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This article was taken from the April 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Wired puts a price on vanity with a roundup of wet-shave razors.
How we tested
Wired volunteers and barber Petros Chrysanthou from Murdock, London, shaved with each razor for three weeks. We compared shave closeness by counting the bristles left in a 3cm square of skin after three passes.
Gillette Fusion ProGlide Manual (above)
The broad stem of this Gillette razor is covered in rubber, making it easy to manoeuvre quickly. Gillette claims the five blades are each sharper than a surgical scalpel and it levelled the majority of bristles on our Test editor's face, achieving a smooth finish. Replacement cartridges are expensive, but have an extra blade at the top that gave neat edges.
7/10
Wired: A very close shave with few passes
Tired: Replacement cartridges are expensive
£9.99 (£17.49 for six cartridges) gillette.com
Wilkinson Sword Quattro for Women
Like the men's Quattro system, this shaver uses four-bladed cartridges, but as female hairs tend to be softer, the blades aren't titanium coated. Our researcher found it very good on legs, leaving no stubble. She also liked the safety wire preventing nicks and the rubber-covered handle that gave a secure grip. The two conditioning strips help lubricate, but we couldn't prove the claimed revitalising properties of the acai and jojoba extracts.
6/10
Wired: Smooth and safe; grippy handle
Tired: The lubricating strips are unnecessary
£5.79 (£5.79 for three cartridges) wilkinsonsword.co.uk
Boots Blade 5
This looks very like the market leader and even has real steel parts, which gives it a robust feel. The replacement cartridges are cheaper and offer the same number of blades and similar lubricant strip. However, these blades are thicker and less sharp, leaving more stubble. They also clogged and needed water under pressure to clear them.
6/10
Wired: Metal parts give pleasing weight; affordable razor and blade system
Tired: Blades are prone to clogging
£3.99 (£6.79 for five cartridges) boots.com
Murdock Ernest Ivory
This classic razor has a plastic, not ivory, handle and uses old-style double-edged blades, making it the most economical, despite the cost of the handle (blades cost around 30p each). Our Wired volunteer (we banned Murdock's Chrysanthou from testing it) thought it gave the cleanest shave by far. It's easy to nick yourself, but it handles well and it's good under the nose.
8/10
Wired: Close shave
Tired: Dangerous when in shaky hands
£36 (£3 for ten cartridges) murdocklondon.com
King of Shaves Azor 5 Sensitive
A solid steel handle gives a feel of quality and its two-piece design is easy to keep clean. However, its five blades clogged, which meant frequent pauses to run it under the tap. It left a few bristles and took several sweeps to get a smooth shave. Our testers enjoyed the razor's heft, but its stiffly pivoting head made it awkward to reach under the chin and around the neck.
5/10
Wired: Easy to clean
Tired: Difficult to manoeuvre
£5.99 (£6.99 for six cartridges) shave.com
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
