King C. Gillette Neck Razor Review: An Effective and Skin-Friendly Touch-Up Razor

I’M NOT A fan of shaving my neck. Not only is it always a bit harrowing (so many arteries) but for me, it’s the place where I notice the most ingrown hairs. Traditional shaving with cartridge razors usually leaves me peppered with razor bumps and painful ingrowns so shaving that area daily is a vicious cycle. As a result, I’m stuck trying to find the perfect balance between shaving my neck and keeping this irritation at a minimum. At least I know I’m not alone in this struggle because the King C. Gillette Neck Razor was designed specifically for people like me, and it’s been a welcomed resource in my routine.

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It may seem silly to have a razor just for your neck, and truthfully it’s not something I would typically think was necessary, but this razor has been specifically designed with sensitive neck skin in mind to help keep irritation and ingrown hairs at bay. It’s also ideal for people with beards, who want a clean-shaven neck. Since it has an integrated precision trimming blade on the razor cartridge, it’s adept at easily creating crisp necklines for a clean effect. The handle itself is weightier and feels more luxurious than other similar cartridge razors I’ve tried, which is always nice, too.

I found in my testing that the King C. Gillette Neck Razor delivers on the promises of the design—namely to make shaving sensitive necks easier and more comfortable—but it’s not necessarily an essential to my grooming routine. For men who have beards or a bit of extra time on their hands and want to use a different razor on their necks, it may be a good thing to integrate into a larger routine. It’s also a good enough razor that you could use on the rest of your face if you’re looking to streamline. Overall, it’s effective enough to be a worthwhile investment if you have particular issues with shaving your neck, which is really what it’s designed to do.

The pitch for the King C. Gillette Neck Razor is that it’s specifically designed to be used on your neck allowing for a more comfortable, sensitive-skin-friendly shave on an area that is prone to irritation. Ultimately, it delivers on this promise. The cartridges are similar to the Gillette SkinGuard razor, which is also designed for sensitive skin. It features two blades spaced farther apart with an “irritation defense bar” placed between them. The bar is the hero design of both types of razors.

It’s designed to keep the blades from coming in too close contact with your skin and gently lifts hairs off your skin’s surface to facilitate easier cutting while lowering the risk of dragging, nicking, and cutting. It’s an effective design that actually does work, and while it doesn’t shave as close to the skin as some other Gillette razors, that’s the point. Sensitive skin benefits from a shave that isn’t too close since the closer the shave, the greater the risk of irritation. This razor cartridge also includes a lubrication strip, which is standard with most cartridge razors these days, and does provide a bit of slip in the shaving process.

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Unique to the Neck Razor is the integrated precision trimmer on the cartridge, which is basically just an exposed single blade that helps you to create crisper, cleaner lines. This is particularly welcome in the Neck Razor as it allows you to shave close to your beard and create a more distinct beard line. Rounding out the design features is the ergonomically designed handle which is easy to grip and slightly heavier than your typical cartridge razor, giving it a slightly more premium feeling.

Is the King C. Gillette Neck Razor more effective than other razors? That’s debatable. I found that from a shaving standpoint, it’s on par with other cartridge razors I’ve tried, especially the Gillette SkinGuard, which makes sense since the razor designs share quite a few features, especially the irritation defense bar. It’s not going to give you the closest shave ever, but since it’s designed for sensitive skin, that’s to be expected. I found using it was comfortable and smooth, and I didn’t need to go back over the same areas multiple times (this was key because the more you shave the same area, the more you risk irritation).

The finish is smooth and close enough, though I did start to get shadow a bit earlier in the day than I typically do with razors that cut closer. This wasn’t a bad thing for me and it’s probably not noticeable to the average person who doesn’t see my face every day. The real benefit I found in using this razor is that it cut down on ingrown hairs on my neck. Traditional shaving typically leaves me with plenty of ingrown hairs on my neck, and while the Neck Razor didn’t completely eliminate them, I did notice fewer. This is probably thanks to the sensitive skin-friendly razor that doesn’t cut quite as close as others.

I found the integrated precision trimmer to be good, but not great. It was fine at cleaning up beard lines on my neck and cheeks, but not foolproof. I think it’s a bit small to really give a super-crisp lineup on its own. While I don’t have a long beard, I did let my stubble grow for a few days so I could adequately test the trimmer feature as it was meant to be used. By itself, it’s not powerful enough to really cut through longer stubble. The best way to use it, I found, was to use a beard trimmer to create the lines and then use the precision trimmer blade on the razor to clean them up and make them extra crisp.

It’s much better at cutting shorter stubble and does leave a crisp finish when used that way. Ultimately, I found the Neck Razor did what it claimed to do, though I’m not sure I would call it essential to a grooming routine. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a welcome addition to a beard care routine, but some guys may find it just as good to use a beard trimmer for the same effect. If you have sensitive skin or struggle with ingrown hairs, however, it’s well worth considering.

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Priced at $15 (and $9 as of publishing on Amazon thanks to a 39 percent discount!) with only two refills included, the King C. Gillette Neck Razor is slightly more expensive than similar cartridge razors (for reference, the Gillette SkinGuard is $13 with two refills). This likely comes down to the weightier, more premium handle, and the additional features on the cartridge.

Similarly, Neck Razor refills are $17 for a pack of three, compared to SkinGuard refills which are $30 for a pack of eight. This means you’re paying a slight premium every time you purchase refills, but like the starter pack, it’s negligible. From a value standpoint, if you use the neck razor often enough, it may not make a huge difference to you whether you pay $2 more.

Cleaning the Neck Razor is easy and rinsing it under a running faucet does the trick well enough, just like other cartridge razors. One note, however, is that because of the irritation defense blade and the lubricating strip, using a very thick shaving cream makes it a bit hard to rinse. You may want to use a thinner cream or a foam to make cleaning easier.

Overall, the King C. Gillette Neck Razor delivers on what it’s designed to do. It’s an effective sensitive skin-friendly razor that shaves well and reduces the amount of post-shave irritation I saw on my skin, particularly on my neck, which is a problem area for me. The integrated precision trimmer helps with necklines, but isn’t the most effective on longer stubble.

The experience of using this razor is pleasant and more comfortable than many other cartridge razors I’ve tried, though on par with similarly designed options like the Gillette SkinGuard. For a larger beard care routine, it would be a welcome addition to help keep the neck smooth and lines clean, but it’s not essential. Think of it more as a great optional extra accessory.

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