Launched last month in Singapore, Gillette Lab’s Heated Razor is the most premium shaving razor available here. And with a price tag of S$299, I don’t think anyone will argue with that.
SPECS
PRICE: S$299, available in Lazada and Shopee
WEIGHT: 75g (razor), 265g (wireless charging dock)
In case you think you have mis-read or something, the Heated Razor is not an electric shaver but a razor. Yes, a $300 razor.
The Heated Razor – as suggested by its name literally – is a razor that heats up and enables “users to experience the soothing pleasure of a hot towel shave with every stroke without the need for hot water or a steaming towel”, according to its maker.
DESIGN
Out of the box, you get the Heated Razor, an extra cartridge, the charging cable and the wireless charging dock.
Based on looks alone, the Heated Razor is quite a winner. I like the sleek aluminium zinc handle. It has a rubberised front that holds the power button and a straight-line heat indicator.
At the point where the handle joins the cartridge is a circular cartridge eject button. This circular part allows the blade to move a little bit to the sides.
But the “magic” of this razor is the stainless steel heating bar sited below the five blades on the cartridge.
This is the usually the place where the lubricating strip resides on other Gillette cartridges. But for the Heated Razor cartridges, the lubricating strip is on top of the blades.
If you are worried that the razor might burn your face, fret not. There are four intelligent heat sensors that maintain the desired heat levels with built-in safety technology to prevent overheating.
FOR
+ Warm comfortable shave
+ Sleek design
+ Waterproof
AGAINST
– Very expensive
– Proprietary charging cable
The Heated Razor needs to be charged for at least 1 hour before use. However, its wireless charging dock is powered by its own proprietary charging cable instead of the ubiquitous USB-C cable. This might be troublesome when we can travel again.
PERFORMANCE
There are two heat levels available – the higher (49°C) and lower (43°C). By default, the Heated Razor will on the higher heat level when it is turned on.
The heat indicator will be orange when it is at the higher heat level and yellow if it is at the lower heat level. To adjust the heat level, press and hold the power button until the heat indicator changes colour.
It takes only a second for the Heated Razor to heat up after you press the power button to turn it on. So, it is ready to use almost the instance you turned it on.
At the time of this review, Singapore is pretty much on “semi-lockdown” mode with heightened measures and working from home (WFH) default. Thus, I ended up not shaving for three weeks growing quite a moustache and goatee. It provided a perfect excuse to use the Heated Razor.
Frankly speaking, I was skeptical and thought this Heated Razor is probably a gimmick. But to my surprise, I actually love the “heatedness” when I ran the blades on my face to shave off the “WFH moustache”.
I think the higher heat level is not too hot and in fact, pretty perfect for shaving. As such, I found no need to lower the heat level. Indeed, I wonder how would I been able to return to my “cold” Gillette razor.
The razor’s 5-blade mechanism also offers a comfortable shave without painfully prying out my facial hair. It is seriously as smooth as it gets.
Of course, you can just use hot towel or warm water to rinse your face before you shave to get the same desired effect. However, I like the convenience of having the razor do the job for me instead of the hassle of getting warm water and soaking a towel in it.
BATTERY LIFE
I have reviewed electric shavers and for the good ones, their battery life is usually around 1 hour. So, Heated Razor’s rated battery life of 18 minutes sound a tad short to me.
Then again, I have not reviewed anything similar to the Heated Razor. So, it might not be fair to judge the Heated Razor based on electric shavers.
That said, I doubt any man will take 18 minutes for a shave. It is usually done in 5 minutes or so. Not to mention, you will probably leave the Heated Razor to charge on the wireless charging dock.
VERDICT
The Gillette Heated Razor is undoubtedly very expensive. But no other razor offers the convenience of a hot shave as and when you want it. As long as you remember to charge it, of course.
RATINGS
DESIGN: 9/10
PERFORMANCE: 9/10
BATTERY LIFE: 8/10
VALUE FOR MONEY: 7/10
OVERALL: 8/10
