Gizmodo: Shaving

$30,000 Damascene Straight Razor: Beware of Accidental Decapitation

Sean Fallon — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:50:00 EDT

Using a straight razor in the era of Gillette Fusion seems like suicide to me, but if you are the adventurous type looking for the closest shave imaginable—I give you the Damascene. Hand-forged in Germany with 128 layers of the same legendary Damascene steel used to craft Crusader's swords, this limited edition razor is not for the faint of heart (or empty of wallet). Careful though, my guess is that tiny pieces of toilet paper are not going to be sufficient to handle any cuts that might result from this Sweeny Todd masterpiece. Available for a ridiculous $30,000. [Damascene via Luxist via Boing Boing Gadgets]

Extended-Reach Body Groomer Shaves Parts You Normally Can't Reach

Kit Eaton — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 10:30:00 EDT

If God had intended us to keep our body hair, he'd never have invented grooming goods like this: the extended-reach shaver/trimmer. Designed to tackle mannish body contours and whisk the hairs away, its secret is the extending curved handle. This adds enough length *ahem* for you to get the peskiest of hairs. You know the ones: the really annoying middle of your back-ones that require advanced yoga skills to reach normally (or the helping hands of an assistant...and if you have one of those, you probably don't need this.) It's water-resistant, an eight hour charge lets it run for half an hour—if that's not enough, you are one hairy bugger—is out now at Hammacher Schlemmer and costs $50. [OhGizmo]

Question of the Day: Do You Prefer an Electric or Manual Shaver?

Sean Fallon — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Every other day it seems like a new manual razor is hitting the market advertising "the closest shave ever" by throwing in extra blades or lubed comfort strips. And let's not forget that there are plenty of electric shavers out there if you have sensitive skin or you want to save a little time. As I was shaving my rugged man-stubble baby smooth this morning, I pondered this question: With all of the choices out there, what kind of shaver do you use?

NXT Light Shave Gel Makes Beards Shine Like the Sun

Mark Wilson — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 12:40:00 EDT

For the past several years, the world of shaving tech has been caught in a stalemate. Gillette may add one blade to their razor, but Schick just fires back with two. But now we have something else to look forward to every morning: glowy shaving gel. NXT Light Shave Gel apparently illuminates your face through sensitive-skin-formulated chemiluminescence. We're not sure if it makes those stray hairs any easier to catch, but the old radioactive beard prank never gets old (...unless you've been giving us pity laughs all this time). [CVS via uncrate]

$150 Razor Comes with a Built-In Flashlight, Still Doesn't Explain The Price

Adam Frucci — Mon, 05 May 2008 12:00:00 EDT

OK, someone explain this to me: the new Gillette Fusion Chrome Collection Power Razor is a shaving implement with your standard retarded amount of blades, vibrating function and…a flashlight built in? But why? Who shaves in the dark? I'd say terrorists living in caves, but they clearly don't shave, so that's not it. Perhaps campers, but I don't know many outdoorsmen who are going to spend $150 on a razor to bring into the wilderness. I'm stumped. Guesses, commenters? [Product Page via Book of Joe]

Razorba War Hammer Improves Back Hair Shaving, Is Called the War Hammer

Jason Chen — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:30:07 EDT

How thick of a hair sweater do you need to have to need something called a War Hammer to shave off your back hair? Pretty thick, which is why Razorba improved their previous release with this War Hammer version, which holds more types of razors (Gillette Fusions are the most notable) than the predecessor. It's also twice the weight of the original, has a "Super Shock Solid Core" design, and a new "Hamr Grip II". In the end though, it's still a long piece of plastic designed to hold a bladed safety razor so you can shave your own back. If that's too dangerous for you (as it might be for us, since we're fairly uncoordinated) you can always try the electric-powered Mangroomer. [Razorba]

How to Turn Your Body Into a Hairless Wonderland With Gadgets: Part 2

Jason Chen — Mon, 24 Dec 2007 12:01:14 EST

In our first hairless wonderland feature, we took a look at how you could rid your entire body of hair using three simple gadgets. The Mangroomer, the Flowbee and the Philips Bodygroom allow you to make sure your back, head and crotchular regions are free of any unslightly plumage. But what about the most important part of your body; the part that everyone looks at during a conversation (no, not your jiblets—and the Bodygroom has that covered)? Yes, we're talking about the face. And with the Braun Pulsonic or the Gillette Fusion Power Phantom, you can be sure your mug is as glossy as the top of Patrick Stewart's head.

