but where do i stand on the trac II?
i'm not sure if i've ever taken a gillette mach3 razor in my hand and held it like i hold my other razors. there’s a mach3 in the bathroom, but i’m freightened by it. so sleek – so modern. i'm loyal to my gillette atra. i've had the atra for at least twelve years - if not longer. i don't even want to contemplate the day i lose it.
of course, i'm no saint. i've cheated on my atra - and do so on a somewhat irregular basis. my recent (of the past three years) getaway shaving implement of choice is the gillette SensorExcel. i recently purchased new blades for it and i feel like i'm getting a fine, fine shave - but it's a light razor. while shaving with such a lightweight tool i find that i don't have time for contemplation. and the time i spend contemplating my life while performing this weekly task is a most necessary part of the process. as i look in the mirror and hold the SensorExcel i can feel the blades slide along my face in almost too zippy a manner!
i always return to the atra. i find it presents a sufficient degree of flexibility (ooh - that pivoting head!) and a smallness of area around the blades. with the atra, i can control which parts of my face i'm shaving. i fear the giant three blade approach of the mach3 would destroy any sense of finesse i now pretend to have while shaving my beard. the mach3 is for people who don't have facial hair. i’m wary of those people.