This is the last week of the series where I decided to try using my three favorite and best razors (the King C Gillette, Henson AL13 + mild, and Rockwell 6C) with the blades they came with from the factory. Again, the idea was to see how the shave was as intended by the manufacturers.
This week, it’s the King C Gillette, with the King C Gillette blades. Here’s today’s setup, for June 1, 2025:
- Razor: King C Gillette
- Blade: King C Gillette
- Pre-Shave: Proraso Pre Shave Cream White Sensitive
- Soap: Proraso Shaving Soap White Sensitive
- Alum: Stirling Soap Co. Alum Block
- Post Shave: Proraso White Sensitive After Shave Balm
- Beard Oil: Stirling Soap Co. Unscented Beard & Pre-Shave Oil
One problem with this “hobby” or obsession, depending on your point of view, is that for most areas of this country, you don’t have easy access to a brick-and-mortar store that sells a wide range of shaving products beyond the cartridge razors and canned shaving gels or foams. So as you’re starting out, trying to find products, you either only see what you can find in local stores or start buying things online that you probably only had limited opportunity to research.
The King C Gillette razor is a quality double-edge safety razor that is fairly easy to find in a big-box store, drug store, or even grocery store. As I’ve said before, I got mine at my local grocery store because I had a $10 off coupon, which brought it’s price down to $20, and that included 5 King C Gillette blades.
Gillette introduced it a few years ago along with the King C Gillette line–a more artisan(?) or refined shaving experience that included beard scrubs and oils, this razor, quality safety razor blades, and the like. It stood out–at least a year ago when I was starting to think about switching my shaving tools–as a higher quality alternative to the one or two products that could be found on most store shelves.
As far as I can tell, Gillette makes the razor themselves, either in China or Germany. But these days, as several brands use razors made by Chinese companies and rebranded for themselves, it’s notable as it is made specifically by and for Gillette, as are those razors and brands that are held up as being the high quality products in the field.
The blade, on the other hand, brings some controversy. There are many people online who claim (with or without evidence) that the King C Gillette blades are rebranded Gillette Platinum or even Gillette Astra blades. And there are a few people who have claimed to have spoken to Gillette customer support and received confirmation that the blades are custom made and not rebadged anything. If they are a new blade, you just have to wonder where Gillette would stop, as there are 9 blades I have in my stock alone that are made by Gillette (if you count the KCG as its own blade), and there are around that many more that I don’t have.
Either way, let’s get to the review. First, a caveat: I’d decided on the spur of the moment yesterday morning to do a quick mild shave to knock down the two-day stubble before a church fundraiser dinner last night. So the stubble today was just one day’s worth, and I haven’t shaved that closely together since starting this grand experiment.
The shave felt aggressive–the Proraso setup was doing its usual fine job of lubricating and protecting my face, and I limited myself to just 3 passes on the neck (with, across, and against). But even while shaving, there was noticable blade contact. It wasn’t really uncomfortable, but it was more than I’d prefer. So there was more stinging than usual with the alum block. The razor is more aggressive than the Henson, and I think it lands around plate 3 on the Rockwell 6C, and the blade is generally rated at the same aggressiveness as the Nacet, the Personna Red, and the RK Stainless Steel.
It was a close, but not very close shave. There is a stubble feel on my neck, but that isn’t bad–at least not bad as last week’s Henson and RK setup.
The Rating
Shave #129. I think this could be a good shave, but today may just have been too much to expect after yesterday’s bonus shave. It wasn’t super close, and there was just that aggressive feel that doesn’t make me happy. So I’ll be anxious to see how things go on Tuesday and Thursday. Stay tuned.
Comfort: 4.5 out of 5
Quality/Closeness: 4.5 out of 5
Overall: 4.5 out of 5