These two razors—Braun's Pulsonic and Gillette's Phantom—are actually quite different. The Pulsonic comes from the top branch of the electric shaver tree, whereas the Phantom is a regular blade razor with a vibrating twist (the twist is that it vibrates).

As I said before, I am a surprisingly hairy man. I'm consistently hairy around all of my body, face included. With the Pulsonic, however, it takes a couple passes to get rid of all the hair, leaving no rough patches. The neck pivots nicely, and the 10,000 "micro-vibrations per minute" really feel like it's working. The razor itself is heavy and has a nifty e-ink-like readout on the bottom that tells you how much charge is left, as well as how dirty the razor is. The first is self explanatory, but here's what the second is for.

The razor docks into the cleaning station, which allows you to automatically clean the razor with the touch of a button. Jets of cleaning fluid squirts into the tip while the razor sporadically turns itself on and off in a symphony of hair, facial oil and alcohol-cleanser. After an hour of this, your battery should be charged and the head should be clean. You don't even have to remove the foils beforehand.

Louis covered the Pulsonic a bit before, but I'm actually a dry-shave electric razor guy myself (as opposed to his blade razor preference). And from my point of view, it's pretty much the best electric razor around, and can get fairly close to a plain razor if you give yourself some time to master it. If you're still looking for a very last minute gift this year, you can't go wrong with the Pulsonic. That is, if you're shopping for someone you care enough to spend $200 on. [Amazon]

On the other hand, if you're a blade razor kinda guy, there's the Fusion Power Phantom. It looks like a Mach 3, but instead of three blades it has five. Not only is it 166% bladier, it's also got a vibration function. One flip of the switch and the thing starts trembling. This might sound like a bad thing—blades + shaking + face usually ends up like the elevator scene in The Shining—but it seems like it helps.

Being from the electric razor world, I'm usually pretty clumsy with the safety razor type. However, this Phantom seems to be the best of both worlds, meaning that I didn't cut myself silly when shaving. The next time you're on the road looking for a razor, check out the Fusion Power and try out them vibrating blades. It's only $10, and works slightly better than a standard razor. [Amazon]

no!no! Shaver Gets Its Name Right, Not Much Else

Benny Goldman — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 13:15:00 EDT

The no!no! Shaver is a device that keeps your nether region looking smooth by using a "thermodynamic wire to transmit the heat to the hair". In other words, it burns the hair clean off your man parts (or lady parts!). If that wasn't enough, the no!no! is "characterized by (the) odor" of sweet, sweet burning hair. This sounds like hell, and that's coming from someone who is no stranger to self-inflicted grooming torture. Available for $250 at Sephora, it comes with free shipping. [product page via BBG]

Art of Shaving Fusion Chrome Collection Power Razor Has a Tiny Headlight

Charlie White — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:45:00 EDT

If you can't stand the thought of a buzzing, whining electric contraption grinding away at your face every morning, maybe this new Art of Shaving Fusion Chrome Collection Power Razor with a tiny spotlight is just the face-scraping utensil you've been looking for. The luxury razor company teamed up with blademaker Gillette for this handle that fits the company's cartridge razor blades, and its heavy chrome and resin construction gives it a hefty high-quality feel. But this blade-shaving routine seems like a lot of trouble. Let's talk blade vs. electric and have a poll.

