What's new

Does anyone use an electric razor to do the third pass?

So I have always had course facial hair with really sensitive skin. So much so that for years I was using electric shavers. However, I always kinda missed wet shaving and when I discovered DE shaving and realised it would help with my previous skin irritation issues I went for it.

However, I struggle doing a third pass ATG. I have been able to do it with the buffing method but it takes a while and I still end up with nicks and irritation which defeats the purpose. So I upgraded my electric shaver to a wet and dry and when doing the third pass I decided to use it instead of the DE razor. I have found this actually gives me the BBS shave that I wanted. I know many may not be a fan of such a method but I know there will be others like me that struggle with a three pass DE shave and for those people it may help you.

Anyone else ever tried this method?
 

Ad Astra

The Instigator
Well. Not me. I firmly believe that electric shavers retain skin oils, bacteria etc. and are hard to clean - resulting in acne, regardless of your age.

However what works for you may/will work for others, too.

AA
 
NOPE!!

I received an electric lawn mower as a present. Tried to like it for a year or so, then I went back to carts.
 
I never thought they shaved close enough using for the forever passes I used while using them, doubt using for a third pass would work for me.

Great if it works for you!
 

musicman1951

three-tu-tu, three-tu-tu
My father would use an electric for the first pass to mow down his considerable stubble. It wouldn't be a good idea for me. Nicks and irritation suggest improper razor angle and too much pressure, but whatever works is definitely the way to go. Congratulations on finding success.
 
So I have always had course facial hair with really sensitive skin. So much so that for years I was using electric shavers. However, I always kinda missed wet shaving and when I discovered DE shaving and realised it would help with my previous skin irritation issues I went for it.

However, I struggle doing a third pass ATG. I have been able to do it with the buffing method but it takes a while and I still end up with nicks and irritation which defeats the purpose. So I upgraded my electric shaver to a wet and dry and when doing the third pass I decided to use it instead of the DE razor. I have found this actually gives me the BBS shave that I wanted. I know many may not be a fan of such a method but I know there will be others like me that struggle with a three pass DE shave and for those people it may help you.

Anyone else ever tried this method?

If it works for you it's the right choice.

.
 
I never thought they shaved close enough using for the forever passes I used while using them, doubt using for a third pass would work for me.

Great if it works for you!

I think in my case having a very coarse beard actually helps with electric shavers as it seems easier for them to pick up the hair. I have also noticed that the new wet and dry models, from certain well known brands, work very well with a little shaving foam. However, for me to get the closest shave I need to use both a DE and electric. Different things work for different people I guess. Thanks for all the replies.
 
When I was a teenager many decades ago, I had bad acne. The only razor I could use without tearing up my face was a Norelco rotary. However, I never got a close shave, even when the razor was new. My beard grew so fast that I had to shave twice a day with an electric. No matter what the electric shaver ads may claim, they cannot shave as close as a blade because there is always a thin layer of metal between your face and the cutting blade.

As a senior citizen I no longer have the issue with acne, but I still have a fast-growing, tough beard and sensitive skin. I now shave with either a straight razor or a DE razor. I get the best shaves by shaving two passes with a straight and then a clean-up pass with the DE. However, some days I use only the DE.

Using a straight razor has taught me the importance of shaving technique. The blade angle has to be correct and the blade pressure has to be as low as possible whether you are shaving with a straight razor or a DE. Those are the keys to removing the most hair and the least skin. Stretching your skin while shaving also helps.

If you cannot shave ATG without problems, avoid ATG and just shave multiple passes WTG or XTG. Also, if you have sensitive skin, do not insist on having a BBS shave. Does it really matter if your 5 O'clock shadow shows up an hour earlier?
 
