a little thing called a scuttle. You heat the lather up not the razor much more efficient, less expensive, no need for a charge, and your shave will feel amazing. Another OneBlade incognito.
The SkinGuard is marketed to a specific demo, but not a narrow demo. There are potentially more than 22 million Americans who get razor bumps. I get them on my neck if I’m not careful. I do not like ProGlide. Every shave I’ve had with a fresh cartridge has been an exercise in pulling and discomfort. SkinGuard gave a close shave without irritation on the first shave, less close on the second shave. If you think it isn’t for you, that’s fine, but give it a try. It may surprise you.
Heat is almost always a sensory thing, whether it’s hot towel, heated lather from a scuttle, or a heated razor (aluminum safety razors like the iKon 102 or Above the Tie Calypso heads stay hot when run under hot water). But it’s nice: part of the shave, especially when you’re paying a lot for a Gillette heated head, is the experience, not just the result.
Unnecessary and horribly expensive razor,
Gillette and others already make too many over-priced razors, why would we need another one?
The idea is to heat the lather/soap, a headed head is not a substitute for this.
Gillette a multi-national corporation has to do crowd-funding?
Why, because they don’t want to risk their own money on it? Guess not!
You want to spend $200 on a DE razor and a pack of four is US $25 ($6.25 ea) or an eight count is US $45 ($5.62 EA) THIS IS A RIPOFF!
There are plenty of much better ones out there, this is nothing more than an electronic toy for shaving, bet doesn’t even do wireless charging.
Question: Does anybody know how the SkinGuard compares to the Bump Fighter razor? Not seriously considering switching to either, but as someone who has had lifelong issues with irritation and who tried the Bump Fighter in the past, I’m curious.
Overall, an interesting review which leaves me wondering two things about the product:
First, the difficulty in achieving a BBS makes me wonder whether that is even a consideration that was made during product development. I’m wondering if the cartridge was made especially mild as it would need to work over the whole demographic with no alternatives (i.e., nothing like the SkinGuard). Also, is achieving a BBS even a goal of their target demographic or do they prefer a bit of manly scruff?
Second, the fact that the razor seems to work better with less skin prep reminds me that the past 100+ years of shaving evolution seem to be about removing any need for skill or technique in order to achieve a “prefect” shave.
Thank you for your excellent review. One wonders what G was going to come up with next. What is better than 5 blades? 6? 24? 100?
The “Skin Guard” has a very narrow demographic and I felt it was not for me. I love using the Pro Glide and Pro Shield but I wondered what heating up the razor would do. Aside from any sensory experience, is it “better?” Does one get a smoother more lubricated shave with better post-shave results. Your review seems to say it doesn’t. Thank you.
I’d like to know if it is any better than their regular 5 blade cartridges. I’d be willing to be the guinea pig for the good of mankind to do the comparison.
BL, if I had to price this puppy, especially with the more expensive cartridges, I would have said maybe $19.99 but surely not $24.99. Dumb, Gillette, Dumb!
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