KEY POINTS:
From the old-fashioned cut-throat shave at the barber shop, to the latest five-bladed, vibrating razors used in the bathroom at home - shaving has undergone a revolution.
But how many blades does a bloke need? And does all this new technology give a better result?
Gillette - which
has just introduced the five-bladed Fusion Power Phantom razor that vibrates and has a precision trimmer on the back - says most Kiwi men prefer razors with three or more blades.
Auckland barber Sean McGrath, who gives old-fashioned single-blade shaves at Barbers Inc in Kingsland, said cut-throat razors gave a better result than multi-bladed razors, provided the customer didn't have sensitive skin.
The 22-year-old has been doing cut-throat shaves for about a year.
"Heaps of people are trying it, but most customers are people who get it done before weddings."
He said using hot towels beforehand softened the skin, but customers could expect a couple of nicks.
"If you can do a good job with a single blade, there's no use extending the blade number on razors."
But Neville Spence, who has been a barber for 40 years and runs Mr Barber Training Centre, said people tended to romanticise cut-throat razors.
"Today you are competing with razors that have four or five blades in them, are self-lubricating ... even the old-style cut-throat with one blade isn't going to compete with a razor with four or five blades in it.
"The modern ones will cut closer than the old-fashioned one. Technology has got so much better. People romanticise the old cut-throat shave but it's not a patch on modern gear."
He said a cut-throat shave could leave customers with pink, sore faces for a couple of days because a layer of skin was taken off.
Cut-throat razors must now by law have disposable blades on them because of health concerns.
Auckland dermatologist Nick Birchall said there were no good studies saying any particular razors were better than others.
"The main advantage of the new technology is that it's safer, you are less likely to cut yourself, rather than it makes a dramatic difference to the quality of your skin."
So how many blades can men expect to see in the future?
"The number of blades is based on research that's conducted in our Gillette shaving labs so how many blades depends on research at the time," a Gillette spokeswoman said.
THE BIG SHAVE-OFF: FIVE BLADES v ONE CUT-THROAT
I never thought I'd enjoy anything called a cut-throat shave. But I did.
The name itself didn't fill me with confidence and neither did the size of the blade Sean showed me as I sat in the chair in Barber Inc.
I put it out of my mind as he applied cream and then covered my face with a hot towel to prepare my skin.
The whole procedure reminded me of a facial - which I haven't had, but imagine would be similar. It was also a bit like being at the dentist - lay back, try not to look too scared and you'll be better off once it's over.
It was time-consuming, taking 20 minutes for just half my face but you wouldn't want to rush would you?
There were a few tense moments when the blade was worryingly close to my neck, but I was pretty stoked with the result.
The cut-throat side of my face was definitely a lot smoother than the five-blade one. It felt good and looked good, I was reliably informed by colleagues.
That's not to say the five-blade didn't cut it - no pun intended. I'm a fan of gadgets so was excited to try the latest in shaving technology.
It was a lot better than my old razor and takes pride of place in the bathroom shelf but - and maybe it was the novelty value - the cut-throat shave was the convincing winner.
It was a good shave and almost everyone picked which side was the five-blade and which was the cut-throat shave.
- Andrew Koubaridis
