Tried it Tuesday - Venus Embrace

As a participant in VocalPoint, I was sent a sample of the Venus Embrace Razor. I was a little skeptical at first as I had no problem with the current disposable razors I had been using for some time, but decided to give it a try.

I have to say that I was impressed. The razor has five blades and is surrounded by "a protective ribbon of moisture" that is supposed to provide a smooth glide. I really felt like it gave me a great, smooth shave.

It took me a while to get used to the handle, only because it was different than the one I had been using. Now that I have been using it for some time, I find the handle to be very comfortable and find that the notch for my forefinger gives me excellent control of the razor. The head has a nice range of pivot, that allows for a close shave across the curves and contours, even on the knees, which generally are an area that I don't do such a good job with.

One drawback that I found, is that unlike most of the other razors that I have used, there is not a cover for the head, leaving it fully exposed in the shower environment and essentially impossible to travel with. I thought about one of those razor travel cases, but don't think it would accommodate the large head of the razor. I do see that they also have a disposable line, although not with 5 blades, that might be worth a try when I travel.

The second problem that I have is with the price for refills. I'm not sure exactly how frequently you are supposed to replace the head, but the refills definitely run more than the disposables I had been using and more than the original razor kit, which comes with two heads. Luckily, as it is still early in its launch, there have been some high value coupons and some deals at the drugstores for the razors themselves. I hate to say it, but I have a few of the razors in my closet and have yet to buy just the refill. It sort of defeats the intent of a reusable handle and refills, when I wind up swapping the whole unit, but economically the coupons paired with the sales, make the average cost per head much cheaper on the starter unit.

One thing I do like though about the replacement heads is that the container for the refill heads is a fully enclosed package, so if you do use the shower holder and store your blades in the shower, they won't be exposed to the water while in storage. I think this should help over some other razors I've used in the past that had refills that were exposed to the environment while in storage.

Have you tried the Venus Embrace? What did you think? Tried something else that you would like to share? Leave a comment or post to your blog, with a link back to this post, and leave your link on Mr. Linky.