Value for money: Razors

This week, Value for Money compares four shaving razors (priced per pack)

Gillette Fusion Power

€8.59

Power. Stealth. Fusion. The self-styled best a man can get is really pulling out all the stops with the thrusting buzz words on this five-blade razor, six if you count its “precession trimmer” which sits at the back of the cartridge. It emits “gentle micro pulses” which, we are told, offer “an incredible shaving experience” by making the hair stand to attention before it gets sliced off.

Did we find the experience to be incredible? No, no we did not. Did the extra blades make any tangible difference? No. Was the precision trimmer precise? Not really. Is it dear? Of course. Does it remove facial hair cleanly without much fuss? Yes.

Verdict: A bit OTT

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King of Shaves Azor System

€5.74

This is the only brand to mess about with the whole razor concept and it looks more like a dental flossing device than something you’d shave your face with – the manufactures call it the “technology of bendology” which earns them a black mark from us.

It is also very lightweight which may explain why we brought it to our beaded face with some trepidation. However we were pleasantly surprised – it may only have three blades (we can almost hear the Gillette boys says “pah”) but it does work and shaves as close as any of the competition. Sourcing new cartridge heads might be a problem, however.

Verdict: As sharp as it's bendy

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Wilkinson Sword Hydro 5

€6.06

This has a “hydrating gel reservoir” – something we suspect sounds more interesting than it actually is (it seems to be just a strip of gunk to us). Like the Gillette model, it has five blades and a trimmer. The trimmer is slightly more complex to use than the Gillette precision blade – although both are equally effective, which is to say not very. It is lighter than its main rival - which, to be fair, is weighed down with a battery - but offers an equally close shave except you can expect to pay more than €2 less. We’re not overly impressed with the handle which did not give us as much rubberised grip as we would have liked.

Verdict: Almost cutting edge

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Tesco Triple Blade €2.79

Tesco thumbs its nose up at (most of) the fancy high-tech shaving wizardry but still manages to deliver a pretty sharp razor which is probably not more than a single step up from a disposable.

With this “shaving system” it really is all about the price and it really is significantly cheaper than any of the competition.

It is absolutely grand if there is not a lot of hair to remove from your face – or indeed any other part of you – but we found it struggled just a little bit when confronted with more than a couple of day’s worth of beard.

Verdict: A bit cheap

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Is there something you would like us to test? E-mail suggestions to pricewatch@irishtimes.com