The weirdest competition to our picks are shadow offerings by Gillette itself. Introduced last year—and then somewhat buried on its website—are the Gillette3 and Gillette5. These use Mach3- and Fusion5-compatible cartridges on new handles. In the case of the Gillette5, the cartridges are significantly cheaper (around $2 each, or half the price of the Fusion5, while the Gillette3 blades are about 30¢ less than the Mach3’s). However, our testers noted more irritation with the Gillette3 and Gillette5 cartridges than with the Mach3 and Fusion5 and absolutely hated the handles, which use what Gillette calls Aqua Grip. This design consists of a gel-like series of bands around the handles that, in theory, are supposed to give the user a firmer hold on the razor—whereas we found the opposite. “Despite the name I found the Aqua Grip handle to be maybe the slipperiest possible design,” wrote one tester. You don't have to use the Aqua Grip, and shouldn't; Gillette3 blades work on Mach3 handles, and Gillette5 on Fusion5 handles.

...but even with the similar Gillette3’s/Mach3, testers disliked the gel handles that became slippery in water. Photo: Tim Barribeau

The Gillette5’s handle (right) is a major departure from the more ergonomic Fusion5… Photo: Tim Barribeau

...but even with the similar Gillette3’s/Mach3, testers disliked the gel handles that became slippery in water. Photo: Tim Barribeau

The Gillette5’s handle (right) is a major departure from the more ergonomic Fusion5… Photo: Tim Barribeau 1 of 2

The big question is how close the Gillette3 is to the Mach3, and the Gillette5 to the Fusion5. The Gillette5 doesn't have a trimmer blade, which we see as a good reason to buy Fusion. But you pay almost double for that accessory. The triple-blade Gillette3 cartridges are much closer in appearance and function to the Mach3, but they’re also much closer in price, so we don’t see a good reason to mate the Gillette3 blades with a Mach3 handle, given that the Gillette3 cartridges were more irritating to our testers' faces.

After years of attempts, Gillette released the Heated Razor, a model intended to re-create the experience of a hot-towel shave at home. With a thicker, longer handle and replaceable cartridges, the razor quickly heats and creates a relatively consistent experience, according to our testers. However, they were not impressed by it overall.

Gillette’s Sensor razor line is ancient even compared with the Mach3, having been introduced during a time known as the 1980s, an age when men allowed their chest hair to range upward and connect, like the vines covering the walls of a respected university, to their facial hair. The old-school line is just fine, even admirably simple but didn’t make our final cut because it’s not easy to find in stores, it’s hard to find legitimate listings online, and the blades appear to be made of chromium-coated carbon steel, not stainless, so we don’t think they’ll last as long or give as smooth a shave over time.

Dollar Shave Club was the first subscription service to disrupt traditional shaving, and it got Gillette to significantly lower prices on its existing products. But we couldn’t make it a pick for a simple reason: Though three testers named its six-blade flagship model as a favorite, an equal number described it as irritating and uncomfortable. And since DSC also makes the club purchasing experience such a key part of its argued advantage, we also have to say: What a mess. A visit to the DSC website—a soccer riot of dozens of grooming products, with multiple subscription options and endless upsells—makes it pretty hard to see how that promise can be easily fulfilled (Example: Do you buy razors at the “blades” or the “shave” link?). Still, DSC’s flagship six-blade (that’s right! six!) razor got three top-three votes, and several reviewers especially liked the razor’s heavy, ergonomic handle (think: toothbrush-like). You pay $2.25 per cartridge on a weekly cartridge replacement plan (DSC also offers a cheaper four-blade cartridge plan; all DSC handles work with both the six- and four-blade cartridges).

[Editor's note: It's not relevant to the razors, but Dollar Shave Club does publish the excellent online magazine MEL.]

Dollar Shave Club’s product is manufactured by Korean personal care giant Dorco, which also makes the nearly identical six-blade club razor for Barbasol, maker of the famed red, white, and blue can of shave cream.

Barbasol’s club beats DSC’s in two ways: simplicity and price. The handles and blades are similar to but not exactly the same as DSC’s, and our testers viewed both as slightly less comfortable than the DSC equivalents. However, Barbasol does have one rugged angle covered: It is a title sponsor of Major League Fishing.

The DSC/Barbasol six-blade and trimmer unit can also be purchased directly as the Dorco Pace 6, so you can simply replace the cartridge when you need to rather than as a subscription for around the same price. Dorco also offers the Pace 7, with seven blades (plus a trimmer). Unfortunately, adding a seventh blade is like adding a seventh ring of hell (for the record, Dante posited nine, so razor makers still have a journey ahead).

Harry’s is the other major shave club and, as with our previous review, we’re baffled. Rather than securing itself to a pivoting axis, the way most modern razors do, the Harry’s cartridge attaches with a flexy rubber pseudo-hinge that bends when you press it against your skin. It feels totally backwards, something several of our testers noted: “Flexible,” one noted, “but in the wrong direction.”

Harry’s has upgraded its blades since 2015 by making them out of stainless steel, instead of carbon steel, and that’s good. And Harry’s smooth orange Truman handle—it looks like it’s made from lovely, old-school Bakelite—is gorgeous (it also comes in dark blue and olive). But smooth is also slippery, and we prefer Harry’s pricier Winston handle, which is made of heavier metal and has a better grip surface. Either way, you end up with the flawed Harry’s cartridge design.

Today’s Schick Hydro 5 comes in three iterations, with different formulations for the lubricating strip. Unfortunately the strip is the worst part of the razor: The Hydro 5 is comfortable, shaves fairly close, and rinses well, but the strip turns into a gooey mess after a couple of shaves. “Snail slime,” one reviewer wrote. “Very unpleasant.” (The Hydro 5 also includes a trimmer blade, though you might not notice it, since it is hidden behind a flip-back cover.)

Priced about the same as the Mach3, the Defender is another club/disruption-attempting shaver that’s getting a lot of online promotion right now. It’s primary attribute is that its triple-bladed cartridges are spaced more widely apart for greater rinsability. The concept works—detritus flushes right out—but that width, along with a somewhat Harry’s-like reverse flex mounting system, also made the Defender the only razor that consistently left me with nicks and cuts. I did like the razor’s handy, built-in suction shower mount.