I actually use an electric fairly frequently, a Norelco S9000 Prestige now, and it provides a close, even, comfortable shave. In about one-third the time of a three-pass shave with a DE. I haven't combined an electric and DE for one shave, but you certainly could, with advantages and disadvantages listed. What an electric doesn't do, used exclusively: it doesn't provide as close a shave. It just doesn't. Acceptable, and probably the equivalent of a two-pass, but an electric can't complete with a blade for a complete ATG shave. But very acceptable, and potentially less irritating, with no nicks or cuts.. A DE is more precise and controllable at following lines and corners - an electric is more of a general area coverage, with some trimming. And a DE is quieter; even with a new rotary electric, which is very quiet, it is, well, an electric. So "bzzz." An electric is more expensive to maintain, replacing heads and shaver in time, usually annually for shaver heads ($50-150) and as short as three or four years for the shaver - I'll never need to replace a DE (except for RAD!), and blades are dirt cheap. I should mention that I use an electric with all the software of my DEs - full pre-shave, brush, soap, lather. A modern electric, if you haven't kept up, is very different than the lineup of say, 5 or even 10 years ago - some of which are still in production. An electric is capable of providing the equivalent shave of a new, or maybe even average DE user, with the above qualifiers, potentially in less time. I should also mention that an electric shave, to me and from a "zen" point of view, isn't quite as satisfying as a DE shave. And I add that my DE lineup includes most of the Timeless inventory, a Rex Ambassador, several ATTs of many vintages, an RS-10, Tatara Masamune, Blackbird, iKon, and a fair list of vintage Gillettes and some others. And about 50 years of experience using all of the above. So although I haven't finished up a DE shave with an electric, it could certainly be effective and if it works for you, could combine the best of both. Your Particular Mileage May Vary.
 
Last edited:
I have had various electric razors over time, and could never get a decent shave from any of them. There wasn't any such thing as passes--just go over, and over, and over, and over your face, and there was still a lot of stubble. I actually had a little battery razor (maybe a Remington) that I used for quick touch-ups when traveling, and it wasn't too bad. But it could never, ever give me a complete, decent shave. Besides, if you think carts are expensive, try replacing the blades on an electric as often as you should.
 
I do my third pass with an electric razor, but not the way you think. I usually use a power cartridge for the third pass when I'm home, usually a Dorco loaded with a seven blade cartridge. Sometimes I'll use a Gillette Fusion or a Schick Hydro instead. But then I'm the black sheep in this community believing that cartridges are the superior system, at least for me.
 
I use my electric when the blade I’m testing gives me an FTS (Failure To Shave). A Rockwell
blade was the last one to do this - pulling, tugging, sounds of shaving without apparent beard reduction. Even though my skin still feels fine at this point, I worry about abrasion from too many passes. Rather than changing to a known blade and starting over, I just pick up my wet/dry Panasonic to finish with the lather I already have made.
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
Not for me. I tried them back in the 1980's and then again in the 1990's. No fun for me. If they work for you then stick with them.
 
This is an interesting question I had not thought of.

However, I believe it would make more sense and give a closer final result, if the electric did the first pass, and a DE blade did the final and third N-S pass.

I don't think the final result, however, would be as good as a conventional 3 pass wet shave with a blade. I also question if the hassle would be worth the trouble of changing equipment and procedures.
 
This is an interesting question I had not thought of.

However, I believe it would make more sense and give a closer final result, if the electric did the first pass, and a DE blade did the final and third N-S pass.

I don't think the final result, however, would be as good as a conventional 3 pass wet shave with a blade. I also question if the hassle would be worth the trouble of changing equipment and procedures.
I think it’s a case of different things work for different people; I have seen people who can shave against the grain with a DE in their first pass. I have seen others do the 3 pass method without any issues. I have also seen highly experienced DE shavers who generally avoid an ATG pass as it doesn’t suit their skin.

I am not a highly experienced DE shaver by any means and have a lot to learn. However, the time it takes me to use the buffing technique with a DE razor, going against the grain, is lengthy. In addition such a pass can often lead to irritation and nicks. Some of this may be due to technique but I know a lot has to do with the sensitive skin type I have along with the coarseness of hair. I actually just gave the electric shaver a try for the third pass out of sheer frustration and was surprised at how well it seemed to work and thought would share in case there were other people in a similar situation. Am glad it seems to have generated some good discussion with a lot of valid points.
 
Well. Not me. I firmly believe that electric shavers retain skin oils, bacteria etc. and are hard to clean - resulting in acne, regardless of your age.

However what works for you may/will work for others, too.

AA
I clean my my electric shavers after I use them and have never had a problem. It takes very little time. The newer electrics really do shave well with proper shave prep.

Clayton

Sent from my LG-K450 using Tapatalk
 
Top Bottom