3,4,5..n blades...strips..etc highly overrated?

[wetshaving-newbie]

i have been wet-shaving for most of my adult life , stared with an electric philip when i was 17 in 1982 then i moved to the usual gillette 2-3-5-n blades (sensor/mach3..fusion).
This year, after the infamous "toxic masculinity " ad i moved to schick hydro 5 (very good shaver)and finally, since april 2019 (after watching geofatboy and mantic59 videos) to DEs with great results. Two days ago i was on a short vacation and i just had disposable bics to shave (yes, the terrible white/yellow one-blade). To my complete astonishment, by applying DE technique (no pressure...beard mapping...prep etc etc) i got a great shave with no irritation.
I have come to several conclusions:
- technique is WAY more important than the gear you have;
- (if you use carts) lubricating strips...3,4,5,6,7..n blades are just gimmicks carefully studied to get more money from the bovine masses.
What do you think?

 

[tube_guy]

Those Bic single blade white and yellow razors are actually pretty nice shavers. But technique is certainly very important, no matter what products you end up using.

 

[Sabre]

Yes, it's technique. But the other software makes a difference, pre shave oils, soaps and creams, glycerine pre shave soaps, alum bars, aftershave splashes. I disagree that extra blades are marketing gimmicks, I prefer a twin or triple blade cart. Other state they get the best performance from the Pace 7.

Lubricating strps and gel reservoirs I could do without.

 

[ajkel64]

When using carts I much prefer twin carts, then triples. As @Sabre mentioned, lube strips I can do without. Not a real fan of the lube strips etc.

 

[texas_gaming]

I started shaving when I turned 13 with a Schick Hydro 5 and I hated the gel pools. Too much slickness for me. Couldn't get BBS smooth because the blade would just glide over the film of gel left by the razor. Used the Gillette Fusion but parents didn't want to pay for the carts so I got a BIC Flex 5 that I used for a year until I switched to the Mach 3. Great shaves with the Mach 3 and some Barbasol. Discovered DE shaving and switched to that when my parents got me the razor the guy from Pawn Stars was advertising. Got a Van der Hagen bowl and brush and that started my use of DE blades like the Astra SP and Derby Premium. Much cheaper than buying cartridges but I personally haven't noticed any significant difference other than price when it comes to shaving with a safety razor and a cartridge razor. In fact I've been using carts and disposable blades again recently and they give me an equal shave when compared to DE blades.

 

[santamariasteve]

I tend to agree with our wetshaving-newbie. He is to be congratulated on his penetrating insights.

It's all about preparation, angle, pressure, and slickness while going slowly.

 

[Teppanyaki]

I haven't tried shaving with multi-bladed cartridges for years; I much prefer DE/SE razors. Keep in mind that, on this board, you've got a ton of selection bias as we generally love DE/SE/straight/shavette wet shaving in general! I overwhelmingly prefer any blade over electrics.

I've noticed less "acne" with single bladed razors (DE or SE), so I think that multi-bladed cartridges are more prone to ingrown hairs due to the "lift and cut" mechanism.

I haven't tried the Gillette single edge with a comb they sell in India - it's supposed to be a fine disposable razor from what I've read.

 

[sarge6000]

In my honest opinion, 3 blades but especially 5 blades cuts much better than a single or twin blade.

If I use a fusion proglide or Hydro 5, honestly even only one pass cuts more hair than two passes by any other razor.
So it's definitely not a gimmick. However brand and quality of the steel is important. Say what you want about Gillette or Schick, but they don't muck about in terms of steel quality. I'm nearly certain that other cheap brand 5-7 blade razors are pieces of **** and marketing gimmicks.

The problem is the cost and why I use a BIC twin blade as my default razor. A BIC has surprisingly excellent steel in their cheap little disposables.

 

[FaceScraper]

i have been wet-shaving for most of my adult life , stared with an electric philip when i was 17 in 1982 then i moved to the usual gillette 2-3-5-n blades (sensor/mach3..fusion).
This year, after the infamous "toxic masculinity " ad i moved to schick hydro 5 (very good shaver)and finally, since april 2019 (after watching geofatboy and mantic59 videos) to DEs with great results. Two days ago i was on a short vacation and i just had disposable bics to shave (yes, the terrible white/yellow one-blade). To my complete astonishment, by applying DE technique (no pressure...beard mapping...prep etc etc) i got a great shave with no irritation.
I have come to several conclusions:
- technique is WAY more important than the gear you have;
- (if you use carts) lubricating strips...3,4,5,6,7..n blades are just gimmicks carefully studied to get more money from the bovine masses.
What do you think?

i had the same experience this year. After 6+ years of DE shaving i tried a twin blade disposable while travelling on business. Even using canned gel i had a great shave.

Since then i'm a devout Trac II/Atra/Sensor user. Add great soap/cream with the technique learned from DE shaving and i'm having fantastic irritation free shaves so far.

 

[StuMcB]

I can just about tolerate 3 blades. Two is really my limit when it comes to carts. The sensor twin is a smooth shave for me. Saying that I remember using the bic singles in my youth and getting a decent shave on my bum fluff. Might grab a pack for nostalgia sake.

 

[FireDragon76]

Those Bic single blade white and yellow razors are actually pretty nice shavers. But technique is certainly very important, no matter what products you end up using.

Yeah, I still use them, particularly the Bic Sensitive. The blades last longer than DE blades. Somebody should make a single-blade cartridge, similar to the Wilkinson Bonded, it might do very well.

The Guard is its own thing, it's not meant to get the closest shaves. While I do shave with it, I don't care for the lack of spring in the pivot. The only reason that was done was to save money on manufacturing, no doubt.