Are electrics really that bad?

[lightfoot]

The challenge I’m running into trying to make the switch is trying to find something that works well dry. I know that a wet E-Shave is more ideal but I find myself shaving more and more in a big rush. Last few shaves I’ve been knocking down the bulk with my Braun Series 5 and finishing with my Andis ProFoil.
My Ark 5 is a better shaver but I don’t like to use it dry because of the heat it generates. The Braun runs a bit cooler when used dry as. The Andis is best used for sparse cleanup...
Not allotting enough time to shave with soap or cream with a more efficient unit seems to be the biggest culprit for discomfort.

 

[Scaramouche]

That doesn't mean anything. That the majority happily accept a (albeit slightly) less close shave doesn't make those tools great.

It means that your opinion is in the minority of shavers statistically as far as preferred method of shaving. Which also, in the grand scheme of things, doesn't mean anything because your opinion is as valid as anyone else's. The assumption being that shavers who exclusively use electrics are happy, or at least content with their shave, because otherwise they would use something else - particularly when that something is cheaper. But "great" may not be an accurate descriptor. Maybe "adequate," "acceptable," or "sufficient," for the majority of users. Eclipsed, of course, by the vastly larger number of shavers who think a disposable shave is "great." Or not.

 

[cat1965]

Quite frankly I have never given a rat *** to what the "majority" thinks. And BTW masses are bovine,so....!!!!

 

[Scaramouche]

That's the spirit!

 

[Flyboybob]

That doesn't mean anything. That the majority happily accept a (albeit slightly) less close shave doesn't make those tools great.

“Everyone has an opinion just like they have an anal sphincter.” And you are entitled to your opinion regardless of its aroma. I have been shaving with screen type electric shavers for over 44 years and I get an extremely close, fast and comfortable shave every day. I have gone as long as three or four days without shaving and my Braun seven series gives me an almost barbershop shave.

The statistics above may or may not be 100% accurate, but as the other saying goes, “Figures don’t lie, but liers figure.”

 

[Scaramouche]

Hard to get accurate marketing analyses without actually purchasing it (companies for hire who do this for a living are not about to publish their results on the Internet), but in general the information that is available indicates that (for men) of those who shave about 30-40 percent use an electric razor, with the other 60-70 percent using disposable cartridges, and the smallest fraction (single digits or less) using something else (straight, DE or "other," including a fraction that don't shave at all).

 

[GaryTha]

I can’t believe you repeated it again.

Assuming you agree I said it this year, it's not repeating it again as that would take saying it a third time.

I'm bored.

 

[BladeBandit6869]

Right but unlike the Ferrari, you cant hurt yourself with the Panda. Not everyone thinks that closeness of shave = quality of shave. For some, infact for many, a shave that is close enough to be socially acceptable with nicks, cuts and irritation is really what theyre after and thats what an electric excels at.
I could take a Braun Series 3 with some shave soap or shave gel and get amazing shaves with it. Its not as close as a blade but its not enough of a difference that anyone would notice. I just enjoy DEs and straights better. I love all the different razors, blades, brushes and soaps that are out there When you can shave yourself with a straight and not have any nicks or irritation, thats when you know that you know how to shave.
Electrics definetly have a place, especially for people who view shaving as something they just have to do and dont see it as a hobby.

This... also, for some reason, I can't shave everyday with a DE and not get ingrown hairs... the panda sounds alright.

 

[MouseRat]

Well, this is a DE forum. I've always used electrics just like my DEs - brush, soap and scuttle. The advantage was a quicker shave, with less chance for bloodletting, and less irritation. Slightly less close, but more than acceptable. With less skill required. So there's a place for electrics, and many use them exclusively (I switch), but absolutely nothing wrong with an electric shave - and about the only thing modern electrics (designed and made within the last 10 years) share with their ancestors - that I read many are still using or used - is that they use electricity for charging. Shave on.

Well said! If someone is bashing on electrics, due to experience with an old electric, and without using a GOOD pre-electric shave lotion, they are not commenting with all the relevant facts.

If you can get a BBS shave without irritation in 4 mins, with almost no prep or mess, no chance of cuts, and for many, less razor burn than with a blade, why would you not use it? That’s why I use mine exclusively on my head and sometimes on my face. It’s a time saver when I need to save time.

I realize that many like the tradition, the relaxation, the history the hobby, etc… as do I, and I still use every type of blade. But it is time consuming. Some don’t have the time, or the need, or can’t use blades. It doesn’t mean they are wrong, it means they are different and have different priorities.

I do realize this is a Wet Shaving forum, and it is focused on DE. It seems the single edge guys even catch some Flack at times… but, if a person has tried DE/wet shaving repeatedly, following all the techniques and routines, and it still doesn’t work for them due to irritation, then it doesn’t work. It doesn’t mean they are using wrong technique or are less of a “man”. They use an electric for the same reason you use a DE - to get a good shave and avoid irritation.

They get on these threads for hints on how to make their electric shaving better, not to hear that they are using poor DE shaving techniques…

Sorry - soap box put back in the closet

 

[Tirvine]

They can be quite irritating while still failing to provide an especially close shave. They do not like to plow through a coarse beard. Some are better than others. Therefore, some are worse than others.

 

[MouseRat]

My experience with them wasn't ever that bad, either, in fact I found dry shaving worked best generally, even though I used to own a good Panasonic with a linear motor that could work with water.

The Panasonic was probably one of the least irritating shavers I've ever owned, in fact one of the least irritating ways to shave in general. The battery eventually died on it, and I didn't replace it, however. The up-front costs can be daunting, it's not like getting a cheap shave brush and a puck of Williams and some disposables at a dollar store.

