Compared with my favorite (Gillette FUSION5), the Schick Xtreme-3 Pivot 3-blade disposable razor doesn’t cut as smoothly, scrapes my skin more, leaves patches of stubble, and covers my face with goo. It also creates a load of nondegradable plastic that is thrown away after a few uses. I don’t like it and I cannot recommend it. DO YOU NEED DISPOSABLE RAZORS TO TRAVEL BY AIR? I used to buy disposable razors for traveling, because I thought that permanent razors weren’t allowed on flights. However, as I read the regulations now, all cartridge razors are permitted, whether the handle is throw-away or permanent. The type of razors that NOT allowed are called “Safety Razors.” You know, the type your grandpa used which open up to accept a single-edged or double-edged razor blade —where the blades are separate and not locked into a cartridge. The reasoning is good — with single-edged and double-edged “safety razors,” you can quickly take the whole blade out and use it to cut somebody. I would like to see anybody try to extract a blade from my Gillette FUSION5 cartridge. So, if you travel, you can carry a regular permanent handle with a blade cartridge. I’ll probably buy another Gillette ProGlide permanent handle just for traveling so I can get the same good shave I get at home. WHAT DO YOU WANT IN A RAZOR? What I want in a razor is an easy, clean shave without cuts or skin abrasion. I want the blades to last a long time. I don’t want to buy useless features that drive-up the price. And I don’t want to burden the world with any more excess plastic waste. Here’s what I learned about the Schick Xtreme-3 Pivot . . . WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE SCHICK XTREME-3 PIVOT? 1) There is a great flexible clip that fits tightly over the blades so they don’t get damaged or cut anyone when you are not using the razor. That’s better than my favorite razor. WHAT DON’T YOU LIKE ABOUT THE SCHICK XTREME-3 PIVOT? 1) Despite its multiple features, the Schick Xtreme-3 Pivot still didn’t shave me very cleanly. The razor left stubbly patches in the areas under my jaw and beneath my lower lip. Who needs that? 2) The pivot and flex features require you to push so hard that they don’t really work. 3) Although the handle is well-shaped, it is light and harder to hold than my permanent handle. 4) The lubrication strip covered my face in thick oily goo which was difficult to wash off. I lubricate with soap, so I don’t need goo. 5) Although the handle is 50% recycled plastic and the packaging is 89% recycled plastic, this combo still produces too much nondegradable throwaway plastic to clutter up the world. I’ve been using my permanent handle for 7 years, now — that would have been a lot of thrown-away disposables. HOW DO 3 BLADES COMPARE WITH 1-BLADE AND 5-BLADE RAZORS? Compared with 1-blade razors, the 3-blades nick and cut less and shave more beard in one pass. However, compared with my favorite 5-blade FUSION5 cartridge, the 3-blade Schick Xtreme never did as good a job even when I used more passes. Also, it’s more than just the number of blades. Compared with 5-blade razors, the 3 Schick Xtreme Pivot blades are farther apart and angled differently. For me that means that the 3 blades scrape my face more. If your skin isn’t very sensitive or if your beard is very rough, you might not notice. But when I slapped some alcohol on my shaved face, I could really feel where the blades dug in. Ouch! ARE DISPOSABLES MORE EXPENSIVE THAN CARTRIDGE AND HANDLE RAZORS? The Schick Xtreme-3 Pivot disposable razors are half the price of my Fusion5 cartridges. In bulk, the Schick Xtreme-3 nonPivot disposables cost even less. But Schick claims that you get 11 shaves per Schick Xtreme-3 Pivot disposable — I get over a month’s worth of shaves from my Fusion5 cartridges and permanent handle. So for me, the permanent handle and more expensive cartridges actually work out to be less expensive. But I can tell from reading reviews that the number of shaves per disposable or cartridge is all over the map. I suggest that you start by finding the most comfortable razor combination for you, and then decrease the cost by buying in bulk. That way, you end up with better, comfortable shaves. AREN’T YOU SUPPOSED TO GET 33 SHAVES PER RAZOR? The website says that Schick Xtreme-3 Pivot will give you 33 shaves, but that’s an error. The package claims 11 shaves per razor and there are 3 razors in the package. 3 x 11 = 33 shaves per package. RECOMMENDATIONS: For me, these Schick Xtreme-3 Pivot disposable razors aren’t very comfortable and they don’t shave very cleanly compared with my Gillette FUSION5 blade cartridge and ProGlide permanent handle. And they may be more expensive. Anyway you cut it, I cannot recommend them. For those of you who prefer disposables, as soon as I find a better disposable razor, I’ll let you know. I hope I’ve saved you time and been really helpful.
