Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasantly Surprised and Pleased, January 7, 2008
Okay, I have back hair. Not real thick or matted, but very visible. Black and straight and fairly long, in patches shaped like upside-down Ls across each shoulder and down my outer back.
I've never heard a woman say, "Wow, back hair is hot," so a few years ago I started to do something about it.
Initially I tried duct-taping a razor to a kitchen spatula in order to extend my reach. It was still very difficult to get reach all areas of my back and get GOOD contact and get the hair off. Eventually I would get a good shave, but it would usually take me well over an hour of stretching and straining, and by the time I was done my bathroom looked like it had been the site of a hairy, bloody war.
I first saw an ad for the Mangroomer (also available from Amazon) and tried that, but was disappointed. I thought it would be less brutal on my back than sliding a razor around there, but it didn't cut very close at all. Maybe it would work fine for some people; maybe those with fine light-colored back hair. It gets plenty of positive reviews on Amazon. But it didn't work well for me.
The Razorba worked much better for me. I used it with a Gillette Atra Plus razor blade (two blades plus a lubricating strip, and a pivoting head), aligning the razor as shown on the Razorba website. I got a good shave in MUCH less time than my old spatula, razor and duct tape contraption -- maybe about 15 minutes. It might take you a little longer to get the hang of it -- the fact that I'd had previous "practice" using a much more difficult tool surely helped me. Bottom line, it was a much easier and faster task than I'd expected.
Tips:
- I first wetted myself down in the shower, and applied shaving gel. The gel helps a LOT. Hint: If you can't reach all parts of your back to apply the gel, apply it to the wall of your shower and rub your back against it to get it on.
- For the first pass, I shaved in the shower with the shower off, mostly going over my back by feel. I ran the tub water, and rinsed the razor off frequently.
- Rather than trying to move the razor in one direction only -- stroke, lift, replace, stroke, lift, replace -- I recommend just moving the razor blade up and down without lifting it from your skin. Kinda back and forth, as if you were using it to RUB the hair off. That maintains good contact with your skin the whole time. This is the technique that worked best for ME, anyway. If you keep lifting the blade from the skin and repositioning it, it's harder to keep the angle right.
- After the first pass, I rinsed off in the shower, then took a look in my batroom mirror. I still had big patches about the size of my hand, below each shoulder blade, that had to be reshaved. I applied more shaving gel as described before, and used the "rub up and down" technique described above to get the rest of that hair off while checking myself in the mirror. It was also easier to shave my shoulders with the aid of a bathroom mirror.
- If you are having difficulty getting the hair off with your strokes, you MIGHT try this: Take the razor blade out of the razor, turn it around so that it faces the other way, and put it back in the razor that way. Now you're saving action will be a "pushing" rather than a pulling action. That might help you get the hair, by cutting in a different direction with regard to the direction of your hair growth.
- Be careful and don't push so hard that the razor digs into your skin. This wasn't a real problem for me, as I believe the design of a modern razor blade makes this unlikely. What requires more care: Be careful not to move the razor blade SIDEWAYS across your skin in a slicing motion; you'll cut yourself that way. Do that a lot, and you'll look like you just had sex with Catwoman or something. I got careless and did give myself two raw scrapes that way, the first time. (They were more like scratches than deep cuts.) With more practice, it should be easier to avoid this.
Two main "passes" as I've just described, plus some minor spot clean up in the mirror, were enough to get all the back hair off with a smooth shave. Again, I was pleased to find that the Razorba did a good job rather quickly and was pretty easy to use -- much easier than any other self-shaving technique I'd tried.
How often do you need to reshave? This will vary for you, based on the coarseness of your hair, how fast it grows, how "smooth" you want to keep yourself. I think once a month or two should suffice for me.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Ok...but could be better, March 11, 2008
The Razorba works alright. I have a few issues though: 1. If you are shaving your back with a full crop of hair, it isnt going to work very well, just like trying to shave your face or wherever without trimming things down first. If you are really hairy you will need to either nair anyway or be very very very patient with this thing as it will only shave about a square inch of long hair on its own. Seems like it will be good to use if your hair is very short though. 2. The plastic slot that you put the razor in could be designed better. It is basically a softer plastic tube that grips the handle of a normal disposable razor inside the harder plastic body of the Razorba. This could be improved by putting some sort of screw clamp on the side so your disposable couldnt move. I think this could be done without increasing the cost much since I suspect they make a pretty huge profit margin on these things. The problem with the razor not being held securely is that it can turn slightly in the plastic sleave and cut you, this doesnt really hurt but if you are a bleeder its hard to get it to stop. Another thing that could be improved is to make a hole in the end of the head of the thing opposite where you put the razor for water to flow out of. After you rinse off the razorblade water collects in the head which when you go to do another stroke flies all over your bathroom, but more seriously makes the razor fit less tightly in the soft plastic tube. All in all this product does work but their are a few minor annoyance type issues that coule be fixed easily to make it better.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It's not rocket science, December 25, 2007
In the old days if I wanted to shave my own back I used a coat hanger reshaped for ease of use and some duct tape to hold on disposable blades then one day I ran across the Razorba.
I've had this product since it first became available from the manufacturer. At first I thought the price was a little high for a piece of plastic but as soon as I used it the first time I was hooked. And I had in the past spend many multiples of the price for waxing, laser removal, etc.
Yes it's true there are many blades that won't fit but there are more that will. I use "sensor" double blade which which has a round handle and fits perfectly into the blade holder. I replace the blades every dozen or so times I use it when the lube strip starts to wear down. It really isn't necessary to try to use 3, 4 or 5 blade razors that you would otherwise use on your face. Your back is NOT your face.
As far as being able to lather up your own back... I use moisturizing body wash that can also be used for shaving... lather up a wet washcloth and can easily lubricate my entire back in about 10 seconds flat. If you have mastered the ability to use both hands and a washcloth to wash your own back lathering is a piece of cake.
I have never once cut myself with this device. I do however keep my eyes open and LOOK at what I am doing. Some areas of my back I do from the sides and others from the top.
I usually don't use it in the shower as I don't have a mirror in there. I do my lathering in the shower or using the sink and lay down a towel on the bathroom floor and finish the business in a minute or two.
It is durable plastic and will survive many drops although I can't say the same for the blades after they hit the ground.
Other devices I use for body grooming are the norelco body groomer which is a steal and the latest generation mangroomer which I use for quick touchups or to mow down the rug if I haven't shaved for more than a week but nothing... I repeat NOTHING works as good as my Razorba!
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