Review (1/5): Formerly great razor replaced with garbage
The Barbasol Ultra 3 was the best disposable razor I had ever found. I was planning to keep buying these for the rest of my life.
Then Barbasol drastically decreased the quality of the razor, leaving the price the same. The close, comfortable shave I was accustomed to is gone, replaced by a scratchy, patchy experience.
The most obvious change is the razor's handle, which is now a kind of half-shell that probably uses 50% less plastic. The plastic strip directly beneath the blades has been completely changed, too.
I don't have any of the old razors left to compare to the new version, but another reviewer on Amazon (Unseen World, 7/18/2020) was able to compare them side by side, and he pointed out that the new version has a narrower range of swivel, so it's not able to follow the contours of your face as well. Given how much worse this razor shaves, I wouldn't be surprised if Barbasol also decreased the quality of steel in the blades.
I used to be able to get at least two close, comfortable shaves out of one of these razors before throwing it away. Now I can't get even ONE decent shave.
What happened? Did Barbasol run into supply-chain issues during the pandemic and decide not to warn their customers? Or are they in financial trouble and trying to cut costs any way they can? Or, did they just get greedy and decide to increase their profit margin, thinking no one would notice?
I would love to hear from a Barbasol representative on this.
For what it's worth, I'm aware that Barbasol also makes a six-bladed disposable razor, which I've tried. It's heavy and clumsy and doesn't shave nearly as well as the old version of the Ultra 3. More blades do not automatically make for a better shave. (Where will it all end? A 20-bladed disposable razor the size of my whole face, which somehow magically shaves me in one stroke? Ridiculous.)