Best Razors

The best razors for women are usually made for men

Using a razor is the simplest method of hair removal, and experts say it's still the best. In tests of electric shavers and epilators at ConsumerReports.org, female testers said that none of the electric models could make them switch from their manual razors. In recent years, companies have done a lot to jazz up the basic blade razor -- adding built-in lotion dispensers, vibrating heads and ever more blades. But we seem to have hit the point of diminishing returns for razor features. By and large, these added features amount to gimmicky marketing, testers say. Two or three blades are all you need for a comfortable, close shave.

Gillette's Venus Divine razor (*Est. $10) is the top pick in a list of nine women's razors tested by Which? magazine. The Venus Divine has three spring-loaded blades in a large pivoting head, and three lubricating strips that are supposed to make shaving more comfortable. Two words best describe the Venus' performance, according to reviews: closeness and comfort. Users say it gives a great shave and is easy to hold, and that the swivel head easily contours to the body.

The Venus Breeze (*Est. $10) is similar, with three blades, but the Breeze has gel strips on either side of the blades that are supposed to eliminate the need for shaving cream or soap. Testers at Redbook magazine like it, saying the Breeze provides a nick-free shave with no irritation to the skin. For some users, however, the large head was just too big. There's also a battery-operated version of the Venus, the Venus Vibrance (*Est. $13), and although it receives a decent rating from testers at Which?, reviewers aren't keen on battery-powered shavers in general. We didn't see any testing of the new Venus Embrace (*Est. $14), which has five blades. And although it fares decently in user reviews, most testers agree that, in general, you don't really need more than three blades, and the extra cost of the razor and the replacement cartridges is probably not worth it. We've included the Venus Divine in ConsumerSearch Fast Answers. However, note that the Divine isn't much different from the Mach3 Turbo razor marketed to men, which also has three blades.

Schick has its own lines of popular women's razors called the Schick Intuition Plus (*Est. $10) and Schick Quattro for Women (*Est. $10). The Intuition Plus comes with a moisturizing strip attached to the blade. Both have four blades. We didn't see the Schick razors included in as many tests as those by Gillette. However, the Schick Quattro disposable (*Est. $8 for three razors) razor was well-liked in informal testing at Redbook magazine. And, in tests at Which? magazine, the top pick among disposable razors was the Schick Xtreme3 for women (*Est. $13 for eight razors). Generally, though, disposable razors didn't fare as well in testing.

Women who want a no-frills razor can check out the Gillette Mach3 Turbo (*Est. $10). Which? magazine classifies this straightforward razor as a Best Buy in its tests of men's razors, although it is slightly edged out by the five-bladed, battery-powered Gillette Fusion Power (*Est. $14) for top billing. In the companion report on shavers for women, the Fusion Power is popular with the female testers among the men's razors they tried, but the women "were put off by the cost." Testers say the Mach3 Turbo gives a very close shave without any gimmicks, and in user reviews it beats out the five-bladed Gillette Fusion (*Est. $12), which the company says delivers a closer shave.

With all of the above razors, you'll have to buy replacement blades, which often cost more than the razor itself. Most replacement blades for Gillette and Schick razors cost between $10 and $15 for a four-pack, and the price of the replacement cartridges goes up as the number of blades and other extra features increases. One way to save on cartridges is to buy them in bulk. But be careful when buying cartridges online: we found more than 50 reviews on Amazon.com warning of fake Gillette blades of very poor quality being sold.