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Blade vs Norelco - Oct 1970

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They aren't far from the mark.

The Norelco rotary is the only electric that can get me close to a good shave.
No, it's not BBS, or even DFS, but it is certainly SAS and pushing CCS.

Standard electrics will get me SAS and that's it... and a fair amount of burn.

Now, given that in 1970, men were satisfied with the results of a single WTG pass and they were happy with a CCS. ATG was the exception rather than the rule. It's no surprise that 7 out of 10 found the rotary to be as good as their DE.
Even in the mid 90s, I remember a guy that came in to give advice to Gary on the Howard Stern show and he was asking about his shaving habits. He used a blade... WTG only. The consultant recommended going "both ways" if his skin could tolerate it, and if he could not tolerate it, he recommended trying a rotary electric.
 
I always did at least 1 1/2 passes with bladed razors, and as much back and forth as I could handle with any electric. But it was the electrics that chafed and irritated my skin the most. However, compared to the other electrics that I tried, especially with the rechargables, I could use a Norelco occasionally in a big rush for the acceptable level, in my car, so I always have carried one with me in the front seat.
 
My 20 year old son does a quick daily shave with a Braun--one of the better electrics these days--and gets a little closer than stubble, which is fine by his standards. Late one night a few months ago he issued me an in-your-face challenge: "Okay, let me see if using a double-edge razor is as good as you say." I gave him five minutes of coaching, my EJ89L, a Derby blade, EJ aloe vera soap, and my Men-U Premier synthetic brush. My son's an excellent college science student with ample lab experience and PhD aspirations. He properly prepped his face and, despite our hard water and a soap that supposedly is difficult to lather, quickly whipped up a rich lather. After performing his very first (WTG) stroke he pronounced, "Wow, this IS nice . . ." He gave himself an excellent 3-pass shave, with just one very minor nick, rinsed, applied alum block, and finished with a moisturizer. His conclusion? "Yes, MUCH nicer and closer than the electric." Since that night? He does a quick daily shave with the Braun . . .
 
Electrics have their place. As a Marine, just no time in the field for the luxury of blade shaving sometimes. And, as above, I keep one in my desk for the occasional touch up if I have to see someone late in the day. Also use one on the sides of my head when giving my own haircut. But, nothing beats a DE except perhaps a straight which I have not tried yet. YMMV as always.
 
I agree that electrics have their place. I have a Panasonic that's the best electric I've owned. Shaves as close as the Braun's, but you can use it wet or dry and clean it in warm water with soap.
Nice as it is, the shave quality isn't in the same league with a DE razor and a quality blade. My skin also stays nicer and healthier looking when I stay away from the electric. I travel in my work, and that's the only reason I keep the electric. Wet shaving just doesn't mix well with flying.
 
Funny ad I thought.....and I think about the time DE shaving began to wane. Gillette was just about to release their Trac II the next year.

For the record, the best electric I ever used was this model in the early nineties what I interchanged with my Gillette Sensor off and on:

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I'll echo the Col's comments above on this one. I have tried a fair number of electric shavers in my quest for a quick, convenient, no frills shave, and while it will work out in the field or maybe get you passed your morning formations and meetings, it falls far short of the mark set by wetshaving. Still, I do keep one in the car for those touch-ups or late mornings. I guess it just depends on what your acceptable level of "smooth" is. If you just need to look well groomed and presentable, I would think an electric shaver could work nicely. If, however, you need to appear immaculate at any time of the day (or you just like the way that feels), then the electric shaver should be the exception rather than the rule.
 
As a 15-year Norelco user turned wet-shaver, I will be honest here and reluctantly admit that my electric shaver gave good shaves. I dealt with a little neck irritation from time to time, but probably not any more frequently than I get with my DE. I can get patches where my shaves are closer now than with the Norelco, but rating the overall shave, my current results are not so much better. And the electric shave is much faster. However, the experience is really the difference for me. I take better care of my face, I smell a little better, and I enjoy the relaxed experience. I get to think about things and slow life down a little.

I think many wet-shavers would be surprised by the good results you can get from a good electric, just as many electric shavers would be surprised by what can be accomplished with a single blade. I know we all have our biases and preferences, but I think the world's a big place with lots of good options and we choose what's best for ourselves.
 
Every electric I've had (Norelco, Remington screen and rotary models) worked fine for the first couple months. Fine, of course, was a relative term, in that I got a reasonably close shave but with moderate to near-raw irritation, depending on how much pressure I used. Then the blades started to dull and the screens and guards started to wear. Replacing them did nothing to bring back the original shave quality. (My father has been able to replace the guards and blades on some of his electrics for up to a decade and continued to get shaves with which he was content.)

They don't have any electric razor forums do they?

There used to be one (I don't know if it still exists). Any post about any other shaving method resulted in immediate banishment, from what I recall.
 
About 35 years ago I had a couple spells of trying electrics. I seem to recall using a Norelco and also a Remington.

They were awful. I either got a terrible shave or the worst irritation and rash I have ever experienced in over 40 years of shaving.

I'm very glad to have rediscovered wet shaving with a single blade.
 
About 35 years ago I had a couple spells of trying electrics. I seem to recall using a Norelco and also a Remington.

They were awful. I either got a terrible shave or the worst irritation and rash I have ever experienced in over 40 years of shaving.

I'm very glad to have rediscovered wet shaving with a single blade.

Yeah, it's safe to say that they've come a long way since then. Many people use them without incident these days, so they're obviously effective for a large population. Still, though it was reasonably effective for me to use a Norelco, I prefer wet-shaving now.
 
I have been DE shaving for 4 years and wetshaving since the late 1980s. Prior to that I used electrics. The first was a rotary style. I wasn't getting great shaves with it so I went to a Braun (foil type) shaver. It gave better results but it didn't last very long so had to get another rotary style shaver. My experience is that wetshaving is superior to electrics in all ways. The shave is so much closer and there is far less irritation (really zero irritation for me with wetshaving). The electrics gave me razor burn all the time.
 
wow, my dad had one of the old norelco's.
he used to rave about it.
I agree with many. the electrics are great during the first month or so but the blades do deteriorate after time so you're dropping $25 every few months, but still cheaper than cartridges. My best shaves have been with an electric razor blade with brand new blade or my current de with crystals.
 
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