We talked about how close a shave you can get with a Philips before you start peeling skin. And it would seem that when it comes to the advancement of a shaver, that's as far as it can go.
Then Gillette asks for someone to hold its beer.
How can Gillette one-up its competitors? How about shaving and having a heating element to the experience? It's one of those sage advice passed down from hirsute men to other hirsute men, about how heat is a welcome factor in that shaving equation. Dousing your face with hot water makes shaving easier as the hair stands up and the pores are opened (after your shave, you can cold water to calm the skin and minimise razor burns).
So, kinda like a hot towel shave, you ask? But only without your barber insisting that "the towel isn't that scalding, you baby".
Gillette adds a warming bar to the shaver. Located below a lubricating strip and five blades, the bar warms up in less than a second and provides heat to the skin with each stroke. There are two levels of heat to toggle between (43°C and 50°C) and if you worry that the device might attain sentience and decides to make use of its free will to heat the bar to an unimaginable temperature, there is a built-in safety feature to ensures that safe level of heat.
To charge your heated razor, there is a wireless magnetic charging dock that you can set your razor upright on. The razor is waterproof and trapped within the sleek aluminium zinc handle is a rechargeable lithium ion battery that lasts up to six shaves. See that "circle" where the handle and blade cartridge meet? That's Gillette's FlexDisc Technology that allows your cartridge to pivot side-to-side as it glides over the contours of your face.
How does it work? Well, it is better than the other razors that do not have a heating element to it but it still won't replace that hot towel shave and the impudence of my barber who proceeds to manhandle my face under the guise of "a facial massage". I thought that a face massage is supposed to be relaxing? If so, why do I weep after every session, Sven? WHY?
Gillette’s Heated Razor retails for SGD299 and is available online and at authorised retailers.
