King of Shaves Azor 5 Sensitive razor February 2011

Five-blade Azor from King of Shaves

The Azor 5 sensitive is the latest in the innovative range of Azor shaving systems from King of Shaves.

The most obvious update to the design is that it has five blades – one more than you’ll find on the rest of the Azor range. This extra blade means it matches the Gillette Fusion range and the Wilkinson Sword Hydro 5 blade for blade. King of Shaves also claims that the Azor 5 comes with thinner blades than earlier Azor incarnations.

Check out our first impressions of the Azor 5 in our First Look video review:

King of Shaves Azor 5 Sensitive First Look review

Like other Azor razors, the Azor 5 Sensitive has a different look and feel to other razors you'll find in your local chemist or supermarket. It has a long, thin handle, which takes a little getting used to, and the blade cartridge is mounted on rubber that bends as you shave, rather than a swivel head.

We took the Azor 5 Sensitive home and tried it out in the bathroom for two weeks. It produced close results and in 14 days of shaving, we didn’t notice any nicks or cuts. The blades feel comfortable on the skin and overall it feels very similar to the original King of Shaves Azor, previously tested by Which?. We think you’d need to be a very sensitive shaver to notice the difference between a four-blade Azor and the Azor 5 Sensitive.

Easy to grip

There’s no obvious gripping area on the handle, but both the top and the underside are made of softer material which makes it easy to grip, even when wet. Azor blades pop on and pop off – unlike most blade cartridges, which clip into place. Again, this takes a little getting used to, but once you know what to do, it’s quick and easy.

The new Azors are noticeably heavier than earlier models, which feels like it will improve control. There are no other obvious changes in design between the old and new Azor handles, and if you have a stash of Azor blades from the Azor M, Polar or Warp razors, you’ll be able to use them on the new Azor 5 Sensitive.

Cheap blades

The Azor 5 Sensitive is £6.99 and comes with two blade cartridges. Replacement blades are available in packs of six for £6.99 – this works out as around £1.17 per blade, which is very cheap for a shaving system.The Azor 5 Sensitive and replacement blades are available from Asda, Boots, Tesco and Waitrose.

We’ve tested the original King of Shaves Azor in our laboratory and with a panel of users. To see how it did on test, go to our full razors review.

Pros: The Azor 5 Sensitive is great value for money and initial impressions of shave closeness and comfort are good.

Cons: If you haven’t used one before, an Azor razor may take some getting used to because of the long, thin handle.