WE never cared much for designer stubble. Why should women put all that money and effort into making our complexions peachy soft just to have them raked to bits by some chap too idle to shave?

But now the lads are taking their own faces seriously and they're the ones who are peachy soft and moisturised. And disposable razors - for years the poor relation of the men's toiletries counter and just a mite more comfortable and efficient than a pumice stone - have become all high tech and sexy.

They look very stylish, impressive bits of kit. But do they work?

Are they nice to use? Are they as efficient as the standard wet shave or as painless as an electric shave?

We assembled an assorted team of stubbly chins, from young shavers to the sort who get five o' clock shadow by lunch time.

BEST BUY FOR SMOOTH CHINS

BIC SOFTWIN 19p each (Tesco), 29p (Boots) 34p (Sainsburys)

This wasn't necessarily everybody's favourite but scored consistently high marks. "Struggled through the foam like an underpowered lawnmower but did a good job"; "prone to clogging but a good close shave" and "reasonable shave and felt nice" were among testers' commments. This razor boasts a dual strip with Vitamin E and aloe "to minimise irritation and soften the skin" and it must work because most of our testers commented on the coolness of the shave and the way in which it left skin feeling smooth.

PLENTY OF STYLE AND SOME SUBSTANCE

WILKINSON SWORD EXTREME III £1 each

This is the one that Andre Agassi says he uses. It scored high on style. They say: "Looks the business"; "quite a contraption" and "an engineer's tool that looks like you could get gadgets and accessories". But although two testers rated it highly, others weren't impressed. "Surprisingly hesitant"; "doesn't live up to its promise" and "good, but not as good as it thinks it is," was their opinion

WORTH TRYING

SUPERMAX 3 BLADE 62p each

They say: "Like shaving with a long piece of scaffolding"; "handle too long" and "tricky to control" but all agreed it gave a decent close shave.

WILKINSON SWORD EXTRA II 28p each

The opinion was: "more of a scrape than a shave, but results quite good."

GILLETTE BLUE II 29p each

Most agree that this was a close shave - a bit too close for one tester who said it took his skin off too.

YOU'RE BETTER OFF GROWING A BEARD

SUPERDRUG SWIVEL 20p each

TESCO VALUE TWIN BLADE 4p each

TESCO LONG HANDLE TWIN BLADE 15p each

BOOTS TWIN BLADE 18p each

MARKS & SPENCER 25p each

AND THE ABSOLUTE HORROR

BIC SENSITIVE 10p each

Dismissed with: "blunt as a snub-nosed dolphin"; "like rubbing your face with a rasp" and "dreadful, truly dreadful"

CONCLUSIONS

* Our electric shaver yelped that disposables are "primitive agony"

* Most razors boast lubricating strips. Only one - the Bic Softwin, was effective or even noticed

* Twin blades are generally too close together so clog very easily

* Long handles don't mean better grip

* Good looks don't mean better performance

* Although standards have generally improved since the last time our testers tried disposables, nobody was tempted to change from their regular undisposable razor.

PRICES

These are no real guide to performance. The nastiest wasn't the cheapest. The best wasn't the most expensive.

Prices also varied enormously between stores, particularly on our best buy, with the most expensive nearly double the cheapest. This was partly confused by a number of special offers here and there. It's probably a lot easier to buy a proper razor.

travel insurance tips

Earlier this year we told you that buying your holiday insurance from your travel company did not seem like a good idea. There are many places where you can buy it for half the price.

Now a new independent report says the same thing.

According to The Research Department holidaymakers waste up to £250m a year buying travel insurance from travel agents.

The Research Department's group commercial director, Mark Hayes-Newington said "Many people assume that if their travel insurance is expensive this will equate to quality cover. Our research shows this is not the case. Some of the policies offered by high street travel agents and big name tour operators have some of the worst cover."

About 80 per cent of people still buy their insurance from travel agents. But it's never been easier to buy it elsewhere.

As well as buying it online you can pop a policy in your trolley while you're out shopping. The Research Department make Sainsbury's annual policy one of their best buys.

You don't even have to go through a broker, make a phone call or surf the net. Before you book your holiday, or buy the tour company's travel insurance, just have a look in Boots, Sainsburys or Tescos at the cost of their policies which you can buy off the shelf.

If your travel agent can offer comparable cover at a comparable price, then fair enough, but if not, you do not have to buy insurance from them - and think of all the extra sun cream and sangria you can buy with the money you've saved...