Today’s post is centred on a subject I personally don’t understand. Yet, rather unlike the anger expressed above, my ignorance is somewhat blissful and hardly something that inspires self-defeating rage. (It is anger which seems to shrink the mind more than any other emotion so it’s something I try and steer clear from as often as possible.)  The subject in hand is the new Wilkinson Sword Hydro 5 Power Select I’d heard so much about but had struggled to comprehend – what exactly was it that made it so much better than average razor? How could multi-speed vibrations affect the quality of a shave if they did so at all? How did I manage to shoe horn a needless tangent on my left wing economic beliefs into an article on shaving? These were all things I aimed at finding out through my pursuit of understanding.



   Using this razor is a peculiar experience although not necessarily a bad one for the most part. The gentle buzz is soothing and if the feeling that a thorough shave being achieved is merely a placebo, it's an effective one. Slowly moving the razor around the face is something of a soothing experience and if, as I have for research purposes, a Bic disposable razor and this Hydro 5 are used in quick succession its easy to see how easier it is to shave with the latter; that there should be no worries about causing irritation due to an unduly blunt blade is also a bonus.

   The main con, however, and this is something which will probably stop me ever purchasing a razor like this again, is another one of its unique features - it's lubricating system/hydrating gel resevoir. This over complex terminology is pretty much shorthand for the razor emitting a stringy, mucilaginous, ravine-like  gooey substance mid-shave which is as unpleasant as it is unnecessary (I don't know of anyone who could possibly wish for additional lubricant mid-shave if the had done an adequate job of adding an appropriate amount of gel or cream beforehand). The one unique selling point of a battery operated manual razor should have been enough but this additional feature over egged the pudding somewhat. The equivalent would be an electric toothbrush which, mid teeth cleaning, spurts a mouthful of additional paste into your mouth - but stringy and cheap paste which is a totally different one to the toothpaste you have selected to use because, you know, its good. Idiotic feature.