On my 18th birthday, my grandfather, an old-school, salt-of-the-earth ex-farmer, gifted me something different from the classic button-down he'd given me every other year: a Gillette razor, with 5 blades. True to form, he presented it without ceremony, and only said, "You're becoming a man now. People are watching, so look your best." He then gave me the closest expression to a smile I'd ever seen on his face.

Since that moment, (which happened before I even had whiskers to shave) Gillette has been my go-to razor. I'm fiercely loyal because if my grandfather didn't believe that Gillette was manufactured with real, solid craftsmanship, he'd make his own razor in the garage. If it was good enough for him, it's definitely right for me.

Now that I have to shave every day, it's lost some of its meaning. I'm not excited to brush my teeth, either. Recently, when I went to order new blades on Gillette On Demand, I saw that they now offer a Heated Razor, with a warming bar that heats up to a precise temperature for the feeling of a hot towel shave.

My first thought was that my grandfather would find it absurd. Why would you have a razor do what hot water does? I called him to hear his thoughts, and to my surprise, he told me it sounded like a great idea. And that was all I got before he changed the subject.

Gillette is no fly-by-night start-up. Since 1900, the quality's never wavered, so I decided to trust them and test out the heated razor. The ordering process was straightforward, and my razor arrived in a few days. It came in sleek black packaging with an image of the fiery razor to top it off. Turns out, it does a lot more than what hot water does.

When I opened it up, the razor had a solid weight to it – not too heavy, but sturdy enough to inspire confidence effortlessly (think closing the door on a luxury sports car). The handle comes with 2 sets of 5-bladed cartridges. I set it up in my bathroom, in the wireless magnetic charging stand, ready to shave the next morning.

I knew that Gilletteclaimed it would heat up in one second, but I was skeptical and thought that was an exaggeration. When I pressed the button to activate the heat sensor, the button turned red and instantaneously heated up in one second. They suggest the optimal temperature to be 122 degrees, but they also offer a 109-degree setting. I went with the optimal setting, and after applying some shaving cream, took it to my face.

Wow, I'm never going back. With the addition of heat, the shave was smooth and felt amazing on my face. This razor in the morning was like my glass of single malt scotch in the evening: I really needed it. There was no worry that I'd nick myself since the razor glided across my skin like velvet. It's also made with FlexDisc technology, so it glides around the sharp angles of your face; it slid smoothly around my chin, which is always a tough spot for me to get.

The overall shaving experience is so nice that, rather than trying to get it over with, I actually took my time to enjoy my shave. I understand why my girlfriend gets facials now. I enjoy having a smooth face, but now I actually look forward to shaving. It's one less chore and one more luxury.

This was the best razor I'd ever used, so I sent one to my grandfather as a super early birthday present. I was worried that it might have been too fancy for him, but he told me it was the best shave he'd ever had. Did I ever think I'd be the one gifting my grandfather a razor after he did the same to me two decades ago? Nope, but Gillette's heated razor is a serious game-changer and will legitimately increase the quality of anyone's morning.

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