With increased competition from the likes of Dollar Shave Club and Harry's, Gillette have veered away from the affordability trend and decided to focus on a premium product with their new $150 Heated Razor.

At first glance the razor doesn't look that different to one of their ordinary multi-blade razors but the difference is that there is a heating element bar where the lubricant strip is normally placed. The manufacturers claim that the addition of this heated bar provides a far superior shave akin to hot towel treatment. With quick push of a button, it takes less than a second to heat up the bar to either 113 or 122 degrees Fahrenheit - according to Product Innovation Senior Engineer at Procter & Gamble Stephanie Niezgoda Moss these temperatures offer the broadest global appeal to potential users.

Charging is done via a magnetic charging unit which provides enough juice for up to 6 shaves before a recharge is required. Disappointingly though it doesn't have the vibrate functionality of many of Gillettes other razors which I personally find is incredibly useful in getting a more comfortable shave. Another issue for me is the high price of the replacement blades which retail at a whopping $20 for 4 cartridges.

The unit has only been available exclusively on Indiegogo and over 1200 of the razors have been sold which is almost 500% ahead of target. According to the comments on the site, these initial purchasers are effectively guinea pigs to help Gillette iron out any kinks prior to a full scale launch version in 2019.

So is this heated razor the best a man can get? And is it worth paying the high price for it? Well according the testers at Gear Patrol, they believe it is:

"Its main feature makes it feel genuinely good. You can get a close shave without having the blades heated to a perfectly calibrated warmth, but it won’t feel like someone who cares about your well-being is hugging your face"

So what do you think? Would you be prepared to pay $150 for a heated razor? And a further $20 for the consumables? Do you think it's a decent innovation or just a pricey gimmick? As ever, I am keen to hear your thoughts...