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Anyone try this?

I've been wondering this for awhile now. Well not for that long since Ive only been DE shaving since March of this year but....

When I was shaving with carts, i just had to have the fusion power when it came out. Then when the Proglide came out, I had to have that as well. I wasnt getting serious irritation from the 5 blades but it wasnt a comftorable shave. I then switched to the Sensor Excel(2 blades) and it gave me a pretty good shave. That was when I started reading up on DE shaving. Of course, had to try it and ive been hooked since March(Yes, still a noob i guess) Now, to the question....lol.

Has anyone went through their regular pre shave prep as if they were going to shave with a DE or straight, but instead either wipe the dust off of their old carts or dig em out of a box and shave with them instead. If so was the shave good, ok, or how it use to be. Rough!! Just thought Id ask. Dont know why I dont try it for myself...lol. Thanks gents!
 
Has anyone went through their regular pre shave prep as if they were going to shave with a DE or straight, but instead either wipe the dust off of their old carts or dig em out of a box and shave with them instead. If so was the shave good, ok, or how it use to be. Rough!! Just thought Id ask. Dont know why I dont try it for myself...lol. Thanks gents!


Actually, I just did that today. I had a severe razor burn the other day on my head so I let it rest a day and then prepped and shaved with the M3. Nice and comfortable. Prep is a big part of shaving.

I could not get the closeness that I usually get on the trim (I use a Feather straight mostly) but it was very good and the razor burn areas (healed but somewhat fragile) were untouched. Will probably do it one more time.

I also used the M3 for touchup around my lips - it didn't work nearly as well as the DE or straight does but it was comfortable. I can feel stubble tonight and that just doesn't happen with the other tools.

If the intent of the question is whether carts aren't all that bad, then I agree. They work fine. An experienced straight or DE shave will be closer and longer lasting and probably have less bumps (for those who get them) but we're not talking night and day.

I could also go into the mantra that carts are too expensive but I would be a hypocrite. I have several lifetimes of cart value wrapped up in straights and Feathers. It isn't the monetary value that wins the day for me. It is the zen of shaving that I like.
 
This year I gave up my DE razors for Lent. I still had a drawer full of disposable razors and cartridges from when I picked up the DE a year before and was determined to put a dent in them. I tried to use the same beard preparation and multiple pass shaving technique I had used for my DE shaves. I was consistently getting a comfortable DFS with 2 or 3 passes of single and twin-blade razors and carts. Mach 3 cartridges caused excessive skin irritation if I tried to do a three pass shave, so I usually just went WTG/XTG and a minimum of touching up with them.

The shaves were of considerably better quality than I had been getting from a single WTG pass before I learned DE shaving techniques. The improved beard prep, multiple passes in different directions, blade buffing, and J-hooking all contributed to getting better shaves than I had previously gotten with these tools. They still never matched the best shaves I had gotten with my DE, but I was using multi-blade carts better than I had previously.

The grain of my beard various over my face and neck, so I would likely get better results from any type of razor if I took the time to really map my beard. I just go north to south and then east to west instead of truly WTG/XTG.

Fewer blades yielded better results. The triple bladed carts and disposable razors just caused too much razor burn if I tried to do a full three passes with them.

In my experience, making two passes WTG/XTG and doing a little touching up yields a better shave faster than doing a single pass WTG with a lot of touching up. With the carts it was faster and more comfortable to skip the ATG pass altogether with no discernible difference in shave quality. That has me wondering if I should skip the ATG pass with the DE as well, but I enjoy using the thing so much and I have no issues with razor burn so why quit early?
 
I tried this with a Schick Quattro, which is what I used to use before using a DE. I never really got much irritation with the Quattro to be honest, but wasn't getting a close shave, either. When I revisited the Quattro armed with the information and experience I have now, with better prep, proper technique and multiple passes, it was better than it was before when using a cart, but still not as close overall.
 