Before we vote, a bit more about this razor. We especially like that lighting idea, apparently borrowed from age-old vacuum cleaner headlights and shedding some light on the subject. Perhaps it alleviates unnecessary bloodshed. Although $150 seems like a lot of money to pay for a mere handle, that's a lot less than you'd shell out for some electric razors. But we'll stick to the buzzing and whining for now, because time-consuming futzing with cream, hot water and fresh blood in the morning is more than we can bear. How about you, gents? What's your preference? Vote 'em up in the poll below and then state your reasons in the comments. [Shaving Stuff]

Sol Shaver Solar Razor Keeps You Civilized Even in the Wilderness

Charlie White — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 19:00:00 EDT

You never know who you may run into when you're traveling in the wilderness, hiking the long trails and climbing those big mountains, so you really want to be clean-shaven, don't you? The Sol Shaver Solar Razor solves that problem, never needing any batteries, plugs, or any other of those unfortunate reminders of civilization. It doesn't look half bad, either, but that shiny quality will cost you $61. Or you could just let that scraggly beard grow wild, for that grizzled outdoorsy look. Fahgettaboudit. The only people you meet out there will be toothless guys talking about what a purdy mouth you have, anyway. [Eco Friend]

Braun Pulsonic—Closest Electric Shave Ever?

Louis Ramirez — Thu, 24 May 2007 19:20:15 EDT

The last time I went hands-on with a grooming device I was trying to grow hair. As life would have it, this time I'm trying to shave it with Braun's new Pulsonic razor. The $239 machine claims it gives the closest shave you can get from an electric razor. How'd it do? Coming from a guy who's been wet-shaving all his life, not bad.

The Pulsonic has a flexing/pivoting head designed to reach those hard-to-get areas. I wish the head would've flexed a bit more, 'cause I had to make multiple passes around my chin to get a close shave. But I found out that the more I used it, the easier that got.

The Pulsonic's motor delivers over 10,000 vibrations per minute, which the folks at Braun claim will expose and shave more hair. The first time I used it—it left a few patches here and there. Not to mention my neck was tomato red. (To be fair, this was the first time I had used an electric razor in years).

The second time I used the Pulsonic, I still had to make multiple passes, but my face wasn't as red afterwards and by the third time, shaving was noticeably smoother and quicker. Shaving around and below my chin is the only problem area. But if I'm in a rush or traveling, that shouldn't be a hassle.

The razor comes with a Clean & Renew System. Dunk the razor in and the unit will do the cleaning for you. The cleaning solution will cost you around $10 for a two-pack. Each pack lasts about 6-8 weeks. The downside is that at one point or another, you're gonna have to clean the cleaning system. So there's really no way around it.

I'm still a wet-shave kinda guy. The Pulsonic comes damn close, but there's just no comparison. Where the Pulsonic wins is convenience. In less than five minutes I can get a nice, close shave and not have to worry about cuts. That alone would make me drop $200. – Louis Ramirez with video by Richard Blakeley

Braun

Signs of the Apocalypse: USB Shaver

Travis Hudson — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 11:28:15 EST

Are power outlets become so scarce that we are forced to power our shaving gadgets with USB ports? Guess so. This USB shaver sucks its juice from your laptop or PC USB ports and can keep you looking not-so-rugged at the anywhere your USB ports go. I guess it could be convenient for the laptop road warriors, but when I'm driving I prefer to bust out the old straight razor to shave. More chance of death = more XTREME! It is available for $30. – Travis Hudson

Product Page [Via newlaunches]

Destroy That 5 O' Clock Shadow - Gundam Style

gizmodo.com — Mon, 24 Oct 2005 17:06:31 EDT

I've always been more of a Macross ~~loser~~ guy than a Gundam guy, but this I can't pass up. As an avid shaver, I'd like to have more fun while shaving since my beard grows back about 5 minutes after I finish up. That's why KAI has come out with this gorgeous looking Gundam razor. 1000 lucky shaving fanatics will have a chance to win the lovely Gundam dock to go along with it. Uses your basic triple-blade cartridges (we're guessing a Mach 3 would work) to ensure you get as close as an arm-mounted laser cannon. They also come in multiple colors to match your favorite Gundamn model. What more could you ask for, a heatsink blade version?

Gundam Razor [Akihabara]