I think there's a unique kind of chintziness with electric shavers that parallels the razors-and-blades sales model. You get the convenience of a cordless shaver, in exchange after a few years you're left with a paperweight and they know you'll probably just go and buy another one rather than pay the fees to get a new battery installed.

That's one reason now days I prefer inexpensive plug-in shavers or battery operated, even though they don't perform as well. I wouldn't shave with one often enough to justify buying a more expensive model.

I have a Panasonic Arc5. Works great, and I can get just as close as a blade when I shower first, wash my face well in the shower, and then use Afta pre-electric.

In all honesty, I probably wouldn’t have bought the Arc5 if I hadn’t started shaving my head. The electric is actually closer on my head, magnitudes faster, and no cuts or irritation.
Because of the success on my head, I now use it at times on my face, where it does better on my face in my trouble spots than any blade.

 

[Leo K]

I often think of trying head shaving with my new Braun series 7 - not sure never done that!

 

[Billski]

Hello @Leo K

 

[MouseRat]

Have you tried it with Afta pre-electric?

My Dorco blade wasn't agreeing with me today so I relathered with some Stirling soap and finished my shave with a Braun Pocket Go. I ended up with a DFS. The Braun didn't seem to produce any skin irritation, and it shaved faster than dry shaving.

 

[Flyboybob]

Well said! If someone is bashing on electrics, due to experience with an old electric, and without using a GOOD pre-electric shave lotion, they are not commenting with all the relevant facts.

If you can get a BBS shave without irritation in 4 mins, with almost no prep or mess, no chance of cuts, and for many, less razor burn than with a blade, why would you not use it? That’s why I use mine exclusively on my head and sometimes on my face. It’s a time saver when I need to save time.

I realize that many like the tradition, the relaxation, the history the hobby, etc… as do I, and I still use every type of blade. But it is time consuming. Some don’t have the time, or the need, or can’t use blades. It doesn’t mean they are wrong, it means they are different and have different priorities.

I do realize this is a Wet Shaving forum, and it is focused on DE. It seems the single edge guys even catch some Flack at times… but, if a person has tried DE/wet shaving repeatedly, following all the techniques and routines, and it still doesn’t work for them due to irritation, then it doesn’t work. It doesn’t mean they are using wrong technique or are less of a “man”. They use an electric for the same reason you use a DE - to get a good shave and avoid irritation.

They get on these threads for hints on how to make their electric shaving better, not to hear that they are using poor DE shaving techniques…

Sorry - soap box put back in the closet

I don’t know why anyone would bash on electric shavers except to pump up their own egos. After your face gets accustomed to using a modern electric shaver you won’t even require a preshave lotion. Every morning first thing I do is shave before showering and I get an extremely close shave in about four to five minutes. No irritation, no nicks nor cuts. It’s fast, comfortable, close without any water, soap etc. That time includes a quick dry cleaning. I can carry it easily in my briefcase and shave anywhere before an evening date or appointment.

Until I discovered this forum I never considered that shaving is a hobby. To each his own, I imagine. I have been shaving with an electric since I was 15 and get a very close shave every day. I don’t even change the cutter/screen according to the manufacturer’s recommendation as long as the original ones keep giving a great shave.

Once, in 1968 or 1969 I got a barbershop shave. Afterward, I didn’t have to shave for two days but they have gotten very expensive if you can find a barber who still will give you a shave. The hot towel was the best part. Trying to duplicate that experience at home is a waste of time and effort. I will stick with my electric shaver until I’m laid to rest and won’t need it any longer.

Also, one doesn’t have to buy the top of the line shaver to get a great shave. Cleaning stations and replaceable grooming tools are just gimmicks to get you to empty your wallet faster. I got great results for years from a Panasonic ES8103 and my current Braun 7986s. Both of which can be purchased for a $100 or less. A shaver is really a grooming tool and electric shavers make the job quick, easy and painless.

 

[garyg]

They can be quite irritating while still failing to provide an especially close shave. They do not like to plow through a coarse beard. Some are better than others. Therefore, some are worse than others.

+1 and I have tried electrics in at least 6 decades. They have never worked well for me.

No electric has worked to my level of expectation, some were more irritating than others but still all were pretty lousy, both in closeness and comfort. I actually bought a highly rated Panny a year or so ago, it failed & was returned to sender.

 

[Flyboybob]

+1 and I have tried electrics in at least 6 decades. They have never worked well for me.

No electric has worked to my level of expectation, some were more irritating than others but still all were pretty lousy, both in closeness and comfort. I actually bought a highly rated Panny a year or so ago, it failed & was returned to sender.

You can’t say you didn’t try them. The question is did you give them a fair amount of time for your face and beard to become accustomed. If you open up a new electric shaver and give it a try for one day, then it will certainly not satisfy you. You have to use it exclusively for a couple of weeks to get your beard, your skin and your technique used to the shaver. I have gone as long as a week without shaving when I was sick and both my Panasonic and my Braun have had no problems mowing down my beard. In the end, it’s a personal choice.

 

[VBH37118]

I often think of trying head shaving with my new Braun series 7 - not sure never done that!

Why not give it a shot?

 

[VBH37118]

+1 and I have tried electrics in at least 6 decades. They have never worked well for me.

No electric has worked to my level of expectation, some were more irritating than others but still all were pretty lousy, both in closeness and comfort. I actually bought a highly rated Panny a year or so ago, it failed & was returned to sender.

Sorry, oh well

 

[VBH37118]

You can’t say you didn’t try them. The question is did you give them a fair amount of time for your face and beard to become accustomed. If you open up a new electric shaver and give it a try for one day, then it will certainly not satisfy you. You have to use it exclusively for a couple of weeks to get your beard, your skin and your technique used to the shaver. I have gone as long as a week without shaving when I was sick and both my Panasonic and my Braun have had no problems mowing down my beard. In the end, it’s a personal choice.

So true