Actually, I just did that today. I had a severe razor burn the other day on my head so I let it rest a day and then prepped and shaved with the M3. Nice and comfortable. Prep is a big part of shaving.

I could not get the closeness that I usually get on the trim (I use a Feather straight mostly) but it was very good and the razor burn areas (healed but somewhat fragile) were untouched. Will probably do it one more time.

I also used the M3 for touchup around my lips - it didn't work nearly as well as the DE or straight does but it was comfortable. I can feel stubble tonight and that just doesn't happen with the other tools.

If the intent of the question is whether carts aren't all that bad, then I agree. They work fine. An experienced straight or DE shave will be closer and longer lasting and probably have less bumps (for those who get them) but we're not talking night and day.

I could also go into the mantra that carts are too expensive but I would be a hypocrite. I have several lifetimes of cart value wrapped up in straights and Feathers. It isn't the monetary value that wins the day for me. It is the zen of shaving that I like.

Yup. People around here need to be reminded this every once in a while :biggrin1:
 
I kept on shaving, weekends, when I felt less pressure of being in a big hurry, with a DE razor and often used shave soap in the mug that I never got rid of. I also literally threw away a new Mach3 after a test shave with that thing was far worse than using a Sensor with its two blades. I never tried a Fusion. The Sensor remained my "rush to finish" razor for close to 20 years, but once in a while, some weekends, I used my good shaving soap with my Sensor instead of my Gillette Slim.

I knew what a good shave is like and never forgot; I just was under a lot of time pressure, and got into a habit of hurrying the shaves during the work week that I continued for 7-8 years after I was retired, and didn't "need" to hurry any more. The nicest thing about the past six months has been discovering how many of yesterday's razors there are than still shave so well. I had only used one SE razor for 18 months to two years when first shaving, and never realized what a fine razor those are.

On the other hand, I knew that Injectors were good, but started using DEs instead, for some reason I can no longer recall. I'm pretty sure one of my several attempts to "go along" with the crowd of men I knew and who were in my family, who all used electric shavers, separated using Injectors from using DEs, but that happened nearly 50 years ago now, and is just not still in memory.
 
I did this about a year and a half ago. I don't remember if it was with my Mach3 or my Quattro - I've got both.

Prep and technique are the keys to a great shave. Wet, slippery lather and a "no pressure" approach will yield a good performance from any razor. I did notice, though, after a few days I was starting to get that old familiar irritated itch on my neck about an hour after I shaved. Since then, I have had no desire to repeat the experiment!
 
Yes,
I still have a Gillette Sensor laying around. If I pair it up with a CVS store brand cartridge, and some custom made lather, I can still get a decent shave out of it. Not as fun, and interesting as using an old Superspeed though. :001_cool:
 
From time to time I use one of the after market Trac II handles that I have and enjoy using. I prep the same way I do for DE shaving and the results are usually very good.

Regards,

Doug
 
I used a brush and premium soap for years before actually using a DE.

Not every day, but I always used a brush. Whenever I was in a rush I would use canned foam. When I had time to, I used a boar and VDH soap.

The cost of replacement carts is what pushed me the last step to DE shaving.
 
I use carts when traveling and can say the techniques learned through DE shaving has definitely translated to a better (not better than DE) shave when compared to past experiences. Just as some of our brethren have communicated, this tid bit of info would not warrant a switch back in my case. The return on investment (better shaves at a lower costs) just isn't there.
 
It's interesting that you mention this. About 2 months after starting to DE shave, I pulled out the Proglide and some Nivea canned shave cream. I had never had a bad experience with carts in 16 years. When I tried the carts, I felt like I could feel every hair getting yanked out of my face. It was not comfortable at all. My face did not at all feel smooth....but to the touch, felt like what I had been used to. I realized I had been settling for sub-par closeness.
 
Sorry, but i have not used a cart in quite some time. If it works for you, then keep at it if you do not mind the cost. As always, YMMV. Good luck.
 
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