I am aware that this is really trivial, and that if I spent my time more productively, I could produce software that would make me rich and famous and hated across the width and breadth of the earth, just like Bill Gates. However, I'm intent on contributing something useful to mankind (unlike Bill Gates), and herewith is another product review.
This review deals with shaving apparatus. While I was in Germany, I used a straight-edge. Straight-edges are superbly manly, mostly because of the constant risk you run of slashing your own body parts, but the fact of the matter is that they are rather tedious to use, and don't provide a very good shave. I suppose that with a really expensive straight-edge, and some diligent stropping and regular sharpenings, you could maintain an edge that could approach the shave of a modern razor, but, as I said: shaving with a straight-edge is an exercise in Putz. Electric shavers are much less putzy, but provide the worst shaves I've ever had. For my time and money, a good disposable-head razor is the thing.
I've had a few, but for a couple of (about six) years now, my favorite has been a Gillette. Recently, however, I purchased a new Schick. The type is an Fx/Diamond. I bought it primarily for the same reason I buy anything: because it looked cool. So far, it has been a great razor, and beats out the Gillette, and I'm here to explain why.
Please remember as you read this, that I write this purely as a subjective review of the product. I have no attachment to any of these companies, and I have not done empirical tests of the products.
The first thing I like about the Schick is the feel of the shaver itself. It has a smooth, ergonomic grip, and is satisfyingly weighty. A light razor seems to me like a recipe for nicks and cuts; the Gillette I had had a nice feel, but didn't fit in the hand as well, and wasn't as heavy as the Schick. The second thing I noticed about the Schick is that the construction of the razor itself is a sort of U, where the (disposable) blade is held at either end. The Gillette is held in the middle. This is nice because the Schick rinses easily, as the water flows unobstructed through the blades and around the head. I really like this. The other thing this construction provides is what I first imagined was a gimmick: the blade is flexible and bends in the middle to form a concave surface. While I didn't think much of this when I first bought the thing, after the first shave I saw the benefits. Think about it: your face is mostly convex, or flat. I love this feature of the Schick. It allows me to shave with much more abandon, especially around the chin area, where I'm usually especially careful, due to the fact that with inflexible blades, you have a single point of contact between the blade and your skin. This was the least anticipated, and perhaps most appreciated, feature of this shaver. The third aspect of this is the diamond blade. Supposedly, these blades are coated with a diamond compound, which is supposed to extend the life of the blades. I don't know if this is true, or if the blade is more sharp than others, or if there is really any benefit whatsoever to using these blades. I do know that the blades are double lubricated, with those teflon/soap bars above and below the blades, and that the shave, even with a couple day's growth, is superbly smooth, and that I don't believe I've had as close a shave... ever. My problem points are on my neck, on either side of my adam's apple. I've never before had a shave that left those areas feeling... shaved. Today, I'm happy to say that my entire face and neck feels fairly uniformly smooth.
Overall, I'm pleased with the new shaver, and recommend it. I believe that the flexible nature of the blades would be good for women's legs, as well. A woman's leg has quite a few concave parts, unlike a man's face, and the flexible blade may not help there; however, most of the cuts and nicks from shaving that I've seen (on a woman) are usually around the shin and calves, where the flexibility would do the most good. I'd like to hear if any women try this, and what they're opinions are.